Experiential Learning Procedures
At Warner University there are two methods for earning credit through the Experiential Learning Program as described in the college catalog.
- The first involves ACE or National PONSI Evaluated Professional & Technical Training. This formal training has been evaluated by the American Council on Education (ACE) or the National Program on Noncollegiate Sponsored Instruction (National PONSI) for which the student has not received college credit. WU 2080 is not a required pre-requisite to petition for credit.
- The second involves Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) and the development of a Life-Learning Essay. This is also called a Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) Portfolio. PLA identifies and documents areas of college-level learning (describing and documenting both knowledge and skill) and serves as a petition for credit. WU-2080 is a prerequisite for petitioning for credit.
I. ACE or National PONSI Evaluated Professional & Technical Training
Many students have completed various kinds of training for which they have received certificates or licensure. In addition, those who have spent extended time in military service often have gone through extensive training programs. These may earn college credit. If you are unsure as to whether your training has been ACE or National PONSI evaluated you are encouraged to visit:
All students petitioning to earn college credit for ACE or National PONSI Evaluated Professional & Technical Training must complete and submit the following items to the Registrar. The petition will be evaluated and the result will be reported to you.
Official documentation of training must be included (ACE or National PONSI transcript). For military training, order an official transcript
If you have ACE-approved corporate training, you can order an ACE transcript. Please note: ACE charges $40 for this service. SMART and AARTS military transcripts do not appear to cost. For National PONSI-approved training, visit http://www.nationalponsi.org/ccr/index.htm
Contact the office within your organization responsible for administering the National PONSI evaluated learning experiences and request that an official record of the experiences you have successfully completed be sent to Warner University. The official record will enable a college official to verify successful completion and the dates of attendance.
The official ACE transcript or National PONSI documentation should be mailed in a sealed envelope directly to: Office of the Registrar Warner University 13895 Hwy 27, Lake Wales, FL 33859
Note: Request a copy to be sent to yourself as well.
II. Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) and the development of a Life-Learning Essay.
If your training or life experiences are not formally ACE or national PONSI evaluated, you may consider writing a Life- Learning essay to petition for credit. Enroll for WU-2080 Prior Learning Assessment Orientation to learn more about this option.
Guidelines & Policies
The Experiential Learning Program of earning credit is available to all students who are enrolled in Warner University. Students are responsible to provide documentation and support of their petitions for credit and that the learning is equivalent to college level work. The college is responsible to accurately and fairly assess the material submitted by the students and to report the results to them. The college is also responsible to enter a proper statement of the credit earned on the transcript that clearly identifies the credits as earned by Experiential Learning. The credits may carry a departmental prefix, number, and title to be assigned by the departmental evaluator. Experiential Learning credits will not carry a letter grade.
The following Guidelines and Policies have been reviewed and adopted by the faculty of Warner University for the Experiential Learning Program process.
- Credit will be awarded for learning, not for experience. Experiential Learning credit may not duplicate previously earned college credit.
- Credit granted for college-level learning needs to include an appropriate balance of theory and application (knowledge and skills), as determined by qualified experts.
- Written work submitted must conform to the standards of composition for work submitted for regular course credit at Warner University.
- A life-learning paper which receives three (3) semester credits or more will at least demonstrate the student’s understanding of the essential terminology in the academic subject area involved, and provide some evidence of the student’s use of critical source material in the learning process.
- As a general rule, transfer credits from technical and para-professional courses will not be applied toward completion of Warner University General Education requirements. However, students can use their experience in such course work as a basis for life-learning papers, which may be used to petition for General Education credit.
- Maximum credit allowed through Experiential Learning is 30 semester hours.
- Experiential Learning and CLEP credits will not apply to the requirement of 30 hours in residence for the bachelor degrees or of one-half of the hours needed for the major and minor in residence.
- Credits earned through Experiential Learning will be entered on the students’ transcript when they have paid the appropriate assessment fee. No credit is awarded without the payment of the fee. The fee for Prior Learning Assessment: Life-Learning Essays is $85.00 per credit hour.