Recognition of prior learning, better known as RPL, was introduced to training institutions in South Africa after the fall of Apartheid. The objective of RPL was to redress inequalities brought about by Apartheid when disadvantaged groups had less access to training opportunities. RPL was introduced with a combination of associated training and education initiatives such as the National Qualification Framework and the South African Qualifications Authority, all directed for a similar purpose. The South African Nursing Council agreed with the principles of RPL and published a policy document aimed to guide nurse educators to enhance RPL implementation in South African nursing education institutions. Despite the support from accessible legislative and regulatory documentation, RPL is implemented insufficiently in nursing education institutions. The lack of RPL implementation was also identified by the researcher in the Limpopo College of Nursing. This College of Nursing can be described as a symbol of post-Apartheid re-integration whereby nursing colleges centralised into one administrative management office with campuses, satellite campuses and over 120 nurse educators. The research question asked was what are nurse educators’ perceptions of the implementation of RPL in nursing colleges in Limpopo Province? The aim was to support nurse educators to enhance the implementation of RPL in nursing colleges in Limpopo Province. A qualitative, phenomenological, explorative, descriptive and contextual research design was followed. Seven (n=7) individual, in-depth, unstructured interviews were conducted with nurse educators employed at the X Campus and Y Satellite Campus of the Limpopo College of Nursing. Transcribed interviews were analysed and resulted in three main themes and nine sub-themes. Firstly, the participants voiced their agreement that RPL should be implemented and identified specific benefits and challenges thereof. Secondly, there should be a RPL assessment package that should be open and transparent, be able to assess academic performance against college standards and should minimise inequalities. The third main theme was the need for enhanced awareness of RPL implementation in nursing colleges. Nurse educators lack knowledge about RPL and should therefore be more awareness thereof. In addition RPL should be promoted as a beneficial mechanism to the learning process. These results were discussed with a literature integration and in the majority of results literature confirmed these findings. Conclusion statements were formulated from the research results and served as the basis for the formulation of recommendations to support nurse educators with the implementation of RPL in nursing colleges in Limpopo Province. The recommendations were directed to firstly the policy makers in nursing education; secondly to the nursing education institutions and thirdly to the nurse educators. Areas for further research were listed. Strategies to enhance trustworthiness and the adherence of ethical considerations were supported throughout this study. / MCur, North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

Den här studien syftar till att få ökad kunskap om på vilka sätt utbildningsanordnare inom yrkeshögskolan arbetar med validering av reell kompetens. Metoden som används är semistrukturerade kvalitativa intervjuer med sju personer som arbetar hos olika anordnare av yrkeshögskoleutbildningar. Med utgångspunkt i tidigare forskning om validering och olika perspektiv på kunskap, kompetens och lärande visar de viktigaste resultaten att informanterna ser reell kompetens som en möjlighet men hur informanterna synliggör den skiljer dem åt. Ett ständigt närvarande orosmoln för informanterna är att subjektiviteten påverkar tillförlitligheten vilket i sin tur påverkar rättssäkerheten i deras arbete. Studien belyser utmaningen att arbeta med validering av reell kompetens. Komplexiteten är stor vilket visar sig både i tolkning av centrala begrepp, subjektivitetens ständiga närvaro samt att informanterna efterfrågar tydliga riktlinjer och generaliserbara metoder. / The aim of this study is to increase the knowledge on how organizers of higher occupational educators work with recognition of prior learning (RPL). The method used is semi-structured interviews with seven professionals from seven different educational organizers of higher occupational education. With a starting point in earlier research and on different views on knowledge, competence and learning are the most interesting findings that the informants look upon recognition of prior learning as a possibility, but the way the informants visionalize RPL differs. An ongoing air of consciousness is how subjectivity influences the reliability, which in the next step can have a great impact of the legal rights of the individuals. The study stresses the challenge working with RPL. There is a great complexity shown in differences in interpreting central concepts and that the subjectivity is always present. The informants ask for guidelines and methods possible to generalize.

<p>Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) is the process of recognizing and crediting a person for his/her knowledge and experience however attained and promoting that person along a development pathway. In South Africa RPL has been promoted for social justice purposes related to access and redress. However these intentions have been lost within current educational discourses despite being rooted in several policies. Recently the role of vocational education has received increased prominence as a means to provide skills development. However there is often a disjuncture between policy formulation and implementation and this has given rise to this study of how RPL policy has been implemented within public Further Education and Training (FET) colleges. This paper investigates the RPL policies and practices in two public FET colleges and analyses how these employ social justice intentions of access and redress. The study reveals that there are similar conceptions of RPL amongst lecturers but varying RPL practices in these colleges.</p>

<p>Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) is the process of recognizing and crediting a person for his/her knowledge and experience however attained and promoting that person along a development pathway. In South Africa RPL has been promoted for social justice purposes related to access and redress. However these intentions have been lost within current educational discourses despite being rooted in several policies. Recently the role of vocational education has received increased prominence as a means to provide skills development. However there is often a disjuncture between policy formulation and implementation and this has given rise to this study of how RPL policy has been implemented within public Further Education and Training (FET) colleges. This paper investigates the RPL policies and practices in two public FET colleges and analyses how these employ social justice intentions of access and redress. The study reveals that there are similar conceptions of RPL amongst lecturers but varying RPL practices in these colleges.</p>

Recognition of prior learning, better known as RPL, was introduced to training institutions in South Africa after the fall of Apartheid. The objective of RPL was to redress inequalities brought about by Apartheid when disadvantaged groups had less access to training opportunities. RPL was introduced with a combination of associated training and education initiatives such as the National Qualification Framework and the South African Qualifications Authority, all directed for a similar purpose. The South African Nursing Council agreed with the principles of RPL and published a policy document aimed to guide nurse educators to enhance RPL implementation in South African nursing education institutions. Despite the support from accessible legislative and regulatory documentation, RPL is implemented insufficiently in nursing education institutions. The lack of RPL implementation was also identified by the researcher in the Limpopo College of Nursing. This College of Nursing can be described as a symbol of post-Apartheid re-integration whereby nursing colleges centralised into one administrative management office with campuses, satellite campuses and over 120 nurse educators. The research question asked was what are nurse educators’ perceptions of the implementation of RPL in nursing colleges in Limpopo Province? The aim was to support nurse educators to enhance the implementation of RPL in nursing colleges in Limpopo Province. A qualitative, phenomenological, explorative, descriptive and contextual research design was followed. Seven (n=7) individual, in-depth, unstructured interviews were conducted with nurse educators employed at the X Campus and Y Satellite Campus of the Limpopo College of Nursing. Transcribed interviews were analysed and resulted in three main themes and nine sub-themes. Firstly, the participants voiced their agreement that RPL should be implemented and identified specific benefits and challenges thereof. Secondly, there should be a RPL assessment package that should be open and transparent, be able to assess academic performance against college standards and should minimise inequalities. The third main theme was the need for enhanced awareness of RPL implementation in nursing colleges. Nurse educators lack knowledge about RPL and should therefore be more awareness thereof. In addition RPL should be promoted as a beneficial mechanism to the learning process. These results were discussed with a literature integration and in the majority of results literature confirmed these findings. Conclusion statements were formulated from the research results and served as the basis for the formulation of recommendations to support nurse educators with the implementation of RPL in nursing colleges in Limpopo Province. The recommendations were directed to firstly the policy makers in nursing education; secondly to the nursing education institutions and thirdly to the nurse educators. Areas for further research were listed. Strategies to enhance trustworthiness and the adherence of ethical considerations were supported throughout this study. / MCur, North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

Magister Educationis - MEd / Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) is the process of recognizing and crediting a person for his/her knowledge and experience however attained and promoting that person along a development pathway. In South Africa RPL has been promoted for social justice purposes related to access and redress. However these intentions have been lost within current educational discourses despite being rooted in several policies. Recently the role of vocational education has received increased prominence as a means to provide skills development. However there is often a disjuncture between policy formulation and implementation and this has given rise to this study of how RPL policy has been implemented within public Further Education and Training (FET) colleges. This paper investigates the RPL policies and practices in two public FET colleges and analyses how these employ social justice intentions of access and redress. The study reveals that there are similar conceptions of RPL amongst lecturers but varying RPL practices in these colleges. / South Africa

Submitted in partial fulfillment for the requirements of the Degree of Doctor of Education in the Department of Educational Psychology in the Faculty of Education at the University of Zululand, 2006. / This thesis explores the responses of higher education to the national imperative to implement Recognition of Prior Learning. It makes use of a mixed methods mode of research to explore this phenomenon at three sites of higher education delivery in KwaZulu-Natal. The research investigates how these three institutions have responded to the imperative at an institutional level, in terms of policy development, organisational structures and philosophical approach. It also looks at academic staff perceptions of RPL policy and implementation and its successfulness in terms of the integration of RPL into the curriculum, the capacity of the curriculum to facilitate the assessment of RPL and the extent to which it has been implemented within the higher education system. It identifies the articulation of national policy on RPL as one of the factors that impacts on successful implementation. In so doing, barriers to the successful implementation of RPL are also identified and explored. These barriers include epistemological, material and systemic barriers. However, it also seeks to elicit the benefits that higher education sees in implementing RPL, both in terms of fulfilling the goals of higher education and in terms of the benefits for the national economic imperatives and the skills development initiative. Ultimately, the research attempts to establish the extent to which RPL has been institutionalised within the institutions in terms of a set of indicators as identified by the researcher. / University of Zululand

This study explored the implementation of the recognition of prior learning (RPL) at Unisa by investigating the strengths and weaknesses of the RPL methodology, instruments and processes when taking students through the RPL process. The successes and challenges experienced by the RPL academic advisors and the academic assessors were determined and guidelines provided for the effective implementation of RPL at Unisa. The empirical research design was exploratory within a qualitative framework employing participant observation, focus group interviewing, individual interviewing and the distribution of questionnaires that consisted of open-ended questions. The research sample comprised 26 purposefully selected participants. With regard to the research findings, the challenges include a lack of administrative support, a lack of support from top management and the academic staff, and a lack of communication between management and the RPL department. The strength of the RPL department lay in its well-documented process manual. / Teacher Education / M. Ed. (Education Management)

This study explored the implementation of the recognition of prior learning (RPL) at Unisa by investigating the strengths and weaknesses of the RPL methodology, instruments and processes when taking students through the RPL process. The successes and challenges experienced by the RPL academic advisors and the academic assessors were determined and guidelines provided for the effective implementation of RPL at Unisa. The empirical research design was exploratory within a qualitative framework employing participant observation, focus group interviewing, individual interviewing and the distribution of questionnaires that consisted of open-ended questions. The research sample comprised 26 purposefully selected participants. With regard to the research findings, the challenges include a lack of administrative support, a lack of support from top management and the academic staff, and a lack of communication between management and the RPL department. The strength of the RPL department lay in its well-documented process manual. / Teacher Education / M. Ed. (Education Management)

The policy and practice of RPL (Recognition of Prior Learning) remains a contested area in the higher education sector. While a growing body of research on RPL has become available, little is known about the quality assurance dimensions of this policy and its current expression in higher education practice. Accordingly, this study seeks to provide a comprehensive and detailed portrait of the manner in which RPL is implemented in the Faculty of Education at the University of Pretoria. The central question is does the RPL system that is in place at this institution meet national and international requirements for quality and quality assurance? If not, what are the reasons and how can the faculty improve its RPL practice? The research sub-questions addressed are the following: <ul> <li> What is the quality of the inputs used to design the RPL that is in place in the Faculty of Education at the University of Pretoria?</li> <li> How does the Faculty of Education at the University of Pretoria assess RPL candidates for their prior learning? </li> <li> What is the effect of the output of the RPL system on client satisfaction?</li></ul> A mixed methods research design was used for this study. A single Faculty (Education) was selected as the data collection site, to reveal the deeper and nuanced impact of the process of implementation of the RPL programme. A semi-structured interview schedule administered to the senior managers of the faculty was to elicit information on how the RPL system was conceptualised and designed. This process included the Dean (Faculty of Education); Head of Department (Curriculum Studies); Head of Department (Educational Management, Law and Policy Studies); Director (Centre for Evaluation and Assessment) and the Director (Centre for Joint Science, Mathematics and Technology Education). To determine whether there is a link between what the Quality Assurance Unit of the university promotes and application of such principles and procedures at service delivery level, an interview with the Director of the QA Unit was done. Other interviews involved students (undergraduates and postgraduates); the non-academic staff and lecturers within all the departments of the faculty, to determine whether they knew or were aware of RPL related activities in the faculty. An observation tool was constructed to examine the quality of the assessment process, which involved RPL learners, assessors, evidence facilitators, verifiers, moderators and RPL administrators. A questionnaire was administered to RPL learners involved in the assessment process to determine their satisfaction with the output of the RPL programme. Lecturers who participated in the RPL assessment process were interviewed to determine their experiences. Finally, an observational checklist was used to determine quality indicators at macro (administrative) and micro (academic) levels. The data was analysed using pattern matching, discrepancy, content and interpretational analyses methods. The research findings presented are in the form of a “thick” narrative on the quality of RPL implementation, that is, what the faculty should do to improve or strengthen the current system, and a portrayal of how the RPL programme truly operates. The findings indicate that a relatively good system of RPL provisioning is in place in the Faculty of Education, with a few areas of concern (weaknesses). The major problem is that this system is not benefiting the majority of people it was intended for. The system is “selective” and “exclusionary” in nature. There are clear procedures and processes for RPL assessment, which are adhered to strictly by faculty assessors. The RPL system that is currently in place is satisfactory to those who were assessed for prior learning during the period 2003-2006 and unsatisfactory at the level of the lecturers who participated in the assessment process. Most of them indicated that RPL is an add-on activity to their workloads, with very little incentives from management. To those who were not part of the assessment process, but were assumed to have received information from the faculty, the findings indicated that they knew very little about RPL and how it is being assessed in the faculty. From the client’s perspective, most (eighty four percent) said if they knew how this system operates in the faculty, they would want to be assessed for their prior learning. An extensive examination of the RPL practice in the Faculty of Education gave useful insights on the quality of RPL provisioning. Future research needs to concentrate on evaluations on how RPL is implemented in the other faculties of the university. Second to this, is to begin to provide answers as to what causes full-scale implementation of RPL problematic in the higher education sector, to provide empirical data to policy makers for decision-making purposes. Thirdly, to provide solutions towards the sustainability of the RPL system in the higher education sector, there is a need to do studies on the cost-effectiveness of RPL implementation. / Thesis (PhD (Assessment and Quality Assurance in Education and Training))--University of Pretoria, 2007. / Curriculum Studies / PhD / unrestricted