College of Security, Technology & Management

Dear Prospective Student:

Different ways to Earn Credit

Portfolio Assessment: Demonstrating College-level Knowledge.

Portfolio Assessment is a flexible, efficient way of earning college credits for what you have learned outside the classroom. The International University has already helped thousands of adults save countless tuition dollars and classroom hours by earning credits based on their knowledge. Moreover, these credit awards are honored by many other colleges and universities throughout the World.

Like all programs offered by The International University, Portfolio Assessment operates on the belief that college-level learning, no matter how it is gained, warrants credit. Therefore, nearly any area of learning can be converted into college credits as long as it is taught at a regionally accredited college or university and you can prove your levels of expertise.

A portfolio is a compilation of data assembled in an approved format to demonstrate college-level knowledge for an award of credit. Often compiled like a notebook, each portfolio generally represents one course. The portfolio you submit to The International University will serve as proof of your expertise and the value it has in the academic world. It can include knowledge or skills gained from a wide variety of sources, but these are some of the more common ones used for Portfolio Assessment:

Full or part-time jobs

Independent reading and study

Training programs or in-service courses

Volunteer work

Cultural and artistic pursuits

Hobbies and recreational pastimes

Community or religious activities

Military, Law Enforcement service

Travel study

Organizational & Professional memberships

1. Take inventory of your knowledge and skills.

Review your job history, hobbies, areas of study or special training, volunteer work and other activities noted above. Then make a list of all the areas of knowledge and skill you have acquired as a result of these experiences.

2. Choose the areas for which you want to seek college credit.

Evaluate each area of your prior learning to determine which ones to select for Portfolio Assessment. Your decision about each subject area should be based on two factors: whether you can prove that your knowledge is equivalent to a college-level course and whether you need college credits in that subject. If you have partial knowledge of a subject, and wish to acquire more, the Portfolio Study option may be right for you.

Assemble a package of material that documents your knowledge of the subject. This may include samples of your work, a resume, notes taken in training courses, transcripts, an annotated bibliography, letters of verification from employers or others who have first-hand knowledge of your abilities, or any other material that offers proof. If solid evidence is lacking, you may request an examination. Exams are available on a limited basis and may be oral or written, depending on the subject matter or requirements of the faculty consultant.

Write a narrative that outlines your learning, explains how your knowledge was acquired and introduces the materials you are providing as evidence. This statement, which may be anywhere from three to ten pages in length depending on the type of course involved, is your forum for persuading the faculty consultant that you have accumulated enough knowledge to warrant credit for the subject. Portfolio advisors encourage students to submit a rough draft of the narrative, prior to final submission, so they can review it and provide useful advice.

After you have written an appropriate narrative and collected sufficient evidence to prove your knowledge to the faculty consultant, your portfolio is complete and ready for packaging. Each subject must be packaged in a separate folder or binder, since not all of your courses may be reviewed by the same faculty consultant. The exceptions are courses which are closely related, such as Typing I and II. Foreign language courses in the same language, regardless of the number of credits represented, are packaged as one, single portfolio. The Portfolio Cover Sheet with the course description should be placed at the front of your portfolio, followed by the narrative and, finally, your evidence. A table of contents is required.

If you are uncertain as to whether your courses are closely linked enough to be packaged together, check with a portfolio advisor. All information in your portfolio should be typewritten and double-spaced. Each page should be numbered. The materials in your portfolio should be arranged in the following sequence:

Portfolio Cover Sheet with a course description

Table of Contents listing all items included in the portfolio

Narrative written clearly and grammatically correct

Evidence organized in the sequence in which it is mentioned in the

narrative and preferably numbered or otherwise labeled.

Your portfolio should then be mailed to your portfolio advisor. They will review it and, if it appears to be complete, will forward it to a faculty consultant for assessment.

Once it is submitted, the portfolio will be considered an academic record that belongs to The International University. At that point, it cannot be returned to you. Therefore, be sure to keep a copy of each item in the portfolio for your own records, and do not send any original documents that you may need in the future.

Correspondence should be directed to your portfolio advisor at:

The International University – Grandview

12110 Grandview Road

Grandview, MO 64030

The Assessment of Your Portfolio

Each portfolio is assessed by a faculty consultant who has expertise in that particular subject. The faculty consultant will determine whether or not your knowledge of the subject is equal to a college-level grade of "C" or better. If so, then he/she will recommend that you receive credit. You will not receive a letter grade. If your knowledge is judged to be insufficient, the faculty consultant will recommend that credit be denied. If the faculty consultant decides that more information is needed in order to make a determination, you may be asked to submit additional evidence, take an examination or be interviewed. The latter practices are often used in cases where students have acquired knowledge of a subject that cannot be documented.

There is no limit to the number of credits you may earn through portfolio assessment. In a few cases, students have earned enough portfolio credits to fulfill most or all of their degree requirements. A minimum of 15 credits must be taken through TIU.

The time limit for Portfolio Assessment is generally one month, but the process may take longer if more information is needed from the applicant or if a faculty consultant is not available immediately.

Once a credit award is recommended, you will receive a credit award report. If you are a student at another school, you should request, in writing, that an International University transcript be sent to your home institution.

For accreditation information, please visit our web site and click on the "Accreditation" page at www.tiu.org or www.internationaluniversity.edu

If you have any questions, please email me at admissions@tiu.org

We look forward to assisting you throughout your degree completion process.

Sincerely,

Helen Gross, M.A.

Registrar, TIU