Abstract
The limited research that exists in the area of prior learning assessment (PLA) has tended to be descriptive and conceptual in nature. Where empirical studies have been done, they have focussed mainly on PLA as a means of credentialing rather than as a learning experience. Furthermore, there has been very little empirical research into the educational effectiveness of PLA from the student’s point of view. This empirical study used a qualitative approach to investigate the perceptions of a focus group of 32 adult learners who were engaged in portfolio-based PLA in an open and distance education university. The study explored students’ initial expectations of PLA, what they think they got out of the process, and the extent to which these perceived benefits of PLA would extend to other adult students. The study examined the question of whether PLA operates as a motivator or as a selection mechanism and concluded that there was evidence for both factors. Further results indicated that, in general, PLA learners were surprised to find they had been engaged in a learning process. The study concludes that PLA can be an effective educational opportunity for certain kinds of adult learners, but it should not be taken as a panacea.
Highlights
Experienced canoeists are well aware of the “back-eddy effect.” Back eddies flow in the opposite direction to the main current of a river, so canoeists use back eddies to paddle upstream against the main flow
We think that this metaphor is apt in relation to the recognition of prior learning, what we call prior learning assessment (PLA)1 in this article, and to the use of portfolio-based prior learning assessment
The results of this study are presented under three main headings: student expectations at the outset concerning PLA; their experience in developing a portfolio; and the outcomes they experienced after portfolio completion
Summary
Experienced canoeists are well aware of the “back-eddy effect.” Back eddies flow in the opposite direction to the main current of a river, so canoeists use back eddies to paddle upstream against the main flow. Back eddies flow in the opposite direction to the main current of a river, so canoeists use back eddies to paddle upstream against the main flow. We think that this metaphor is apt in relation to the recognition of prior learning, what we call prior learning assessment (PLA) in this article, and to the use of portfolio-based prior learning assessment. Its impact has spread worldwide and has prompted much ideological debate and critical commentary (Andersson & Harris, 2006) It developed as a technical application of experiential learning, based on the work of Dewey (1974), Kolb (1984), and Mezirow (1991), and is “Village One” in Weil and McGill’s (1989) model of experiential learning, in which they likened four main areas
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