It is important for academic credibility that the process of prior learning assessment and recognition (PLAR) keeps learning and knowledge as its foundational tenets. Doing so ensures PLAR's recognition as a fertile ground for learners' cognitive and personal growth. In many postsecondary venues, PLAR is often misunderstood and confused with gate-keeping credit transfer protocols, and that level of misuse is potentially exacerbated by the introduction of electronic portfolio usage. This article will identify and situate PLAR as a knowledge-building process within the postsecondary learning culture. To do so, it will briefly review the history and context of PLAR; describe and examine the generic portfolio approach; discuss the pedagogy of portfolio construction; and consider the potential of the e-portfolio as a learning tool.