Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) for access or credit? Problematic issues in a university adult education department in South Africa
Authors: Castle J.; Attwood G.
Source: Studies in the Education of Adults, Volume 33, Number 1, 1 April 2001 , pp. 60-72(13)
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Abstract:
The main question posed in this paper is whether the Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) in higher education should focus on access or credit. We begin by tracking the origins of RPL development in South Africa, then go on to show how the broad context of higher education influences RPL. We raise four problematic issues involved in RPL, including the difficulty of establishing equivalencies between the different kinds of experience, knowledge and learning that adults may have acquired. We conclude that emphasis should be placed on RPL for access rather than credit, and that resources should be channeled into opening pathways for adult learners into higher education and supporting them en route.Document Type: Research article
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