Military Medic to RN: Buying into Prior Learning Assessments

For learners, Credit for Prior Learning (CPL) is an attractive component of quick educational advancement — it recognizes their previous learning experiences and may help them complete their next credential more quickly.

Colleges recognize this. They’re prioritizing CPL initiatives. But assessing credit for prior learning and managing the related processes presents challenges.

These challenges can be overcome, as WIDS demonstrated while facilitating the development of Prior Learning Assessments (PLAs) for a Military Medic to Registered Nurse pathway with the Wisconsin Technical College System.

Buy it off the shelf?

CPL poses a central question to colleges: “How do we assess it?”

A seemingly straightforward answer would be to utilize a pre-selected Prior Learning Assessment (PLA)—after all, why reinvent the wheel?

But that would miss a crucial element—incorporating faculty’s support and deep knowledge of the subject matter.  

Or buy in?

Instead of using an “off-the-shelf” PLA, WIDS facilitated faculty discussions to:

• Collaboratively select the PLA type
• Collaboratively determine the PLA elements to include

‍What were the results?

Buy-in!

A sense of team effort is most important—the WIDS collaborative approach also:  

• built a sense of faculty team ownership
• ensured multiple, consistent PLAs were developed

‍See for yourself.

The Military Medic to RN Project work is available for free on SkillsCommons.org.  WTCS Colleges can access it on the WTCS WIDS Repository, as well.

Or contact WIDS to explore how our consulting services can help your college develop Credit for Prior Learning assessments.

WIDS (Worldwide Instructional Design System) is a nonprofit organization that provides curriculum design software, consulting, and training services.