Experiential Education Degree in Kansas | Accelerated Bachelors Degree From Work Experience

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Friends University recognizes that learning may take place in settings other than the college classroom. Many adult students have acquired knowledge from training or life experiences (a job, self-education or practical experience) that is equivalent to that provided in the classroom. Where college-level learning from these experiences can be verified and properly documented, Friends University will award college credit to help with an accelerated bachelor's degree.

Faculty members from a cross-section of academic disciplines assess the training and experiences for experiential education in Kansas. The maximum amount of experiential learning credit that may be awarded is 30 credit hours. Experiential credit is not recognized as credit meeting residency requirements for degrees.

Experiential credit can save money and reduce the length of time needed to achieve a baccalaureate degree. Although numerous other colleges also recognize experiential learning, each institution sets its own standards on what and how many credits it will accept in transfer. Students intending to transfer or attend graduate school should inquire of that school how experiential credit will be accepted.

Exteriential Education from both Professional and Technical Training

Professional/Technical (PT) trainings can be awarded college credit based on an evaluation by the Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) office in consultation with Friends University faculty.

Experiential Education Credit from Trainings

The following trainings have already been evaluated by Friends University faculty and/or ACE, and have received automatic credit hours when submitted through the Prior Learning Assessment office. Narratives (see Submitting a Request for Credit) are not required for the submission of these credits.

Microsoft Professional Certifications
- MS803 – Administering Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 – 1 credit hour
- MS922 – Supporting Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 – 1 credit hour
- MS688 – Internetworking Microsoft TCP/IP on Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 – 1 credit hour
- MS689 – Supporting MS Windows NT Server 4.0 – 1 credit hour
- MS936 – Internet Information Server NT 4.0 – 1 credit hour
- MS578 – MS Networking Essentials NT 4.0 – 1 credit hour

American Investment Training (licenses)
- Series 3, 4, 6, 14, 23, 24, 26, 27, 53, 55 – 1 credit hour EACH
- Series 9/10, 11, 62, 65, 66, 87 – 2 credit hours EACH
- Series 7 – 3 credit hours

First Aid, CPR, Lamaze – – 1 credit hour EACH (meets General Education requirement for Natural Science lab)
- A copy of the CPR/First Aid card is needed for documentation.
- NOTE: If a Lamaze certificate is not available, a student may submit a two to three page summary of the learning with a copy of the birth certificate.

Vocational Schools – Certifications and Licenses Experiential Education

Students who have had training in recognized technical, vocational or non-accredited post-secondary educational institutions may earn credits by submitting their transcripts for evaluation. Narratives (see Submitting a Request for Credit) are not required for the submission of these credits. The following are examples of such organizations:

Cosmetology schools
Police Academy training (under the direction of a four-year university, i.e. KU)
WTI, WATC (before 2009), ITT, technical school credits
Bible colleges

Work-Based/Professional Development Trainings for Work Experience Credit

Work-based training includes any formal courses provided by employers, or training received that’s related to the job. Students may acquire their training transcripts from the HR department of their company to submit their work experience for a degree from those experiences to the PLA office. Knowledge gained from professional development or religious study courses may also apply for credit. As a guideline, a minimum of 40-45 hours spent in a classroom situation is required to even be considered for one hour of college credit.

All training and professional development hour requests MUST include a narrative (see Submitting a Request for Credit). Certificates and letters from supervisors (on company stationery) may be used as verification of training completed. Course descriptions from leadership or religious studies may also be used in addition to the student’s narrative.

ACE
The American Council on Education (ACE) provides evaluations of trainings so that universities may grant academic credit to adults for formal courses taken outside college courses. Friends University uses the recommendations from ACE to award college credit. Narratives (see Submitting a Request for Credit) are not required for the submission of these credits. To find out if training has been recommended for college credit, click here. The following are SOME of the organizations ACE has evaluated.

Banking – American Bankers Association
Insurance licenses - American Institute for Chartered Property Casualty Underwriters, Insurance Institute of America
American Management Association
Dale Carnegie & Associates, Inc.
Electrical Journeyman - National Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee for the Electrical Industry
Fire Fighters - International Association of Fire Fighters
Air Conditioning – International Training Institute for the Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning Industry
Automotive – National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence
Childcare – National Child Care Association
Emergency Services – National Emergency Training Center (EMI)
Six Sigma – Sigma Breakthrough Technologies, Inc.
U.S. Military

Submitting a Request for Experiential Education Credit

Unless otherwise stated above, each request for credit should include the following three items:

Completed Professional/Technical Training Petition form – Required for ALL submissions. Students may download petition forms by clicking here.
Documentation of the number of classroom hours – Required for ALL submissions. Submit copies only; do not submit original certificates or documents. The student’s submission will be kept on file by the university until the student’s university graduation. Acceptable forms of verification may include:
- Transcripts outlining actual seat-time/hours logged (attainable from Human Resource departments, Registrar’s offices, etc.)
- Certificates & licenses (hours must appear on the document)
- Memos on letterhead/stationery from supervisor verifying student attended workshop, seminar, training, etc. Description of training must accompany the letter.
- Agenda and/or itineraries of workshops, seminars, etc.
- Other requests as approved by Prior Learning Assessment office

Narrative descriptions about the training sessions outlining what the student learned – This is required for all work-based/professional development trainings. Credit will be awarded based on an evaluation of the quality of the learning and not on the number of hours spent in a classroom situation. The student must demonstrate that college level learning has occurred in these trainings by describing in narrative form what knowledge was gained and how the learning has been used and/or evaluated. The university requests that approximately one third of a double-spaced typed narrative be written for each college credit hour requested. For example: Three hours equals one page; six hours equals two pages; nine hours equals three pages; 12 hours equals four pages and so on.

POINTS OF INFORMATION

Allow approximately four weeks for evaluation.
Credit may not be double-awarded. For example, if CPR is awarded by the Registrar’s office as a community college transfer credit, then students may not receive PT credit from the PLA office.

All submissions may be sent directly to:
Friends University
Prior Learning Assessment office – Sanya Wiles
2100 W. University Ave., 123 CAPS Bldg.
Wichita, KS 67213
316-295-5885
E-mail: sanya@friends.edu
http://www.friends.edu/academics/prior-and-experiential-learning

Download Request Forms

Life Learning and Work Experience Essay

Faculty members evaluate learning experiences for college-level learning. An essay format is used to express the knowledge and experiences related to a specific subject area. Each essay must meet the outcomes and/or course description of an accredited university or college course.

NOTE: There are several important factors that are required in all essays regardless of the particular subject being discussed. In order for an essay to be evaluated for college credit, each submission must include the following FIVE items:

Completed Petition for Credit Request Form.
Friends University Course Description – Evaluators use this to grade or award credit. Course descriptions can be found in the course catalog on the University website at www.friends.edu/academics/catalog-and-course-schedules. The essay should be based upon the course description and should match the outcomes closely.
Four Stages of Kolb's Model of Experiential Learning addressed in the essay:
- a. Specific/Concrete Experience – The evaluator will examine the essay to see that it contains both knowledge and experience. Experience provides a frame of reference for knowledge. An evaluator might ask:
  - What happened? When did it happen? Who was involved? What was the student's involvement? What followed as a result?
- The essay must go beyond how the experience was acquired. There must be an obvious relationship in the essay between knowledge and experience. Explain how the knowledge was acquired. If the experience included reading, the evaluators will want to know what you read, how the reading was selected and how the knowledge was used. (Written in first person; approximately two to four pages.
- Observations & Reflections/Personal Learning Outcomes – Evaluators look for evidence of comprehension. It is not sufficient, for example, just to present a fact or principle. An evaluator might ask:
  - Does the student understand what this means or implies? Can the student explain it? Is there evidence that the student has thought about this knowledge or what can be done with it? What did the student learn from this experience? What skills were acquired? What new knowledge was gained? What insight was developed? What relationships were affected, and how? In other words, the evaluator is looking for evidence the student has interacted with knowledge and, in doing so, gained an understanding of it. This interaction, or evidence of mental processing, may take the form of the ability to explain the subject, break it down, critique it, rearrange it or combine it with other knowledge on the subject. These intellectual skills and abilities reflect thinking processes and must be evident in essays. Remember to demonstrate knowledge of the subject. (Written in first person; approximately two pages)
- Formation of Abstract Concepts and Generalizations – Another thing evaluators look for is the student's ability to generalize; i.e., to derive or formulate a general concept or principle from particular situations. The evaluator cannot award credit for knowledge that was limited to a given experience as, for example, knowing the company's policies and procedures for disciplining employees. The student must be able to articulate four to six concepts and principles that would apply or hold true in other settings. The student must identify concepts, principles and/or generalized learning. (Written in third person, stated in terms that are so clearly general that they can be easily applied to the larger population; approximately two to three pages)
- Application of Concepts in New/Other Situations – The student must demonstrate how the same principles formalized can be utilized in other areas not related to the original experience. What predictions can be made now based on the knowledge gained? The student must be able to articulate the same concepts and principles in section three that would apply or hold true in his/her own personal settings. The student must apply these concepts, principles and/or generalized learning to his/her future situations. (Written in first person; approximately two to three pages)
Works Cited/Bibliography Page (APA format) – References made to books, manuals, articles, etc., confirming college-level learning has occurred.
Documentation of the Experience – The final thing evaluators look for is appropriate documentation of the learning experience. All essays must have documentation. Documentation is the verification of specific learning experiences. Note: DO NOT submit original copies of materials. Documentation may include, for example, marriage licenses, birth certificates, divorce decrees, testimonials from witnesses, obituaries, newspaper articles, employment projects, etc.