PLAR Processes
If a PLAR process is approved, assessment may take the form of a Portfolio or a Challenge:
As it is the content expert who determines which PLAR process is acceptable for the course he/she is teaching, students should contact the Program Coordinator prior to developing a portfolio or scheduling an exam. A list of Program Coordinators can be found at: www.conestogac.on.ca/fulltime/coordinators.pdf
*NOTE: An exam is the only method available to receive credit for a computer course. Portfolios are not acceptable.
1. Portfolio development
A Portfolio is an organized collection of materials which records and verifies an adult's learning achievements and relates them to the requirements of an education or training program, a work standard, or a professional qualification.
Portfolio development produces a valuable product, but the process is also important in helping learners analyze, understand and be able to explain to others what they know and can do as well as what they still need to learn.
Portfolios are developed and owned by the learners who create them, and therefore each individual ultimately decides what to include. These are the components usually contained in a portfolio:
- A paper outlining the learner's education and career goals
- Learning outcomes and competency statements
- Documentation verifying the learning claimed
- Letters of attestation from employers and/or associates that support claim of competency.
- Photos and/or videos that demonstrate skills/competence or products of learning.
- References from relevant professionals who support claims of skill mastery within the appropriate context.
- Annotated summary of group projects with clear delineation of individual skills mastered.
- Performance/assessment reports from past or current employers.
- Review of Employer-Based Training: Review of private or public sector-sponsored training programs.
Portfolios also include:
- a chronological record of significant learning experiences
- a life history paper
- a resume
- formal and informal records of past learning achievements
The process of portfolio development can provide a structured opportunity for learners to review and evaluate their past experiences and the learning which has resulted from them. Once it is complete, the portfolio provides up-to-date information and evidence of learning for the learner to use in a variety of work and educational settings.
2. The Challenge Process
The second process available to learners is the challenge process.
A Challenge process is a method of assessment other than a portfolio, developed and evaluated by subject-expert faculty to measure an individual’s learning achievement against course learning outcomes. It measures demonstrated learning through a variety of written and non-written evaluation methods for the purpose of awarding a grade without requiring enrolment in a course.
Challenge processes differ amongst educational institutions and regulatory bodies, but usually include one or more of the following:
- challenge exams
- essays, research reports, project reports
- interviews and oral exams
- performance testing and demonstrations
- standardized tests and program reviews of employer-based training
- product assessment (products made/developed by the applicant)
- assessment of educational documents
- essays, projects, assignments or other course appropriate evaluation strategies.
- standardized tests: paper & pencil or computerized tests may be used to assess theoretical or applied knowledge relevant to the College curricula being reviewed for credit.
- skills assessments: such an assessment will be a demonstration of skills within a prescribed environment, i.e. laboratory or practicum setting, for the express purpose of assessing an individual's ability to meet the learning outcomes of a Conestoga College course or program, and obtain relevant College credit.
- other strategies as determined by Faculty Assessors, that enable a comparison of learning outcomes/competencies and specific course curricula