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Portfolio Program

The Portfolio Program at Charter Oak can be used to earn credit by demonstrating that your learning matches a specific course.

What's In A Portfolio?

  • Course Information - Includes the learning outcomes for the specific course you are challenging.
  • Summary - Matches each course learning outcome to your experience and supporting evidence.
  • Resume and Introduction - Provide overviews of your learning experiences related to the course.
  • Narrative - Demonstrates how you have achieved each course learning outcome.
  • Documentary Evidence - Supports your claims to knowledge of the learning outcomes.

What Credit Can I Earn For A Portfolio?

  • Lower division level (100 and 200) undergraduate credit.
  • Upper division level (300 and 400) undergraduate credit.
  • Graduate division level (500 and 600) credit.
  • Credit for a specific course taught at any regionally accredited college.
  • Any number of credits, limited by degree program applicability.
  • Consult with your Academic Counselor regarding the degree applicability of any portfolio credit.

Why Should I Consider The Portfolio Program?

  • Save money!
    • The portfolio assessment fee is considerably less than tuition.
    • The assessment fee for your first portfolio is waived when submitted within 30 days of completing the IDS 102: Prior Learning Portfolio Development course (undergraduate portfolios only).
  • Flexibility!
    • Work within your own schedule to prepare your portfolios.
    • Prepare portfolios for courses taught at any regionally accredited college.
  • Validation!
    • Receive recognition for what you've learned through your experience.
    • Earn college credit for what you know.

Who Can Use The Portfolio Program?

  • Charter Oak State College Undergraduate Students:
    • Consult with your Academic Counselor.
    • Choose course challenges that fit into your degree plan.
    • Successfully complete the IDS 102 - Prior Learning Portfolio Development course.
  • Charter Oak State College Graduate Students:
  • Visiting Students:
    • Work with your home school advisor.
    • Be sure that your home school will accept any credit from portfolio in transfer.
    • Make sure that any credit you earn by portfolio will fit into your degree plan.
    • You will begin by taking IDS 102 - Prior Learning Portfolio Development so check with your home school to see if they will accept that course in transfer and it will fit into your degree plan.

How Do I Know If The Portfolio Program Is Right For Me?

  • Does your learning involve content normally taught in college courses?
  • Was your learning experience long enough and deep enough to provide opportunity to learn the college course material?
  • Does your learning contain a mix of theory and practical application?
  • Does your learning match a specific course? Does that course fit into your degree plan?
  • Can you describe and document your learning and show how it relates to the course learning outcomes?
  • Have you successfully completed English Composition?
  • Are you comfortable writing papers? Do you have the time? Would you prefer that to taking a course on material you've already learned?

If you answered "yes" to the above questions, consider the Portfolio Program.

What Else Should I Consider?

Review the information in the College Catalog.

When Should I Consider The Portfolio Program?

  • Early in your educational planning to prevent taking classes on material you already know.
  • When you know the material taught in a specific course that fits into your degree plan.
  • When the training you completed does not have credit available from a credit review.
  • When you don't hold a professional credential that verifies you learned the material.
  • When you can't take an exam to earn the credit.

How Long Does It Take?

  • The undergraduate 3-credit IDS 102 - Prior Learning Portfolio Development course is taught online over eight weeks each Term 2.
  • Plan on 2-4 months for portfolio assessment, depending on:
    • Faculty availability.
    • Whether more information is requested.
  • Faculty assessors typically provide a response within 30 days of receiving your complete portfolio.
  • You will have up to 30 days to respond to any request for more information, which re-starts the assessment clock.
  • The credit is typically posted to your record within 10-15 days of finalized results.

How Do I Participate In The Portfolio Program?

Undergraduate Students

Graduate Students

  • Consider how well your learning matches the course you propose to challenge and discuss your plan with your advisor.
  • Contact the PLA Office for instructions and resources.
  • Submit your portfolio via email to the PLA Office.
  • Pay the assessment fee.
  • Check your Charter Oak email regularly and respond promptly to any requests for more information.
  • Graduate portfolio submission instructions.

Visiting Students

  • Consider how well your learning matches the course you propose to challenge and discuss your plan with your home school advisor.
    • Make sure that your home school will accept any credit from portfolio (and IDS 102) in transfer.
    • Make sure that any credit you earn by portfolio (and IDS 102) will fit into your degree plan.
  • Successfully complete IDS 102 - Prior Learning Portfolio Development with a grade of "C" or better.
  • Contact the PLA Office for current instructions and resources if it's been more than a semester since you completed IDS 102.
  • Submit your portfolio via email to the PLA Office.
  • Pay the assessment fee.
  • Check your Charter Oak email regularly and respond promptly to any requests for more information.
  • Undergraduate portfolio submission instructions.

Where Are The Forms And Resources I Need?

  • Log in to the ACORN Student Portal, go to Student Self Service, and look for the Prior Learning Assessment section.
  • Contact the PLA Office for current resources.

Contact the PLA Office with questions.