Our society places high value on advanced degrees. So what happens when students are able to claim the growth experiences that naturally occur in the course of a human life—from a career change to an experience of oppression—and bring it into their graduate studies, not just reflecting on what they learned but also earning credits towards their degree? This practice, known as Prior Learning Assessment, has transformative potential, says today’s guest, longtime Antioch faculty member Joe Cronin. In this wide-ranging conversation, we talk about the nuts and bolts of Prior Learning Assessment, examples of how students have used this in their studies, and the educational philosophy that disrupts the teacher-student hierarchy.

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Visit Antioch’s website to learn more about the Individualized Master of Arts program. You can also read our page about Prior Learning Assessment. And you can read the profiles of two IMA alums here: “A Champion for Peace,” which is about President José Ramos-Horta, and “For Emma Lombardi, Individualized Study Meant Listening to Her Ancestors.”

This episode was recorded March 24, 2025 via Squadcast and released April 16, 2025.

The Seed Field Podcast is produced by Antioch University

Host: Jasper Nighthawk

Editor: Nastasia Green

Web Content Coordinator: Jen Mont

Work-Study Assistants: Stefanie Paredes, Lauren Arienzale, Dani LaPointe, and Liza Wisner.

Additional Production Help: Karen Hamilton, Melinda Garland, and Laurien Alexandre.

To access a full transcript and find more information about this and other episodes, visit theseedfield.org. To get updates and be notified about future episodes, follow Antioch University on Facebook.

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To access a full transcript and find more information about this and other episodes, visit theseedfield.org. To get updates and be notified about future episodes, follow Antioch University on Facebook.