Trinity Experiential Lifelong Learning (TELL) for Undergraduate Students

Students interested in advancing their course of study through college credit based on life-work experience may access Trinity’s TELL seminar and portfolio program.  Many learners returning to school to start or continue degrees have extensive prior experience acquired through career accomplishments, military or Peace Corps training, community service, volunteer work, travel abroad, etc.  Students who complete the TELL seminar and portfolios to document learning may be eligible to receive college credit: the typical number of credits a Trinity student earns through TELL ranges from 3 to 9 credits (exclusive of the 3-credit TELL seminar). Students may earn up to 30 credits for prior learning through a combination of TELL, CLEP, AP, and other recognized prior learning experiences or exams. Like transfer credits, these credits do not count toward residency at Trinity or in the major (at least 45 of the last 60 credits must be earned at Trinity; major requirements vary by discipline).

Trinity does not award college credit simply for years of experience. Credits must be carefully documented and demonstrably equivalent to college level learning. Eligible students apply for acceptance to the TELL program through the School of Professional and Graduate Studies, undergo a rigorous assessment of prior learning in the TELL Seminar (GST 301)*, and prepare intensive, reflective documentation of prior learning acquired in work or life. As a result, students produce one or more portfolios with materials and evidence of verifiable learning outcomes applicable to academic learning in discipline. Students demonstrate their knowledge, skills, and competencies in the areas where their experiential learning may be sufficient to meet college-level learning expectations.

Preparing a portfolio is a detailed, reflective, and time-consuming process. Completion of the TELL Seminar or preparing a portfolio does not guarantee that students will receive experiential learning credit. The process requires students to produce, organize, and document materials relevant to a recognized field of study by specific deadlines. Faculty credentialed in the areas of study under consideration evaluate the final product and recommend whether credit may be awarded.

Students are required to demonstrate knowledge, skills, and values attained as a result of experiences that meet competency  criteria, including but not limited to the following:

• The knowledge should be publicly verifiable. Students should be able to document and demonstrate to an expert in the field that they possess content knowledge in the area under consideration.
• The knowledge should be equivalent to college-level work in terms of quality. Prior knowledge and experience must be related to courses in the catalog or to the requirements for graduation, and similar learning outcomes must be demonstrated.
• The knowledge or experience should have an academic subject matter or knowledge base. Credit will not be given for manual skills nor for a narrowly prescribed routine or procedure.
• The learning should have general applicability outside of the specific situation in which it was acquired. For example, credit will not be awarded for knowledge of specific personnel procedures and application which apply to only one organization.  However, credit might be awarded for knowledge and experience in the principles of human resource management, of which personnel applications is one small component.

*GST 301 may be waived in consultation with the Dean and Program Chair.