Office of Educational Effectiveness
Designing Your Experiential Learning Portfolio
Learn how to design your experiential learning portfolio!
Enroll NowSample Course
$500.007 LessonsCourse
Overview

Welcome to Designing Your Experiential Learning Portfolio! This course is designed for students who want to earn credit for prior learning by teaching them how to articulate and document their knowledge of a specific course through a portfolio. Students will make meaningful connections between prior learning experiences and college-level course(s). In addition, some written, brainstorming, outline, and reflection assignments will equip them to produce evidence of their learning in the form of a narrative essay along with supporting documentation. 

To be eligible to earn credit for prior learning at Biola University you must be a current student who has enrolled into one of Biola’s degree programs, and have been approved to take this course through the PLA application. Once you have completed the application and been approved, you will be given a code for 50% off this course and can begin building your portfolio!

For more information on PLA, visit biola.edu/pla

Please feel free to contact Eileen Soto if you have any questions!

Email: eileen.soto@biola.edu

What You Earn
Topics
Instructor
Eileen Soto
Office of Educational Effectiveness

About the Course Author

Eileen Soto is the Director of Educational Effectiveness and an adjunct faculty in the online B.S. Applied Psychology program at Biola University. Eileen has served at Biola since 2006 in roles as an academic advisor, program administrator, and adjunct faculty member. She partners with and supports Biola’s curricular and co-curricular programs by guiding assessment culture and practice across the University. Eileen’s work focuses on the assessment of student learning and using those results to enhance student learning. She is passionate about creating equitable and meaningful learning experiences for student success and thriving, particularly among adult learners, first-gen and transfer students. Eileen is currently working on expanding credit for prior learning options for post-traditional undergraduate students, growing the use of ePortfolios in traditional undergraduate programs, and using Canvas for program learning outcomes assessment. She earned an MA in Education from Biola University and a BA in Psychology from California State University, Fullerton. Eileen enjoys spending time with her husband and three sons, studying the Bible, homeschooling, supporting and encouraging other moms, and serving in women’s and worship ministries at her church.

About the Course Provider

The Office of Educational Effectiveness (OEE) ​exists to build and support internal processes to ensure academic quality of programs at Biola University. We support Department Chairs, Directors and faculty through program learning outcome assessment, academic program review, surveys and focus groups. Our office is also responsible for administering surveys to students, maintaining state authorization, and reporting and communicating with WSCUC.

Learn more about Prior Learning Assessment at Biola University!

Syllabus

In this lesson you will gain a better...
Overview
Introduction to PLA
Video
Course and Syllabus Research
Video
Course & Syllabus Assignment
Reflection
Theory of Andragogy
Video
Andragogy Journal Assignment
Text box
Charts on Course and Syllabus Research
Resource
In this lesson, you will begin to reflect on...
Overview
Lesson 1 Course & Syllabus Assignment Upload
Essay
Theory of Experiential Learning
Video
More on Experiential Learning
Video
Experiential Learning Reflective Journal Assignment
Essay
Timeline
Video
Timeline Assignment
Essay
Timeline Template
Resource
In this lesson, you will begin to connect your...
Overview
Tacit Knowledge
Video
Tacit Knowledge Journal Assignment
Essay
Learning Theory & Application
Resource
Remembering Your Own Reflection in Action
Resource
Sample Learning Chart
Resource
Mind Map
Video
Prior Experience Learning Chart
Resource
Learning Chart
Upload
In this lesson, we continue to brainstorm and...
Overview
Theory of Reflective Learning
Video
Reflective Learning Journal Assignment
Reflection
Learning Autobiography
Reading
Part 3 Skills and Competencies
Reading
Learning Narrative Organization
Reading
Autobiography
Video
Autobiography Assignment
Essay
In this lesson, I will go over supporting...
Overview
Theory of Transformation
Video
Transformative Learning Journal Assignment
Text box
Chapter 10: Writing about Learning
Reading
Chapter 11: Completing and Submitting the Portfolio
Reading
Sample 3 Part Competency Statement
Reading
Sample Cover Sheet and Narrative Excerpt
Reading
Sample Letter of Verification
Reading
Narrative Essay
Video
Supporting Documentation
Video
Narrative Essay - Rough Draft
Essay
This week is designed to give you time to...
Overview
Narrative Essay
Video
Supporting Documentation
Video
Portfolio Contents
Video
Supporting Documentation
Upload
Narrative Essay - Second Draft (Optional)
Essay
Congratulations, your portfolios should be near...
Overview
Final PLA Portfolio for Submission
Essay
PLA Portfolio Rubric
Resource
Biola University Sample Portfolio
Resource

Course FAQ

Each lesson is designed to take approximately 3-5 hours, depending on how deeply you engage the reflection and discussion questions. Since this is a self-paced course, the time it will take you to complete it will depend on the speed with which you want to progress through the course.

The course contains all the materials you need to successfully complete it. However, in order to complete the Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) process, you must first be enrolled into one of Biola's degree programs and officially submit your PLA portfolio and pay the $150 assessment fee. Remember you are not guaranteed credit. A faculty assessor will evaluate your portfolio to determine whether or not your experience fulfills the course learning outcomes, and how much credit you may receive through the PLA portfolio.

In order to complete the Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) process, you must be enrolled into one of Biola's degree programs and officially submit your completed PLA portfolio and pay the $150 assessment fee. Remember you are not guaranteed credit. A faculty assessor will evaluate your portfolio to determine whether or not your experience fulfills the course learning outcomes, and how much credit you may receive through the PLA portfolio. For more information on PLA, visit biola.edu/pla

First discuss the potential to fulfill academic credit through PLA with your admissions counselor or academic advisor at Biola. If it seems like you may be a good fit for PLA through portfolio, submit the PLA Portfolio Application Form. A representative from the Office of Educational Effectiveness will contact you with a determination and next steps.

Yes, you can certainly take this course if you are simply interested in putting together an organized portfolio that demonstrates your learning. However, you are only eligible to earn college credit through PLA if you are enrolled in one of Biola’s degree programs. 

What are some other reasons to take this course? 

This course could be helpful for career or graduate school preparation and planning. It could also help you to become more aware of how you learn in different environments and situations. Additionally, research from the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning shows that the process of reflecting on past learning is often a positive experience that improves adult students' confidence in themselves as learners. This is a valuable course for anyone who is looking to showcase their wealth of experiential knowledge.