Learning Counts PLA course- self paced or instructor led?

[strawberrygreen]

Getting ready to work on PLAs through Learning Counts, and I'm wondering which of their "how to do a PLA" courses to choose. The instructor led one is $895 but the self paced one is $149. The instructor led course includes one PLA to be submitted (a $125 value) but the self-paced one does not. The instructor led course takes 6 weeks but the self-paced one is, well, at your own pace.

I would do the self-paced one (cheaper and faster) except for one concern... I'm worried that I won't have as good access that way to help, if I have questions about the PLAs I'm working on. I need to do a lot of PLAs - basically 5 UL music courses - and I really don't want to get stuck needing coaching and not having access to it.

Has anyone done the self-paced PLA course with LC and then submitted a bunch of PLAs? If so, did you have access to fast and accurate advice from LC even though you weren't doing the instructor led course?

I plan to transfer the PLA credit to TESC when I'm done.

Thanks for any advice.

[boalex207]

Kaplan has a free PLA course, and you can get ACE credits for the course itself.

https://opencollege.kaplan.com/events/LRC100/

[sanantone]

Kaplan has a free PLA course, and you can get ACE credits for the course itself.

https://opencollege.kaplan.com/events/LRC100/

If the OP wants to complete PLAs through LC, then he or she needs to take one of their introductory courses.

[Saharapost]

Currently doing the free Kaplan PLA course and at the same time, working on my portfolio. If my understanding of the information here - https://opencollege.kaplan.com/events/LRC100/ - is correct, though Kaplan 's PLA course is free, the portfolio assessment costs about $1500 and it appears that if one is able to turn in the portfolio within 10 weeks of enrolling in the free PLA course, one gets the portfolio assessed for free.

The last paragraph in the above Kaplan lik reads:

Registrants who enroll in the Kaplan Open College course LRC 100 before their first day as a first-time student of Kaplan University will be eligible for a no-cost portfolio evaluation provided they submit their portfolio within 10 weeks from course registration date. Portfolios submitted beyond 10 weeks from course registration date will be evaluated for a fee of $100.00. Students who submit a portfolio after completing their first term at Kaplan University will be required to pay a $1,500.00 fee for their portfolio evaluation. First-time students who do not meet this requirement and returning students will pay a $1,500.00 assessment fee when they submit their portfolio for evaluation. This fee is nonrefundable and not covered by financial aid. Contact your Assessment Specialist for the discount code when you are ready to submit your portfolio for evaluation.

Am I misunderstanding the information?

Kaplan has a free PLA course, and you can get ACE credits for the course itself.

https://opencollege.kaplan.com/events/LRC100/

[strawberrygreen]

I've been in touch with Kaplan about the "15 PLA courses evaluated free" deal, and it sounds like you only get those 15 courses for free if you enroll in Kaplan. If you don't enroll in Kaplan, you pay the $1500 fee. LearningCounts is a better deal.

I asked Kaplan if I could have the free 15 course evaluation and apply the courses to TESC, or if I had to enroll in Kaplan to get the credit:
"I clicked over to the "Submit and Track" section of the course, just to see, and it's showing that I'll need to pay a $1,500 fee to submit my course petitions when they're ready. I enrolled in LRC100 as a brand-new student and plan to submit my portfolio within ten weeks of my start date, so will that fee go away when I'm ready to submit? Also, what does the "course registration date" refer to? Am I required to enroll in Kaplan University as a student in order to obtain credit for portfolio assessments? In other words, will I need to enroll in courses other than LRC100 at Kaplan University in order to receive credit for any approved courses in my portfolio?"

Their response:
"Yes, that are for students looking to enroll at Kaplan not going to another school if not then the cost of evaluation will be $1500."

[strawberrygreen]

Back to the original question...

Has anyone done the self-paced PLA course with LC and then submitted a bunch of PLAs? If so, did you have access to fast and accurate advice from LC even though you weren't doing the instructor led course?

[mslusser]

Good morning,

Your understanding of the two types of courses offered by LearningCounts is correct.

CAEL100 is our instructor-led online portfolio development course worth 3 credits. During the course, students work directly with an instructor as they go through the entire portfolio development process. Instructors provide individual guidance, advice and support to the students on their portfolio content. As long as the student "passes" the course (it is pass/fail), portfolios can then be submitted through the online portal. Students receive one portfolio submission as part of the tuition of the course. Additional portfolios may be purchased for $125 each.

The online self-paced course is a non-credit credit that is completed independently by the student. There is no instructor guidance or support. The only support provided is technical support related to the online portal and the process for submitting the portfolio for evaluation.

If you are looking for support related to the content of the portfolio, the process for building a portfolio, guidance with writing a multi-page paper, or general feedback, our suggestion is to enroll in the instructor-led course.

For additional information, please visit us at Get College Credit for Life Experience | Learning Counts.

Cordially,
Mary-Celeste Slusser
Director of Academic Assessment, LearningCounts

[ladylearner]

Getting ready to work on PLAs through Learning Counts, and I'm wondering which of their "how to do a PLA" courses to choose. The instructor led one is $895 but the self paced one is $149. The instructor led course includes one PLA to be submitted (a $125 value) but the self-paced one does not. The instructor led course takes 6 weeks but the self-paced one is, well, at your own pace.

I would do the self-paced one (cheaper and faster) except for one concern... I'm worried that I won't have as good access that way to help, if I have questions about the PLAs I'm working on. I need to do a lot of PLAs - basically 5 UL music courses - and I really don't want to get stuck needing coaching and not having access to it.

Has anyone done the self-paced PLA course with LC and then submitted a bunch of PLAs? If so, did you have access to fast and accurate advice from LC even though you weren't doing the instructor led course?

I plan to transfer the PLA credit to TESC when I'm done.

Thanks for any advice.

I recommend taking the self-paced class. I took it and was still able to have a session with an advisor when I had questions. I was expecting a customer service person but I was able to speak to someone with extensive knowledge and a background in nontraditional learning. I had a great experience with Learning Counts. Depending on the focus of your portfolios, it can be difficult to find an undergraduate syllabus that matches your prior learning. I did more than one portfolio and I enjoyed doing them. The hardest part for me was getting started since it seemed to be the road less traveled here but in the end it was the best (only) way for me to capture some of the knowledge and experience I had gained.