Kaplan University’s New Portfolio Development Course Enhances Students’ Ability to Earn Credit for Learning from Professi...
January 08 2010 - 6:20PM
Business Wire
Kaplan University, a leading provider of online postsecondary
education, today announced the launch of its online Portfolio
Development course, which utilizes innovative technology to help
students assess prior learning to earn college credits. The course
is designed to teach students to build a portfolio of professional
and life experiences that they may use to petition for college
credits, reducing the number of courses they need to earn a
degree.
“Kaplan University is revolutionizing higher education by using
technology to customize the college experience and meet students’
individual academic and social needs,” said Peter Smith, Ed.D.,
Senior Vice President for Academic Strategies & Development at
Kaplan Higher Education, which owns Kaplan University. “Kaplan uses
technology to provide a student-centered education that helps
individuals unlock their talent to reach their academic and
professional goals.”
Smith, who presented today during the HigherEd TECH track of the
2010 International CES, is the author of the forthcoming book,
Harnessing America's Wasted Talent: A New Ecology of Learning
(Jossey-Bass, 2010). The book illustrates the flaws in traditional
education and how Web 2.0 technologies like Kaplan University’s
Portfolio Development course capitalize on the capacity of every
student.
The Portfolio Development course uses a state-of-the-art
custom-developed software application to help students document
their mastery of college-level course work using prior
professional, military and other experiential learning. Students
build this information into an experiential learning portfolio over
the 10-week course, which they may then submit for assessment.
Students may petition to apply their prior learning credits toward
up to 75 percent of a Kaplan University undergraduate degree.
“As someone who has been in the IT industry for several years
with job descriptions including database administrator, network
administrator and senior programmer/analyst, I have accumulated a
wealth of IT knowledge. However, as this knowledge was solely based
on learning from my past experience, it was difficult to relate it
back to specific courses,” said James Gayhart, a Kaplan University
student who enrolled in the Portfolio Development course and
subsequently earned 30 credits toward his bachelor’s degree in
Information Technology. “Kaplan’s Portfolio Development and
Assessment process gave me a greater sense of accomplishment while
simultaneously reducing the amount of time and money I would have
to spend toward my degree.”
To learn more about the Portfolio Development course, visit
http://www.portfolio.kaplan.edu.
Kaplan University leverages technology to foster continuous
improvement in its curriculum and to provide a personalized online
student experience. Its outcomes-based curriculum allows the
University to assess the students’ mastery in each program and
identify effective teaching techniques across a variety of learning
styles. Additionally, students have access to online tutoring, math
and writing labs, and online career planning diagnostics that help
them craft a program that maximizes their career potential. The
University allows students to customize their education through
universal degree plans designed to allow students to transfer in
previously earned college credits, military experience and
qualified life credits. Kaplan also has 30 student clubs,
professional organizations and honor societies.
About Kaplan University
Kaplan University offers a different school of thought for
higher education. It strives to help adult students unlock their
talent by providing a practical, student-centered education that
prepares them for careers in some of the fastest-growing
industries. Based in Davenport, Iowa, the University is regionally
accredited by The Higher Learning Commission (HLC) and is a member
of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools
(NCA). Kaplan University offers more than 125 academic
programs and serves more than 63,000 online and campus-based
students. For more information, visit
www.portal.kaplanuniversity.edu.
Kaplan University is part of Kaplan Higher Education, which
serves more than 100,000 students online and through more than 70
campus-based schools across the United States and abroad. It also
has online programs through Kaplan Virtual Education and Concord
Law School of Kaplan University. Kaplan Higher Education schools
offer a spectrum of academic opportunities, from high school
diplomas to graduate and professional degrees, including a juris
doctor degree. Kaplan Higher Education is part of Kaplan, Inc., a
subsidiary of The Washington Post Company (NYSE: WPO). For more
information, visit www.portal.kaplan.edu.