Sessions and Schedule

Wednesday, June 9


8 a.m. - 9 a.m.

9 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. - Plenary Session

• Keynote Speaker: Dr. James W. Hall, who served for 27 years as founding president of Empire State College of the State University of New York and subsequently as Chancellor of Antioch University.

10:45 a.m. - 12 p.m. - Concurrent Sessions

• Evaluating Prior Learning: Hands-on Training Essentials for Faculty, presented by Theresa Hoffman, PLA consulting and University of Maryland and Kevin A. Michel, Career Educational Solutions, Inc.
• Sharing Problems, Tackling Hard Issues, presented by Alan Mandell, SUNY Empire State College and Harriett Cabell, Mountain State University
• Ensuring Accountability and Continuous Improvements in a Non-Traditional Institution: An Evolving and Systematic Approach to Assess Student Learning, presented by Li-fang Shih, Mohua Bose and Jane LeClair, Excelsior College

12 p.m. - 1:15 p.m. - Lunch

• Welcoming Remarks: Atlantic City Mayor Lorenzo T. Langford

1:30 p.m. - 2:45 p.m. - Concurrent Sessions

• Sins of Our Fathers (and Mothers): Can We Learn From Our History, Our Successes and Our Mistakes?, presented by Harriett Cabell, Mountain State University
• Designing a Website for Evaluators of Prior Learning Assessment, presented by Marnie Evans, Amanda Treadwell, Pauline Chhooi, Viktoria Popova-Gonci, Tom McElroy, Nan Travers, Tom Brady and Maria Panaytou, SUNY Empire State College
• PLA Foundations: A Nuts & Bolts Session on PLA, presented by Todd Siben, Thomas Edison State College

3 p.m. - 4:15 p.m. - Concurrent Sessions

• Prior Learning Assessment at the University of Phoenix and Marketing PLA, presented by Catrina Roitman, University of Phoenix
• Technology: A Pillar for Strengthening and Sustaining Assessment Culture, presented by Pam Shay and Yuerong Sweetland, Franklin University
• Prior Learning Assessment/Portfolio Development: Earning a Degree for What You Know, presented by Marcus Tillery and Richard P. Coe, Thomas Edison State College

5 p.m. - 7 p.m. - President's Reception

Thursday, June 10

9 a.m. - 9:30 a.m.

9:45 a.m. - 11 a.m. - Concurrent Sessions

• The Politics of PLA, presented by Alan Mandell, SUNY Empire State College
• Adult Learning & e-Portfolios, presented by Janice M. Karlen and Susan M. Sanchirico, CUNY-LaGuardia Community College
• ALFI: Focus on Adult Learner Assessment, presented by Judith Werthheim, CAEL

11:15 a.m. - 12 p.m. - Concurrent Roundtable/Learning Exchange Discussions

• Assessment of Learning Practices at Ana G. Méndez University System, presented by Fidel R. Távara, Ana G. Méndez University System
• The Authentic Self in Educational Leadership, presented by John A. DuBois, Antioch University
• Competency-Based Distance Nursing Education: Clinical Testing vs. Clinical Teaching, presented by Mary Lee Pollard and Bridget Nettleton, Excelsior College School of Nursing
• A Regional Approach to Helping People Get Back to Work: The Benefits of Industry-Education-Government Collaboration, presented by Elana Zolfo, Dowling College and Nicole Jean Christian, Dowling College & Dowling Institute
• PLA Planner: Empire State College's Online Tool for Prior Learning Assessment, presented by Maria Panaytou, Nan Travers and Amanda Treadwell, SUNY Empire State College
• Practicing Nontraditional Assessment Approaches within a Traditional Academic Framework, presented by Viktoria Popova-Gonci and Jeffrey Lambe, SUNY Empire State
• Redefining the Classroom for the Adult Returning Student, presented by Rebecca J. Timmons and Amy Jordan, University of Arkansas - Fort Smith
• So, What Is College-Level Learning?, presented by Nan Travers, SUNY Empire State College
• Teaching and Learning of International Adult Students, presented by John N. Mwaura, Bloomfield College
• Principles of Accreditation and Effective Distance Learning Strategies in Creating and Sustaining a Distance Learning Culture in a University Environment, presented by Frank Signorile, Campbell University
• Who Are Our PLA Students and What Are Their Stories?, presented by Theresa Hoffman, PLA consulting and University of Maryland

12:15 p.m. - 1:15 p.m. - Lunch

1:30 p.m. - 2:45 p.m. - Concurrent Sessions

• Unleashing PLA 2.0 and Unlocking Talent, presented by Victoria M. Ferrara, Kaplan Higher Education, Nate Daigle, Kaplan University; and Bill Pryor, Academy One 
• Exploring Prior Learning Assessment and Individual Learner and Outcomes - Findings from a New CAEL Study, presented by Judith Werthhein, CAEL
• Courses in a Flash, presented by Matthew Cooper, Thomas Edison State College

3 p.m. - 4:15 p.m. - Concurrent Sessions

• Developing Student Orientation Modules for Online Education programs at The Richard Stockton College of New Jersey and Rowan University, presented by Michael Ciocco, Rowan University, and Diane Holzman, Dennis Fotia and Debra Dagavarian, The Richard Stockton College of New Jersey
• Documenting Experiential Learning, presented by Gabrielle Dietzel, Vermont State College
• Launching Lives and Transforming Students Through Prior Learning Assessment, presented by Cathy Delamater, Middle Tennessee State University

Friday, June 11

9 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. - Town Hall Discussion

10:45 a.m. - 12 p.m. - Concurrent Sessions

• Prior Learning Assessment: Some Observations on How We Talk and What Say When We Talk About Knowledge, presented by Bernard Smith, Amanda Treadwell, Bhuwan Onta, Kameylah Hakim, Leslie Ellis, Liza Feldman, Nan Travers, Tom Brady and Maria Panayotou, SUNY Empire State College
• From Piecemeal to PLA: One School's Journey Toward Developing a Comprehensive Prior Learning Assessment Program, presented by Melissa Stevenson and Graziella Pagliarlo McCarron, The Catholic University of America
• Assessing the Adult Learner's Achievement in Real World Context: Jones International University Model, presented by Joyce A. Scott, Texas A&M University-Commerce, and D. Terry Rawls, Jones International University