CPL: A Strategic Tool for Adult Learner Recruitment and Retention

This asynchronous workshop offers a comprehensive look at institutional-based Credit for Prior Learning (CPL), focusing on how to award college credit for life and work experience. Participants will evaluate the four primary "challenge" assessments—written exams, portfolios, skills demonstrations, and oral interviews—while learning to design effective combination-style models. By analyzing sample rubrics and portfolios, attendees will gain the practical tools and rationale needed to build a customized CPL approach that enhances student success at their respective institutions.

2026 Course Dates

  • April 27
  • July 20 
  • September 21

Registration Rates

  • Member: $499 
  • Non-Member: $839 

 

Group Discount

An additional 15% discount is available for groups of 5 or more individuals attending from the same school, registering at the same time.

Learning Outcomes

  • Design & Strategy: Articulate the design guidelines for the four primary types of institutional-based assessments: Portfolios, Written Exams, Oral Interviews, and Skills Demonstrations.
  • Critical Evaluation: Compare the characteristics, benefits, and challenges of each assessment type to determine the best fit for their institution.
  • Assessment Mastery: Review and analyze student-developed portfolios and assessments using "Principles of Good Practice" and evidence-based rubrics.
  • Outcome Alignment: Distinguish between assessing prior learning portfolios and traditional classroom assignments while recognizing multiple pathways to achieving course learning outcomes.
  • Effective Feedback: Provide clear, supportive, and actionable feedback to students throughout the Credit for Prior Learning (CPL) process.
  • Practical Application: Apply CPL best practices through real-world case studies, scenario-based exercises, and peer-to-peer collaboration.

Target Audience

  • Faculty Members: Transition from traditional grading to the specialized evaluation of prior learning portfolios and "challenge" exams.
  • Academic Administrators: Gain a strategic understanding of CPL principles to build more robust, student-centered pathways at your institution.

Delivery & Certificate of Completion

  • This course is instructor-led, asynchronous, and offered online. 
  • Participant engagement is approximately 90-120 minutes per week.
  • To successfully complete this course and earn a certificate of completion, students must miss no more than 2 assignments.
  • All assignments must be submitted within two weeks of the course end date to count towards your certificate of completion.
  • Certificates of completion are emailed to successful students approximately three weeks after the final day of class.