Portfolio Program

The Portfolio Program at Charter Oak can be used to earn credit by demonstrating that your learning matches a specific course.

  • Course Information: Include the learning outcomes for the specific course you are challenging.
  • Summary: Match each course learning outcome to your experience and supporting evidence.
  • Resume and Introduction: Provide an overview of your learning experiences related to the course.
  • Narrative: Demonstrate how you have achieved each course learning outcome.
  • Documentary Evidence: Supports your claims to knowledge of the learning outcomes.
  • Lower division level (100 and 200) undergraduate credit.
  • Upper division level (300 and 400) undergraduate credit.
  • Graduate division level (500 and 600) credit.
  • Credit for a specific course taught at any regionally accredited college.
  • Any number of credits, limited by degree program applicability.
  • Consult with your advisor regarding the degree applicability of any portfolio credit.
  • Save money!
    • The portfolio assessment fee is considerably less than tuition.
    • The assessment fee for your first portfolio is waived when submitted within 30 days of successfully completing the IDS 102: Prior Learning Portfolio Development course.
    • There is a Credit for Prior Learning Scholarship available for Charter Oak students to help with the assessment fees (Charter Oak students only).
  • Flexibility!
    • Work within your own schedule to prepare your portfolios.
    • Prepare portfolios for courses taught at any regionally accredited college.
  • Validation!
    • Receive recognition for what you've learned through your experience.
    • Earn college credit for what you know.
  • Charter Oak State College Undergraduate Students:
  • Charter Oak State College Graduate Students:
    • Consult with your program director or academic advisor.
    • Up to six (6) CPL credits can be used toward the Master of Science degree.
    • Choose one or two of your program courses to challenge via portfolio.
  • Visiting Students:
    • Be sure that your home school will accept any credit from portfolio in transfer.
    • Make sure that any credit you earn by portfolio will fit into your degree plan.
    • Check whether your home school will accept the IDS 102 - Prior Learning Portfolio Development course in transfer and it will fit into your degree plan.
  • Does your learning involve content normally taught in college courses?
  • Was your learning experience long enough and deep enough to provide opportunity to learn the college course material, including the theoretical underpinnings?
  • Does your learning contain a mix of theory and practical application?
  • Does your learning match a specific course? Does that course fit into your degree plan?
  • Can you describe and document your learning and show how it relates to the course learning outcomes?
  • Have you successfully completed English Composition?
  • Are you comfortable writing papers? Do you have the time? Would you prefer that to taking a course on material you've already learned?

If you answered "yes" to the above questions, consider the Portfolio Program.

  • Early in your educational planning to prevent taking classes on material you already know.
  • When you know the material taught in a specific course that fits into your degree plan.
  • When the training you completed does not have credit available from a credit review.
  • When you don't hold a professional credential that verifies you learned the material.
  • When you can't take an exam to earn the credit.
  • The IDS 102 - Prior Learning Portfolio Development course is taught online over eight weeks each Term 2.
  • Plan on 2-4 months for portfolio assessment, depending on:
    • Faculty availability.
    • Whether more information is requested.
  • Faculty assessors typically provide a response within 30 days of receiving your complete portfolio.
  • You will have up to 30 days to respond to any request for more information, which re-starts the assessment clock.
  • The credit is typically posted to your record within 10-15 days of finalized results.
  • Undergraduate Students
    • Consult with your academic counselor to incorporate any proposed course challenge(s) into your plan of study.
    • Successfully complete IDS 102 - Prior Learning Portfolio Development with a grade of "C" or better.
    • Read and follow the instructions in the Undergraduate Portfolio Program Manual posted in the CPL section of Student Self Service on the student portal.
    • Download the necessary forms from the CPL section of Student Self Service on the student portal.
    • Submit your portfolio via email to the CPL Office.
    • Pay the assessment fee; consult with your academic counselor regarding the CPL Scholarship.
    • Check your Charter Oak email regularly and respond promptly to any requests for more information.
  • Graduate Students
    • Consider how well your learning matches the course(s) you propose to challenge.
    • Consult with your advisor or program director to incorporate any proposed course challenge(s) into your degree plan.
    • Read and follow the instructions in the Graduate Portfolio Program Manual posted in the CPL section of Student Self Service on the student portal.
    • Download the necessary forms from the CPL section of Student Self Service on the student portal.
    • Submit your portfolio via email to the CPL Office.
    • Pay the assessment fee; consult with your advisor regarding the CPL Scholarship.
    • Check your Charter Oak email regularly and respond promptly to any requests for more information.
  • Visiting Students
    • Consider how well your learning matches the course you propose to challenge.
    • Consult with your home school advisor.
      • Make sure that your home school will accept any credit from portfolio in transfer.
      • Make sure that any credit you earn by portfolio will fit into your degree and plan of study.
      • Make sure that your home school will accept any credit from IDS 102 in transfer.
      • Make sure that any credit you earn from IDS 102 will fit into your degree plan.
    • Successfully complete IDS 102 - Prior Learning Portfolio Development with a grade of "C" or better.
    • Read and follow the instructions in the Undergraduate (or Graduate) Portfolio Program Manual posted in the CPL section of Student Self Service on the student portal.
    • Download the necessary forms from the CPL section of Student Self Service on the student portal.
    • Submit your portfolio via email to the CPL Office.
    • Pay the assessment fee.
    • Check your Charter Oak email regularly and respond promptly to any requests for more information.