Academic Success Tip: Credit Predictor Tool Helps Award Credit for Prior Learning

Adult learners often bring a wealth of experiences with them into higher education that can apply to their fields of study. Credit for prior learning (CPL) is one way institutions award credentials for the lived experiences of students outside of academia without requiring them to take courses on subjects they have already mastered.

Helping students match their experiences to credits, however, can be a challenge. Davenport University recently invested in a digital solution that provides interested students with information about how their previous work can count toward a degree.

“We respect what students have learned outside the classroom,” Wayne D. Sneath, vice provost for academics at Davenport, said in a press release. “We value college-level learning, and we have a streamlined process to assess it.”

What’s the need: Credit for prior learning, also called prior learning assessment (PLA), is one way to expedite students’ time to degree through recognizing and credentialing their lived experiences outside of academia. It is also a powerful tool in recruiting, retaining and graduating adult learners.

A May report from the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers found around 82 percent of surveyed colleges offer one or more CPL pathways, and 90 percent of those institutions allow it for major requirements. However, only 11 percent of adult learners at these institutions have earned CPL, and the average student earns less than 15 credits.

Research from the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL) and WICHE found adult learners who participate in CPL are more likely to complete a credential, compared to their peers who do not. Internal data at Davenport reveals a similar trend, share Sneath and Matt Devereaux, assistant vice provost for assessment.

CPL can also shave up to 14 months off a student’s time to degree and save them thousands of tuition dollars, according to the study.

But many students don’t know about CPL or assume it is not relevant to their experiences, making it important for colleges and universities to highlight the ways students can receive credit for the work they’ve already done. Davenport leaders chose to deploy the tool both to help shorten the path to degree and improve retention among current learners.

How it works: Davenport uses Credit Predictor by CAEL to host its tool, PantherPath (named after the university’s mascot).

The tool asks students a series of eight questions to predict what university credits they may receive for their experiences and then generates how much money and time that student could save using a specialized plan to award credit.

Depending on the student’s enrollment status (current or prospective), a member of Davenport’s staff will reach out to review the student’s information and provide next steps.

To build awareness of the tool, the university launched a strategic marketing plan to share information on social media and the university website as well as the news media.

Awarding credit: At Davenport, students can earn credits for previous work experience, military service, on-the-job training or community service, as well as up to 90 transfer credits from another institution, according to the university’s website.

During the 2023–24 academic year, students who completed PLA earned an average of 4.1 credits, and those who held a certification saved 15.3 credits. Among students who earned credit by exam, they saved an average of 6.2 credits and those with military history shaved off 16.8 credits on average.

Davenport also strives to serve adult learners through providing multiple course delivery modalities and targeted scholarships for older students. Just under one-third of the university’s learners are over the age of 24.

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