Recognition and accreditation of experiential learning: Lithuania case

1
Recognition and accreditation of experiential
learning Lithuania case

• Margarita Tereseviciene,
• Project meeting in Kaunas
• 26 -28 01 2006
• REcognition and ACcreditation of experiential
  learning a way for better accessibility of
  adult educaTION Reaction

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Objectives

• To discuss needs and issues of methodology for
  valuing non-formal and informal learning in the
  higher education and highlight challenges in the
  field.

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Contents

• Needs analyses
• Legal basis
• Social partnership
• Competence based curriculum
• Counseling
• Evaluators
• Methodology of validation
• Future challenges

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Recognition of courses provided by NGOs
5
Importance for NGO have acreditate course at
university
6
Work experience of learners
7
Wishes for learning continuation
8
Advantages
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Legal basis

• Orientation towards vocational education and
  labor market
• Universities are autonomous
• ECTS
• Support from Social funds

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Social partnership

• Employers
• NGO
• Labor market
• Other universities
• Initial stage

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Competence based curriculum

• Since 1999, institutions of non-university higher
  education identify competencies in their study
  programmes
• Attention to competencies in universities is
  still not sufficient

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Counselors. They should

• Inform adults about possibilities of validation
  and recognition
• Provide adults with consultations concerning
  procedures, and documentation
• Inform about criterions and methods of
  validation
• Assist in preparation for validation
• Instruct how to identify acquired skills
• Organize validation and its recognition in the
  form of documents
• Not applicable

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Evaluators

• Should have experience in the field they
  implement validation
• Should know study programs well their contents
  and structure
• Understand philosophy and methodology of
  validating non-formal and informal learning,
• Know a variety of methods and instruments, which
  can be applied for the validation of non-formal
  and informal learning
• Have an adequate education.
• Not applicable

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Methodology of validation

• Include the procedure of validation, also
• Its documenting and
• Specific methods of validation
• System should be alternative

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Methods of Validation

• Portfolio
• Conversation
• Observation in work place
• Tests
• Reflection
• Not applicable

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Challenge for the higher education

• The EU education policy
• Employers requirements
• Credit based system of Lifelong learning,
• The challenge for higher education is to organize
  the validation and recognition of prior learning
  experiences and to find the ways of integrating
  learners with an individual learning trajectories

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From ECTS to the credit based system of lifelong
learning. This system should

• Be systemic with the existing national procedures
  for quality assurance
• Include competencies that describe professions,
  and the world of work
• Be applicable beyond the EU (that is, the
  enlargement of the EU should be considered)
• Enable integration of adults into higher
  education through validating their prior learning
  experiences

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Recognition

• Which part of the study programme could be
  recognised?
• Who should take responsibility for the final
  stage?