Turning Skills into Credit: One Student’s Story
For This Former Retail Executive, Earning College Credit for her Business Expertise Never Goes Out of Fashion
Here at CUNY SPS, we understand that college-level learning can happen outside of a traditional classroom. That’s why we award Credit for Prior Learning (CPL) based on our students’ professional and personal expertise. Through this initiative, students may earn college credit for their previous education, work experience, and learning outside of school. In our blog series Earn Credit for What You Know, we invite CUNY SPS students and alum who have received CPL credit to share their own stories.
In today’s installment, we speak with Allyson Carroll, a CUNY SPS BA in Psychology student and former retail executive.
Q: Tell us about yourself. What led you to CUNY SPS? What is your major / degree?
A: The pandemic drove me back to school to wrap up a communications degree, but I changed my major to psychology (specifically industrial / organizational psychology) because it mirrored my career as a retail executive. I chose CUNY SPS because I needed the flexibility of an online/ asynchronous program. Had I known about CPL, I would have finished this degree a long time ago. The idea of sitting through general education courses at this stage of my career did not feel productive. However, CPL credits let me focus on the degree requirements and finish quickly.
Q: What life experience(s) did you apply toward CPL? How did you acquire this experience(s) or skill(s)?
A: I am a former fashion retail executive turned freelance strategy consultant. I applied my experience as a manager and consultant in a creative field. I previously earned some certifications for things like UX Design and Content Strategy and those were applicable as well.
Q: Please describe the process by which you got credit for your experience.
A: I earned 18 credits through CPL exams or portfolios. I took 3 exams through Saylor Academy; and I built 3 portfolios for Corporate Communication, Web Design, and NACE Career Development.
[Editor’s Note: Saylor Academy partners with CUNY SPS to provide zero-tuition transfer credit upon successful completion of their exams. In a separate Credit for Prior Learning opportunity, CUNY SPS students may submit portfolios that reflect their knowledge and expertise learned outside the classroom.]
Q: Do you have any advice for other students who may be interested in seeking credit for prior learning?
A: My advice is to start early and have a strategy to make the most of your time. Because I have been a business leader for most of my career, I assumed I would rely on the available business exams offered through Saylor. However, once I got into studying for them, I realized there was a time economy issue. Too much of the terminology felt unfamiliar. Instead of investing the time to adapt to the content, I focused on exams that came the most naturally based on my experience and interests. There are practice tests you can take within the modules on Saylor which can give you an idea of how much study time you would need before taking the proctored exam. I started with tests before reading any of the content to see how much I already knew. Then I filled in the gaps by studying the individual modules once I decided to move forward with the exam.
For portfolios, I thought about what evidence or physical artifacts I could use to supplement a narrative essay before deciding on a subject. This made it easier to write the narrative based on the learning outcomes in the class syllabus. For example, my favorite portfolio to build was for the COM 302 class (Web Design) because I could easily imagine how I would demonstrate my experience with the subject matter. There is a CUNY SPS class dedicated to building CPL portfolios (PLA 300 — Portfolio Development for Prior Learning Assessment) and by the end, you have the first one complete. Then you can replicate what you learned if you want to turn in more.
It can be tough to find the time for these without the structure of a class. If you have a good plan, you can save a lot of time (and money) in the end.
Read more about other credit for prior learning opportunities at CUNY SPS here.
