20-21 Undergraduate Catalog

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Prior Learning Assessment Registration

Reviews the procedures for registering for prior learning assessment at the University.

PLEASE NOTE: Students should not register for a Single- Course, 12-Week Portfolio course until they have reviewed the PLA Self-Assessment Guide.

The information on this page is intended for those students who only intend to do a single portfolio for a single course. Most students who intend to earn credit through the assessment of their portfolios begin by registering for PLA-100: Introduction to Prior Learning Assessment or PLA-200: Introduction to Portfolio Development. Information on those courses can be found at www.tesu.edu/degree-completion/PLA-100-and-PLA-200.

This information is designed to help students determine, before registering, whether prior learning is appropriate for this method of earning credit.

STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS:

  1. Select a course. Students should review the course descriptions at the University’s PLA Description Database at www2.tesu.edu/plasearch.php. If the course a student is looking for is not in the University’s database, the student can find one from another regionally accredited college/ university and submit that.

    NOTE: It is recommended that enrolled Thomas Edison State University students make sure a particular portfolio course fits their degree requirements by calling the Advising Expressline at 609-777-5680. A student enrolled at another institution, should check to make sure the portfolio course fits his/her degree requirements and that such courses are accepted at his/her home institution.

  2. Register for the portfolio course. If a student chooses to complete a Single-Course, 12-Week Portfolio course, and has made certain the course fits into his/her degree requirements, the student will need to propose the course by completing the prior learning assessment proposal form. The form is available at www.tesu.edu/studentforms. The student may also submit the PLA Proposal Form electronically by going to https://forms.tesu.edu/plaproposal.php. The PLA specialist will determine whether the PLA the student proposed can be approved and activated. The student will receive notification of the course code via email indicating that he/she is cleared to register for that PLA. Once the proposed course has been approved, a course section will be created. At that point, the student can register as he/she would for any other Thomas Edison State University course. The student will also receive confirmation of the registration from the Office of the Registrar. This communication will contain information about accessing the online PLA via myEdison®.

    It is important to start this proposal process at least two weeks prior to the end of the registration period for a given semester, so that a mentor may be identified before the registration period ends. Until the University can identify a qualified mentor to work with the student, the student may not be able to enroll for the portfolio course during the semester the student desired.

  3. Contact the mentor during the first week of the semester. The mentor’s contact information is found in myEdison®. Please keep in mind that the portfolio must be completed within the 12-week semester for which the student is registered, unless a shorter period is agreed upon between the student and the mentor. Only one eight-week extension may be requested, and only if at least a draft of the portfolio has already been completed.