Colleges in Georgia and across the country are awarding prior-learning credits to help older students earn degrees more quickly and more cheaply. Critics say prior learning works better for vocational programs in which the goal is to certify people with specific skills. Trish Paterson, executive director for college access initiatives for the University System of Georgia, said prior learning isn't just giving students credit for life experience. Colleges that choose to offer the credit measure what students know, review how that corresponds with courses they are required to take and determine whether their knowledge merits college credit, she said. "We are honoring what a student knows even if we are not the reason why they know it," Paterson said. "This is some radical change for the world of higher education." Johann Neem, an associate professor of history at Western Washington University, said students who receive prior-learning credits miss out on the knowledge gained in the classroom by interacting with professors and classmates.
http://www.macon.com/2012/07/15/2094911/out-of-class-learning-equals-college.html
