The university as a workplace for lecturer competence recognition and qualifications enhancement through RPL and learning contracts UniSo Summer Conference University of Nice Sophia Antipolis July 2013 Dr Anne Murphy Dublin Institute of Technology

Focus of the Presentation RPL for university staff Academic Quality Assurance Using the NQF & Bologna process RPL capacity building by ‘doing it’ internally first Individual Qualifications progression Dr Anne Murphy, DIT, July

3 RPL practice for staff progression National and internal QA policies and procedures Applying NQFs, Dublin Descriptors (and EQF) Localising all aspects of RPL to the bachelor award concerned and involving several staff as designers, mentors and assessors Facilitating progression and mobility of academic staff

Dr Anne Murphy, DIT, July Competent local staff manage an agreed system and procedures Bachelor CURRICULUM designed with Learning Outcomes which can be achieved by evidence of prior learning NEED for staff qualifications enhancement in SPECIALIST BACHELOR areas

Dr Anne Murphy, DIT, July DOSSIER of RPL EVIDENCE to support an application to achieve the DIT award DT 714 Bachelor of Technology (Automotive Technology and Diagnostics) on the basis of accreditation of prior learning (RPL) Submitted to: Department of Transport Engineering, School of Mechanical and Transport Engineering College of Engineering & Built Environment Dublin Institute of Technology By: Date: Student registration number: Date of submission: DOSSIER of RPL EVIDENCE to support an application to achieve the DIT award DT 714 Bachelor of Technology (Automotive Technology and Diagnostics) on the basis of accreditation of prior learning (RPL) Submitted to: Department of Transport Engineering, School of Mechanical and Transport Engineering College of Engineering & Built Environment Dublin Institute of Technology By: Date: Student registration number: Date of submission:

Dr Anne Murphy, DIT, July TABLE OF CONTENTS for RPL Dossier 1. Initial completed application form 2. Letter of acceptance from Department 3. Advanced entry application form and acceptance letter 4. Registration details 5. Details of RPL arrangements for the programme 6. Programme learning outcomes 7. List of programme modules 8.Summary of evidence provided in relation to learning outcomes for modules of the programme to the total value of 180 ECTS credits as arranged in appendices 9. Detailed description of evidence provided and reflective analysis of how there is a ‘good fit’ between the evidence of learning and the learning outcomes of each module in terms of both content and level (36 module of 5 ECTS credits each). 10. List of Appendices (A. B, C etc) 11. Assessment criteria and assessment report templates TABLE OF CONTENTS for RPL Dossier 1. Initial completed application form 2. Letter of acceptance from Department 3. Advanced entry application form and acceptance letter 4. Registration details 5. Details of RPL arrangements for the programme 6. Programme learning outcomes 7. List of programme modules 8.Summary of evidence provided in relation to learning outcomes for modules of the programme to the total value of 180 ECTS credits as arranged in appendices 9. Detailed description of evidence provided and reflective analysis of how there is a ‘good fit’ between the evidence of learning and the learning outcomes of each module in terms of both content and level (36 module of 5 ECTS credits each). 10. List of Appendices (A. B, C etc) 11. Assessment criteria and assessment report templates

Dr Anne Murphy, DIT, July Assessment CRITERIA for prior certificated learning Good match Poor match Notes Volume in years Volume in credits Level/depth Learning outcomes Content Reading lists Thesis, project or major products Practice placement Internship Currency of learning Examination papers

Dr Anne Murphy, DIT, July ASSESSMENT CRITERIA for non-formal or informal learning (non-certificated) Good match Poor match Notes Relevance to the module Learning Outcomes Currency/recency of the learning (kept up-to- date) Sufficiency to cover the module LOs to the extent and depth required Level of the learning in relation to NQF descriptors for the module level is similar Authenticity: genuinely the evidence of learning of the applicant

Dr Anne Murphy, DIT, July Module exemption/element refused □ Recommended action □ Exemption interview required □ Challenge test or performance required □ Additional evidence to be supplied □ Student should take the full module Module exemption approved □ Exemption from the Module element approved □ OVERALL ASSESSMENT RESULT

Key Principles Subsidiarity to local academic Department with supportive over-sight by Faculty and Academic Quality Assurance. Transparency of procedures and assessment criteria Tools and documents that are appropriate and fit-for-purpose Dr Anne Murphy, DIT, July

Is there anything new in this RPL example? 1.No external panel or jury 2.Locally ‘Normalisation’ into: curriculum design and documentation progression awards pathways academic quality and assessment regulations student records Particularly, it encourages capacity building of staff at the local level to use RPL to meet local needs Dr Anne Murphy, DIT, July

Other advantages for expansion of RPL It is not TOP-DOWN It is not POLICY-DRIVEN It uses local expert knowledge of how knowledge, skills and competences operate in the sector It attracts the confidence of colleagues as a locally-designed and quality assured process It builds local capacity better than external training and external examples. Dr Anne Murphy, DIT, July

Acknowledgements Thanks to my colleagues in the Department of Transport Engineering, Dublin Institute of Technology in design and implementation of this RPL mechanism for staff. The challenge now is to scale up the model for external applicants and to extend the process to other qualifications fields. Dr Anne Murphy, DIT, July

Thank you for listening. Please ask questions. ? Dr Anne Murphy, DIT, July