Students wishing to receive course credit for their past work experience may apply for Experiential Credit in lieu of one or more Cumberland University courses.  Experiential Credit requires the student to document in detail his/her work experience relative to each course learning outcome and objective.  Documentation must provide sufficient evidence of achievement of the learning outcomes and objectives for credit to be awarded.  A lead faculty member for the course evaluates the student’s portfolio.

 

The student’s documentation is referred to as a portfolio.  Portfolios include documentation that the student has mastered the required learning outcomes and objectives as identified on the Course Syllabus and in the Course Assessment Documentation Sheet (CADS).     

 

The school with academic responsibility for the course maintains a file of Course Syllabi and CADS.  Both documents can be requested on the Challenge Exam or Experiential Credit Application form.  

 

1.	A Challenge Exam or Experiential Credit Application form can be picked up at the Registrar’s Office or emailed to the student upon request.  Completed and signed applications should be submitted to the Registrar’s Office.

 

2.

Upon approval of an application for Experiential Credit, the Registrar’s Office will post a bill for processing the student’s portfolio to the student’s account.  The student must then pay the $75 processing fee in full at the Business Office (615-547-1218) prior to the student’s portfolio being accepted for evaluation.

 

3.	Upon payment, the school with academic responsibility for the course(s) will contact the student to set up an appointment to discuss the contents and requirements for the student’s portfolio and, if requested, provide the Course Syllabi and the CADS for the course(s).

 

4.

A second fee of $75 per credit hour is assessed only if the portfolio evaluation results in the award of college credit.  However, if college credit is awarded, the student must then pay the associated credit hour fee before the awarded credit is posted to the student’s transcript.  For example, if a student is awarded three credit hours of non-traditional course credit via portfolio review, the processing fee is $75 and the credit hour fee is $225 ($75 times 3 credit hours) for a total of $300.

 

5.	Those students who believe they were unfairly evaluated may petition the Vice President for Academic Affairs (615-547-1275).