Theses and Dissertations

Advisor

Smith, Kaleb

Committee Member

Stubbs, Michelle

Committee Member

Baham, Tracey

Committee Member

Seal, Susan

Date of Degree

5-15-2026

Original embargo terms

Immediate Worldwide Access

Document Type

Dissertation - Open Access

Major

Education (Educational Policy & Organizational Design)

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)

College

College of Education

Department

Division of Education

Abstract

With approximately 36 million adults in the nation having some college credit but no degree, these adult learners are the key to filling the gap in the workforce as more jobs will require postsecondary education by 2031 (Jeffe & Rollins, 2024; Carnevale et al., 2023). Adult learners returning to college after sometimes an extended absence encounter barriers that may impact the ability to enroll. Adult learners must balance financial, family, and work responsibilities while completing coursework. By awarding credit for prior learning through portfolio assessment, colleges and universities have an opportunity to recognize the value of the knowledge, experiences, and skills of this group of students, which, according to Knowles’ theory of andragogy, is desired by the student and benefits the student from a time and money standpoint (Knowles, 1980). Mississippi State University amended AOP 12.26 Undergraduate Credit for Prior Learning in 2024, expanding to include credit by portfolio or individual assessment, but stating the need within the policy to form a CPL committee to address five topics of implementation. This project provides data from five peer institutions through a desk-based conceptual content analysis of four of these five topics. These research questions examine fees, the appeal process, portfolio development resources and the process of entering credit on the transcript of the portfolio assessment process. A report presents this information to the CPL committee, along with tables to easily evaluate the data, as well as forms and guidance documents for portfolio development.

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