University of Natural Medicine
 
       

 

 

      
 

Incoming Credit Assessment

Overview:
A portfolio for incoming credit is assembled from documents showing your knowledge and skills gained from a variety of sources. Below lists common areas used for incoming credit assessment:

  • academic, college-level learning
  • full or part-time jobs
  • independent study
  • training programs or in-service courses
  • seminars and certificate courses
  • volunteer work
  • cultural and artistic pursuits
  • hobbies and recreational pastimes
  • community or religious activities
  • military service
  • travel study
  • organization memberships

Putting Your Portfolio Together:

A portfolio for incoming credit is assembled from documents showing your knowledge and skills gained from a variety of sources. Below lists common areas used for incoming credit assessment:

  1. Take inventory of your knowledge and skills. Review your job history, hobbies, special training, volunteer work and other activities. Then list all the different skills you have acquired as a result of these experiences.
  2. Choose the areas in which you want to seek incoming credit. Evaluate your prior learning to determine which areas to select for assessment. Base your decision on whether you can prove your knowledge is equivalent to a college-level course.
  3. Find a course description to match your learning. Review the University catalog course descriptions and locate a course which best reflects your knowledge. With certain exceptions, any subject is eligible for incoming credit assessment.
  4. Provide evidence of your knowledge. Assemble a package of material that documents your knowledge of the subject. This may include a resume, notes taken in training courses, certificates, transcripts, or letters from people who have first-hand knowledge of your abilities. If solid evidence is lacking, you may request a challenge examination. This is a proctored, written exam with a required nominal fee.
  5. Describe what you know and how you learned it. Compose a written narrative, outlining your learning along with an explanation of how you acquired this knowledge. This narrative is especially important if you are submitting proof for clinical training, field work, and other evidence that lacks solid verification. This statement, which may be anywhere from 1-10 pages, is your forum for persuading the faculty evaluator that you have accumulated enough knowledge to warrant credit for a particular subject. (Guidelines available upon request).
  6. Submitting your portfolio. After you have selected a course and gathered evidence to prove your knowledge, your portfolio is complete. Once submitted, your incoming credit assessment portfolio is considered an academic record and therefore belongs to the University of Natural Medicine and becomes a part of your permanent file. Be sure to keep a copy of each item and do not send any original documents which you may need in the future.

The Assessment Of Your Portfolio:

Each portfolio is assessed by a faculty evaluator with expertise in that particular subject. The evaluator will determine whether your knowledge of a subject equals a college-level grade of "C" or better. If so, you will receive a recommendation to receive credit.

The following criteria is taken into consideration:

Evidence: whether you have supplied direct evidence of your learning and knowledge

Authenticity: whether you have proven conclusively the work submitted is actually yours

Quality: whether the caliber of your knowledge is high enough to merit a passing grade in a college level course according to the standards of the University

Breadth & Depth: whether the scope and intensity of your learning is substantial enough to equal the contents of the course of study in the University

If the faculty evaluator decides more information is needed in order to make a determination, you may be asked to submit additional evidence, take an examination or be interviewed.

Students may earn up to 30% of incoming credit toward a degree for work/life experience. Work/life experience is defined as: work experience (therapist, physician/clinician, teacher, counselor, business, etc.), military experience or a combination of the two. Workshops, certificates, trainings, etc. are items that may be used to document life/work experiences.

Student's may earn up to 50% of incoming credit toward their first degree for academic learning. Academic learning is defined as: learning acquired through an institute of post-secondary higher education. Official academic transcripts are required as evidence.

Once a credit award is recommended, you will receive a credit award report.

Academic Integrity & Honesty:

The University of Natural Medicine maintains high academic quality, excellence and honesty and expects students to maintain the sincere ethical standards in all respects regarding the information and materials presented to the University for review.