Ph 02 9244 5111 Fax 02 9244 5925 Email [email protected] Level 4, 1 Oxford Street, DARLINGHURST NSW 2010 TAFE NSW International Centre for VET Teaching

Ph 02 9244 5111 Fax 02 9244 5925 Email [email protected] Level 4, 1 Oxford Street, DARLINGHURST NSW 2010

TAFE NSW International Centre for VET Teaching and Learning

TAFE NSW RPL Colloquium 2007: More possibilities, better results

Thursday 7 June 2007

Swissotel Sydney

In association with TAFE NSW – COAG RPL

Professional Development Project

ICVET RPL Project Manager – Janet Hewson


Pam Christie

Director

Sydney Institute - TAFE NSW

Chair, TAFE NSW RPL Steering Committee

Colloquium 2007 opening


OVERVIEW

1. Why so much interest in RPL?

2. How is TAFE NSW performing?

3. What’s happening to support the expansion of RPL in TAFE NSW?


Why RPL?

• Skill shortages

• Fast track skilling solutions

• Focus on mature age

• Need to up skill existing workforce

• Cost and efficiency pressures


Response from Governments

• “All RTOs in receipt of public funds to provide …. a quick and simple process to recognise their skills” COAG 2006

• COAG Commonwealth/State program to build capacity and drive good practice - $6.6m matched funds over three years

• NSW State Plan targets and NSW Government election commitment to expand opportunities for RPL


TAFE NSW PERFORMANCECredit transfer RPL

NSW 1 5

Vic 6 7

Qld 5 8

SA 8 3

WA 3 6

Tas 4 4

NT 2 2

ACT 7 1


TAFE NSW PERFORMANCE

• RPL for TAFE NSW was 3% of all module enrolment outcomes in 2005

• From 2007, RPL attracts 100% ASH

• Policies and procedures for reporting recognition updated

• SIS enhanced to capture and record RPL


TAFE NSW RPL INITIATIVES

BVET PROJECTS

• Skills testing pilots – develop RPL tools and pilot skills testing in 10 trades

• Prove it!

– CLI managed site

– TAFE intranet version


TAFE NSW RPL INITIATIVES

COAG PROJECTS

1. Virtual RPL Support Centre – on line advisory and referral service

2. Skills Express – industry partnering

Construction, Plumbing, Electrical, Automotive and Hairdressing

3. RPL Professional Development


CHALLENGES

• RPL is not quick and simple

• RPL requires good assessment practices

• RPL candidates need to be well informed

• RPL needs to be personalised

• RPL needs to be offered with gap training


Opening address

Dr Pauline HartAssociate Director

Manufacturing, Engineering, Construction and Transport Curriculum Centre


Program overview and introductions

Maret Staron

ManagerTAFE NSW International Centre for VET

Teaching and Learning (ICVET)


What kind of web do we want to spin today?

Key speakersTAFE BoardSpark topicsConversationsNetworkingFollow up


Conversations

Conversations are learning experiences – a way of sharing and creating knowledge together

Knowledge resides in people (and only flows through technology). We create learning environments, but the chief tool that makes learning happen is conversation (Alan Webber)

We learn in conversation, in relationship


Strategic conversations

―Core assumption: you need to be involved in diagnosis and generating solutions (Schein, 1978)

―A collective creation of propositions and finding strategy (2nd Road, 2006)

―Goal: making new horizons, sharing understanding through thoughtful, collective conversation

―The questions focus our search for solutions


Key contacts

NSW COAG RPL PD Project Partnership:Illawarra Institute:– Bernadette Ioannou, Project Manager– Charlie Higgs, R/Recognition Coordinator

Hunter Institute– Jill Albrecht, Recognition Coordinator

ICVET– Janet Hewson, Chief Education Officer– Lynne Stallard, A/Principle Education Officer


Writers

– Deborah Willmer, R/Teaching and Learning Manager, SWSI

– Keith Greenough, R/Assistant Director, Learning Pathways and ICT, Strategic Business Unit, SI

– Kate Appleton, Teacher, Community Services, Granville, SWSI

– Anne Walsh, Teacher Coordinator, NCI

– Norma Smith, Contractor

– Wendy Wyatt, ICVET Website Manager

– Janet Hewson, CEO, ICVET


Watch out for

– Alex Hays, NSW LearnScope Project Officer, ICVET, podcasting

– Robyn Jay, NSW LearnScope Manager, photos plus

– Deanne Bulmer, Administrative Officer, ICVET


What sparks your interest in RPL?


“Spark Topic” – 3 P’s - Pedagogy

Generating new opportunities in the engine room

Anne Walsh

Senior Education Officer

Teaching and Learning Development

North Coast Institute


RPL more possibilities – better results

Making RPL a valid process -

Beyond the Portfolio


My aim today:

is to stimulate discussion about the validity of the recognition process as it is generally understood and applied by the everyday VET practitioner.


What is validity?

A valid assessment is one that assesses only what it claims to assess.

For example – written tests are only valid if there is an expectation in the unit of competence that the candidate has literacy skills.

(This could be indicated in the key competencies.)


If the candidate requires particular skills in order to undertake the

assessment,

and those skills are not included in the competency being assessed,

the assessment process is not necessarily valid.


In a typical RPL the candidate:

• is given information about the specific evidence requirements

• is advised on ‘typical’ items of evidence

goes off and collects evidence

• collates evidence into a portfolio of some sort

• maps portfolio to unit(s) and elements

• presents evidence for assessment


Skills required?

Ability to

• interpret a unit of competence and specific evidence requirements

• differentiate between ‘good’ and ‘bad’ evidence

• collect, collate, map and present evidence in the form the assessor expects


Remember Benjamin Bloom?

The skills required to

compile a portfolio

are higher order.


Lower level skills required…

• Remember what they have done in the past

• Make sense of the requirements of the unit/elements and specific evidence

• Apply that information in the context of their own experiences


Higher level skills required…

• Analyse their experiences to determine the relationship to the evidence requirements and what evidence they may be able to extract

• Evaluate the evidence in terms of it’s relevance and appropriateness

• Construct a portfolio/narrative to explain their artefacts


Is this fair?

Depends on the:

• nature of the unit of competence

• nominated level of the key competencies

• AQF level of the unit

• context in which the competence is being applied


The ‘simple’ answer

• Apply the principles of assessment to recognition

• Think beyond the ‘portfolio’

• Provide structured support for the candidate

All of which have resource implications.


My question for you to consider

If you agree there are validity issues associated with the

assessment process,

what are you going to do about it?


Networking

How to make the most of your networks –

‘intensional’ networks and relationships

Cliff Trood

Chief Education OfficerTAFE NSW International Centre for VET Teaching

and Learning (ICVET)


networking

Its about building and sharing

what you know


networks:

two ideas of interest

the Strength of Weak Ties Grannovetter, 1973

‘intensional’ Networks

Nardi, Whittaker & Schwarz, 2002


Ties

Strong Weak

regular time spent Lots low / none

emotional strength High low

closeness High low


Weak Ties

you

Weak ties are bridges that allow new knowledge and practice to travel between networks


‘intensional’ netWORKs

• changing work environments

• personal networks

• deliberate construction

• continuous maintenance

• activation to do the job


One of the most important

resources we share with each

other is access to those in

our networks.

The other is our knowledge


Networking Opportunity

Refreshments

Ballroom Lobby


“Spark topic” – 3 P’s - Process

Harnessing the power of process

Jill Albrecht

COAG RPL PD project team

Hunter Institute



Harnessing the power of process

The 10 top tips for processing Recognition


• www.tafensw.edu.au

• Course Student Assessment Guides

• Student Recognition Guide for each module

• Course Credit Estimate Report on E-services

Tip 1: Recognition Information on the

Internet




• DET Intranet site – TAFE and Community Education• TAFE Strategy and Business Operations• Teaching and Learning – Recognition• Contains Embedded Testamur Policy and other policies• PowerPoint presentation for use in staff training• Links to HSC/TAFE website and other relevant sites

Tip 2: Educational Capability website


• Found on Educational Capability website

• New chapters on processing Recognition

• Hyperlinks to relevant websites and for easy navigation

• Frequently asked questions covering nearly every possible Recognition scenario

Tip 3: Everyone’s Guide to Recognition

– NEW EDITION


• Found on Educational Capability website

• Updated annually

• Hyperlinked for easy navigation

• Detailed instructions on processing all types of forms

Tip 4: 2007 Guide to Enrolment and Enrolment

Adjustment forms


• What If Student Record Summaries

• SCIENRSRS

• GOLD 2 for What If report

• Shows all possible entitlements based on previous TAFE studies

• Complements the E-services report available to students

Tip 5: SCIS


• Standard exemption entries

• Advanced Standing Arrangements

• Course Student Assessment Guides

• Unit Guides

Tip 6: CIDO


• A useful new resource for Recognition recording?

• May need to be customised, or perhaps a new version for Recognition assessment could be added?

• Available on CIDO for every course• Full course structure shown with unit codes and

names• Codes for types of evidence presented

Tip 7: Learning and Assessment Strategy Form


• Link to the sites from the TAFE NSW website• HSC/TAFE site shows all entitlements for

Standard exemptions based on HSC study• Shows possible units that students may gain

credit for, based on VET study in school• High rate of use in schools• TAFE/Uni site links to Universities with credit

transfer websites

Tip 8: HSC/TAFE and TAFE/Uni Credit Transfer websites


• Country Education Profiles – AEI website www.dest.gov.au/noosr (Australian Education International)

• Obtain a password from TAFE International Education Unit – Debra Pinkerton

• 9217 4574• Multicultural Education Unit booklets map overseas

school and university qualifications to Australian levels

Tip 9: Tools for processing Overseas study


• Many new Recognition resources under construction

• Funded by ESC, BVET and COAG• Will be in hard copy and electronic formats• SCIS Help Desk• Progressions and Completions Unit (David

Hooker’s unit)• Your campus support staff

Tip 10: Curriculum Centre Gateway sites and your

colleagues


• Prior learning is a gift, but sometimes we treat it as a burden”

• Adapted from Ratna Omidvar, Executive Director, Maytree Foundation

• Recognizing Learning Conference• Halifax, Nova Scotia, October 2001

Conclusion


Strategic Conversation on key questions

Q1 How can we reconcile the tension between quality assessment and the economic imperative – “quick and simple” and “increased volume?” (COAG, OECD, 2007) Facilitators: Jill Albrecht – Yellow group Cliff Trood – Blue group

Q2 How can we facilitate new training/business opportunities by seeing RPL as a diagnostic tool as opposed to just a ‘must do’ policy?Facilitators: Lynne Stallard – Pink group Charlie Higgs – Purple group

Q3 How can we reconcile the tensions between individualised/personalised assessment and the economies of scale in the classroom or large groups?Facilitators: Bernadette Ioannou – Green group Greg Madden – Red group


Networking Opportunities

Lunch in the Ballroom Lobby

Poster Session:

Curriculum Centres

COAG RPL PD Project

Bruce Blackshaw HT Network


“Spark topic” – 3 P’s - Product

Working with Industry

Bernadette Ioannou

Project Manager - COAG RPL PD

ProjectRecognition Excellence and Learning (REAL) Project

Illawarra Institute – TAFE NSW


Product – Working with Industry

Community Services and Health Industry Skills Council (ISC)

• Strategy in skilling the workforce

• Why is it important?

• Key to best practice

• Expertise of assessors

• Best practice model



TAFE NSW – Appliance Industry Association

Certificate II in Electrotechnology Servicing (Appliance – Refrigeration)

• Aim of programme

• Benefits

• Development of RPL process and tools

• Outcomes



Skilling the Existing Workforce Project

• National project focus

• Duration

• Stakeholders

• Enabling strategies


Strategic Conversation on key questions

Q4 How can we reconcile a teacher’s role as an educator as opposed to that of an RPL assessor – how do you take the learning out of assessment?

Facilitators: Jill Albrecht – Yellow group Cliff Trood – Blue group

Q5 What are the responsibilities for the teacher’s role in the RPL process as opposed to those of the student?Facilitators: Lynne Stallard – Pink group Charlie Higgs – Purple group

Q6 How do we reconcile the tension between the implicit/intuitive/tacit nature of professional judgements and meet our audit requirements for explicit, valid and accountable data?”Facilitators: Bernadette Ioannou – Green group Greg Madden – Red group


Sustaining the momentum

Reinforcing processes

―Self facilitated “like” groups – Institutes (x10), Curriculum Centre (x1), Statewide Units (x1)

―Where to from here? How do I share this with others?

“A learning oriented strategy aims to produce self-sustaining change in a way that continually accelerates its own growth and development. In systems

terms, it operates as a “virtuous reinforcing cycle”. (Senge, 1999)


Key address

Melanie O’Connor

Managing DirectorThe Academy Network Pty LtdNSW TAFE Commission Board


Closing Remarks

Kim Fillingham

General Manager TAFE NSW Business


CLOSE

ICVET website – eZine August 2007

–Today’s PowerPoint–Resources/stories from the Colloquium

RPL Online forums (Adobe Breeze sessions)Wed 25 July and Thur 23 August

Please leave evaluation sheetsRefreshments are available in the lobby

Thank you and have a safe journey home

TAFE NSW International Centre for VET Teaching and Learning http://www.icvet.edu.au

Documents

Ph 02 9244 5111 Fax 02 9244 5925 Email [email protected] Level 4, 1 Oxford Street, DARLINGHURST NSW 2010 TAFE NSW International Centre for VET Teaching