3.4.8 Noncredit to Credit

The institution awards academic credit for coursework taken on a noncredit basis only when there is documentation that the noncredit coursework is equivalent to a designated credit experience.

St. Petersburg College is in compliance with this comprehensive standard because noncredit coursework is carefully evaluated using specified procedures and guidelines to ensure equivalency with relevant program coursework prior to granting credit.

Excerpt from Florida Board of Education Rule 6A-14.031, Acceleration Mechanisms for Program Completion

(1) Each community college degree and certificate program shall provide students opportunity to complete at least twenty-five percent (25%) of the program requirements, exclusive of transfer credit, through:

(a) Satisfactory performance on standardized, institutional, or departmental examinations.

(b) Satisfactory performance in secondary school Advanced Placement Programs of the College Entrance Examination Board.

(c) Dual enrollment in a community college or university prior to graduation from high school or community college.

(d) Demonstration of competence achieved through experiential learning.

(e) Any combination of the above.

(2) Community colleges shall award credit for courses for which competence has been demonstrated by satisfactory performance on an examination. Institutions shall not exempt students from courses without awarding credit if competence has been so demonstrated.

The award of academic credit for coursework taken on a noncredit basis is governed by Board of Trustees Rule 6Hx23-4.17. This policy outlines awarding of credit from military service schools and for non-college education.

6Hx23-4.17 Credit from Nontraditional Sources. Describes the College policy for accepting or awarding credit from the following nontraditional sources: the Advanced Placement Program, the International Baccalaureate Program, the College-Level Examination Program, Assessment of Prior Learning/Experiential Learning Program (ELP), and Correspondence or Extension Courses.

St. Petersburg College defines noncredit coursework as a formal educational experience not sponsored by a college or university, as well as education and training programs sponsored by a college, but not offered for college credit.

In order to ensure that documented coursework taken on a noncredit basis is equivalent to a specific college credit experience, SPC makes use of The Guide for the Evaluation of Educational Experiences in the Armed Services prepared bi-annually by the American Council on Education (ACE), and the National Guide to Educational Credit for Training Programs, also prepared by ACE.

Experiential Learning Program. The College has an extensive Experiential Learning Program (ELP) to assess students’ prior learning and award college credit when appropriate.

Credit may be awarded under this area for learning in a discipline or program area(s) offered by the College. The discipline Program Directors or Deans, by Collegewide agreement, have determined which courses are eligible for assessment through Experiential Learning and consult annually with Advisory Committees, discipline instructors, and Experiential Learning Coordinators to update the listing of courses eligible for assessment through the Experiential Learning Program. Program Directors in the Associate in Science and Certificate Programs may limit credit earned through Experiential Learning to 50 percent of the core courses and/or courses within the major. If a student can demonstrate prior learning, the College will award credit for achievement rather than have the student repeat the learning sequence.

The assessment of learning takes place through means consistent with generally accepted techniques of measuring college-level learning. The techniques may include written and oral examinations, portfolio evaluations, interview assessments, and project or product evaluations, as determined by the appropriate Program Director. The assessment will certify that students have the knowledge and skills established in the curriculum of the College for equivalent courses. In addition, other methods of evaluation shall include use of ACE guidebooks, the Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) Guide, the CAEL Guide, and correlation of military training with college-level credit. Such assessment shall certify levels of attainment consistent with the content and performance expectations established in the curriculum of the College for equivalent courses. Information concerning such assessments is available in the Experiential Learning Office on each Campus.

Post-Secondary Adult Vocational training (PSAV). Credit also may be awarded for certain vocational/technical courses for which there is an articulation agreement resulting from careful analysis by Technical Center and College Faculty regarding the amount of college-level work in the program. As an example, in February, 2006, at the recommendation of the Florida Department of Education, the Board of Trustees approved a change of the Firefighting, Correctional, and Law Enforcement Academy programs from certificate courses to PSAV courses which could articulate a certain number of credits to an A.S. degree.

Agenda Item IX-H.1a

Meeting: February 21, 2006

MEMORANDUM

DATE: February 21, 2006

TO: Board of Trustees, St. Petersburg College

FROM: Carl M. Kuttler, Jr.

SUBJECT: Deletion of Credit Law Enforcement and Corrections Certificates

Authorization is sought for deleting the credit certificates in Law Enforcement (CMSLAW-CT) and Corrections (COR-CT) effective Term III 20053-0365 and implementing new PSAV Law Enforcement and Corrections Certificates, per Florida Department of Education.

“School district technical center and community college faculty committee met and agreed to propose that the 760 clock hour program in Law Enforcement Officer shall articulate a minimum of 15 college credit hours to the AS Degree in Criminal Justice. This agreement does not preclude the awarding of additional credits by any college.

School district technical center and community college faculty committee met and agreed to propose that the 532 clock hour program in Correctional Officer shall articulate a minimum of 12 college credit hours to the AS Degree in Criminal Justice. This agreement does not preclude the awarding of additional credits by any college.”

Military. St. Petersburg College allows credit for military experience and training. SPC uses the ACE Guide to the Evaluation of Educational Experiences in the Armed Services in determining the value of learning acquired in military occupations, Service school courses, and other military training, and awards credit for appropriate learning acquired in military service at levels consistent with ACE Guide recommendations or those from the Community College of the Air Force.

Course Evaluation System. Courses listed in the Guide are service school courses conducted on a formal basis, i.e., approved by a central authority within each service and listed by the service in its catalog. These courses are conducted for a specified period of time with a prescribed course of instruction, in a structured learning situation, and with qualified instructors. Most courses are given on a full-time basis. After 1981, ACE began evaluation of courses that are 45 academic hours in length.

Occupation Evaluation System. Evaluators identify the skills, competencies, and knowledge required of warrant officers who are qualified in a given occupation specialty and relate that demonstrated learning to the same attributes acquired by students who have completed a comparable postsecondary course or curriculum. Because the evaluations are based on a comparison of learning outcomes, the amount of time a given enlisted man or woman may have spent acquiring occupational proficiency is not taken into consideration. The emphasis is on translating the learning demonstrated through occupational proficiency into terms used in formal civilian postsecondary education systems to recognize the same learning. This reflects the belief of the Commission that the value of learning is not dependent on where or how the learning occurs.

All noncredit coursework is reviewed and credit is awarded as appropriate. Such credit will count as either elective or program credit and will count towards a College degree or certificate.

Policies stipulated by BOT Rules on the award of credit for noncredit work are published in the College Catalog and are also viewable on the College Web site. Board rules also are available on the Prospective Student, Current Student, the Interested Visitor, Potential Employee, Alumnus, and employee Staff Central pages. In addition, SPC publishes a student-friendly page on the Experiential Learning Program, with points of contact: