Academic Policies

Section III: Nontraditional Sources of Credit

1. Portfolio Process for Awarding Credit for Life and Vocational Experience
2. Residency Requirement
3. Credit by Examination
4. Waiver by Examination
5. Credit for Departmental Challenge Examinations

POLICY: Aurora University recognizes the validity of college-level learning achieved in settings other than accredited institutions of higher education, provided that this nontraditional learning is validated in accordance with generally-recognized standards of good practice and awarded through the processes provided in the University's academic regulations.

A. Portfolio Process for Awarding Credit for Life and Vocational Experience.

1. A portfolio assessment program is available to students who have significant prior learning through career achievements, individual study, or volunteer work.
2. LVE portfolios may present documentation supporting the awarding of credit for the following categories of prior learning:
   1. Military training evaluated by ACE
   2. Noncollegiate training and education programs evaluated by ACE or under the PONSI program
   3. College-level learning achieved through organized training and education programs not included in (a) or (b) above
   4. Educational experiences achieved through non-CORPA-accredited institutions of higher education
   5. College-level learning achieved through on-the-job experience, individual study, or other life experiences
3. Students seeking credit only for programs in categories 2(a) and/or (b) may petition directly to the Registrar for recording of such credit. It is the student's responsibility to provide all necessary background documentation to support the recording of ACE, military, and PONSI credit.
   1. ACE, military, and PONSI credit will only be recorded under this regulation by the Registrar when such credit is clearly applicable to the student's baccalaureate program at Aurora University.
   2. Students seeking the transfer of technical credit or other credit that is not evidently suitable for inclusion in AU baccalaureate programs must complete a general petition and submit a portfolio that includes appropriate rationales for the transfer of such credit.
   3. A maximum of three semester hours providing an experiential prerequisite to completion of a major program may be awarded upon submission of documentation specified by the program faculty accompanied by a petition evaluated by a designated program faculty member and approved by the jurisdictional dean. An evaluation and recording fee is charged, as established by the Vice-President for Finance. Such experiential prerequisite credit may only be presented for graduation in fulfillment of a specific major requirement.
4. Portfolio evaluation. In addition to awarding credit in response to specific student requests stated in terms of disciplinary areas and course titles, the evaluation process will award to any student assessed at least three semester hours, an additional award of 9 semester hours of CIFE credit, based on submission of a satisfactory reflective essay (typically 10-15 pages in length) providing evidence of career-relevant learning achieved through the student's work experience, including appropriate documentation such as performance evaluation materials and supervisors' statements.
   Following general evaluation of the student's credit, a copy of the portfolio and a summary of the evaluation shall be forwarded to the Registrar, who shall route the materials to major academic departments and make determinations of applicability of credit to meet general education requirements, acting under guidelines from the Academic Council.
5. Awarding, recording, and application of credit. Nontraditional credit assessed through portfolios is subject to the following limitations and conditions:
   1. A maximum total of 30 semester hours may be awarded through the portfolio process. If ACE/military credit and/or PONSI credit has previously been awarded by direct petition, such credit will count toward the 30 semester hour maximum for portfolio credit.
   2. Credit awarded through the portfolio process will be recorded on the student's historical record in the form and amount determined by the staff evaluator, with indications of applicability to the requirements of the major as approved by the major department and indicating any general education requirements satisfied under the guidelines provided by the General Education Committee.
   3. Credit not approved for application under (b) above may be applied as general elective credit toward graduation.
   4. Portfolio credit considered by the Registrar to duplicate prior or subsequent transferable coursework or test credit will be removed from the student's historical record in favor of such coursework or test credit.
   5. Portfolio credit is evaluated as either lower or upper division in nature and will be applied toward the limits for lower and upper division transfer credit and to meet other graduation requirements in the same manner as transferred credit.
   6. Portfolio and examination credit are not included in official audits of student progress or degree completion until recorded in the student's historical file by the Registrar.

B. Residency Requirement
Credit awarded through the portfolio process or by examination or as an experiential prerequisite for a major may not be counted toward either the general residency requirement for graduation nor toward the required number of semester hours included in either an area of concentration or a minor. However, such credit may be awarded within the final 30 semester hours of the student's undergraduate program, provided that the evaluated portfolio or official test results are submitted to the Registrar for recording no later than the last day of the term preceding the term in which the student will complete all requirements for graduation.

C. Credit by Examination

1. Examination credit through the College Level Examination Program (CLEP) and the Advanced Placement Program (APP) is granted by Aurora University as outlined in this manual, to provide a means of measuring the academic achievement of those students who, through extensive reading and experience, may be able to meet the standards set as a basis for granting college credit.
2. Personal Testing
   1. A "limited" testing center is maintained to provide an opportunity for Aurora University students to take CLEP tests on an on-going basis, by appointment. Students attending or applying to other institutions are handled on a space-available basis.
   2. Prior Approval of the Registrar must be secured before taking examinations for credit.
   3. At the request or suggestion of professors, students may take tests to provide guidance or diagnostic measures for vocational or general counseling. This testing is done by appointment in the Career Services Center or the Learning Center, as appropriate.
3. Limitations on Use
   1. No more than one-fourth of the courses presented for the area of concentration shall be by examination.
   2. No more than 3 semester hours of examination credit may be used to meet the General Communication requirement.
4. Acceptance in transfer. (See Section II-A-8)
5. Fees
   1. Students are expected to pay all fees required by testing agencies.
   2. A recording fee of $10 per 3 semester hours will be assessed.
   3. CLEP, APP, PEP or NLN test credit earned while attending another institution and prior to attendance at Aurora University will not be assessed a recording fee.
6. College Level Examination Program (CLEP) General Examinations. The General Examinations are designed to be taken before college work is begun. Students who have any college credits must seek prior approval. If courses have been taken prior to the test date, appropriate reductions in the amount of credit usually awarded will be made by the Registrar.
   

   TEST	6 Semester Hours Granted if Score of
   English	50
   Natural Sciences	50
   Mathematics	50
   Humanities	50
   Social Science-History	50

   
   NOTE: A student who receives 6 semester hours for English must still complete ENG102 at Aurora University. Of the 6 semester hours granted for English, three hours will be applied to ENG101 and 3 hours toward general electives.
   
   A student who has received CLEP credit in English cannot also receive college credit for ENG101 Composition I: Introduction to Academic Writing. A student who has received one CLEP course equivalent in Mathematics may not take MTH110 (MTH101 and 102) Algebra or MTH111 Contemporary Mathematics for college credit.*
   
   A student who has received two CLEP course equivalents in Mathematics may not take MTH110 Algebra, MTH112 Mathematics for Decision Making or MTH210 Elementary Functions for college credit.*
   
   *NOTE TO CLEP RECIPIENTS WHO INTEND TO TAKE ADDITIONAL MATH COURSES: In some instances the results of the Aurora University Mathematics Placement Examination may suggest that you need to take one of the courses prohibited above. In that instance you should decide whether to take the course as an auditor, take the course for college credit and accept a reduction in CLEP credit or proceed to the next level of math with the understanding that you may have some difficulty.

7. CLEP Subject Examinations. Credit cannot be awarded if a student has had classroom credit in the subject area. Students who have any college credits must seek prior approval. The following options are available:
   

   Subject Examinations	3 Semester Hours Mean Score	6 Semester Hours Mean Score
   Accounting, Introductory		50
   American Government	50
   American History I: Early Colonization to 1877	50
   American History II: 1865 to Present	50
   American Literature		50
   Biology, General		50
   Business Law, Introductory	50
   Calculus	50
   Chemistry, General		50
   College Algebra	50
   College Algebra - Trigonometry	50
   Freshman College Composition		50
   College French,  Levels 1 & 2   Second Semester   Fourth Semester		50 52
   College German, Levels 1 & 2   Second Semester   Fourth Semester		50 63
   College Spanish, Levels 1 & 2   Second Semester   Fourth Semester		50 54
   Information Systems and Computer Applications	50
   Educational Psychology	50
   English Literature		50
   Human Growth and Development	50
   Literature, Analysis and Interpretation of		50
   Principles of Macroeconomics	50
   Principles of Management	50
   Principles of Marketing	50
   Principles of Microeconomics	50
   Psychology, Introductory	50
   Sociology, Introductory	50
   Trigonometry	50
   Western Civilization I: Ancient Near East to 1648	50
   Western Civilization II: 1648 to Present	50

8. DANTES test credit: Aurora University accepts appropriate credit from the DANTES testing program. Subject areas are accepted if they meet the general requirements for acceptance of other forms of credit (i.e., are nontechnical in nature, or are in technical fields otherwise deemed appropriate for inclusion in the student's degree, or meet other guidelines for transfer of technical credit.
9. Advanced Placement Program (APP). Three semester hours of credit will be awarded for scores of 3 or above in the following APP Examinations:
   

   Classics: Catullus/Horace	European History
   Classics: Virgil	Calculus AB (Math)
   Computer Science	Biology
   English, Language Composition	Chemistry
   French Language	Physics B
   French Literature	Physics C - Mech
   German Literature	Physics C - E & M
   Spanish Literature	Calculus BC (Math)
   American History	Spanish Language

10. ACT/Proficiency Examination Program (PEP). Professional nursing courses completed in an Associate's Degree or diploma program cannot be transferred into the B.S.N. degree program. Validation of nursing knowledge gained in these programs is achieved through either the ACT/Proficiency Examination Program or the NLN Mobility Examination. A maximum of 30 semester hours may be awarded through these examinations. An additional 8 semester hours of credit may be awarded for the Anatomy and Physiology PEP Examination, which may be taken by any Aurora University student (i.e., not limited to Nursing students). This credit cannot be counted toward the residency requirement at Aurora University. Credit will be awarded only upon receipt of a satisfactory score in each of the three Nursing examinations. A recording fee of $10 per 3 semester hours will be charged upon recording of this credit.
    

    Examination	30 Semester Hours Mean Score
    Maternal and ChildNursing, Bacc. Degree	45
    Psychiatric/Mental Health Nursing	45
    Adult Nursing	45
    *Anatomy and Physiology	50
    *Credit applicable to programs outside of Nursing

11. NLN Examination. Students also have the option of taking the NLN Mobility II examination series specific to Maternal-Child Nursing, Psychiatric/Mental Health Nursing, and Adult Nursing in lieu of the ACT-PEP series. Credit for a maximum of 30 semester hours may be awarded upon receipt of a satisfactory score of 45, in each of the nursing examinations. A recording fee of $10 per 3 semester hours will be charged upon recording of this credit.

D. Waiver by Examination

1. Math Proficiency Examination: The University requires that all students pass MTH110 (MTH101 and MTH102) Algebra or MTH111 Contemporary Mathematics or present acceptable CLEP, APP, DANTES, or transfer credit or transfer with a transfer-oriented associate degree as provided in section II.A.3. to graduate with the Bachelor's Degree. The student may sit for an in-house exam, the Math Proficiency Examination (MPE) to meet this requirement. If the student passes the MPE, he/she will receive a "waiver" for this requirement. No CREDIT is given for the MPE. Students are recommended to counsel with their advisor before attempting this exam.

E. Credit for Departmental Challenge Examinations
In those cases where no nationally-normed examination is available or appropriate to support the awarding of credit in a subject area required in a major, the program faculty may establish a departmental challenge examination for the awarding of a maximum of three semester hours to be used in lieu of a specific major course. Such examinations are subject to the same approval process as that prevailing for new courses. A testing fee for such examinations will be established by the Vice-President for Finance. Students may present for graduation a maximum of six semester hours by departmental challenge examinations; such credit may be applied only toward major requirements and does not meet other general degree requirements. Departmental challenge credit shall be designated as lower or upper division by the program faculty.

Posted: 11 March 2002