Saturday, April 1, 2006

Almeda University Awarded Membership in NAOAA

Almeda University Awarded Membership in NAOAA

Almeda University, one of the world's leading online institutions of higher learning, has been awarded membership in the National Association of Academic Online Assessors (NAOAA). As a member of NAOAA, Almeda University is certified to assess prior learning and award degrees based on that thorough and demanding assessment.

Boise, Idaho (PRWEB) June 25, 2007

Almeda University, one of the world's leading online institutions (http://www. almedauniversity. org) of higher learning, has been awarded membership in the National Association of Academic Online Assessors (NAOAA). As a member of NAOAA, Almeda University is certified to assess prior learning and award degrees based on that thorough and demanding assessment.

Almeda University's certified practitioners evaluate a person's prior learning based on the mission and jurisdiction of the NAOAA. Founded by professional educators, the NAOAA contends that college credits should be awarded for life experience accurately and equitably assessed by trained and certified practitioners. Since significant learning takes place in the real world beyond the college classroom, people can acquire college (http://www. almedauniversity. org/school-of-business-administration/) equivalent learning in the workplace, the community, non-credit courses, volunteer activities, and through meaningful travel.

The mission of both NAOAA and Almeda University is to promote the validity and importance of this Prior Learning Assessment (PLA). A Life Experience (LE) degree (http://www. almedauniversity. org/about-our-programs. html) from Almeda University is widely accepted, resume enhancing, and can fulfill employer degree requirements. Obviously, employers demand a high degree of confidence in knowing that the work experience, knowledge and skills that count toward course credits awarded by Almeda University's PLA assessors are valid, verified, and accurate.

That's where membership in the NAOAA comes into play. NAOAA's unparalleled program and reputation instantly affirms the credibility and negotiability of Almeda University's judgment and assessment of its students' qualifications and experience.

For both employers and their potential employees, the assessment of prior learning is essential for fairness in hiring, since credentials are often necessary even to attain an entry-level position. Today's changing job market often requires people to re-tool themselves through specific training. Almeda University, under the guidance and certification of the NAOAA, is helping to assure that employers have a high degree of confidence when hiring applicants who have had their prior learning assessed by one its trained practitioners.

NAOAA certification provides Almeda University with consistent standards for what constitutes LE equivalence and how real life experiences can be equated to academia/college credits. An NAOAA certification provides assurance and validity to employers regarding the skills of Almeda University's practitioners.

Companies want their employees to have a degree or equivalent experience. Whether someone indeed has that equivalent experience is usually determined by a hiring manager. Almeda University and the NAOAA contend that most hiring managers are simply not qualified to determine whether or not someone's skills and life experiences are equivalent to a degree. Such a dubious system exists because there had been no central national agency founded for the express purpose of credential assessment until the advent of the NAOAA.

Almeda University, as a certified member of the NAOAA, is playing a valuable role in reforming and assuring the integrity of this process, thus ensuring that employers hire people who have the requisite skills to do the jobs for which they apply.

Almeda University is an online institute that has been serving the international community since 1997. Over the past 10 years, Almeda has evolved to educate an expanding population through cutting edge curriculum design based on our students' needs and professional service. Almeda University is ideal for many people seeking advanced education because of the wide range of Associates, Bachelor's and Master's degrees offered through diverse fields, including business, arts and sciences, and most technical fields.

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