Why the Recognition of Prior Learning is a business opportunity and a pedagogical imperative in Australian Higher Education in a digital age

A workshop for Course Directors, Faculty of Business, 23/05/2013, Albury NSW, Charles Sturt University Australia.

Dr Merilyn Childs, Associate Professor of Digital Futures, Australian Institute of Digital FuturesUniversity of Southern QueenslandMerilyn.Childs@usq.edu.au

But first, AQF Definitions, Nov 2012

• RPL is an assessment process that involves assessment of an individual’s relevant prior learning (including formal, informal, and non-formal learning) to determine the credit outcomes of an individual application for credit.

• Credit is the value assigned for the recognition of equivalence in content and learning outcomes and/or qualifications.

http://www.aqf.edu.au/Portals/0/Documents/2013%20docs/RPL%20Explanation.pdf

Too often we consider prior learning as flawed. So we introduce a formula that goes something like this:

+

= proper, civilised university educationAn aside: this flaw underpins current debates about giving MOOCs credit.

But really, the changing nature of work, learning & participation in a digital age just makes that thinking outmoded

++= lifelong, personalised, connected learning (within which formal studies play a part)

+

Flawed logic in the digital age

• University learning good(Yay!)

• Informal learning bad (Boo!)

Robust logic in the digital age

• Learning anywhere, anytime may be good (Yay!). Our job is to make sense of the personalized connections between well designed university learning (yay!) and great informal learning (yay!).

In Australia, we tend to think about RPL as a vocational process:

Google search:“RPL and au”

In Europe and North America much more thinking is being done about RPL (APEL & VPL) in HE

Google search “RPL and eu”

Sometimes we need to acknowledge that it’s hard to spot the difference

• Grown in university soil • Grown in the soil of life

http://www.flickr.com/photos/wgyuri/501884430/

In summary

• Research confirms that the primary mode of recognition in Australian Universities is through credit transfer, not RPL

• This means lack of responsiveness to prior informal and non-formal learning – and failure to respond to students as a “package deal” of personalized learning

• It also means an amazing opportunity exists to build business and lead in this space

RPL (as opposed to credit) is a process that demands of us that we understand two key questions:

• What are the qualities and characteristics of the oranges we hope to nurture?

• How do we recognise those qualities and characteristics regardless of the soil they were grown in, who planted the bare roots, how the watering was done?

There are models to answer this, but first….

Exercise 1: Undergraduate course responses towards prior learning

• Ignore prior learning (pack of analytics about student backgrounds, ages, prior occupations)

• Note prior learning, take no action• Value prior learning as part of entry criteria or learning

activities and assessments• Accredit prior formal learning through credit packages and

advanced standing, but ignore prior informal and non-formal learning

• Accredit prior learning (in line with AQF definition)

Through this exercise I hoped to illicit conversations about the types of responses currently made to a student’s prior learning

Exercise 2Through this exercise I hopedto provoke discussion aboutcurrent responses, assuming astudent with this kind of profileapplied to study.

What else is possible? #1

http://priorlearning.athabascau.ca/ (Note in the US they can charge a fee)

Although generally speaking Australia lacks substantial models re RPL, it’s important we look elsewhere to see what is possible.

What else is possible? #2

http://www.jisc.ac.uk/media/documents/programmes/elearningcapital/eapel_final_report.pdf

One key issue about implementing RPL is the issue of scale – although

not easily translated to the Australia context, this emerging project is an

interesting idea.

http://learn.openscout.net/index.html

Oh, Have you heard about this?

I included this because change to HE in terms of

RPL can be contextualised in terms of a learner’s

access to micro credentials and open learning

opportunities.

Acknowledgments

• http://www.flickr.com/photos/intersectionconsulting/4412472230/sizes/m/in/photostream/• http://www.flickr.com/photos/gforsythe/7704609288/lightbox/ • http://www.flickr.com/photos/marcwathieu/2412755417/sizes/m/in/photostream/• http://www.flickr.com/photos/margoconnell/1450871195/sizes/m/in/photostream/• http://www.flickr.com/photos/80535871@N00/3237230544/sizes/m/in/photostream/

Why is RPL a business opportunity as well as a pedagogical imperative? It’s a business opportunity

because right now in Australia, no one university has developed a comprehensive response to RPL, and

the opportunity it provides to attract students. It’s a pedagogical imperative because learner’s learn

through a wide range of open learning, workplace and other opportunities. In the clouds, through

social media, and in places like the OERu. We have the policy frameworks to move forward in a positive way – we just need to do the hard thinking, careful

balancing and creative work!END