Skip to main content

Procedures for Creation

Please review this section very carefully.

Step 1. Speak with the Coordinator of Testing Services (465-2221 or testing@uwgb.edu). The Portfolio process begins with a conversation between the student and the Coordinator of Testing Services. During this initial conversation, the Coordinator will: (a) determine if the student’s learning may qualify for credit, and/or (b) recommend that the student contact a faculty member to determine if the learning experiences may qualify for credit. The Coordinator may also recommend other avenues for earning credit (e.g., CLEP or Challenge examinations).

Step 2. Prepare a CPL Portfolio. There are 2 options: Either an Electronic Portfolio or a Hard Copy Paper Portfolio. If it is a Hard Copy Paper Portfolio, Download the "Request for Credit for Prior Learning" (a one-page form) to include.

Step 3. Submit the CPL Portfolio here if it is Electronic: https://sis.uwgb.edu/ngforms?formid=1a0afb78-0c34-4317-b257-227994095a4e&Clear=Y
and arrange to pay the initial administrative fee with the Testing Coordinator. If it is a Hard Copy Paper Portfolio, arrange for submission and paying the initial administrative fee with the Testing Coordinator. Students submit their CPL Portfolio to the Coordinator of Testing Services, who forwards the Portfolio to the appropriate faculty member(s) for evaluation. Students pay the initial administrative fee when they submit their Portfolio to the Coordinator of Testing Services. See the Fee Policy for details.

Note: Subsequent submissions of Portfolios may not duplicate prior submissions, and are subject to the policies (including those related to fees) in place at the time of the subsequent submission.  Note: This policy does not represent an opportunity for appeal. Instead, it recognizes that students may engage in additional learning outside the collegiate setting while seeking their degree.

Step 4. After receiving the student’s materials, the Coordinator of Testing Services deposits the initial fee of $50 (per Portfolio) and reviews the materials to ensure their conformance with the following:

  1. A CPL Portfolio must accompany the student’s “Request for Credit for Prior Learning.”
  2. The student’s CPL Portfolio must include a narrative describing the learning, and verification/documentation of the experience.
  3. The student’s CPL Portfolio must include evidence that the knowledge is still available to the student and has been applied in an experience other than a collegiate setting.
  4. The student’s “Request for Credit for Prior Learning” must identify the relevant UWGB course number(s), title(s), and the number of credits requested. If there is no specific course but the prior learning is within a UWGB academic area, the independent study (298/498) or internship (497) number in that area can be used with a title giving the focus of the learning.

Step 5. The Coordinator of Testing Services forwards the student’s CPL Portfolio and “Request for Credit for Prior Learning” to the appropriate unit chairperson, who identifies which faculty member(s) should evaluate the Portfolio.

Step 6. The appropriate faculty members review the student’s materials, and decide whether and how much CPL to award. The number of credits to be granted for a specific course equivalency will be determined by the appropriate faculty member and unit chairperson. A Portfolio request for a particular course that is not currently offered, or that uses the independent study or internship number, can be assessed only if there is a faculty member within the relevant interdisciplinary or disciplinary unit able to evaluate the request.

Step 7. Faculty members are not required to evaluate Portfolio requests. All petitions, whether approved or denied, are to be signed by a faculty member and the respective interdisciplinary or disciplinary unit chairperson. The signed “Request for Credit for Prior Learning” and CPL Portfolio are returned to the Coordinator of Testing Services.

Step 8. If at least one (1) Credit for Prior Learning has been awarded, the Coordinator of Testing Services reviews the signed “Request for Credit for Prior Learning,” the CPL Portfolio, and the student’s academic record for conformance with the following:

  1. The credits granted do not exceed those of the equivalent UWGB course(s).
  2. The student must be matriculated at UWGB and enrolled for not fewer than three credits of UWGB academic work when the Prior Learning credits are to be entered on the student’s transcript (or when requested, if the CPL request crosses semesters).

Step 9. The Coordinator of Testing Services informs the student in writing of the decision(s) made by the evaluating unit chairperson(s) and faculty member(s). If a student is dissatisfied and wishes to appeal the number and/or configuration of credits awarded, he or she must first contact the faculty member(s) who evaluated the petition(s). The faculty member(s) may request additional information from the student. If the student is still dissatisfied, he or she may appeal further to the chairperson(s) who evaluated the petition(s). The chairperson, in turn, consults with the evaluating faculty member(s). If a student wishes to appeal still further, he or she contacts the appropriate academic dean who also consults with the evaluating faculty member(s) and the appropriate chairperson(s). The dean or chairperson acts in an advisory capacity to the student and the faculty member(s).

Step 10. If the student has been awarded credit(s) for the Portfolio, the Coordinator of Testing Services requests the appropriate assessment fee (see Fee Policy).

Step 11. The student remits the appropriate assessment fee (see Fee Policy). Upon receipt of the fee, the Coordinator of Testing Services deposits it. The Coordinator of Testing Services informs the Registrar’s Office in writing of the Portfolio information to be placed on the student’s transcript (e.g., number and type of credits awarded). Copies of the “Request for Credit for Prior Learning” and Abstract of the Portfolio (sans documentation) are placed in the student’s Testing Services file.

Policies
UWGB will award and treat Prior Learning credits like transfer credits for purposes of meeting undergraduate degree requirements. They do not count toward “in residence” credits and the associated grade is not included in the term and cumulative grade point average.

Prior Learning credits are granted toward a UWGB degree; policies of other colleges would determine whether they would accept these Prior Learning credits for transfer into their program.

The student must observe policies and procedures in place at the time the Portfolio is submitted to the Coordinator of Testing Services.