Portfolio Process

Becker College is committed to the assessment of non-classroom learning through the development of a portfolio, which encompasses life experience and evaluation of professional training. Students can earn up to 48 credits through the portfolio process, which is developed with the support of your advisor. In general, portfolio credits are awarded as credit for Unrestricted Electives; however, in special circumstances portfolio credits may be applied to General Education requirements.

The Portfolio Class

In order to open a portfolio, you will first register for and attend the Portfolio Class, a 2 credit course. This course is a prerequisite for the portfolio process and is usually scheduled for a Saturday morning. In class you will create a personal marketing plan and develop your resume. If additional credit is needed you may write a Life Experience Essay.

Professional Training

Professional training encompasses learning experiences for which all three of the following conditions apply:

An instructional aspect within a classroom or online environment
College-level content
No duplication of courses taken before or after entering Becker College to fulfill credit requirements

Training must be documented by providing official confirmation of the length (hours, days, or weeks), content, and completion of training. Documentation can be in the form of a certificate or letter from the student’s supervisor or Human Resource personnel. Training documentation should be submitted to the portfolio advisor, who will review the documentation and make recommendations to you detailing the opportunity to earn college credits. In general, training and corporate workshops are evaluated as follows:

30 Classroom Hours = 1 Credit
45 Lab Hours = 1 Credit
1 Day = 7 Hours unless verified otherwise
1 CEU* = 10 Contact Hours

*In some professions, 1 CEU = 1 Contact Hour (i.e. nursing)

In order to receive college credits for professional training, you are required to write a personal marketing plan and resume addressing what you learned from the training and how you use the training in your professional/personal life.

There are four types of professional training:

1. Courses at nationally accredited institutions

Training from academic institutions listed in the Accredited Institutions of Postsecondary Education (i.e. Katherine Gibbs, New England School of Law etc.) may be evaluated and transferred in by providing an official transcript and course description to your assessment advisor.

2. Training assessed by American Council of Education (ACE)

Becker College accepts the ACE recommended credit evaluation for military and other training found in the ACE guides. Official documentation (certificate, diploma, etc.) that you completed the training should be submitted to your assessment advisor. Licenses (i.e. real estate, insurance) can be submitted to your assessment advisor for portfolio credits with official documentation.

3. Corporate workshops and training

This category includes: workshops/training given by businesses for their employees; adult education organizations; vocational institutions (i.e. technical/computer schools; language institutes, dance schools etc.)

4. Personal Interests

This includes CPR training, boating licensure, and ski or snowboard instructor certification.

Experiential Essay (Optional)

Life experience encompasses all those experiences that occur outside of a classroom environment. Students can earn 1 or 2 credits by writing an Experiential Essay depending on the depth and breadth of your personal and professional experiences. Examples are:

Personal Experience: death and dying; psychology of divorce; birth of a child; parent/child relationships etc.
Professional Experience: small business management; curriculum design etc.

Before submitting an essay, please consult your portfolio advisor to discuss topics and potential credit requests. A proposal with a list of references is required for approval of a topic. Requests for 1 credit will require a 7 page paper with 2 scholarly journal articles cited, requests for 2 credits will require a 10 page paper with 3 scholarly journal articles cited. All essays are based on the Kolb Experiential Learning Model, which emphasizes a clear description of the experience; insightful reflections about the experience; generalizing the experience through abstract principles and published resources; and applying what has been learned to new situations. Your Experiential Essay will be submitted to the portfolio advisor and evaluated by the appropriate expert for awarding of credit. Learning outcomes from professional training and life experiences must be thoroughly described, well documented, and certified as equivalent to college-level work in order to receive credit through the portfolio process.