Abstract
Credit for prior learning (CPL)—which includes credit-by-examination, portfolio assessment, and credential-to-credit crosswalks—has demonstrated positive effects on persistence, time to degree, and affordability, with disproportionately large benefits accruing to historically underserved learners. Yet CPL often remains peripheral in advising and faculty practice, limiting its equity impact. Guided by critical theory and feminist poststructural epistemology (FPE), this quantitative study investigates the barriers that advisors perceive when recommending CPL at a four-year regional public university with an established CPL catalog. A campus-wide survey (n = 42) captured advisor characteristics, frequency of recommending specific CPL pathways, and perceived obstacles. Descriptive statistics and nonparametric comparisons (Mann–Whitney U, chi-square) indicated three dominant barriers: perceived unavailability of CPL options for students, insufficient training, and policy that is difficult to understand. Advisors most frequently recommended standardized options (for example, CLEP) but rarely recommended portfolios, industry credentials, or ACE-evaluated training; “don’t know” responses were highest for these locally adjudicated pathways. No significant differences in obstacle ratings appeared by advisor classification (faculty versus staff) or by years of experience, suggesting systemic rather than subgroup issues. The article proposes an institutional framework for faculty development and advising practice—to clarify and publish policy in student-facing language, engineer CPL prompts into advising workflows, invest in faculty authorship of assessments and crosswalks, and measure and share outcomes.
Recommended Citation
Danzo, Amy; Bergman, Matthew; and Moon, Melissa
(2026)
"Credit for Prior Learning, Advising, and Equity: A Framework for Faculty Development,"
Journal of Excellence in College Teaching and Learning: Vol. 22, Article 2.
Available at:
https://encompass.eku.edu/kjectl/vol22/iss1/2
