Learning for Credit
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THE L IFELONG L EARNING N ETWORK FOR THE EAST OF ENGLAND Learning for Credit A Guide to the Accreditation of Work-based Learning in the East of England Part of the Regional Credit Agreement Mick Betts and Lyn Brennan January 2009 M O V E IMPACT M O V E IMPACT M O V E IMPACT M O V E IMPACT M O V E IMPACT M O V E IMPACT M O V E IMPACT M O V E IMPACT M O V E IMPACT M O V E IMPACT IMPACT M O V E IMPACT M O V E IMPACT M O V E IMPACT M O V E I M PA C T MOVE IMPACT M O V E IMPACT M O V E IMPACT M O V E IMPACT M O V E I M PA C T MOVE M O V E IMPACT M O V E IMPACT M O V E IMPACT M O V E IMPACT M O V E IMPACT M O V E IMPACT M O V E IMPACT M O V E IMPACT M O V E IMPACT M O V E IMPACT Mission Statement MOVE’s overarching purpose is to bring about a step change in progression opportunities for vocational learners across the East of England region and to improve opportunities into and through Higher Education at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels. M O V E IMPACT M O V E IMPACT M O V E IMPACT M O V E IMPACT M O V E IMPACT IMPACT M O V E IMPACT M O V E IMPACT M O V E IMPACT M O V E I M PA C T MOVE M O V E IMPACT M O V E IMPACT M O V E IMPACT M O V E IMPACT M O V E IMPACT Foreword There are few companies or businesses in which some kind of in-company training, continuing pro- fessional development (CPD) or other work-based learning is not available to employees. However, much of this is not formally recognised. Accreditation, in the sense explained in this guide, is the process through which this kind of learning is formally recognised by a university or validating agency as having an equivalent credit value in terms of a level and volume (how difficult and how much) to formal learning within their institutions. Units of accredited learning can be freestanding, part of a CPD scheme or built in to a range of standard and bespoke higher education awards and qualifica- tions. This guide explains the processes involved, the benefits to all parties and offers pointers to good practice and achieving successful outcomes. For information about the accreditation of prior and experiential learning – the processes used to en- able the reuse or repurposing of existing formal learning or learning from experience - usually referred to as ‘APEL’ or ‘APCL’ - see the companion volume to this guide called Credit for Learning – A Guide to the Accreditation of Prior Certificated and Experiential Learning in Higher Education in the East of England(Betts and Crichton: 2009) M O V E IMPACT M O V E IMPACT M O V E IMPACT M O V E IMPACT M O V E IMPACT M O V E IMPACT M O V E IMPACT M O V E IMPACT M O V E IMPACT M O V E IMPACT IMPACT M O V E IMPACT M O V E IMPACT M O V E IMPACT M O V E I M PA C T MOVE IMPACT M O V E IMPACT M O V E IMPACT M O V E IMPACT M O V E I M PA C T MOVE M O V E IMPACT M O V E IMPACT M O V E IMPACT M O V E IMPACT M O V E IMPACT M O V E IMPACT M O V E IMPACT M O V E IMPACT M O V E IMPACT M O V E IMPACT Contents Page Section 1 1. Introduction 1 1.1 General 1 1.2 What is meant by accreditation? 1 1.3 How do higher education institutions in the region use the term 1 accreditation? 1.4 What is the purpose of accreditation? 2 1.5 What outcomes may result from accreditation? 2 1.6 What is the extent of accreditation activity? 2 1.7 What is the benefit of credit? 3 1.8 What are the key benefits of accreditation? 3 Section 2 2. Practice – the process of credit rating learning in the work place 4 2.1 General 4 2.2 Identifying learning outcomes 4 2.3 Establishing the level of the learning 5 2.4 Designing assessment requirements and assessment criteria 6 2.5 Identifying learning resources 7 2.6 Establishing quality assurance and enhancement mechanisms 7 2.7 Identifying and training assessors of work-based learning 8 2.8 Management of the programme 9 Section 3 3. Frequently asked questions about regulations for accreditation 10 3.1 Is there a common regulatory framework relating to the accreditation 10 of work-based programmes? 3.2 Can a programme be awarded freestanding general credit? 10 3.3 Is there a limit to how much credit from an external programme can 10 be awarded and at what level? 3.4 Can learners achieve credit if they have completed an external 11 programme of learning prior to it being accredited? 3.5 Does the credit rating of an external programme have to equate to 11 the module size used in the higher education institution or awarding body? M O V E IMPACT M O V E IMPACT M O V E IMPACT M O V E IMPACT M O V E IMPACT IMPACT M O V E IMPACT M O V E IMPACT M O V E IMPACT M O V E I M PA C T MOVE M O V E IMPACT M O V E IMPACT M O V E IMPACT M O V E IMPACT M O V E IMPACT Page Section 4 4. Features and benefits of good accreditation practice 12 4.1 For employers and other providers 12 4.2 For higher education institutions and awarding bodies 13 Appendices 1. The Qualifications and Credit Framework (QCF) 2. Higher Education Institutions and Further Education Colleges in the East of England 3. Credit and qualifications frameworks – an overview 4. Level descriptors 5. Example Programme Specification Form 6. Example Module/Unit Specification Form 7. Glossary of definitions, terms and acronyms M O V E IMPACT M O V E IMPACT M O V E IMPACT M O V E IMPACT M O V E IMPACT M O V E IMPACT M O V E IMPACT M O V E IMPACT M O V E IMPACT M O V E IMPACT IMPACT M O V E IMPACT M O V E IMPACT M O V E IMPACT M O V E I M PA C T MOVE IMPACT M O V E IMPACT M O V E IMPACT M O V E IMPACT M O V E I M PA C T MOVE M O V E IMPACT M O V E IMPACT M O V E IMPACT M O V E IMPACT M O V E IMPACT M O V E IMPACT M O V E IMPACT M O V E IMPACT M O V E IMPACT M O V E IMPACT NEWS NEWS 81 ENGLAND ENGLAND OF OF EAST EAST THE THE FOR FOR ETWORK ETWORK N N EARNING EARNING L L IFELONG IFELONG L L THE THE 1. Introduction 1.1 General This guide deals mainly with the accreditation of learning at higher education levels (FHEQ 4 – 8). The accrediting bodies referred to throughout therefore, would normally be universities or other higher edu- cation institutions. The new Qualifications and Credit Framework (QCF) also offers the opportunity for work-based learning to be accredited at all levels from 1 – 8 but although it is based on similar principles of describing and measuring learning as those described here, its primary purpose in recognising units of learning is to place them within a public, national qualifications and credit framework. More informa- tion about the QCF is available below in appendix 1. 1.2 What is meant by accreditation? Accreditation refers to processes whereby learning that has taken place outside of the university context may be recognised as equivalent to learning achieved within it. In general usage, the term accreditation may be used to describe the kite marking of a programme or of an organisation, in order to establish its fitness for purpose or to affirm the quality or standard of the provision. Although the term is sometimes used in this way within higher education contexts too, it is used in a more restricted sense in this guide to describe the processes whereby universities, awarding bodies or validating agencies, evaluate learning from other providers against the higher education benchmarks of volume and level of credit. Accredited learning may have been achieved through a programme of classroom based activities, open and flexible learning, through structured work-based learning or a combination of these approaches. 1.3 How do higher education institutions in the region use the term accreditation? Universities and colleges in the region (see list of universities and colleges in appendix 2) use the term accreditation to describe: a. Credit rating of programmes delivered by another education provider b. Accreditation of in-company training c. Accreditation of short courses/CPD programmes d. Assessment of work-based learning, either as part of programmes such as foundation degrees or, in a limited number of cases, leading to the award of freestanding Certificates of Credit The term is also used in a similar way by awarding bodies and validating agencies, such as the Open College Network in the Eastern Region (OCNER) and the Cambridge Access Validating Agency (CAVA) to describe: e.