Presented at the Biannual International
Conference
of the Association for the Study of
Evaluation in Education in Southern Africa
Johannesburg, South Africa
10 July 2002 - 12 July 2002
CAPACITY BUILDING AND THE RECOGNITION OF PRIOR
LEARNING IN SOUTHERN AFRICA
Tamara L.
Gillis, Ed.D., ABC, Associate Professor of Communications and Robert C. Moore,
Ed.D., Professor of Communications, Department of Communications, Elizabethtown
College, Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania
17022 USA
ABSTRACT
This
paper follows a pilot project in the Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL)
conducted by the authors from July - October 1999 in Windhoek, Namibia. In that project, an experiment was
constructed in the development of professional standards and practice in the
field of journalism. These
criteria were then applied to the projectÕs participants who had significant
lifelong learning but no formal educational credentials.
The
outcome of the project was the issuance of a general certificate as a ÒMedia
PractitionerÓ to participants and their possible advancement to the diploma or
degree program at the Polytechnic of Namibia. While the strategies employed in the experiment were
generally considered successful, several problems were uncovered regarding the
feasibility of such a program being implemented in an on-going basis as part of
a national capacity building exercise in Namibia.
The
model presented in this paper provides a more manageable and sound approach to
measuring prior learning. The goal
is to provide a framework for the establishment of an on-going program that
will be more practical in applying the findings of RPL assessment to actual
diploma or degree curriculums rather than for the creation of national
standards and a plethora of certificates recognizing prior learning.
Rather
than the focus of an RPL program of assessment being the individual assessed
and the granting of a certificate, the purpose will be to provide an
institution of tertiary education with a process in RPL assessment to
effectively recognize the learning but also to properly place the individual
within existing course structures.
This will alleviate the problem of some redundant learning and develop a
more directed path for an individual to complete courses complementary to his
or her background as well as identify a specific course track necessary to
follow to earn a diploma or a degree.
Such a process is more effective in building individual and national
workforce capacities rather than a simple recognition of a personÕs place
within national standards that are voluminous and largely recognize only basic
criteria.
CAPACITY BUILDING AND THE RECOGNITION
OF PRIOR
LEARNING IN SOUTHERN AFRICA
Introduction
For
many years, universities have focused on problems associated with the
assessment of prior learning as adult learners flocked to schools to enhance
their professional skills or often as a result of becoming a displaced worker.
In
the recent past, governments in countries of the developing world began to
place greater emphasis on developing a formal program to recognize prior
learning not only to issue a credential recognizing lifelong skills and
knowledge but also to provide a way for those individuals to continue their education
and improve professional standards.
Dubbed Òcapacity building,Ó it was hoped that the program would promote
continued education and professional development.
In
1999, Gillis and Moore showed how a framework could be constructed to assess
prior learning with journalists in Namibia. Following a highly successful national standards development
exercise, journalist participants engaged in a program of assessment against
those standards and the ultimate awarding of a certificate issued jointly by
Elizabethtown College (USA) and the Polytechnic of Namibia.
The
Certificate as Practitioner in Media Technology recognized a minimal level of
professionalism of each participant against a hypothetical framework of
national standards for journalists. With this credential, from two accredited
schools, the participant had an objective recognition of skills and knowledge
that hopefully would lead them to enrollment in a new program in Communications
Technology at the Polytechnic of Namibia or perhaps other institutions of
tertiary learning.
More
enthusiastic about the credentialing process and what affect it could have on
journalistsÕ professional mobility, none of the participants sought entry into
the program at the Polytechnic. In
fact, the Polytechnic, likewise, never developed a program to use the
credential as an entry permit to courses due to lack of applicants.
The
problem that was recognized was one of logistics. How do a set of national standards of practice translate
into a school curriculum? Moreover,
how does the credential translate into a placement mechanism for advanced
courses?
This
paper will explore the challenges of recognizing lifelong learning and how that
recognition might be used as a valid assessment in course placement.
Recognition
of Prior Learning (RPL)
RPL
is a framework for giving recognition to a person for what they already have
learned within their profession.
In the generally accepted context of Recognition of Prior Learning
(RPL), recognition is not extended to school aged individuals enrolled in a
diploma or degree programs.
Rather, the intent of RPL is to provide recognition to adult learners --
practicing professionals -- who
may have no credential that documents their skill and knowledge acquired
over the years but who are in need of an official designation for those
abilities.
This
focus indicates that the audience is often not individuals enrolled in classes
but those who over the years have mastered various elements of a profession
through the world of work and perhaps seek an accreditation or certification
for those accomplishments in their lives.
The intent of such a process, particularly in countries of the
developing world, is to recognize life-long learning and allow the experienced
practitioner to compete on a more level playing field with those holding
diplomas or degrees. The result
could be more equitable promotions or other professional positions. It is important to note that such
recognition should come from a systematic program of assessment of what skills
and knowledge were possessed against a recognized framework of professional
standards.
A
Pilot Project in RPL
In
sub-Saharan Africa, the authors conducted a pilot project named ÒButterflyÓ at
the Polytechnic of Namibia. This
project was the genesis of an idea that a program of RPL could provide a
credential recognizing an individualÕs life-long learning and also provide
entrance to a tertiary institution where these persons would pursue advanced
study.
According
to the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL, 1999): Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) helps
individuals receive credit for the learning they have achieved from
experience. PLA is a process of
defining, documenting, measuring, evaluating and granting credit for learning
acquired through experience. This
blueprint was followed in the operation of the pilot project.
Elizabethtown
College (USA) and the Polytechnic of Namibia developed a sophisticated and
systematic program to allow individuals to reach those two goals. It focused on assessment and
recognition. (Gillis and Moore,
1999)
The
process involved the use of a portfolio of evidence (Wolfson, 1996; Sansregret,
1984; Orlik, 1994), to be submitted to a panel of assessors. During the course of the review of this
collection of samples of work, verification by employers, and other various
writings, the assessors supervised a field experience held for the purpose of
observation of the participants in the performance of their duties. Finally, the assessors conducted a
private interview with each individual to review how and to what extent the
portfolio and field experience met each of the required standards of the
profession in order to receive recognition.
The
certificate, jointly issued by Elizabethtown College and the Polytechnic of
Namibia, was not only a result of the assessment of journalists but also a
model for assessment for other professions in the country. Further, individuals would have a
blueprint for improving professional expertise through formal education.
While
the project was widely regarded as successful, several problem areas were
uncovered by Gillis and Moore that would require revision to make the outcome
of such an exercise more conducive to a clear understanding of how an
individual would pursue additional formal education.
The
standards developed for assessment were extensive. They mirrored the professional expectations of
journalists. They set a minimum
standard of knowledge and practice but they were not organized in a curricular
structure generally used by tertiary institutions. That is, those who wished to enroll in formal courses for
further study were unable to be ÒplacedÓ at an appropriate level because the
standards were so global in nature.
The
end result was that participants saw the earning of the certificate of
recognition as a primary goal and did not make a connection between it and
enrolling in advanced courses offered at the Polytechnic of Namibia. The focus of the programÕs outcomes was
clearly recognition rather than awarding academic course credit for prior
learning.
RPL
as a Tool for Entrance to Formal Learning
ÒAssessment
of prior learning is not a new idea.
Some colleges have for many years had advanced placement programs in
which they routinely tested incoming (students) placing them in advanced
courses.Ó (CAEL, 1999, p. 67)
Primarily, these individuals
were those with a formal educational background. No formal mechanisms were in place to accomplish the same
ends with individuals with little or no formal education. The Namibian project was expressly
created to test the model with participants from this last group.
Using
Recognition of Prior Learning as a design for advance placement of students is
not a new concept. In the
developing world, however, the mindset has been to receive a certificate of
recognition as an end rather than use it as an entreŽ to enrollment in
additional courses. Individuals
that would be involved in such programs have had little or no formal learning. Yet, these mature practitioners with
years of life experience, may have skills and knowledge that would enable them
to move to upper division courses and turn their prior learning into a diploma
or a degree. The focus on a
participantÕs success needed to be shifted from recognition to enrollment in a
diploma or degree program if the profession was to have an increase in the
quality of its practitioners.
Clearly, the pilot project focused less on capacity building and more on
simple recognition.
Schools
can be of service in nation building by attracting skilled professionals to
their curriculum to earn diplomas or degrees thus building the integrity and
performance of the professional.
In this regard, the existing workforce is acknowledged for its life-long
accomplishment, but most importantly a mechanism will exist for the general
improvement and advancement of the profession through additional education.
CAEL
(1999) indicates that programs of this nature assist these learners by:
á
validating
the worth of learning they have achieved on their own.
á
demonstrating
to them what they need to learn in order to achieve their personal, career or
academic goals.
á
shortening
the time necessary to earn a college or university credential.
á
saving them
money by reducing the number of
courses they need to take.
á
enhancing
their pride and self-esteem for what they have accomplished as learners.
á
making them
aware of learning as a life long process.
As
a means of maintaining academic integrity, schools would do well to acknowledge
a practitionerÕs prior learning but to do so primarily by having the
participant earn an accredited credential. Creation of a special credential recognizes a level of
attained expertise but creates a new problem for the profession. Where does this new credential, offered
solely by one program or school, fit within recognized credentials such as
diplomas or degrees? Can it be
easily translated to other schoolsÕ programs? The answer was that it had little effect except as a piece
of paper. Little was done to
improve a participantÕs skill and knowledge and no direct connection was made
to further study in a diploma or degree curriculum.
The
upgrading of the workplace and development of a profession will benefit far
more by using established methods of recognition and simply use RPL as entrance
to those curricular studies.
Using
RPL As a Measurement for Placement
Rather
than the focus of an RPL program being the individual or a national set of
standards, the focus should be to ascertain how that individualÕs knowledge and
life-long experience fit within an established curriculum. The recognition, even a certificate, is
useful only within the course framework of the issuing institution.
By
assessing prior knowledge and experience in terms of courses rather than
national standards, an individual seeking to continue studying will be more
efficiently placed in an advanced course of study within existing structures of
the school, leading to a diploma or degree. A broad-based certificate is unable to be a diagnostic tool
in this regard.
A
schoolÕs curriculum, organized into discrete courses, utilizes goal statements
and enabling objectives on which both learner assessment and ultimately
completion of the course are based.
These course statements draw from cognitive, affective and psychomotor
domains of learning and provide for a well-rounded course learning experience
and upon successful completion, progression to the next course or level of
learning.
Rather
than broadly assess prior learning on professional standards similar to those
in Project Butterfly (Gillis and Moore, 1999), learners are assessed by
individual course goals and objectives.
This process enables a potential learner to be recognized for experience
and knowledge in discrete units of a curriculum and to be advanced placed into
courses for which they have not met all of the goals and objectives.
A
model of assessment developed by Gillis and Moore in Project Butterfly proved
to be an effective structure.
Briefly stated, the assessment of participants would be made against
stated course goals and objectives set by the particular department within a
school. Based on the widely
successful portfolio assessment of documentation and evidence against these
course standards, learners could also take part in an observation exercise or
final assessment/examination experience as well as an assessment
interview. Successful evaluation
by the course instructor of all goals and objectives of a single course have to
be met in order for credit to be awarded based upon life-long learning. This exercise in assessment would be
repeated for each individual course that the learner believes his or her
life-long learning meets.
At
the close of the assessment period, the participant would have transcripted
course credit for all courses successfully assessed. Those not completed would be the courses that require
learner enrollment in order to earn the diploma or degree.
A
Model for Curriculum Based RPL
While
the establishment of national standards for profession practice in some
respects mirror the development of curriculum in tertiary institutions, there
are fundamental differences.
Standards tend to establish only a baseline of satisfactory
performance. Recognizing prior
learning utilizing a national standards approach indicates that life experience
and knowledge enables one to perform adequately. To be sure, when properly used, standards that are not met
are indicators of areas of needed improvement.
The
problem arises that in striving for capacity building, determining that someone
adequately meets the standards or not, does not provide for either the
acquiring of more advanced knowledge or skills, or the remediation of weak
areas of learning. The reason is
simple; the standards exist as an entity separate from institutions of higher
learning responsible for the advanced learning or the remediation that might be
necessary. A further problem
exists that a single set of standards does not allow for variations in
curriculum focus in preparing the professional.
By
tying the assessment of prior learning to a particular educational institution
and its curriculum, the profession (and participants) can measure itself
against specified course goals and objectives that are organized in a
sequential and/or integrated course of study which must be completed in order
to be recognized as a competent practitioner of the profession.
By
meeting standards as they are articulated as course goals and objectives
enables a participant to receive credit for specific courses in which his or
her prior learning was sufficient.
In fact, on a continuum, an individual can easily recognize his or her
location on the way to completing all course requirements toward earning a
diploma or degree. Individuals are
also able to identify areas of advanced or allied interests in the curriculum
that will make them a better, more competitive, practitioner in the profession.
A
model for curriculum development, utilized at Elizabethtown College, focuses on
the education of the whole person and professional. The sequential way in which departmental interests are tied
to an educational curriculum and finally to a particular course lends itself
well to RPL. This is because RPL
is also a sequential process based on meeting specific standards within the
curriculum.
The
schematic below illustrates the vertical integration of curriculum development
and how it can be used as a basis for a more horizontal assessment of prior
learning, finally integrating all of the separate elements into satisfaction of
course requirements.
The basis for curriculum development
usually is embodied in a mission statement. Here, as succinctly as possible, a goal is stated about the
type of general expertise expected of participants. For example, using the Elizabethtown College document the
following is a mission statement:
Òto develop professional expertise demonstrating technical (ability),
critical judgement, and creativity.Ó
Simply
put, general curriculum objectives specify how courses may be operated in order
to accomplish the mission. The
objectives often are philosophical statements about how the general curriculum
will be structured. Again, from
ElizabethtownÕs plan: to
integrate/apply knowledge to a variety of disciplines, involvement in
co-curricular activities and to avail themselves of many experiential learning
opportunities. This may include
writing, oral performance, production design and creativity, management,
responsibility, leadership, and the application of learning.
Specific
courses of study, or sequences, are then developed into particular areas of
professional preparation with an emphasis on what all participants must
accomplish in learning to complete career preparation. For example, courses of study could
include journalism, public relations, advertising, new media, etc.
Each
of these areas will require specific learning content organized into courses
each with their own goal and set of objectives, as well as, planned course
assessment. In other words,
participantsÕ skill and knowledge in each course are measured to be satisfactory
before moving on to the next course.
The
basic element of the curriculum is the intersection at which RPL can be
effective. Here, the elements of
the process are applied to each of the stages of the curriculum. Using the same process of RPL developed
by the authors in the pilot project, success at each stage will result in
satisfying a particular course.
Repeating the process for several courses will permit lifelong learning
to move the participant through the curriculum to a point at which his or her
enrollment in a course is appropriate on the way to completing a diploma or
degree.
The
portfolio method of assessment is most valuable at the individual course
level. The information contained
in it specifically provides samples of work that address each of a courseÕs
objectives and overall goal.
The
portfolioÕs samples are able to be used as assessments but all too often, items
are not completely related to each of the objectives. A planned observation, or a final project that might be an
expectation of the course, enables the participant to demonstrate those skills
and knowledge that are required in the course.
Finally,
an assessment interview may be conducted at which the course instructor will
engage the participant in more global evaluation. How has his or her prior learning aided the participant in
meeting the more general department curricular goals and mission of the
department as they might apply to the particular course.
All
of these elements utilized in the process of Recognition of Prior Learning
provide not only for the more horizontal assessment of a particular course but
also a vertical, integrated assessment of the compleat person with regard to
the curriculum. Should any gaps be
present in the evaluation, additional examinations or projects addressing
particular objectives can be assigned.
Of course, gaps found in the assessment may require the participant to
enroll in the particular course and not receive credit for prior learning.
A
positive review results in the granting of academic credit for the particular
course based on the individualÕs prior learning. This recognition results in the learner moving on to the
next required or elective course in the specific course of study. The option here is then enrollment in
the new course or the participant engaging in the RPL exercise for the course
moving him or her along to advanced study.
Conclusions
The
learner should be most interested in life-long learning being applied to a
recognized and accredited credential like a diploma or degree rather to a
certificate created as an alternative to accepted academic accomplishments.
Using
the required curriculum of a diploma or degree provides a credible basis for
equivalency of prior learning to that of
traditionally enrolled students in the course of study.
The
standards of course goals and objectives provide a uniform approach to the
assessment of prior learning and the awarding of credit.
Rather
than simply recognizing past learning, the focus is on future learning. Rightly so, then, the assessment
standards should come from academŽ and be evaluated by academics for the
orderly and proper enrollment of participants in applicable courses. Shifting the focus to a national
standards body does not acknowledge the domain of teaching and learning
residing with institutions of tertiary learning.
Recommendations
Acknowledging
the success of Project Butterfly at the Polytechnic of Namibia and the valuable
experience at standard setting and various types of assessment, a pilot project
should be created to move further in creating this university/polytechnic-based
model of assessment, recognition of prior learning, and placement of
individuals in a regular curriculum leading to a diploma or degree.
This
project would likely include faculty workshops on course development and the
structures of planning. Further,
faculty would work to develop proper assessment strategies for each of the
courses in a curriculum which would impact both traditional and non-traditional
learners.
Further
planning would involve the application of the procedures of assessment to the
properly documented and systematic recognition of prior learning model
developed by Gillis and Moore (1999).
Finally,
a study of those enrolled in the various courses should be conducted. A comparison of course completion
grades for those traditionally enrolled or those advanced placed through the
recognition of prior learning would provide evidence of not only successful
completion of courses but also provide a measure of credibility to those
enrolled as a result of RPL. They
would have the equivalent skills and knowledge from life-long learning and
additional coursework that others may have only from coursework.
A
Final Word
EducationÕs
evolving goals in the developing world are two-fold. The first is to prepare a well-educated professional at
standards of accomplishment that moves the profession and the country
forward. The second is to recognize
that an individual without formal learning can have many of the skills and
knowledge of the traditional learner.
Thus an individualÕs accomplishments are documented and a plan for
further development is created.
For the country, RPL is a capacity building exercise designed to move
individuals and the profession to higher levels of active practice within
society.
The
more promising model of the Recognition of Prior Learning is not the creation
of a new multi-level bureaucracy responsible for the assessment. Rather, capacity building based on
assessment of qualifications and recognition of prior learning best serves the
country by tying the standards setting to curriculum and the assessment process
to an institution of tertiary education that has a proven program of preparing
professionals in a particular profession.
Capacity building must go beyond recognition; its focus is life-long
learning in an established professional curriculum.
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