Non-credit Options

Purpose

As universities enhance their adult offerings, they frequently encounter potential students who possess talent and credentials in an area of study, but no formal degree or academic credit in the respective area. It is frequently the case that faculty find it unfair to ask such students to take courses on topics in which they are already competent. As Butler University has continued offering more adult education — including non-credit learning opportunities — requests to evaluate these prior learning experiences for academic credit have increased substantially. For the sake of this policy, prior learning is defined in the section below.

Prior learning is a phrase used to describe learning that occurred outside of a “traditional” academic institution or environment (e.g., college). Specifically, individuals gain this learning in a setting where academic credits are not awarded. Prior learning can occur in a variety of settings, but some of the most common include employer training programs, on-the-job training, serving in the military, or completing a non-credit-bearing course or program. Prior learning assessment (PLA) is a common and popular way for colleges to recognize prior learning via assessment.

Parallel to the Butler trend, a national movement is occurring whereby universities are being called upon to make college more accessible and affordable by reexamining credit transfer policies. Specifically, in late 2021 the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA), American Council on Education (ACE), and the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO) issued a joint statement on the transfer and award of credit containing eight key considerations to guide institutional decision making. The first key of these is a call for universities to use consistent standards in evaluating and awarding credit for prior learning, independent of learning modality and regardless of where the learning took place, up to and including other institutions, high school dual-enrollment programs, on-the-job training at an employer or in the military, and via experiential learning. This statement makes it clear that the standard practice of awarding credit solely for credit-bearing classes taken at other institutions no longer aligns with trends in higher education and the needs of many learners, and as such, policies regarding credit for prior learning must be reconsidered.

In alignment with this call to action, the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) specifically allows institutions to grant credit for prior learning experiences outside of the classroom. In its Assumed Practices, HLC states that institutions must have a policy on the maximum number of credits allowed to be transferred, and that credits awarded for prior learning outside of course-based credit earned at another institution must be documented with a policy and framework for awarding credit. While HLC states that institutions must ensure that credits transferred demonstrate equivalence to the course for which credit is being applied, they do not limit the types of prior learning for which credit may be awarded.

Given these shifts in the landscape of higher education both at Butler and nationally, it is clear that Butler must find responsible, college-directed mechanisms for evaluating and awarding credit for prior learning possessed by prospective graduate students. This task must be balanced by the University’s need to ensure high-quality outcomes for graduates while maintaining the distinctiveness of a Butler education. The primary value of this task is to honor the prior learning that occurred outside the academic classroom while reducing the time and cost of a Butler education. Ultimately, adopting this PLA policy could lead to increased quality, enrollment, and diversity as applicants perceive fewer obstacles and greater access. As such, Butler hereby submits the policy below to expand PLA pathways at Butler. Please note that these policies are intended to apply only to graduate programs and that all decisions about the creation and application of non-credit to credit pathways shall rest with the faculty in each respective graduate program.