Literature Review

Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition

Revised: December, 2021

Articles, studies and reports

“This is not your grandmother’s PLAR” BC boldly creates a new learning culture by Dianne Conrad, Canadian Journal of University Continuing Education / Vol. 36, No. 2 fall 2010, http://ejournals.library.ualberta.ca/index.php/cjuce-rcepu

‘I Didn’t Know I Had All This in Me’, Strada Education Network

6 Steps to Move Prior Learning Assessment Forwardby Rhea Kelly, Campus Technology

A Brighter Future Through Prior Learning, CAEL

A Case Study on the Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL): Perceptions of University Faculty by Kimberly F. Browning, Canadian Journal for the Study of Adult Education, v32 n1 p15-40 Apr 2020

A Current Overview of Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) in Irish Higher Education by Phil O’Leary, Deirde Goggin, Irene Sheridan, Munster Technological University

A Framework for PLA in Traditional Higher Education: Experiential Learning Assessment for Embedded Outcomes by William F. Heinrich, Jennifer Elaine Rivera, PLAIO

A Model Concerning the Assessment of Knowledge and Skills in the Workplace by Leif Berglund, PLA Inside Out

A Study of Prior Learning Assessment in Degree Completionby Jean Marie Chappell

Adopting practical strategies to enhance quality in Validation of Prior Learning by Joy Van Kleef

Advising and Prior Learning Assessment for Degree Completion by Alexa Wesley and Amelia Parnell, Prior Learning Assessment Inside Out (PLAIO)

Advising and Prior Learning Assessment for Degree Completion. Recognition of Prior Learning in the 21st Century by Wesley, Alexa; Parnell, Amelia, Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education

Alternative Credentials - Prior Learning 2.0 by Dr. Jill Buban, Online Learning Consortium

An Examination of Prior Learning Assessment Policy and Practice as Experienced by Academic Records Professionals and Students by Wendy Kilgore, Prior Learning Assessment Inside Out (PLAIO)

Assessment Philosophy: A Critically Conscious Tool for Ethical Skills Recognition by Dr. Jen Hamer, Prior Learning Assessment Inside Out (PLAIO)

Assessment Strategies in the Recognition of Prior Learning: The Practitioner’s Perspective by Leah Moss, Andy Brown, Laura Malbogat, Tetyana Tsomko. PLA Inside Out

Assessors' approaches to portfolio assessment in Assessment of Prior Learning procedures by Jochems, W.; Joosten-ten Brinke, Desirée; Sluijsmans, Dominique

Attracting Adult Learners With Credit for Prior Learning by Becky Klein-Collins, February 7, 2022

Barriers to Constructing Experiential Learning Claims Through Reflective Narratives: Student's Experiences by Kevin John Ions and Norma Sutcliffe, Higher Education, Skills and Work-Based Learning

Benchmarking in Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition (PLAR) – Tool for training reform, Economia. Seria Management Vol.12, Nr. 2/2009

Breaking Down the Silos: An Interview With Bonnie Kennedyby Nan L. Travers, Alan Mandell, PLA Inside Out

Bridging Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR): Circular Flow of Interaction among the University, Industry, and People by Rumpa Roy and Hesham El Marsafawy

Challenges and Opportunities for Implementing Recognition of Prior Learning at the University of Namibia by Lydia Shaketange, Creative Education 09(13):2070-2087, January 2018

Competency-Based Education and Credit for Prior Learning, CAEL

Contexts of Recognition of Prior Learning: A Comparative Study of RPL Initiatives in Brazil, Portugal, and Germany by Natália Alves, Sabine Schmidt-Lauff, Catarina Doutor, Lucas Campos

Creating a Positive PLA Experience: A Step-by-Step Look at University PLA by Sara M. Leiste and Kathryn Jensen, International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning

Deeper than a Collection of Artifacts: Recognition of Experiential Learning for Adults within the Academy by Lorayne Robertson and Wendy Hardman

Dimensions of the Experience of Prior Learning Assessment & Recognition by Alan Thomas, Monica Collins and Lynette Plett, The research network for New Approaches to Lifelong Learning (NALL)

Do Methods Matter? PLA, Portfolio Assessment, and the Road to Completion and Persistence: A Study of Prior Learning Assessment and Adult Students' Academic Outcomes at Four LearningCounts Partner Colleges, CAEL

Dwell in Possibility: PLAR and e-Portfolios in the Age of Information and Communication Technologies by Judith O. Brown

Effects of Recognition of Prior Learning as Perceived by Different Stakeholders by Per Andersson, Andreas Fejes, Prior Learning Assessment Inside Out (PLAIO)

Effects of Recognition of Prior Learning on Job Market Outcomes : Impact Evaluation in Bangladesh by Shiro Nakata, Uttam Sharma, Tashmina Rahman, Mokhlesur Rahman, Mustahsin-Ul Aziz

Enhancing assessment in the recognition of prior learning with digitalisation by Annemari Heinonen and Satu Tuomainen, De Gruyter Mouton

Equity Considerations in Credit for Prior Learning and Beyond by Joseph D. Levy and Christine Carpenter, CAEL

Equity Paradoxes in the PLA Boost, Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL) and the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE)

Exploring the Contribution of Mentoring to Knowledge Building in PLAR Practice by Dianne Conrad, Athabasca University

Exploring the Relationship of Mentoring to Learning in RPL Practice by Dianne Conrad, Athabasca University

Faculty perceptions of credit for prior learning: factors affecting acceptance, assessment and the diffusion of innovation by Anne Marie Kamps, University of Wisconsin-Stout

From OER to PLAR: Credentialing for open education by Norm Friesen & Christine Wihak

From prior learning assessment to specialised pedagogy: facilitating student transition through RPL assessment and selection by Aimee Louise Brenner, Suki Goodman, Alison Meadows, Linda Cooper, Studies in Continuing Education - January 2021

Implementing Prior Learning Assessment to Promote Adult College Completion, by Ashley Y Layne, PLAIO, No 7 (2019)

Improving Open Access through Prior Learning Assessmentby Shuangxu Yin, Paul Kawachi, ResearchGate

Influencing Practice through the Development of Clear and Transparent Guidelines for the Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) by Malcolm Day

Innovation in Prior Learning Assessment: Program, Course, Model, and Best Practices by Todd Sherron, Catherine A. Cherrstrom, Carrie Boden, and Lindsey Wilson

International Council for Open and Distance Learning, Open Praxis, vol. 5 issue 1, January–March 2013, pp. 49–58

Invisible criteria in a portfolio-based assessment of prior learning: A cat and mouse chase by Yael Shalem, Carola Steinberg

Learning Recognition and the Future of Higher Education – A Vision for a Post-Pandemic Learning Ecosystem by Rebecca Klein-Collins and Nan Travers, Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL) & SUNY Empire State College

Let the doors of learning be open to all – A case for recognition of prior learning by A. M. Singh

Measuring Prior Learning Success by Leveraging Data by Joseph D. Levy,  National Louis University

Peer-To-Peer Recognition of Learning in Open Education by Jan Philipp Schmidt, Christine Geith, Stian Håklev and Joel Thierstein

Policy development and implementation procedures for recognition of prior learning: a case study of practice in higher education by Anne Murphy, Technological University Dublin

Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition in Aboriginal Self (Re) Construction by Lloyd Hawkeye Robertson, Ph.D., Pimatisiwin: A Journal of Aboriginal and Indigenous Community Health 9(2) 2011

Prior Learning Assessment & Recognition in Canadian Universities: View from the Web by Christine Wihak, Canadian Journal of Higher Education, v37 n1 p95-112 2007

Prior Learning Assessment in Ontario: an Online Scan of PLAR information for Ontario's 24 Publicly Funded Colleges by Rod Missaghian, ONCAT

Prior Learning Assessment Gives Boost to Not Just Students but Schools, Too by Andrew Pelesh, Strada Education Network

Prior Learning Assessment of Immigrants Competences - a Systematic Review by Britta Klages & Lea Sophie Mustafa

Prior Learning Assessment Strategies for Workplace Learning: Translating Practice Into Theory by Robin R. Millar, Sarah Miller, PLA Inside Out

Prior Learning Assessments Done Right by Michael Feldstein, eLiterate

PRIOR LEARNING: UNLOCKING A LITTLE-KNOWN CAREER SUPERPOWER by Susan Forseille, The Canadian Education and Research Institute for Counselling (CERIC)

Quality in Validation of Prior Learning: Experiences from Work with the Nordic Model for Quality in Validation of Prior Learning, Nordic Network for Adult Learning

Recent Developments in Prior Learning by Julie Uranis and Van L. Davis, Prior Learning Assessment Inside Out (PLAIO)

Recognising workplace learning: The emerging practices of e-RPL and e-PR by Roslyn Cameron, Curtin University

Recognition of Learning, WICHE

Recognition of prior learning and experiences as a means to re-integrate early school leavers into education and training by Daniela Ulicna, Anne-Mari Nevala & Jo Hawley, UNESCO

Recognition of Prior Learning by Shalini Singh, Andragoška Spoznanja 25(1):69-87, February 2019

Recognition of Prior Learning: Exploring the 'Knowledge Question' by Linda Cooper and Judy Harris

Recognition of Prior Learning for Highly Skilled Refugees’ Labour Market Integration by Per Andersson

Recognition of Prior Learning in Degree Programs in Practice by Rolf Frischmuth and Ulrich Schmitt

Recognition of prior learning in online postgraduate education by Eva Rimbau-Gilabert, Pilar Ficapal-Cusí

Recognition of Prior Learning: Are We Bridging the Gap between Policy and Practice in the Workplace? by Mary-Jane Makeketa and Mncedisi Christian Maphalala, Mediterranean Journal of Social Sciences 5(1), January 2014

Recognition of prior learning: At a glance by Jo Hargreaves, National Centre for Vocational Education Research

Recognition of prior learning: exploring the ‘knowledge question’ by Linda Cooper and Judy Harris, International Journal of Lifelong Education 32(4), August 2013

Recognition of prior learning: opportunities and challenges for higher education by Jonathan Garnett , Angele Cavaye, Journal of Work-Applied Management

Recognition of Prior Learning: Strategy for Increasing Gross Enrolment Ratio in India by Navita Abrol, Manjulika Srivastava, Shekhar Suman

Recognizing Prior Learning in the COVID-19 Era: Helping Displaced Workers and Students One Credit at a Time by Sarah Leibrandt, Rebecca Klein-Collins, and Patrick Lane, Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE) & Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL)

Recognition of Prior Learning - Normative Assessment or Co-Construction of Preferred Identities? by Jen Hamer, Australian Journal of Adult Learning, v50 n1 p100-115 Apr 2010.

RED CARS: Portfolio Assessment of Experiential Learning as Critical Inquiry by Elizabeth Anne Gauffreau

Revisiting the Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL): A reflective Inquiry into RPL Practice in Canada by Dianne Conrad, Canadian Journal of University Continuing Education, Vol. 34, No. 2, fall 2008, pp. 89-110

Self-efficacy and the recognition of prior learning by Neville Rudman, Paul Webb, Africa Education Review 6(2):283-294, October 2009

Strengthening PLAR: Integrating theory and practice in post-secondary education by Joy Van Kleef, Journal of Applied Research on Learning, Vol. 1, # 2, Article 5, September 2007

THE CASE FOR PRIOR LEARNING ASSESSMENT AND RECOGNITION FOR LABOUR EDUCATION IN CANADA by Bruce Spencer,  Derek Briton, Winston Gereluk, Just Labour – A Canadian Journal of Work and Society

The Current State of Prior Learning Policies by Rosa M. Garcia and Sarah Leibrandt, Prior Learning Assessment Inside Out (PLAIO)

The development of the model for recognition of prior learning for nurses in South Africa by Thembisile Khanyile, Curationis 28(4) September 2005

The E-Portfolio as PLAR and Possibility for Higher Education by Lorayne Robertson

The Four Reasons Your Campus Should be Offering Prior Learning Assessment Credit by Matt Bergman, The EvoLLLution

The impact of e-portfolio development on the employability of adults aged 45 and over by Hilary Stevens, Campus-Wide Information Systems · August 2008

THE PLA BOOST, Results from a 72-Institution Targeted Study of Prior Learning Assessment and Adult Student Outcomes Case Studiesby Rebecca Klein-Collins, Jason Taylor, Carianne Bishop, Peace Bransberger, Patrick Lane, and Sarah Leibrandt, Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE) & Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL)

The Recognition of Non-Formal Education in Higher Education: Where Are We Now, and Are We Learning from Experience? by Judy Harris and Christine Wihak, International Journal of E-learning & Distance Education, Vol. 33, No. 1, 2018

The Recognition of Prior Learning: Validating General Competencies, OECD Social, Employment and  Migration Working Papers

The Role of Language in Portfolio Learning by Dianne Conrad, International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning, 12(1), 109–123

The Significance of Support in Prior Learning Assessment Pursuits by Benjamin Jimenez, Prior Learning Assessment Inside Out (PLAIO)

The Thoughtful Assessment of Prior Learning: Hastening, Ensuring and Enhancing Graduation by David Starr-Glass, PLAIO

Thinking About Brains and PLA: A Conversation with Kathleen Taylor and Catherine Marienau by Nan Travers and Alan Mandell, Prior Learning Assessment Inside Out (PLAIO)

Tools of Assessment in Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) Within Vocational Education in Denmark by Michael Andersen

Transitioning Prior Learning Assessment from Competence-based to Course-based Degrees: A Case Study in Tension and Opportunities by Joseph Chen, Nicholas Hayes

Two PLA Experts Share Their Perspectives on Prior Learning: Findings From 'The PLA Boost' by Becky Klein-Collins, Applied and Experiential Learning, April 2, 2021

Validation of non-formal and informal learning in formal education: Covert and overt by Manuel Souto-Otero, European Journal of Education, 56, 365– 379

Validity in Assessment of Prior Learning by Bjarne Wahlgren, Vibe Aarkrog

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN LEARNING COUNTS? by Rebecca Klein-Collins and Sean Hudson, The Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL)

What Happens When Learning Counts? Measuring the Benefits of Prior Learning Assessment for the Adult Learner by Rebecca Klein-Collins and Sean Hudson, Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL)

What’s in it for me? Recognition of prior learning in enterprise-based registered training organisations by Kaaren Blom, Berwyn Clayton, Andrea Bateman, Marie Bedggood, Elvie Hughes, National Centre for Vocational Education Research

Who Gets the Credit? by Paul Fain, Inside Higher Ed

Case Studies

A Case Study on the Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) by Kim Browning, Canadian Journal for the Study of Adult Education, 32(1)

Case Study of Recognition of Prior Learning in Fisheries Sector by Glory Swarupa, Conference: International Conference on Vision for Agriculture Development and Emerging, November 2019

Effectively Engaging Marginalized Students in Prior Learning Assessment: A Case Study by Rhianna C. Rogers, Michele Forte

Operationalising recognition of prior learning (RPL): a case study from Bahrain Polytechnic by Rodney Coombridge, Shaima Alansari, Learning and Teaching in Higher Education: Gulf Perspectives, January 2019

Valuing recognition of prior learning – Selected case studies of Australian private providers of training by Larry Smith, National Centre for Vocational Education Research

Handbooks

Assessment Using E-Portfolios, Journals, Projects, and Group Work by Dianne Conrad and Jason Openo

Handbook of the Recognition of Prior Learning by Judy Harris, Christine Wihak and Joy Van Kleef, The National Voice of Lifelong Learning (NIACE)

Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) Handbook by Nan Travers, Ph. D.

Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) Learning Package by International Labour Organization

Vol. 1, Quality Assurance in PLAR – Issues and Strategies for Post-Secondary Institutions, Canadian Council of Learning

Vol. 2, Quality Assurance in PLAR 0 – A Guide for Institutions, Canadian Council of Learning

Vol. 3, Quality Assurance in PLAR – Annotated Bibliography, Canadian Council of Learning

Micro-credentials & Badging

10 Key Actions to Ensure Micro-Credentials Meet the Needs of Learners and Employers, TeachOnline.ca

Defining micro-credentials and forging a new path for lifelong learning by Denise Amyot, Canadian Education and Research Institute for Counselling (CERIC)

Making sense of Microcredentials by the Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario

Micro-credentials in flux: Challenges, opportunities and insights from FSC's portfolio, Future Skills Centre

Micro-Credentials, Trends in Credit Transfer and Credentialing by Joanne Duklas, Duklas Cornerstone Consulting Inc. for BC Council on Admissions & Transfer

Micro-credentials are surging in popularity, but how should they be shaped? by Misheck Mwaba, Noel Baldwin, & Steve Richter, Policy Opinion

Miscellaneous

E-discussion on: Recognition of Prior Learning by Ashwani Aggarwal and Albert William Okal, Global Skills for Employment Knowledge Sharing Platform (Global KSP) of the International Labour Organization (ILO)

MAKING THE CASE FOR CREDIT FOR PRIOR LEARNING (CPL) by Pearson

Recognition of Prior Learning in Higher Education Conference by Swedish Council for Higher Education

RPL in Practice by the Swedish Council for Higher Education

Two PLA Experts Share Their Perspectives on Prior Learning: Findings From ‘The PLA Boost’ by Becky Klein-Collins, CAEL

The Power of PLA a PLAIO-sponsored Webinar held on May 19, 2020

Validation of Competencies for Entrepreneurs, hosted by eucen in December 2021