IAARPL 2022: Implementation, Assessment and Articulation of Recognition of Prior Learning conference 2022 Online (Zoom) Cape Town, South Africa, March 30-31, 2022

Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL), referred to, inter alia, as APL, VPL, PLA, PLAR in other contexts, has been recognised by South African and international policies as a critical means of access to, and certification of further and higher learning, especially for mature learners. While there is increasing acknowledgement of the importance of RPL for educational transformation, lifelong learning and social inclusion, learning institutions have not embraced RPL equally across the board, and implementation practices vary greatly, often leading to policy development and RPL implementation in a grey area that is not well aligned. While there have been some local studies over the past two decades, and a growing international literature, RPL is by and large under-researched in South Africa.

The practice of RPL in South Africa was formally conceptualised and officially implemented in the post-apartheid democratic era and represented an impactful salience as an effort to redress severe historical inequalities and disadvantages associated with access to higher education. “RPL was subsequently defined as the formal acknowledgement of the knowledge, skills, expertise and capabilities that people possess/acquired as a result of the prior learning that may have occurred through formal, informal or non-formal means – through self-study, work or other life experiences.” In South Africa the domain of RPL is closely aligned to the main elements of the South African national policy discourse since 1994, with a specific focus of achieving transformation, accreditation, lifelong learning and complying with the National qualifications framework (NQF) of South Africa.

The main purpose of RPL is to facilitate access to, mobility across and progression within the education, training and career paths mainly for people who have experienced past inequalities with regards to access to education. The University of the Western Cape, Recognition of Prior Learning Unit has pioneered as a leading contributor in the policy development, implementation and assessment of Recognition for Prior Learning (RPL) within South Africa’s higher education landscape over the past two decades. RPL is an essential part of the admissions policy at UWC and finds expression in a widespread range of services to promote and endorse mature students seeking alternative or flexible pathway access into higher education degree/qualification programmes at UWC. The work that we do in the RPL Unit has a direct impact on higher education access, educational transformation, navigation of the NQF system and promotion of lifelong learning within the higher education sector. This directly impacts the community of the Western Cape and surrounding areas as the RPL programme promotes education, growth and development that has a ripple effect for not only the applicant in concern but their family members, community members and opportunities for generations to come.

This conference intends on providing a platform for both national and international RPL practitioners, RPL students, the post-schooling systems, and the community at large to engage and develop strategies to implement RPL in a more universal approach. This platform will allow us to share practice and promote the scholarship of RPL whilst paving the way for future innovations, research collaborations, policy instruction and educational transformations within the area of RPL, access, credits, competence, educational transformation, authentic assessments, student success and student support.

This international conference aims at exploring the diversity and evolution of RPL practice from a global perspective, including the transition between multimodal and digital pedagogies in higher education, challenges and triumphs for access, success, social and academic inclusion during and post COVID-19 times.

Invited Speakers

• Prof Alan Mandell - PLAIO, SUNY Empire State College, New York
• Prof. Nan Travers-  PLAIO, Center for Leadership in Credentialing Learning, SUNY Empire State College, New York
• Phil O Leary- RPL department, Munster Technological University, Ireland
• Prof Judy Harris, Thompson Rivers University, Canada 
• Prof Per Anderson, Linköping University
• Prof Linda Cooper, University of Cape Town, South Africa
• Dr. Heidi Boltan, SAQA, South Africa

Contact

rplresearch@uwc.ac.za