1. An Introduction to PLAR at AU Dianne Conrad Centre for Learning Accreditation Athabasca University

2. Defining PLAR PLAR involves the identification, documentation, assessment and recognition of competencies (skills, knowledge and abilities) that have been acquired through many means of formal or informal learning, e.g. work experience, training, independent study, volunteer activity, travel or hobbies. There are three basic assumptions with PLAR:  significant learning can and does take place outside the classroom;  such learning can and should be evaluated for credit by educational institutions and by the workplace for hiring and promotion; and  education and training practices that force adults to repeat learning they have already acquired are inefficient, costly and unnecessary. (HRSDC)

3. PLAR at work… Athabasca University Mount Royal College Red River College University of Manitoba Brandon University Nova Scotia Community College University College of the Fraser Valley Thompson Rivers University SIAST Ontario Council of Regents (various ON colleges) FNTI

4. PLAR in Canada From Best Practices in PLAR survey (2005)  of 29 institutions, 62% have PLAR policies  71% of institutional spokespeople feel PLAR implementation is inadequate  72% report institutional resistance (drain on resources; compromised integrity)

5. PLAR at Athabasca University Portfolio learning Course-basedProgram-based Recognition for knowing, not doing Collect, select, reflect, project Demonstrate learning at university level

6. Initial contact with CLA WebsiteUnknownPsychology 205 Consultation with CLA (preferred) Mentorship Portfolio preparation (pre-PLAR submission) Collect, select, reflect, project Portfolio submission Portfolio vetting Office of the Registrar Re: program fit Professional associations Re: licensure Program Directors Re: program requirements Revision PLAR Process 1 of 2 (cont’d)

7. Program Directors Re: program requirements Office of the Registrar Re: program fit Designation of assessors Student Assessment Compilation of assessments Consultation with Office of the Registrar Finalization of Results Communication of PLAR results Assessors Appeal process PLAR Process 2 of 2

8. PLAR in the university context: Origins What we have to learn to do, we learn by doing. (Aristotle) The beginning of instruction shall be made with the experience learners already have…this experience and the capacities that have been developed during its course provide the starting point for all further learning. (Dewey, Experience and Education, 1938, p. 74) Socratic method – questioning, scaffolding, building knowledge.

9. What is portfolio learning? (Myers, 2007) Portfolio learning is a rigorous, systematic and comprehensive process of learning about one’s own learning, including the skills and knowledge acquired through informal and experiential means (in the workplace, the community and the family) as well as through formal and structured education and training.

10. Learning through PLAR Reflection CognitionNarration AHA! “My story is in two acts; Act One, what happened. Act Two, what I understood.” (Carlo Gelbler, 2001)

11. Portfolio parts Table of contents Educational goals Personal narrative/autobiographical essay Resume Critical reflection (optional) Demonstration of learning Learning statements (program-based) Competency worksheets (course-based) Documentation Letters of Attestation Products (primary sources, raw data) Tangibles (certificates, records, etc)

12. Assessment protocols Academic assessment of learning Panel of assessors Assessment criteria provided by program or course outcomes Learning must be relevant to program Learning must fit within program requirements

13. What assessors do For learners Perform academic assessment of learners’ knowledge Provide detailed feedback on relationship of prior learning to AU program Offer direction and guidance for future learning

14. What assessors do For CLA and AU’s PLAR process Provide a tally or score for learner’s presentation Give guidance as to fit of learning into learner’s program Be available for follow-up

15. Outcomes of portfolio learning – researched and reasonable Increased self-knowledge Greater appreciation of informal learning Improved communication and organization skills Greater appreciation of the role of reflection (Brown, 2003)