This workshop is designed for conference participants who wish to learn the basic principles and practices associated with prior learning assessment and recognition (PLAR) and portfolio development. By using a case study from BioTalent Canada’s current activities to illustrate how PLAR can be used within a particular industry in Canada, presenters will share their perspectives from theory to practice.
This workshop will cover:

• Introduction to PLAR; clarification of terminology; principles of adult learning and sound assessment practices
• Benefits and challenges of traditional approaches to PLAR; PLAR models in academic institutions and alternative approaches in the workplace
• Resources for PLAR
• Portfolio: what it is; how it can be used; the process and the product; varying approaches
• RPL: the players; their roles; future direction

A number of new programs to recognize and assess immigrant learning have begun over the past few years. The session will provide an opportunity to review some of these innovative practices and to network with others. It will focus on learning initiatives across Canada that address the spectrum of immigrant integration into the workplace. This pre-conference session promises to be interactive and participants will be involved in exploring questions on key issues, good practices, and suggestions for action.

A panel of presenters will set the stage for discussion based on the following topics:

• Market fit and employer choice;
• Post-secondary HR curricula and PLAR;
• Diversity in leadership;
• Mentoring by objectives;
• Onboarding; and
• Advanced language training

CAPLA’s Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) Standards Working Group will host a discussion on the issue of voluntary standards and guidelines for the RPL practitioner and the field of practice. By building on CAPLA’s earlier work on PLAR practitioner benchmarks, the Canadian Labour Force Development Board’s fourteen standards and other relevant research and through exploration of both international and domestic practices, an environmental scan will be developed through knowledge exchange.

The Alliance of Sector Councils’ (TASC) Setting the Standard report, along with selected RPL frameworks will provide the backdrop. Participants will consider the importance of voluntary standards for Canada and the values which underpin a ‘standards-setting’ exercise of this magnitude. Input on policy implications will be encouraged from HRSDC and other jurisdictions. Participants will be asked to speculate on how voluntary standards would support their work, what future activities should follow and what strategic alliances could support further progress. Join us for this important session where we will explore the development of pan Canadian standards and guidelines for RPL practice and practitioners.

Many universities are becoming interested in PLAR for one or more of the following five reasons:

1. Registrars and Admissions Offices are being approached by mid-career adult learners wanting to return to university with significant prior learning (formal, informal and non-formal) thereby requesting status exemptions to expedite their accreditation process.
2. Particular programs and disciplines are using PLAR to evaluate the professional competencies required for practice, especially where academic programs are aligned with regulatory practices involving immigrants.
3. PLAR and related areas (informal learning, immigrant knowledge/ skills/ abilities, workplace learning) are attracting academic researchers from the university community.
4. Continuing Education departments are assumed to be the best location for PLAR within the university because of the part-time delivery of program for a predominantly adult population.
5. Universities are looking for new markets. Efforts to attract non-traditional, adult learners can utilize PLAR for the purposes of recruitment and retention.

   Members of CAPLA’s University Liaison Working Group will lead a discussion on these and other issues in a full day session dedicated to PLAR strategic planning, implementation, networking, succession planning and corporate memory. Representatives from post-secondary institutions from across Canada will be facilitating discussions — they include: University of New Brunswick, Capilano University, University of the Fraser Valley, Thompson Rivers University - Open Learning, University of Manitoba and Mount Royal College.

This workshop will highlight the Why, the Who, the How and the Where To of current efforts within the Canadian culinary sector to develop an overall framework of qualifications. The Canadian Culinary Federation, educators, and industry members initiated the project through the coordination of CTHRC. The framework model will be presented. Discussions will focus on how a Qualifications Framework can benefit FCR processes as well as provide a tool for employers and individuals entering and advancing in the industry. Filling gaps identified through Credential assessment may be done through recognition of current skills and abilities (PLAR/ RPL) at post-secondary institutions. Results of a PLAR policies and procedures scan at post-secondary institutions across the country done in partnership with CAPLA will be presented and implications discussed.

In 2001, Manitoba began to implement its cross-system PLAR Policy Framework which has undergone considerable development and can be said to have engaged many in a learning cycle unto itself. PLAR is now the standard in Manitoba and has become as familiar and comfortable as old slippers. Much has been learned and many new people are now in job positions who did not ride the initial energy wave. So, in early 2008, the government coordinating committee decided to re-energize PLAR in Manitoba. This presentation will talk about three priority strategies and several key projects in Manitoba.

This workshop offers a brief introduction to prior learning assessment and recognition (PLAR). Participants will be introduced to the principles and practices of PLAR, and the roles and responsibilities related to PLAR. PLAR resources will be discussed and questions will be encouraged.

Portfolios of learning are an integral part of PLAR at Red River College. The evolution of the portfolio at RRC includes development of a portfolio course, integration of professional portfolios in College programs, and implementation of online and ePortfolios. This workshop will share the scope of portfolio use and practice and the supports in place to develop and maintain on site, on line and Train the Trainer approaches. Innovations and challenges of more than a decade of portfolio use and practice at RRC will be shared.

Over the past few years, there have been major initiatives in Ontario aimed at facilitating the assessment and recognition of international credentials. These have included the implementation of measures to improve academic credit recognition in Ontario community colleges through the Colleges Integrating Immigrants to Employment project, the establishment of the Office of the Fairness Commissioner in Ontario to ensure fair access to regulated professions, and the development of on-line assessment and research tools by World Education Services. The workshop will outline how these initiatives have been developed and are being implemented, and will reflect on the extent to which they have been successful.

As a movement, PLAR is now more than 40 years old in North America. During this time, hundreds of different models have been developed, tested and implemented. While there is ample evidence of individual successes, what has been—or will be—the long term impact of PLAR on our education, economic, community and government systems? Can PLAR fulfill its original promise? This presentation will investigate some possible answers to these compelling questions.

Holland College, like many Community Colleges, has been involved with recognizing prior learning in many ways over many years. With this continued commitment, Holland College is building capacity for its programs to pursue program-based PLAR for learners. As this initiative moves forward, faculty and management are examining the impacts of program-based PLAR for learners, human resources, learner demographics, finance, assessment, and internal/ external PLAR communication elements. This session will offer an overview of Holland College’s journey to date including a forum to discuss successes, potential challenges, and ideas regarding the implementation of RPL.

The International Qualification Assessment Service (IQAS) of Alberta Employment and Immigration is developing International Education Guides that will provide a comprehensive overview of information on international educational systems and credentials. This initiative has been developed to encourage the sharing of information and knowledge on the evaluation of international education within Canada. The International Guides (IEG’s) contain recommendations on the level of recognition for benchmark credentials from other countries. Decision makers like employers, professional regulatory bodies and educational institutions will be able to use these guides to make informed and timely decisions regarding the assessment of international educational credentials. The presentation will focus on this initiative as a key strategy to promote consistent and fair recognition of international credentials. It will provide a detailed look at the IEGs as a useful tool for employers, professional regulatory bodies and educational institutions.

Internationally trained immigrants (ITIs) often spend more time than necessary in college programs because they are unable to receive credit for all of their previous learning. Timely, practical, and holistic assessment of an ITI’s knowledge and skills are not readily available at Ontario colleges. This session will present the Colleges Integrating Immigrants to Employment (CIITE) Competency Assessment Activity, which has developed processes, tools, and services for competency assessment at Ontario colleges. Competency assessment will practically assess an applicant’s skills and knowledge against program/professional outcomes.

Twelve public colleges located on Montreal island recently created a Recognition of Prior Learning and Competencies (RAC) centre. Its mission will be to act as a main entry point for those who require RPLC services, to coordinate actions between Montreal’s colleges and the regional partners, and to support local college authorities in the implementation of their Recognition of Prior Learning and Competencies (RAC) activities on both a strategic and technical level. The Centre’s Executive Director Guy Fortier will share information about the specifics of RPLC in Montréal, the process of implementation of the Centre, the roles and responsibilities for both the Centre and the colleges, as well as past experiences and current projects that are continuing.

Meaningful and gainful employment in the profession of choice is what most internationally educated people seek when they arrive in Canada. The opportunity exists to improve the College of Midwives of Manitoba (CMM’s) current Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) process. This presentation will provide an overview of the findings to date on a study that identifies the criteria for a mentoring program to be established within the current assessment process at the CMM. Key stakeholders including internationally educated professionals, registered midwives, immigrant serving agencies and others participated in this research project that attempts to find a process to facilitate the transition to registered practice in Manitoba.

There is growing evidence to suggest significant skill shortages in the trades in Canada. The need to look at more effective ways of recognizing prior learning will be the focus of this workshop. Panelists from three provinces will examine a number of recognition of prior learning (RPL) issues and will share their perspectives on innovative tools, accessible processes, barriers and public policy. Participants will be able to ask questions of the panelists, will network with others and will share new approaches to RPL in the trades.

This tripartite committee of business, labour and government has been in existence since 2001 and has done many research and development projects. This year the committee considers the nature of industry PLAR in the year 2008. Hear the highlights of key industry drivers and considerations for PLAR from business and labour perspectives. Get a retrospective of the committee’s projects and key lessons learned.

This workshop will provide an overview of the collaborative work of the Alberta Government, Employment and Immigration and the Chamber of Commerce Talent Pool to help employers more effectively evaluate the qualifications of professional/skilled immigrants. The work includes learning events for employers and building tools, with their guidance to facilitate the full employment of immigrants.

The Department of continuing education of the Université de Bretagne sud (UBS) – France is developing a process (which is subject to a law) of validation of experiential learning (VEL) for adults. To assist these candidates and help them obtain recognition of their previous learning and competencies, a mentoring process with an advisor has been advocated and structured. Various procedures (portfolio, jury, evaluation) have been implemented for quality assurance purposes. Since 2001, 328 persons have thus obtained partial or full VEL. Of those, 103 persons have received a university degree without any further education. VEL thus allows for a new perspective on the official recognition of experiential learning of adults.

The vision of the electronic portfolio is rapidly becoming reality, and rapidly evolving at the same time. When your smartphone can capture your ad hoc skills demonstration (or reflection in context), and when you can easily share your media assets on websites like YouTube and Facebook, ePortfolio starts becoming a way of looking at your place in the digital world, rather than being confined to a walled garden in a post-secondary institution. We will look at this phenomenon through the lens of international practice and examples from projects based out of Learning Agents innovative eStudios in Winnipeg.

Thompson Rivers University (TRU) in Kamloops, BC, is a unique institution, offering programs that range from vocational training to Masters degrees, delivered via both campus-based education and distance education. TRU’s PLAR policy and procedures have been crafted to serve students participating in any of TRU’s highly varied course and program offerings, and involve both course-based and program-based approaches. In this session, current issues and barriers to PLAR at TRU will be discussed, and PLAR data such as participation rates, PLAR fees, faculty compensation, and types of courses/programs that most commonly employ PLAR will be presented.

CAPLA recently received funding from the Adult Learning Knowledge Centre of the Canadian Council on Learning (CCL) to conduct a study to determine the effectiveness of prior learning assessment and recognition. 39 interviews were conducted with PLAR users, PLAR service providers and PLAR-knowledgeable community members from across Canada. In this session Bonnie Kennedy, Executive Director of CAPLA and Sandra Aarts, EPLARS Project Coordinator will describe the study and provide a sneak preview of results.

Young at risk adults are those who are at risk of or who have disengaged from community, education or employment. PLAR with Young at risk Adults holds the potential to build awareness of, confidence in and articulateness about what the person knows and is good at. This workshop will share the results of a 3 year project implementing a PLAR process with Young at risk Adults ages 18 - 29 years. The presentation will discuss the PLAR process implemented and the impact it had on the participants (including agency staff who piloted the tools and the Young Adults who participated).

This presentation will provide findings from the graduate study research project about the effects of PLAR on adult learner access, retention, and success at Adult Learning Centres in Manitoba. The adult learners who were interviewed were early school leavers who had dropped out of school for a variety of reasons but had returned to school with a goal of receiving a high school diploma. The research makes an argument for the benefits of PLAR for adult learners returning to an ALC to complete high school level credits. PLAR services can assist adult learners to get the credit they deserve and not to repeat what they already know and can do.

The Department of National Defence in Transition program is designed for military and civilian members who are making a career transition. Participants identify their many transferable skills they have acquired over years of life experience at work, home, leisure and volunteer activities. The process of self reflection gives participants clarity and a sense of direction as they plan for their future. Upon completion of the program, participants have a portfolio, a binder of documents, letters and certificates that demonstrate their learning. The process builds confidence because participants can articulate their skills and demonstrate their learning.

In addition this program addresses the specific issues of transition from a military work environment to a civilian workplace. Participants look at their personal attitudes towards change and their assumptions and biases. The program is built on an Essential Skills platform. Participants learn the language of the workplace and are prepared to communicate their skills and abilities to employers using language appropriate to the job.

This session will highlight lessons learned from a feasibility study led by SIAST’s Business Development and International Partnership Department (BDIP). In Saskatchewan skill shortages in some trades have reached critical levels and many employers are using the Immigrant Nominee Program to recruit foreign trained workers. To assist employers ensure workers recruited from overseas have the skills and knowledge needed by Saskatchewan workplaces, SIAST piloted a new strategy of assessing the prior learning of tradespersons in their own country prior to immigration.

This workshop will provide an overview and share the results of the CAPLA Pre conference workshop on Standards and Guidelines for PLAR. The workshop will update participants on the exploration of voluntary standards and guidelines for the RPL practitioner and the field of practice. The Alliance of Sector Councils’ (TASC) Setting the Standard report, along with selected RPL frameworks will be highlighted. Join us to hear about the next steps and strategies identified in the pre conference session, as CAPLA moves forward on this important pan Canadian standards setting initiative.

Canadian PLAR practitioners and researchers who might envision a network of collegial interaction and support need look no further than Manitoba’s MPLAN organization. Founded in 1996, MPLAN Manitoba Prior Learning Assessment Network offers PLAR professionals a comprehensive network of resources and collaborative opportunities. This session aims to introduce the successful MPLAN model to other Canadian practitioners who fantasize that they too, some day, might benefit from membership in similar organizations in their particular region.

Have you ever wished it was easier to conduct assessment by distance? Are you frustrated with the limitations of conventional PLAR assessment practices? Would you like to have a PLAR system that can upload video demonstrations, incorporate audio explanations and input written text using the type of digital camera and audio equipment that most people have in their own homes? The Centre for Education and Work and Dojo Learning have produced some exciting and easy-to-use materials for on-line PLAR. Come and learn how easily you can incorporate multi-media into your assessment practices. It’s all on-line and very user-friendly.

The focus of this presentation will be on authentic assessment approaches that encourage students to reflect on their prior learning and to obtain recognition for achievement. This interactive presentation will showcase a variety of processes and development tools that SIAST employs. These tools support faculty in developing authentic assessments for recognizing student’s prior learning. Participants will have an opportunity to examine these tools and explore ways to adapt them to their own program needs.

Work-related informal learning often comprises a portion of the learning that individuals put forward for assessment and recognition through the PLAR process. This presentation will focus on the findings of a major synthesis research and stakeholder consultation project CAPLA has completed for the WLKC with Dr Christine Wihak as the principal researcher. The project involved synthesis research on definitions of informal learning used in academic literature and in the workplace, and the extent of such learning in the Canadian workplace. Included as well was a stakeholder consultation on how it can be better supported, assessed and recognized. Findings have implications for involving more individuals in PLAR.

The Raymond G. Chang School for Continuing Education, with the School of Nursing at Ryerson University, has a web-based Prior Learning, Assessment, and Recognition Nursing Degree Equivalency Tool to assess Registered Nurse (RN) degree equivalency of Internationally Educated Nurses (IEN). This accessible, affordable PLAR facilitates IEN eligibility for future RN employment in Ontario; and thereby addresses the nursing shortage. It also serves as an online PLAR template for other disciplines to develop their respective PLAR tools. Parallel research develops and tests benchmark PLAR responses to assess future IEN experiential learning for degree equivalency. The study’s phase one is presented.

Igniting the Power Within is a remarkable partnership between First Nations, Metis and government that’s delivering a series of four-level certification workshops focusing on workplace Essential Skills and PLAR-related information our training is tailored specifically for Aboriginal people. Materials and methods developed specifically for certification training are breaking new ground in terms of developing a metaphor for building portfolios in the Aboriginal community. These materials and methods have been subsequently trialed in Aboriginal communities, and the response is positive. Our workshops deliver the message that formal and in-formal learning experiences build self-awareness and personal strengths leading to learning and employment.

At the CAPLA Recognizing Learning Forums in 2003 and 2006, we shared our college wide PLAR vision and PLAR Strategic Plans for 1999-2004 and 2005-2010. Join us for this session, as we provide an update on the outcomes, successes, our learning and some of challenges we still face, midway through our second PLAR Strategic Plan (2005-2010). We’ll share the views and voices of faculty, staff and learners on where we are, after almost a decade of strategically planning for PLAR. We’ll also explore some of the new initiatives that have been implemented — a spin off to some of the strategic planning outcomes. Are we there yet?

Five years after a forum started the dialogue needed to develop a PLAR strategy, a comprehensive PLAR approach has been built to address labour market shortages and entry-to-practice standards in Nova Scotia’s Continuing Care Sector. Now, various methods of PLAR (modified portfolio, equivalency, course recognition) are employed to recognize experiential, informal, and formal learning of direct-care providers. A bursary program and strategies to fill education gaps are under development. Industry support is growing. This session will look at the building blocks of this ground-breaking initiative, the successes celebrated and challenges encountered, and the significance of collaboration and industry buy-in.

In Québec, all teachers in a vocational program must have experience in their trade before they can start teaching. Since 2003, they must also obtain 120 credits in specialized teaching training; they may be credited up to one quarter of the total program for their work experience. They receive university credits recognizing the vocational skills acquired through their years of practice of their trade; this recognition follows a structured process and is the equivalent of the vocational aspect of their training. We will be explaining this innovative process in detail as well as the perspectives for its application.

Our International Prior Learning Assessment Network (IPLAN) workshop will discuss quality standards, identification of assessor/advisor competencies and how training of advisors/assessors fits within quality standards. Gail Hall, Coordinator of www.recognitionforlearning.ca will provide an overview of CAPLA’s PLAR advisor and assessor competency listings, and a summary of discussion on Canadian standards from the pre-conference workshop. Erik Kaemingk, Director of the Knowledge Centre for Accreditation of Prior Learning (APL) in the Netherlands will share insights on the development of their national Quality Code, their process of accrediting APL providers, and responsibility for training within accredited organizations. Discussion and sharing of resources and experience will then take place with Canadian and international conference workshop delegates, as well as online participants.

This workshop highlights a unique and innovative program and partnership taking place at the University of the Fraser Valley. The voices we wanted to hear were those of our staff colleagues. This portfolio learning initiative created a community experience that supported and facilitated staff to articulate what they know and can do. The inaugural group, which included faculty as well as staff, felt valued and respected as they found their voices and revealed their significant contributions. The results, which will be shared with workshop participants through dialogue and video, were remarkable. Participants utilised portfolio learning to compete successfully for new positions; they also used portfolio learning to rediscover and pursue skills and passions they had put aside in the workplace. The workshop will apply lessons learned at UFV to the issues of recruitment, retention and succession facing Canadian universities and will illustrate the contribution of portfolio learning to the vision of an inclusive post secondary learning community: students, staff and faculty.

The Canadian Council on Learning commissioned the PLA Centre to prepare a report on the state of development of PLAR in Canada and a review of exemplary models in Canada and abroad. Paul Cappon will present key findings of the report and examine new directions in the development and application of PLAR in Canada.

This highly interactive session will give participants an opportunity to share their own experiences and explore issues in high-stakes assessments—that is, assessments in which public health and safety are of paramount importance. By reviewing successful examples in pharmacy, midwifery, and other professions, key elements of good practice will be identified.

Workplace Integration of Newcomers (WIN) is an employer-driven and competency-based approach to preparing skilled immigrants for employment in high-demand occupations. Key elements of WIN include: customized competency profiles; flexible, hands-on assessment; targeted and individualized training in technical and language skills; provision of participant supports; and documentation of participant skills. This presentation will describe a flexible approach to meeting the needs of both skilled newcomers and employers within a system for matching newcomers with appropriate employment. Tools and strategies for successfully engaging employers as partners and enhancing their capacity to assess and train newcomers within a competency-based model will be presented.

The Office of the Fairness Commissioner ensures that regulated professions in Ontario use fair registration and licensing practices. In this session, you will hear the results of the first-ever questionnaire compiling information from the qualification assessment agencies used by Ontario regulators. These agencies affect access to the professions because they assess degree equivalency, occupation-specific credentials, competency and prior learning and set exams that are used to make registration decisions. The office administered the questionnaire in spring 2008.

It has been seven years since CAPLA issued the Halifax Declaration on the Recognition of Prior Learning. A lot has happened since then, but are we really any farther ahead? What is the current state of play in PLAR/RPL across Canada? What’s happening internationally? What should the next steps be and who should do what? The co-directors and authors of the Pan-Canadian PLAR Framework Report – to be presented earlier in the day by the Canadian Council on Learning’s Dr. Paul Cappon – will be available, along with a number of other contributors, to answer questions and discuss the implications of their findings and conclusions. Join Mary Morrissey and Douglas Myers and their colleagues for a lively and stimulating workshop discussion.

The purpose of the family portfolio program is to facilitate the creation of family and community portfolios relevant for personal growth, community development, and cultural expression in order to promote literacy development. In this project, school children and their parents work together to develop their own portfolio and a family portfolio that focuses on the documentation of personal and family strengths, goals and values. One aspect of portfolio development is the articulation of educational and occupational goals through the identification of strengths and interests for both the children and their parents.

The presenter will provide an update on the progress of a three year project by the Apprenticeship Section, PEI Department of Innovation and Advanced Learning with funding through the HRSDC Pan Canadian Innovations Initiative. This session will highlight the following tools being developed through The Path to Success Project

• Technical Skills Inventory
• Technical Skills Record
• Essential Skills Contextualized Inventory
• Essential Skills Contextualized Curriculum

Athabasca University implements one of the few system-wide PLAR applications at university level in Canada. The AU process is huge, involving every aspect and touching on every challenge in post secondary education. How do we do it? This session will feature three of the Centre for Learning Accreditation’s staff, all of whom work front-line with AU’s PLAR. All phases of the AU process will be covered: advising and counseling, mentoring, assessment, assessor training, portfolio preparation, costs, and policy development. Additionally, these thorny issues will be addressed through the inclusion of mini-case studies:

• “Feeling the love” with faculty: Workload, push-back, policy
• Positioning PLAR within the institution: A delicate dance
• Marketing PLAR to learners: PLAR as a best-kept secret
• Nurturing, kicking, and screaming: Mentoring learners through PLAR

This interactive workshop will outline benefits and inventive approaches in incorporating PLAR training specifically to newcomers in small centres. The facilitator will present a program case study published by the Centre for Canadian Language Benchmarks included in Work Ready CLB Resource Kit for Counselling and Hiring Immigrants. The workshop will explore ways in which PLAR practices, such as e-portfolio development can help provide new opportunities for exchange and learning within the Atlantic regional ELT programs.

Twelve PLAR graduates from the Bachelor of Professional Arts degree compare favourably to non-PLAR graduates at Athabasca University. In general, PLAR graduates take fewer courses than non-PLAR graduates and have a higher Grade Point Average than non-PLAR grads. Individuals from both groupings have gone on to post-graduate study. These findings are of interest because few studies of the success of PLAR recipients have been based on comparisons of academic success. The findings have policy implications for residency and profiling graduates.

People present information about their skills and abilities in the form of stories. Storytelling is a way to engage both cognitions and emotions and it is a natural way to share human experience. This presentation will focus on the storytelling dialogue and its importance within the prior learning assessment process.

What’s happening with PLAR in Alberta’s advanced learning system? This presentation will outline the work the Government of Alberta, through the Ministry of Advanced Education and Technology, has undertaken in collaboration with the Alberta Council on Admissions and Transfer and the post-secondary and community adult learning systems, in support of PLAR initiatives in the province. Session participants will hear how action is being taken to benefit learners.

With the focus on skills and learning, PLAR has a growing role to play in education, career, and training. Yet many people are not aware of PLAR. How do PLAR practitioners spread the word to people who are not familiar with Prior Learning as a whole? This presentation will review the development process of PLAR promotional tools designed for young at risk adults. The presentation will include a discussion of design tools used (software and shareware), the value of field testing, finished products, and the opportunity to explore designing promotional tools for your workplace.

Norman Amundson, well known Canadian author and international expert in the field of career development will speak about how the recognition of prior learning (RPL) can benefit Canada, its citizens and its champions.

CAPLA is grateful to the Conference Board of Canada for sponsoring the closing reception of CAPLA’s international conference on prior learning assessment and qualification recognition, in collaboration with Conference Board’s Leader’s Roundtable on Immigration.