Vocational Education & Training in Canada

March 20, 2015

Career Counselling Competencies

April 14, 2015

Published by Sharon Ferriss on March 20, 2015

Prior Learning Assessment Recognition

Topics covered include:

Best practices in prior learning assessment;
Portfolio learning;
Research in prior learning;
Prior learning assessment and post-secondary education;
Models and tools;
and more.

Literature Search

Prior Learning Assessment Recognition

Updated June 2023

English Resources

Aarkrog, V., Wahlgren, B. (2015). Assessment of Prior Learning in Adult Vocational Education and Training. International Journal for Research in Vocational Education and Training, Vol.2(1): 39-58.

Academica group. (2015). Taking the pulse of work-integrated learning in Canada. Business Council of Canada, Business/Education Higher Roundtable.

Andersen, M. (2016). Tools of Assessment in Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) Within Vocational Education in Denmark. Prior Learning Assessment Inside Out, PLAIO.

Anderson, P., Fejes, A., and Sandberg, F. (2013). Introducing research on recognition of prior learning. International Journal of Lifelong Education, (32), 4, 405-411.

Andersson, P. (2020). Recognition of Prior Learning for Highly Skilled Refugees’ Labour Market Integration. International Migration, Vol.59(4):13-25.

Andersson, P., Fejes, A. (2012). Effects of Recognition of Prior Learning as Perceived by Different Stakeholders. Prior Learning Assessment Inside Out, PLAIO, Vol.1(2).

Barrington, G.V. (2005). Best Practices in Prior Learning Assessment Recognition (PLAR). Final Report. Barrington Research Group Inc.

Bates, T. (2012). Is Prior Learning Assessment Coming of Age?. Inside Higher Education.

Baumeler, C., Engelage, S., Hämmerli, C. & Salzmann, P. (2023). Recognition of Prior Learning in Professional Education from an Organisational Perspective, International Journal of Lifelong Education, Vol.42(2): 208-221 (behind pay wall).

Brenner, A., Goodman, S., Meadows, A. & Cooper, L. (2022). From Prior Learning Assessment to Specialised Pedagogy: Facilitating Student Transition through RPL Assessment and Selection. Studies in Continuing Education, Vol.44(3): 425-440 (behind pay wall).

Browning, K. (2020). A Case Study on the Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL): Perceptions of University Faculty. The Canadian Journal for the Study of Adult Education/ La revue Canadienne pour l’étude de l’education des adultes (CJSAE), Vol.32(1).

Browning, K.F. (2018). Faculty Perceptions of Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition: A University Case Study. PhD Thesis, Faculty of Education, University of Manitoba.

Canadian Association for Prior Learning (n.d). What is Prior Learning Assessment & Recognition (PLAR)/Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL)?

Canadian University Survey Consortium (2021). 2021 Graduating Student Survey Master Report

Comeau, C., Hall, C., (2018). Informal Learning: A Spotlight on Hidden Learning in the Canadian Workplace. The Conference Board of Canada (behind pay wall).

Conrad, D. (2008). Building Knowledge through Portfolio Learning in Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition. Quarterly Review of Distance Education, v9 n2 p139-150.

Conrad, D. (2011). The Landscape of Prior Learning Assessment: A Sampling from a Diverse Field. International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning. Vol. 12.1.

Cooper, L., Harris, J. (2013). Recognition of prior learning: exploring the “knowledge question”. International Journal of Lifelong Education, Vol. 32(4): 447-463 (behind pay wall).

Day, M. (2017). Influencing Practice through the Development of Clear and Transparent Guidelines for the Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL). Athens Journal of Health.

Delleville, V. A. (2019). Enhancing Adult Student Outcomes and Employability with Prior Learning Assessment. New Directions For Adult and Continuing Education, No. 163: 83-93 (behind pay wall).

Dressman, M., Sadler, R.W. (eds.) (2020). The Handbook of Informal Language Learning. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.

Dyson, C., Keating, J. (2011).Recognition of prior learning. Policy and practice for skills learned at work: Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa, United States. International Labour Office – Geneva.

Fain, P. (2012). College Credit without College. Inside Higher Education.

Gadoua, D. (2009). PLAR Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition. The Voice. Vol. 23(8).

Garneau, E. (2011). How to Make Prior Learning Assessment Credit Work for You. Education Insider News.

Garnett, J., Cavaye, A. (2015). Recognition of prior learning: opportunities and challenges for higher education. Journal of Work-Applied Management, Vol. 7 (1): 28-37.

Goldstein, A.D. (2020). HBCUs and Prior Learning Assessments. Recognition of Prior Learning in the 21st Century. Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education.

Government of Manitoba (2012). Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) Manual.

Guo, S. & Shan, H. (2013). The Politics of Recognition: Critical Discourse Analysis of Recent PLAR Policies for Immigrant Professionals in Canada. International Journal of Lifelong Education, Vol. 32(4): 464-480 (behind paywall).

Hamer, J. (2016). Assessment Philosophy: A Critically Conscious Tool for Ethical Skills. Prior Learning Assessment Inside Out, PLAIO.

Harris, J., Wihak, C. (2017). To What Extent Do Discipline, Knowledge Domain and Curriculum Affect the Feasibility of the Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) in Higher Education?, International Journal of Lifelong Education, Vol. 36(6): 696-712 (behind paywall).

Harris, Judy (2018). Prior Learning Assessment: Does Dewey’s Theory Offer Insight? New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education (158):77 86.

Heinonen, A., Satu, T. (2020). Enhancing Assessment in the Recognition of Prior Learning with Digitalisation. Language Learning in Higher Education, Vol. 10(2): 403-420.

Heinrich, W.F., Rivera, J.E. (2016). A Framework for PLA in Traditional Higher Education: Experiential Learning Assessment for Embedded Outcomes. Prior Learning Assessment Inside Out, PLAIO.

Hlongwane, I. (2019). Legislative Framework for Implementing Recognition of Prior Learning. Higher Education, Skills and Work-Based Learning, Vol. 9(4): 775-787 (behind paywall).

Hlongwane, I. (2019). Recognition of Prior Learning as an Access Tool. Higher Education, Skills and Work-Based Learning, Vol. 9(4): 563-570 (behind paywall).

Hoffman, M. (2012). Bringing Prior Learning Assessment into Higher Education’s Mainstream. Centre for Educational Measurement, Excelsior College.

International Labour Office (2018). Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) Learning Package. Geneva.

International Labour Organization (2020). How to Facilitate the Recognition of Skills of Migrant Workers. Guide for Employment Services Providers.

Jiri, B. (2016). Understanding the Potential Impact of Skills Recognition Systems on Labour Markets: Research Report. International Labour Organization.

Kalz, M., van Bruggen, J., Giesbers, B., Waterink, W., Eshuis, J., Koper, R. (2012). A Model for New Linkages for Prior Learning Assessment. Campus-Wide Information Systems, Vol. 25(4): 233-243 (behind paywall).

Kawalilak, C., and Wihak, C. (2013). Adjusting the Fulcrum: How Prior Learning is Recognized and Regarded in University Adult Education Contexts. College Quarterly, Vol.16(1).

Kennedy, B. (2003). A Spring 2003 Snapshot: The Current Status of Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition (PLAR) in Canada’s Public Postsecondary Institutions: Part One. Council of Ministers of Education, Canada (CMEC).

Kilgore, W. (2020). An Examination of Prior Learning Assessment Policy and Practice as Experienced by Academic Records Professionals and Students. Recognition of Prior Learning in the 21st Century. Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education.

Kitto,K., Sarathy,N., Gromov, A., Liu, M., Musial, K., Buckingham Shum, S. (2020). Towards Skills-Based Curriculum Analytics: Can We Automate the Recognition of Prior Learning? In Proceedings of the Tenth International Conference on Learning Analytics & Knowledge (LAK '20). Association for Computing Machinery, New York, NY, USA, 171–180 (behind paywall).

Klein-Collins, R., & Wertheim, J.B. (2013). The Growing Importance of Prior Learning Assessment in the Degree-Completion Toolkit. New Directions in Adult & Continuing Education, Wiley Periodicals.

Klein-Collins, R., Travers, N. (2020). Learning Recognition and the Future of Higher Education – A Vision for a Post-Pandemic Learning Ecosystem. Recognition of Prior Learning in the 21st Century. Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education.

Mandell, A., Travers, N.L. (2016). Assessment in the Recognition of Prior Learning. Prior Learning Assessment Inside Out, PLAIO.

Maurer, M. (2021). The “Recognition of Prior Learning” in Vocational Educational and Training Systems of Lower and Middle Income Countries: An Analysis of the Role of Development Cooperation in the Diffusion of the Concept. Research in Comparative & International Education,
Vol.16(4): 469-487.

Maurer, M. (2023). Recognizing Prior Learning in Vocational Education and Training: Global Ambitions and Actual Implementation in Four Countries. Comparative Education, Vol.59(1): 1-17.

Meghnagi, M., Tuccio, M. (2022). The recognition of prior learning: Validating general competences. OECD Social, Employment and Migration Working Papers, No. 270, OECD Publishing, Paris.

Moss, L. (2007). Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition (PLAR) and the Impact of Globalization: a Canadian Case Study. McGill University.

Moss, L. The Recognition of Prior Learning in Quebec: Current Practices. McGill Journal of Education, Vol.46 (3): 395-406.

Naudé, L. (2016). Rethinking the Role of RPL Assessment Within an Interactive Activity System. Prior Learning Assessment Inside Out, PLAIO.

Pearson, W.S. (2000). Enhancing Adult Student Persistence: The Relationship Between Prior Learning Assessment and Persistence Toward the Baccalaureate Degree. Iowa State University.

Peruniak, G., Powell, R. (2007). Back Eddies of Learning in the Recognition of Prior Learning: A Case Study. Canadian Journal of University Continuing Education. Vol. 33(1): 83-106.

Pokorny, H., Fox, S., Griffiths, D. (2017). Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) as a Pedagogical Pragmatism. Widening Participation and Lifelong Learning, Vol.19(3): 18-30.

Robertson, L.H. (2011). An Application of PLAR to the Development of the Aboriginal self : One College’s Experience. Athabasca University Press, The International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning, 12(1), 96–108.

Rogers, R.C., Forte, M. (2016). Effectively Engaging Marginalized Students in Prior Learning Assessment : A Case Study. Prior Learning Assessment Inside Out, PLAIO.

Sandberg, F. & Kubiak, C. (2013). Recognition of Prior learning, Self-Realisation and Identity within Axel Honneth’s Theory of Recognition. Studies in Continuing Education, Vol. 35(3):351-363 (behind paywall).

Sanséau, P-Y., Ansart, S. (2013). Accreditation of Prior Experiential Learning as a Catalyst for Lifelong Learning : Analysis and Proposals Based on French Experiments. Journal of International Education Research – Fourth Quarter, Vol.9 (4):317-328.

Sasi, A. (2016 ). Recognition of Prior Learning: Making them Industry-Ready. Indian Express Nation (behind paywall).

Sheridan, I., and Linehan, M. (Eds). (2012). Recognition of Prior Learning. A Focus on Practice. Education in Employment Project.

Snyman, M., & van den Berg, G. (2018). The Significance of the Learner Profile in Recognition of Prior Learning. Adult Education Quarterly, Vol.68(1): 24–40 (behind paywall).

Spencer, B. (2008). Have We Got an Adult Education Model for PLAR? Online proceedings of the Canadian Association for the Study of Adult Education (CASAE), Athabasca University.

Starr-Glass, D. (2016). The Thoughtful Assessment of Prior Learning: Hastening, Ensuring and Enhancing Graduation. Prior Learning Assessment Inside Out, PLAIO.

Stephens, S. (2022). Recognition of Prior Learning: Implications for Quality Assurance in Higher Education. Quality Assurance in Education, Vol. 30(4): 495-506 (behind paywall).

Stevens, K.A. (2016). Prior Learning and Ways of Knowing. Prior Learning Assessment Inside Out, PLAIO, No. 5.

Toronto District School Board (n.d). Prior Learning Assessment & Recognition (PLAR).

Travers, N.L., and Mandell, A. (2014). Back to Work: PLA/PLAR and Workplace Learning. Prior Learning Assessment Inside Out, PLAIO, Vol. 2(2).

Tuomainen, Satu. 2018. Examination as the Method in the Recognition of Prior Language Learning. International Journal of Lifelong Education, Vol. 37(6): 676–688 (behind paywall).

Van Kleef, J. (2007). Strengthening PLAR: Integrating theory and practice in post-secondary education. Journal of Applied Research on Learning, Vol. 1(2), Article 5:1-22.

Van Kleef, J. (2012). PLAR: Finding Quality in the Dynamics of Social Practice. Prior Learning Assessment Inside Out, PLAIO, Vol.1 (2).

Wahlgren, B., Aarkrog, V. (2015). Validity in Assessment of Prior Learning. US-China Education Review, Vol. 5(10): 672-681.

Wihak, C. (2005). State of the Field Review: Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition (PLAR). University of Calgary.

Wihak, C. (2011). Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition: Emergence of a Canadian Community of Scholars. The International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning, Vol. 12(1): 144-150.

French Resources

Allard-Martin, C. (2019). Analyse de l’activité évaluative des experts pour la reconnaissance des acquis de métier au baccalauréat en enseignement professionnel de l’Université de Sherbrooke. Mémoire de maitrise. Université de Sherbrooke.

Beauchamp-Goyette, F. (2017). Valider la formation universitaire autodidacte? La reconnaissance des acquis formels et informels dans les universités québécoises. Mémoire de maitrise. Université de Montréal.

Bélisle, R. et Boutinet, J. P. (2011). Demandes de Reconnaissance et Validation D'acquis de L'expérience: Pour Qui? Pour Quoi?, Les presses de l’Université Laval.

Blons-Pierre, C. (2019). Reconnaissance et validation des acquis de la mobilité géographique et de l’apprentissage à distance : virtualité ou réalité ?. Journal of international Mobility, Vol. 7(1):3-22.

Bouillon, M-C. (2017). Reconnaissance des acquis et compétences : comment orienter sa carrière tout en surmontant le défi des nouvelles technologies. Radio-Canada.

de Champlain, Y. (2022). Les compétences du 21e siècle : associer la pensée à la pratique. Revue hybride de l’éducation, Vol.5(2): 78-105 (devant mur payant).

Dubé, I. (2021). Québec investit dans la reconnaissance des diplômes et compétences. La Presse.

Lejeune, M., Lesemann, F. (2008). Pertinence pour le Québec des instruments de reconnaissance des acquis de l’expérience en France, aux États-Unis et au Royaume-Uni. Institut national de la recherche scientifique, Centre Urbanisation Culture Société; Groupe de recherche sur les transformations du travail, des âges et des politiques sociales (TRANSPOL).

Ministère de l’Éducation, Ministère de l’Enseignement supérieur (n.d). Bilan et reconnaissance des acquis.

Morrissette, J., Larochelle, M. (2021). Recension des écrits scientifiques sur la reconnaisance des acquis expérientiels. Université de Montréal.

Mottais, E., & Bélisle, R. (2019). Recherche d’information sur le Web par des Adultes Expérimentés Souhaitant Obtenir un Diplôme dans leur Domaine Professionnel. Canadian Journal for the Study of Adult Education, Vol. 31(01): 15-30.

Organisation internationale du Travail (2018). La validation des acquis de l’experience (VAE): Kit de formation. Geneve.

Organisation Internationale du Travail (2020). Faciliter la validation des compétences des travailleurs migrants: Guide des prestataires de services d l’emploi.

Paulos, C. (2014). Perceptions de l’évaluation dans les processus de reconnaissance et de validation des competences. Présenté dans 26ème Colloque Scientifique de l’AMEE-Europe: Cultures et politiques de l’évaluation en éducation et en formation.

Promis (2021). Tout comprendre de la reconnaissance des acquis et des compétences.

Voyer, B., Potvin, M., Bourdon, S. (2014). Les transformations et défis actuels de la formation générale des adultes. Revue des sciences de l’éducation, Vol. 40(2): 191-213 (devant mur payant).

Zaidman, A., Bedard, J-L. (2015). La reconnaissance des acquis et des compétences des professionnels formés à l’étranger : une recension des pratiques de reconnaissance de 10 ordres professionnels et d’institutions collégiales et universitaires en lien avec ces 10 professions. Rapport de recherche présenté à la TELUQ.

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