Recognition of Prior Learning in Higher Education

Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) has been identified as a means for enhancing the access to higher education. RPL describes a process used to evaluate skills and knowledge gained through life outside of formal education and training, for the purpose of recognising life achievements against a given set of standards or learning outcomes.

The project “Recognition of Prior Learning in practice (RPLip)”, coordinated by the Swedish Council for Higher Education together with governmental and institutional partners from Austria, Croatia, Iceland, Ireland, Sweden and EURASHE as a representative of professional higher education, aims to learn about the situation, challenges and good practices within RPL in higher education in several European countries and promote different ways of recognising competences for access to further studies and for credits.

EURASHE, together with the Swedish Council for Higher Education and its partners of the RPLip project, is organising the online event “Recognition of Prior Learning in higher education” in the months of October and November 2020, presenting the outcomes of the project and offering a platform to further develop the discussion around quality assured and consistent processes to recognise non-formal and informal learning throughout Europe.

The online event will consist of two webinars:

“Why recognition and validation of prior informal and non-formal learning?” on Tuesday 13 October 2020, 14:30-16:00 CEST on Zoom
“How to validate and recognize prior informal and non-formal learning” on Thursday 5 November 2020, 14:30-16:00 CET on Zoom

Check out the agendas and register for the webinars down below.

Download the framework of the event here.

The first webinar “Why recognition and validation of prior informal and non-formal learning?” will take place on Tuesday 13 October 2020, 14:30-16:00 CEST and will address the key principles of RPL, providing an overview of its formal aspects and looking at examples from two national contexts.

Tuesday 13 October 2020 \| 14:30-16:00 CEST \| Zoom
14:30-14:40	Welcome and context setting
14:40-15:00	Why validation? Formal aspects and key principles of RPL: Council recommendations and Cedefop guidelines, Anders Ahlstrand, Analyst, Swedish Council for Higher Education Results of the RPLip project’s survey, Michal Karpíšek, Secretary General, EURASHE
15:00-15:20	Overview from the national contexts Barbara Birke, Head of Department Analysis and Reports, AQ Austria Đurđica Dragojević, Senior Adviser, Ministry of Science and Education, Croatia
15:20-15:55	Panel discussion Arthur Mettinger, Vice-Rector Academic Affairs, FH Campus Wien, Austria Carme Royo, Executive Director, eucen Irene Sheridan, Head of Extended Campus CIT, Ireland Una Strand Viðarsdóttir, Senior Adviser, Ministry for Education, Science and Culture, Iceland The discussion will be moderated by Anders Ahlstrand, Swedish Council for Higher Education
15:55-16:00	Wrap-up and invitation to the next webinar