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Home Center for Regional Economic Enrichment Experiential Learning ELC Policies

ELC POLICIES

For the Experiential Learning Credit program to operate effectively, the following policies have been adopted by the University:

  • ELC is limited to 30 hours of credit for undergraduates; graduate students should be advised by their major department on the maximum number of ELC hours approved.

  • ELC cannot be used to meet, replace, or substitute for general education, thematic studies, or a senior project.

  • ELC will be granted if approved by qualified UofM faculty or recommended by the American Council on Education (ACE).

  • ELC is not issued grades, but rather awarded credit hours.

  • ELC cannot replace a failing grade or duplicate previously earned credit for a course.

  • Lower division ELC credit hours cannot be applied to satisfy upper division requirements.

  • Students must pay all applicable fees before ELC awarded hours will be posted to the students' transcripts.

  • It is strongly recommended that students seek ELC no fewer than six months prior to their planned graduation date.

  • Students are advised that such credit may not be recognized by new majors or transfer to other institutions.

  • ELC is not guaranteed.

CAEL Standards for Assessing Learning

The University of Memphis adheres to the guidelines established by the Council of Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL) for recognizing and assessing prior learning:

  1.  Credit or its equivalent should be awarded only for learning, and not for experience.

  2.  Assessment should be based on standards and criteria for the level of acceptable learning that are both agreed upon and made public.

  3.  Assessment should be treated as an integral part of learning, not separate from it, and should be based on an understanding of learning processes.

  4.  The determination of credit awards and competence levels must be made by appropriate subject matter and academic or credentialing experts.

  5.  Credit or other credentialing should be appropriate to the context in which it is awarded and accepted.

  6.  If awards are for credit, transcript entries should clearly describe what learning is being recognized and should be monitored to avoid giving credit twice for the same learning.

  7.  Policies, procedures, and criteria applied to assessment, including provision for appeal, should be fully disclosed and prominently available to all parties involved in the assessment process.

  8.  Fees charged for assessment should be based on the services performed in the process and not determined by the amount of credit awarded.

  9.  All personnel involved in the assessment of learning should pursue and receive adequate training and continuing professional development for the functions they perform.

  10.  Assessment programs should be regularly monitored, reviewed, evaluated, and revised as needed to reflect changes in the needs being served, the purposes being met, and the state of the assessment arts.

Fiddler, M., Marienau, C., & Whitaker, U. (2006). Assessing Learning: Standards, Principles, and Procedures (2nd ed.) Dubuque, IA. Kendall Hunt Publishing.