St. Ambrose University

Portfolio Manual


Portfolio Development | Portfolio Credit Policies | Types of Learning | Eligibility and General Information | Portfolio Credit Process | Portfolio Fees | Portfolio Requirements | Sample Portfolio

A Portfolio is a tangible document that typically contains the following information:

  • A statement of a person's goals, both personal and educational;
  • A clear statement of the knowledge and skills not learned in college for which a person hopes to receive credit;
  • Information that links the knowledge and skills to the person's goals and educational program; and
  • Evidence that substantiates the person's claim to learning.

PORTFOLIO DEVELOPMENT
The most difficult task in portfolio development must surely be the identification of learning outcomes stemming from non-academic situations. Applying two simple questions to a given experience will get the process started:

  1. "What did I learn from the experience?" Said another way, "What knowledge, skill, or competence did I have after the experience that I didn’t have before?"
  2. "What college-level knowledge, skills, or competence did I acquire as a result of the experience?"

Not every experience produces learning, let alone college-level learning. An easy way to find out exactly what kinds of knowledge, skills, and competencies are considered college-level is to read course descriptions in various college catalogs to see what is normally taught in the classroom. The following examples are course descriptions taken from the 1999-2001 St. Ambrose University catalog:

CHEM 102. History of Chemistry (3 credits)
A historical look at the great discoveries of chemistry from early alchemists to modern chemists. Students will duplicate the great laboratory experiments of such chemists as Priestly, Lavoisier, and Pauling. For non-science majors. Lecture and laboratory.
COMM 101. Principles of Public Speaking (2 credits)
Beginning course in public speaking, emphasizing choice and organization of material, audience analysis, oral style of delivery. Extemporaneous method stressed.
PSYC 201. Personal Adjustment (3 credits)
Serves in the process of self-examination, clarification of personal goals, skills, interpersonal relations, and study habits. Innovative techniques, such as group dynamics.

These descriptions offer a glimpse of the type of material absorbed in the classroom. Knowing if material absorbed outside the classroom is on an academic par can be a problem. Here are some guidelines that may be helpful in determining whether or not learning is college-level:

  1. The learning should have a subject matter or knowledge base. You should not expect to receive credit or recognition for mere application of a manual skill or a narrowly prescribed routine or procedure. You should understand why you are able to do what you do.
  2. The learning should be equivalent to college-level work in terms of depth and quality.
  3. The learning should be verifiable. You should be able to demonstrate to an expert in the field that you possess the learning that you have claimed in a way that makes it possible for the expert to be able to evaluate the learning which has occurred.
  4. The learning should have general applicability outside of the specific situation in which it was acquired. For example, credit would not be awarded for knowing specific procedures for processing personnel applications that apply only to one company.

UNDERGRADUATE PORTFOLIO CREDIT POLICIES

  1. Portfolio credit will be offered by as part of the total degree program if the credit request meets specific degree requirements.
  2. Students must have completed 12 hours in a degree program at St. Ambrose prior to applying for portfolio credit.
  3. Students are not eligible to earn portfolio credit for a lower course in a sequence of courses after they have begun or completed an advanced course in the sequence.
  4. The maximum amount of credit granted by St. Ambrose for portfolio credit is 60 semester hours.
  5. If more than 15 portfolio credits are awarded, the number of credits awarded beyond 15 must be matched by college credits earned at St. Ambrose within five-year period.
  6. Portfolio credit does not count toward the 30 hour residency requirement.
  7. To apply for portfolio credit, a student must submit a portfolio documenting college-level learning to the ACCEL Office on or before September 30, January 30, or May 30.
  8. Portfolios will be reviewed by the Department faculty and 1) accepted for credit 2) rejected for credit, or 3) accepted for less credit than requested by the end of the semester.
  9. The ACCEL office will notify the student in writing of the award decision. Reasons for not granting will be included in those cases where credit was not allowed.
  10. Notification of the award decision will be made within the semester the portfolio is submitted.
  11. Portfolio credit will be posted on the official transcript when all requirements have been met and fees paid.

Portfolio experiences are identified as 1) professional or vocational training experience, 2) cultural, social or political involvement and leadership, 3) directed learning experiences (non-college classes), and 4) goal-directed personal study.

Exception - Education courses for teaching certification. 

TYPES OF LEARNING FOR WHICH UNDERGRADUATE PORTFOLIO CREDIT IS APPROPRIATE

  1. Professional and vocational training and experience (job/career related or military).
  2. Participation in cultural, social, and political agencies, organizations, and activities (Peace Corps, VISTA, League of Women Voters, community service, etc.).
  3. Directed learning experiences (workshops, non-college classes, etc.).
  4. Goal-direct personal study.

Each credit request will be evaluated on a scale of 1-5 based on the following criteria:

  1. The quality of learning experience: Were the objectives and reasons for participation valid?
  2. Learning outcomes: Are they significant? Are they applicable to the course or subject area for which credit is requested?
  3. Examples of involvement: Do they illustrate the types of experiences likely to produce significant learning?
  4. Documentation: Is it sufficient to support the narrative and the request?
  5. College English: Has the narrative been written in a manner comparable to college-level work?
  6. Overall: Is the overall impression of the portfolio positive? Is it neatly organized and systematically arranged according to the guidelines provided above?

NOTE: The decision of the evaluators is final.

ELIGIBILITY AND GENERAL INFORMATION

  1. Eligibility - Any student who has been accepted into a degree program and has completed 12 hours of credit earned at St. Ambrose University may apply for portfolio credit.
  2. Method of applying - The student prepares his/her portfolio on his/her own. This is a self-guided program and faculty WILL NOT be available for consultation or help on preparation of the portfolio. The student submits the portfolio in September, January or May.
  3. Requirements - See portfolio requirements. Certain departments may require documentation different from or in addition to the basic portfolio. NOTE: You must check with the department from which you are requesting credit before you proceed.
  4. Credit - A maximum of 60 portfolio credit hours may be awarded toward a degree.
  5. Matching - A student applying for more than 15 hours of EL credit must match the hours awarded beyond 15 with college credits earned at Saint Ambrose within five years form the date portfolio was awarded.
  6. Posting - Portfolio credit will not be posted or shown on the official transcript as credit until all requirements have been met.
  7. Identify learning experiences - In the petition sheet, a student must identify the type of experiences he/she had that contributed to a total learning experience. See Petition Sheet.
  8. Portfolio credit review committee - This committee will be formed and will meet on a demand basis at its own determined time and place. The committee will have the following composition:
    1. SAU Chairperson from the department concerned or the chairperson’s appointee and 1 departmental faculty member.
    2. One faculty member from another SAU academic department.
  9. Committee Interview - The committee may request an interview with the student at the committee’s appointed time and place to discuss the petition and portfolio.


UNDERGRADUATE PORTFOLIO CREDIT PROCESS
Students may apply for credit for learning experiences which are college parallel but which have taken place in an off campus setting through the portfolio process. Each department has copies of the policies and guidelines for application of portfolio and definition of what the portfolio (record documenting learning experience) should include.

  1. The student obtains portfolio preparation information online or from the ACCEL office and discusses the process with an ACCEL staff member.
  2. The student contacts the appropriate department chair or faculty member to request an interview to discuss the student’s relevant experiences and learning.
  3. During the interview, the Undergraduate Portfolio Credit Interview form is completed. The faculty member defines requirements in addition to the portfolio (if any) and specifies what the student will be required to do. The faculty member should keep a copy of the interview form for future reference.
  4. The student submits the portfolio and the portfolio review fee of $60 per credit hour requested to the ACCEL office before the specified submission dates (September 30th or January 3 0th). This fee is non - refundable.
  5. ACCEL forwards the portfolio to the department for review by a departmental faculty member and the department chair. The Petition for Undergraduate Portfolio Credit form is signed by both of the parties reviewing the portfolio.
  6. Within the semester, the department will return the portfolio to ACCEL, and ACCEL will notify the student of the credit decision.
  7. The approved credits will be added to the student’s transcript after the posting fee of $30 per credit hour awarded has been paid.

UNDERGRADUATE PORTFOLIO FEES

  1. Students will be charged a $60 per credit hour requested fee. This fee must be submitted with the portfolio application.
  2. Students will be charged a posting fee of $30 per credit hour awarded. This fee must be paid before awarded credits are applied to transcript.
  3. The ACCEL Office will notify the Registrar when credits are awarded and fees paid.

UNDERGRADUATE PORTFOLIO REQUIREMENTS

Departmental requirements may vary. You must meet with the department from which you are applying for credit before you proceed. The interview form(s) must be submitted with your portfolio.

Portfolio will include:

  1. Cover sheet
    1. Name
    2. Address
    3. Phone
    4. Date
  2. Petition for Undergraduate Portfolio Credit form
  3. Undergraduate Portfolio Credit Interview form
  4. Table of contents
  5. Professional and academic resume
  6. Learning Autobiography
    • Purpose: To serve as a context within which to place the learning experiences and to provide the student with an opportunity for self-appraisal.
    • Include: Major events of life in chronological order. Philosophy and attitudes regarding learning. Learning experiences placed in framework of life experiences. Conciseness is recommended, but detail contributing to the understanding of particular learning experiences and their relationship to previous and/or subsequent events should be included.
  7. Copies of transcripts
    • Purpose: To assure evaluators that credit requested will not duplicate credit earned through previous coursework.
    • Include: Transcript copies from all colleges attended.
  8. Credit request narrative
    • Purpose: To place before evaluators all pertinent information needed to evaluate learning experience(s) in light of credit requested.
    • Include: To integrate a fully articulated description of the learning and the learning experiences-the student's experience; how the experience led to knowledge; how the knowledge was applied and used; evidence of mental procession of the knowledge; evidence of generalization, abstraction, or conceptualization.
  9. Documentation
    • Include: Any documentation that further validates the learning experiences
     

**Learning experience - The learning experience should be clearly and concisely written. It must include a thorough description of each experience, including objectives for which experience was undertaken, methods and materials used, qualifications of any personnel involved, and description of the learning that resulted from the experience.

*Petition sheet - a) course of subject area for which credit is requested; b) number of credit hours requested.