Undergraduate Catalog Overview

These policies appear on pp. 44-45 in Old Dominion University's 2004-2006 Catalog. Five experiential options are listed in the catalog; the four appearing below are the most frequently requested:

Experiential Learning Credit Options at the Undergraduate Level
Old Dominion University offers a program for assessing college-level knowledge gained through work, life experience and self-study. Students may initiate assessment of prior learning through a variety of assessment tools, including departmental examinations, portfolios, external examinations, performance assessment, or documented training progams, as determined by academic departments. The program, Experiential Learning, facilitates the assessment of such learning. A student may earn a maximum of 60 semester hours at the undergraduate level through experiential learning credit. However, in unusual situations when a student can demonstrate a more extensive knowledge base that would be applicable to a degree program, the student can apply to the director of experiential learning for an exception to the 60-credit-hour maximum. The director will forward suitable requests to the appropriate department. Experiential learning credit may be granted through the following mechanisms:

External Examinations
Satisfactory scores on the College-Level Examination Program (CLEP), Defense Activity for Non-Traditional Education Support (DANTES), International Baccalaureate (IB), and professional certification examinations evaluated by the American Council of Education (ACE) for college-level credit. It is strongly recommended that students who wish to challenge particular courses do so through CLEP or DANTES examinations for which Old Dominion University awards academic credit. Quailifying scores through the Advanced Placement Examinations Program or Admissions Testing Program of the Educational Testing Service (ETS) are approved by departments. CLEP, DANTES, AP and IB scores received should be reported to the director of testing in the Academic Skills Center.

Departmental Examinations
Upon approval of the appropriate chair and/or dean of the college involved, a student may take a comprehensive examination in an academic course in which he or she can demonstrate proficiency and upon passing the examination receive credit for that course. A request for testing should be made through the Experiential Learning Office, which forwards the request to the chair of the department involved. A course may be tested through departmental examination one time only.

Credit for Training
Military and professional training that is evaluated and recommended for college credit by the American Council on Education (ACE).

Portfolio Development
Upon approval of the appropriate chair and/or dean of the college involved, a student may develop a portfolio for a course or courses offered by Old Dominion University to gain college-level credit. Portfolios are submitted to the director of experiential learning.

Correspondence Courses
Correspondence courses completed at an institution accredited by a regional accrediting body such as the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, or evaluated by the American Council on Education and recommended for college-level credit. Credit for correspondence courses shall be limited to one-fourth of the total credit hours required for the major and for the baccalaureate degree.

The following regulations for experiential learning credit will apply:

1. All experiential learning options will be granted with credit.
2. Experiential learning credit will be granted upon the written recommendation of the chair of the department or designated faculty assessor having jurisdiction over the courses involved with the chair's approval.
3. The applicability of experiential learning credit toward specific degree program requirements is subject to departmental approval.
4. A student may not fail a course at Old Dominion University and later receive credit for the same course through an experiential learning option.
5. A student may not enroll in a course for credit or audit at Old Dominion University and subsequently seek credit through an experiential learning option.
6. No letter grades will be entered on the student's transcript for experiential learning credit; this credit will be treated in the same way as transfer credit: a "P" (Pass) will be assigned and it will not count in the student's grade point average.
7. A student must request experiential learning credit as early as possible upon admission to degree status.
8. A student earning experiential credit must meet the minimum residency requirements of 25 percent of the total number of credits required for the degree at Old Dominion University which shall include 12 residency hours of upper-level courses in the department of the declared major. The student should be aware that some program residency requirements exceed the university minimum residency requirements.
9. A student in a certificate or endorsement area may earn a maximum of six credit hours through experiential learning credit to apply to a certificate, endorsement or teacher licensure program. Experiential learning hours gained in these programs would be applicable to approved degree programs at Old Dominion University. In an approved undergraduate degree program, a student who has previously earned six credit hours of experiential learning credit for a certificate area may be eligible to attempt additional experiential learning credit toward a degree program.

The privilege of seeking experiential learning credit is available to both full-time and part-time degree status students. A student should meet with the degree program advisor and the director of experiential learning at the beginning of his or her academic career at Old Dominion University to determine how experiential learning may be applicable to the degree. For further information, visit this site or email sjoyner@odu.edu.