Academic Information
Portfolio Review Process for Course Equivalency
The portfolio is a mechanism used to validate the acquisition of knowledge and skills congruent with course expectations and student learning outcomes. The review process is available to all undergraduate students who believe that they can meet the learning objectives/competencies required of a specific nursing course within their program of study. The portfolio review option does not take the place of course equivalency reviews or transfer credit.
Your portfolio provides objective evidence that you have acquired content and skills through prior learning and/or practice experiences. The decision to accept the documentation provided is based on determination of the equivalency of this prior knowledge and skill which you would be expected to demonstrate at the completion of a specific course.
Portfolio guidelines
- You are responsible for contacting the faculty responsible for the course for which you are seeking portfolio review. Together you will determine (1) the feasibility of undergoing a portfolio review; (2) the appropriateness of your expectations for developing the portfolio; (3) the faculty’s role in assisting you through the portfolio review process; and (4) the time frame for completing the portfolio, conducting the review, and making the decision to accept or deny the portfolio.
- You must complete the portfolio review the semester before the course is required to be taken for normal progression toward the chosen degree.
- To receive portfolio credit for a course you must:
- Be in good academic standing, and
- Demonstrate satisfactory progression toward degree requirements.
- To construct a portfolio for review, you must create a comprehensive document that clearly shows how the course objectives/critical learning experiences and student learning outcomes have been achieved through prior alternative experiences.
The following list, while not exhaustive of possible documentation, contains examples of documentation that may be included in a portfolio:- current resumé
- job descriptions
- performance evaluations
- documentation of participation in professionally sanctioned continuing educational programs
- other recognized educational programs or offerings
- government service (military, foreign, other)
- course syllabi/outlines that address similar content
- published or presented scholarship related to course content and skills
- summary of funded and unfunded professional investigative projects
- evidence of professional activities and documentation of developed/refined skills and knowledge; evidence may include, but is not limited to:
- designing patient-teaching information packets
- producing a videotape
- public-speaking
- participating in peer mentoring
- designing a special project for a nursing unit
- assisting with health fair projects
- working as a volunteer with the homeless or other groups
- documentation of leadership/management skills
- documentation of nursing practice skills consistent with those expected in the course being reviewed
- letters of testimony to the acquisition of knowledge and skills required in courses being challenged
- copies of certifications received and criteria met for certification
Note: You are welcome to submit other supporting evidence validating the meeting of course objectives and learning outcomes through prior learning experiences.
Portfolio review process
- Contact the faculty responsible for the course for which you are seeking portfolio review and determine, with the assistance of the faculty, the feasibility of the portfolio option.
- Obtain the portfolio review form from an academic counselor in the Center for Academic Affairs or the department that sponsors the course.
- Complete the form with the required faculty signature and include the form with the portfolio.
- Register for one non-credit hour of portfolio review (Z480) for each course for which you are considering the portfolio option.
- Gather persuasive and comprehensive documentation for the portfolio following guidelines provided by the faculty member and present your portfolio to the faculty by a specific date. Note: The success of the portfolio review process depends on your ability to present sufficient related materials that stress the degree to which course objectives/competencies and critical learning experiences have been met through prior experience. The degree of completeness and explicitness of the portfolio reviewed will affect the time taken to complete the review process and reach a decision.
- If your portfolio is fully granted, you will have that course assigned to the academic transcript by special credit.
Contact us
For more information about the portfolio review process and alternatives for course credit, please contact the Center for Academic Affairs.
1111 Middle Drive, NU 122
Indianapolis, IN 46202
(317) 274-2806
nursing [at] iupui [dot] edu
Helen McKuras
Undergraduate Academic Advisor
hmckuras [at] iupui [dot] edu
