Registration Form for Portfolio Assesment

Portfolio assessment is a flexible, efficient way of earning college credits for what you have learned outside the classroom. Florida Vedic College has already helped many adults save countless classroom hours by earning credits based on their knowledge. Moreover, these credit awards are honored by many other colleges and universities throughout the country.

Like all programs offered by Florida Vedic College, 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 college or university and you can prove your expertise in it.

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 Florida Vedic College 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
• Community or religious activities
• Military service
• Travel study
• Organization memberships
  

Putting your portfolio together is a simple, step by step process:

1., Take inventory of your knowledge and skills.

Review you 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.

3., Find course descriptions to match your learning.

For each subject you have chosen, review the Florida Vedic College Course Catalog to locate a description which best reflects your knowledge. If you cannot identify an appropriate course in the Florida Vedic College Course Catalog, search through catalogs from other colleges. The catalog entries you select must represent courses taught semester hours (not quarter hours) at those colleges or universities. Please note that if you select a course description from another institution’s catalog, there is no guarantee that it will be assigned the same or a similar number by Florida Vedic College. With the exception of physical education activity courses, field experience, student teaching, cooperative study, practicum courses, internships, senior seminars, independent study or lab courses, any college-level subject is eligible for portfolio assessment. (Lab courses must be accompanied by related theory courses.) Make certain your selected courses have been approved for your degree or certificate programs.

4., Provide evidence of your knowledge.

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 you abilities, or any other material that offers proof. If solid evidence is lacking, you may request an examination. Exams are available on limited basis and may be oral or written, depending on the subject matter or requirements of the faculty consultant.

5., Describe what you know and how your learned it.

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.

6., Put it all together.

After you selected a course description, 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 Vedic Philosophy & Religion courses. 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 Florida Vedic College Staff member.

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 clear photocopy of the course description taped on the cover sheet.
• 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.

7., Submit the portfolio, along with your check or money order.

Your portfolio should then be mailed to the College along with check or money order for $100. Your portfolio will be reviewed and if it appears complete, it will be forwarded to a faculty consultant for assessment. Once it is submitted, the portfolio will be considered an academic record which belongs to Florida Vedic College. 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 which you may need in the future. Please note: your portfolio will not be forwarded for assessment if the College has not received your check or money order for the assessment.

Your Portfolio and Check or money order should be made out and mailed to:

Florida Vedic College
Portfolio Assessment
934 N. University Drive, #102
Coral Springs, FL 33071

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. If a few cases, students have earned enough portfolio credits to fulfill most of their degree requirements.

The time frame for three credit of portfolio assessment is generally one to two months, but the process may take longer if more information is needed form 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 a Florida Vedic College transcript be sent to your home institution.

Credit cost:

Once credit is recommended to be awarded to you, in addition to the assessment cost of $100 that has been paid, you will be assessed $10 for each 3 credits awarded to you.

Example:

1 course for 3 credits awarded = $10

10 courses for 30 credits awarded = $300

You will need to send your check or money order to the College at the same address above to release the credit to your file and permanent record.