C-PLAN Information for Campuses
Become a C-PLAN Partner
The Credit for Prior Learning Assessment Network (C-PLAN) is a Minnesota State collaborative that supports 30 colleges and 7 universities in credit for prior learning (CPL) implementation.
C-PLAN’s partners develop and share best practices in CPL, in support of Minnesota State’s aim to broaden equitable and effective pathways through recognition of student learning.
Current C-PLAN partners are Century College, Dakota County Technical College, Inver Hills Community College, Metropolitan State University, Minnesota State University-Mankato, Pine Community and Technical College, Rochester Community and Technical College, Saint Paul College, and South Central College.
Through an advisory council, workgroups and project activities, C-PLAN and its partners develop and share models and guidelines for CPL assessments, student advising and navigation, data analysis, and other areas.
C-PLAN welcomes Minnesota State colleges and universities to learn more about becoming a partner. Becoming a partner is easy - campuses simply complete a brief C-PLAN Partner Information form - and an orientation will follow.
Benefits Include:
- Raising institutional awareness and acceptance of CPL at campuses.
- Increasing opportunities for different kinds of assessments, both on individual campuses and in collaboration with other partners.
- Helping campuses frame long-range planning for CPL with a broader system context in mind.
- Improving CPL processes and implementing new practices.
- Identifying strategies and developing tools for engaging and training faculty.
- Gaining knowledge and strategies for making a business case for CPL on campuses.
Additional Information:
- Provide Minnesota State students with increased access to CPL assessment opportunities, supporting students’ progress to educational goals and degrees.
- Facilitate a comprehensive spectrum of choices for campus faculty to assess student learning for credit, certify transferable student competencies, and ensure quality.
- Collaboratively capitalize on subject-area and resource-based strengths to offer effective CPL pathways, create cross-institution crosswalks and expand the network of campus partners using CPL standards and best practices.
- Awareness: Increase awareness and knowledge of CPL through wide-ranging, integrated communications and marketing plans that reach out to all constituencies.
- Collaboration: Expand network across Minnesota State colleges and universities to develop interactions, foster authentic partner engagement and broaden contributions.
- Navigation: Develop a platform with advising resources and tools to help students navigate CPL options and provide guides for stakeholders working with students.
- Policy and Practice: Establish C-PLAN as a go-to source for disseminating best practice and informing system and institutional policy, procedure and practice.
- Professional Development: Establish comprehensive professional development structure to respond to the needs and interests of faculty and staff engaged in CPL work.
- Student Pathways: Create a transparent, accessible infrastructure for developing and displaying crosswalks and articulations, disseminating assessment rubrics, and expanding external partnerships.
- C-PLAN CPL Advisor and Coordinator Role: CPLAN is a CPL “broker” for partner institutions, working with a student to help identify CPL at other Minnesota State colleges and universities when the home institution does not offer it.
- CPL Academy: A free, online, interactive course, offered throughout the year, the CPL Academy is facilitated through D2L/Brightspace, offers feedback by expert CPL faculty, and benefits cross-functional teams with a wide array of information and resources on CPL assessment and implementation.
- Certificates to Credits (C-to-C): The C-to-C Program, developed by a faculty team across programs and institutions, provides guides, rubrics, and checklists to institutions for evaluating industry- and community-based certificates and training.
- CPL Web Platform: C-PLAN is facilitating the development of a CPL web-based platform to assist potential and current students in navigating CPL options at Minnesota State. The platform also will host CPL resource guides for faculty, advisors and other campus stakeholders, and external partners.
- CPL Implementation: Through webinars, workshops, websites, and the web platform, disseminates examples of best practice, and offers guidance and opportunities for discussion and feedback on Minnesota State board policies and procedures, and institutional policies and practices.
C-Plan Staff:
Mary Beth Lakin is the Director for the Credit for Prior Learning Assessment Network (C-PLAN) at Minnesota State Colleges and Universities, where she oversees the development of a collaborative network to support credit for prior learning (CPL) policy and practice implementation. With three decades of experience in higher education, Mary Beth has extensive knowledge and skills in building policies, programs and collaborations.
Previously for 15 years at the American Council on Education (ACE) in Washington D.C., Mary Beth developed training and technical assistance in assessing workplace and military training for academic credit. This work involved leading workshops for faculty and cross-functional teams at individual institutions and state systems, and facilitating pathways, articulations and memorandums of understanding across sectors.
Before serving in her position at ACE, Mary Beth directed the Weekend College and Experiential Learning Programs at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia, and served as an advisor, faculty member and program coordinator of the Interdisciplinary Degree Studies Program. She earned a Master of Arts in Human Development with a specialization in College Teaching/Teaching Adults at Pacific Oaks College, Pasadena, California. In her various roles, Mary Beth has fostered greater awareness and acceptance of credit for prior learning, mentored students and staff, and contributed to the research on adult learners and learning recognition.
Charlotte Nitardy is currently the C-PLAN Advisor and Coordinator. Her role is to provide and coordinate academic and specialized advising to students for a range of options for Credit for Prior Learning (CPL) and Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) as part of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities multi-campus assessment-collaboration program. She also develops, coordinates and promotes advising systems, programs, and services for CPL formats in the assessment network, and teaches courses and/or workshops for students planning CPL and for employee professional development.
Charlotte has close to 20 years of experience as a CPL advisory and faculty evaluator. In addition, she is a Community Faculty in the Psychology Department at Metropolitan State University and has taught in the University of Wisconsin system. Charlotte earned a Ph.D. in Education from the University of Minnesota, College of Education and Human Development, and has graduate certificates in Human Resource Development and Adult Education. She has conducted research and published articles in educational and racial disparities.
Charlotte serves on many community boards; hosts international students in her home; and advocate for social justice issues. She also likes cooking, gardening, attending Minnesota United FC games, and spending time with her children and dog.
Colleen Harris-Severns is C-PLAN’s Senior Office and Administrative Specialist. Her main role is to provide administrative and program support within a growing and innovative system network. She spends much of her time making connections and implementing systems and does so with the philosophies of accessibility, continuous improvement, equity, and inclusivity. Her specialties include business analysis and organizational management across sectors, planning, research/writing, technology implementation, and public administration and governance skills.
Colleen has accumulated her expertise from a diverse and individualized array of professional and academic experiences. Past work has included strategic analysis and property operations management of a local career readiness and affordable housing nonprofit, office and project management for a technological startup focused on digitizing traditional industries, and records and enrollment management for higher education Admissions offices within the Twin Cities metropolitan area. Colleen is an alum of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities, having graduated with an Associate in Arts with Honors from the Minneapolis College.
Ask C-PLAN
Ask C-PLAN to learn more about Credit for Prior Learning, becoming a C-PLAN partner, or to schedule a virtual visit with a C-PLAN coordinator.
