by Dianne Conrad
If that sounds like a dramatic statement, it is intended to. The face of adult education is changing both dramatically and quickly, and Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) is one of the prime components of that change. Unhappily, Alberta is not at the forefront of this exciting movement; in fact, our province may very well be bringing up the rear as the rest of Canada moves steadily on toward a fuller recognition of the experience and learning that adults bring to the institutions that they choose to study with.
Because Prior Learning Assessment is fairly rare in Alberta, a definition may be necessary here:
PLA refers to a process which measures learning resulting from experiences other than formal post-secondary courses. Such learning may be acquired through...work experience, volunteering, community involvement, independent reading and self-help projects...Implicit in the process is ascertaining what an adult has learned and whether the learning is equivalent to or exceeds knowledge, skills or competencies commonly identified with outcomes expected in comparable post-secondary credit courses or industry-based training programs. (Paul Zakos, First Nations Technical Institute).
My program, which is the CACE program at the University of Alberta, is one of the few that formally uses a system of PLA, and even our use of it is quite narrow. (Many institutions do, however, make ad hoc or informal agreements with students as they enter programs, thereby giving some recognition and credit to prior, documented learning.) We ask PLA applicants to complete a portfolio, documenting what they know about adult education, regardless of where or how they learned it. The crux of the matter here is demonstrating the knowledge that is already held by the learner. Some other methods of assessment, not currently used by us, are standardized tests, transcripts, challenge exams, challenge demonstrations, oral exams or interviews, performance observation, skill demonstrations or product assessment. Obviously, some of these assessment methods are very time-intensive, hence one of the institutional difficulties in implementing such a system. (Colleges in Ontario have designated a Prior Learning Assessment Facilitator position).
At the recent national Prior Learning Assessment Forum in Ottawa, sponsored by HRD Canada, more than 500 delegates from all walks of Canadian worklife met to share PLA experiences and learn more about various processes that constitute PLA. The community college systems of Newfoundland, Ontario, and Quebec were especially well represented, as were universities from all provinces, all levels of government, and, among many other:
The list goes on and on, and I use it to illustrate the universality of the Prior Learning Assessment concept.
The introduction of PLA concepts challenges the knowledge-producing, credential-issuing mandates of our post-secondary system. Both academically and administratively, it poses many problems for even those who believe that its time has come. But the factors in our current educational world that make PLA look both attractive and timely are many, and will only enlarge in the coming years: more and more members of the ethnic and cultural groups with diverse and international backgrounds will be seeking Canadian employment; demands for improved access to education continue to grow from an increasingly heterogeneous population; technological change is shifting us from a resource-based to an information/service-based society; global economic demands require higher levels of competence to maintain competitiveness; all parts of our society must entertain greater efficiency and accountability in the face of shrinking resources.
Prior Learning Assessment can be one tool to help our adult workforce cope with these pressures. While not a panacea for upgrading our workforce, it is useful, proven and humanitarian course of action that deserves a closer look.
If you have questions about the nature of Prior Learning Assessment, call me at 492-1501 for more information. A national association - CAPLA - has been recently formed to promote the concept and practice of prior learning assessment. Contact Paul Zakos, (613) 396-2122 or Fax (613) 396-2761.
