AEJNE Article template

Accreditation of Prior Experiential Learning: reaching a standard or jumping through hoops.

AEJNE Volume 4 - No.2 March, 1999.

Kathleen Fahy
RN, CM, PhD, BN, MEd
Kathleen Fahy is associate professor of Midwifery at USQ. She holds a
Bachelor's Degree in Nursing, a Master of Education and a PhD in Sociology.
Kathleen is currently coordinating the Master of Midwifery course. It is CD
ROM based for pre-endorsement midwifery students in regional and rural
Queensland. She also cooridnates-ordinates the Master of Midwifery course
for endorsed midwives. APL is particularly relevant to the post-endorsement
applicants.
e-mail: fahy@usq.edu.au

Cheryl Perrin
RN, BHS (Dist), Grad Dip Ed (Nsg), MN,MRCNA, Doctoral Student
Cheryl Perrin is the Post Registration Course Coordinator at USQ. She holds
a Bachelor of Health Science, Graduate Diploma in Nursing Education, a
Master of Nursing and is currently enrolled in a Doctor of Education degree.
Along with her interest in the external program for undergraduate and
postgraduate RNs, Cheryl teaches into the on-campus program.
e-mail: perrin@usq.edu.au

Joachim Ferrer
MSc, Bed, RMN, RGN, RCNT, Cert Ed, RNT
Joachim Ferrer is a lecturer at the University of Southern Queensland in
Toowoomba. He has extensive experience in critical care, medical and
surgical nursing with undergraduate and post graduate students. His
experience in APEL stems from his days as lecturer in England. His research
interest lies in the qualitative paradigm.

Abstract

Do nurses need a Bachelors Degree to enter a Masters course? Nursing has a long tradition of valuing the learning that can come from experience (Benner, 1984). Do Bachelors Degrees (for currently registered nurses) have any value or are they just a 'hoop' through which we ask nurses to jump? This paper will address these questions and argue that the experience and knowledge that is embedded in the practice of many registered nurses should be acknowledged by Accreditation of Prior Experiential Learning (APEL).

Background

In this paper we are arguing that not all nurses learn well from experience. Some nurses truly become experts whilst others do not reflect upon, update nor deepen their practice. How should universities value the years of experiential learning which some registered nurses bring to their studies? It is not experience per se which is of value, rather it is the learning that has evolved from that experience: this is an individual phenomenon (Kolb, 1984, Schon, 1987). We propose therefore that distinctions should be made between registered nurses applying to enter post-graduate programs without degrees. Universities should not assume that all nurses with experience have the knowledge and skills of registered nurses with Bachelor Degrees?

APEL fits within the broader framework of Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL), including credit transfer. RPL is concerned with giving recognition for previous learning; both formal and informal (NBEET, 1993; AVCC, 1994). Within Australian universities RPL is most commonly achieved by credit transfer for formal, accredited courses, both from other universities, from TAFE courses and, in the case of nursing, from hospital training courses (NBEET, 1993; AVCC, 1994). By comparison, APEL is concerned with accrediting prior non-coursework, or experiential learning. APEL encompass a group of processes that gives "recognition of learning from uncredentialled training, work and/or life experienceî (NBEET, 1993; AVCC, 1994). APEL has a number of terms which are closely related; eg Assessment of Prior Learning, Credit for Prior Learning and Recognition of Current Competencies. Each of these is a way of "giving people a chance to have their knowledge and skill assessed - no matter where or when or how the learning was done" (Ashenden, 1992:10). In this paper APEL is defined as "...a process by which individuals can gain credit towards qualifications and awards based on evidence of learning from their past achievements and experiences" (Clake, 1995:393). What does this mean in practice? APEL gives official recognition of learning where credit is given for learning and competencies and NOT just for experience.

Literature Review

A search of the databases in Nursing and Education showed that the literature concerning Accreditation of Prior Learning (APL) discusses APL both as a concept and in terms of an assessment process. The focus however, is upon entry into undergraduate studies and/or exemptions for prior learning. We found no literature that specifically addressed APEL as a way for non-graduates to gain entry into post-graduate nursing courses. We found no articles which directly deal with the issue that we wish to address ie: APL and APEL as the basis for meeting the total course requirements. The literature indicates that APEL has been primarily developed in the USA following WW2 as a way to give recognition of prior learning to people seeking credit towards a university degree (Challis, 1993). How APEL is implemented has varied widely from informal block exemptions based on life experiences, through interviews and practical demonstrations and evidence of previous experience to formal challenge exams (Challis, 1993). Increasingly, universities are advising intending applicants to prepare 'portfolios' which bring together the candidates evidence of prior learning (Ashenden, 1992). In Britain, APEL has been widely used in the further education sector. Some polytechnics and universities also have processes for APEL using 'Records of Achievement' (portfolios) (Assister and Shaw, 1993).

Currently in Australia, each university sets their own standards for entry into postgraduate education. The academic handbooks state that the minimum entry into master's degrees is a bachelor's degree (or equivalent). Yet many universities allow nurses who do not have a bachelor's degree, to enter their graduate diplomas and subsequently progress to the master's level of study. Some universities assess all hospital trained registered nurses with two years post-basic experience as equivalent to a nurse with a BN, whereas others require varying amounts of formal course-work to be undertaken at university level prior to full acceptance into post-graduate studies.

A recent report from the University of Sydneyís Faculty of Nursing, calls for national standards in specialist post-graduate course entry requirements citing insufficient recognition of prior learning as a problem which needs to be addressed (Nursing Review, July, 1997, p1). Some universities require a Bachelor's degree as entry into Graduate Diplomas whereas most (including us) require a Bachelors Degree or equivalent. It is the process to determine equivalence that is not generally made public. Informal discussions with colleagues involved in assessing equivalence imply that there is wide variation in how equivalence is interpreted. A request to the professors of nursing in Australia, via a computer discussion group, failed to identify any university who had formal processes of APEL. If any processes of determining equivalence on entry are conducted they are not transparent and are not made public. This has set up differences between nursing programs that potential students find confusing and contradictory. Further, and most importantly, nursing has been a discipline in higher education for over ten years and we can no longer argue within academia that nurses should be allowed to have lower entry standards for their courses.

We are arguing that learning from experience cannot be assumed. Our position is that prior experiential learning needs to be assessed in an academically defensible manner. APEL allows those registered nurses who have knowledge and skills which are equivalent to a Bachelors degree to have this learning formally recognised by the university and to gain entry into post-graduate nursing studies.

Development of APEL Processes

The Department of Nursing at the University of Southern Queensland (USQ) endorsed the notion of developing a formal process for assessing APEL for applicants into graduate programs. A committee of course coordinators and other interested academics was formed to:

* give appropriate recognition for prior learning to those nurses who can demonstrate that their personal learning, both formal and informal, is equivalent to a BN:

* develop processes which are transparent to applicants and to other academics

* maintain academic standards

* set benchmarks for the best practice in the use of APEL processes in nursing

The committee's goal was to develop criterion that covered these important issues. Since applicants would be claiming equivalence to a Bachelor of Nursing degree it was appropriate to use the objectives of the Bachelor of Nursing (Post Registration) as the basis for comparing student's claims. The BN objectives first had to be rewritten to a form that made them 'user-friendly'. We called these the 'Key Learning Criteria' (KLC). The rewritten KLC were designed to facilitate the nurses' collection of documentation for their portfolio of evidence. (See table 1).

Key Learning criteria

Of the ten KLC developed, four became essential requirements. These were:

1.Demonstrated ability to write essays using academic conventions and appropriate referencing techniques

2.Demonstrated knowledge and skills in own area of practice by the evaluation of theories and the application of relevant research findings to practice

3. Establish and maintain effective and supportive communications with clients as individuals, families and groups

4. Confidently use computers for word processing and at least one other major professional use, ie spreadsheets, databases, e-mail.

Using these criteria, applicants can demonstrate achievements by either the credit transfer or developmental model process, or a combination of both, in their portfolios. Personal narratives can be used to explain how previous learning and experience meets the modified BN objectives, but the applicants are also asked to support their claims with at least one other form of objective evidence per KLC. It was decided that all experienced nurses have a wealth of critical incidents and events in their careers. The point of the APEL was to demonstrate that these experiences have been incorporated into ongoing learning and professional development.

All applicants are sent a comprehensive outline on how to address the KLC and prepare their portfolio. On receipt of an application, the portfolio is assessed individually by the members of the APEL committee using a specifically developed assessment tool. The committee then meets to discus the application. Through consensus the applicant may be given direct entry into a graduate course or may be required to complete one or more units of the BN (Post Registration) before progressing to a graduate program. Applicants are sent a formal letter stating the outcome of their APEL assessment. Feedback from applicants has been positive. Both the applicants and the department feel that the APEL portfolios are an academically defensible, pro-active way by which nursing can maintain the quality and standards of the discipline within the higher education sector.

Our approach is consistent with Trowler (1996) who argued that APEL should be assessed via two interrelated approaches. The first approach is 'credit transfer' for skills and competencies gained through practice experience and/or continuing education, for example giving recognition for post-endorsement certificates in nursing specialities. Another way of giving credit transfer is for the applicant to provide supportive documentation from a peer or supervisor that attest to the nurse's professional competence in relation to the criteria developed to assess for Bachelors equivalence. (This will be discussed in more detail below). The second approach for assessing APEL is the use of what Trowler (1996) calls the 'developmental model'. This model requires that the applicant demonstrate reflection and evaluation of their previous experience with validation of the learning embedded in these experiences. For example the applicant may describe a critical incident from which they gained specific learning which they are able to relate to the KLC.

Conway (1993) and Clarke and Warr (1997) argue that nursing needs to ensure that academic rigour is addressed in the development of the APEL processes. The committee agreed that academic rigour was dependent upon the reliability and validity of the APEL tools. As discussed above, the methods that applicants use to demonstrate learning from experience, ie reflection upon critical incidents and supporting documentary evidence, addresses the issue of validity (meaning how truthful in relation to the KLC is the evidence submitted) (Talbot, 1995: Neuman, 1994). Reliability has been addressed in terms of inter-rater reliability by ensuring that each assessor independently evaluates the portfolio of evidence which the applicant has submitted (Talbot, 1995; Neuman, 1994). The assessors then meet as a group to moderate their evaluations and to recommend validation, further work or further evidence required. To date only a small number of candidates have been assessed using the model of APEL developed within the department. The feedback however has been positive with each candidate expressing confidence in their ability to defend their entry into graduate studies.

Conclusion

As the concept of professional portfolios develops as a valid means to demonstrate continuing competence within nursing (Fox-Young, 1998), and as more experienced nurses seek entry to graduate programs, the need for national standards becomes paramount. Potential students should not have to jump through unnecessary hoops to enter postgraduate nursing courses. The process of APEL is a way by which such standards can be accomplished. Prior learning and experience needs to be assessed in an academically defensible manner that gives a sound basis of comparison with the objectives of a Bachelor of Nursing degree. The nursing profession must unite and be pro-active in setting a uniform standard for APEL for Australian nurses rather than continuing to ask nurses to jump through higher education hoops.

TABLE 1

KEY LEARING CRITERIA

Equivalence will be assessed on the basis of the applicantís ability to meet all of the essential learning criteria and at least three of the six desirable criteria:

Essential Criteria

1. Write scholarly essays using academic conventions and appropriate referencing techniques.

2. Demonstrate advanced knowledge and skills in area of own practice by evaluating theories and research and applying relevant findings to practice.

3. Establish and maintain effective and supportive communications with clients as individuals, families and groups.

4. Confidently use computers for word processing and at least one other major professional use e.g.: data base, spreadsheet, data analysis, electronic mail, on-line library services, computer-mediated conferencing.

Desirable Criteria

1. Reflect upon experience and make desired changes in own practice thereby demonstrating mature professional responsibility and accountability.

2. Demonstrate advanced interpersonal skills when working within teams including working within multi-professional teams, team leadership, team building and conflict resolution.

3. Use principles of teaching and learning to plan, implement and evaluate health promotion/ health education.

4. Analyse clinical practice situations in terms of their legal and ethical implications and practise in a manner that is legally and ethically defensible.

5. Demonstrate an understanding of the role and functioning of professional nursing bodies at all levels of government and demonstrate a commitment to the development of the discipline of nursing or midwifery.

6. Demonstrate an understanding of health care system/s and the impact that economic, political and management practices have upon the organisation and delivery of nursing or midwifery care.

List of References

Ashenden, D (1992) The a to z of RPL: an introduction to the recognition of prior learning. Ashenden Milligan, Subiaco, WA.

Assister, A., Shaw, E., (1993) Using records of achievement in higher education. Kogan Page, London.

AVCC (1994) Recognition of Prior learning in Australian Universities: Vice Chancellors Committee Credit Transfer Project. AGPS, Canberra.

Benner, P. (1984) From Novice to Expert. Addison-Wesley, Menlo Park, California.

Challis, M. (1993) Introducing APEL. Routledge, London.

Clarke, J.B. (1995) Turning experience into academic learning. Professional Nurse, March, pp 393-396.

Clarke, J.B., Warr, J. (1997) Academic validation of prior and experiential learning: evaluation of the process, Journal of Advanced Nursing. Vol. 26, pp.1235-1242.

Conway, J. (1993) Accreditation and nursing practice, British Journal of Nursing, Vol.2, No.19, pp.973-6.

Fox-Young, S. (1998) Continuing Competence for Nurses in Professional Practice. A framework for a professional portfolio for nurses. Queensland Nursing Forum, Vol.6, No.1., May.

Kolb, D. (1984) Experiential learning: experience at the source of learning. Prentice Hall, New York.

NBEET (1993) Credit Transfer and related Issues: Second Annual Report of NBEET. AGPS, Canberra.

Neuman, W.L. (1994) Social research methods: qualitative and quantitative approaches. (2nd Ed.) Allyn & Bacon, Boston.

Nursing Review (1997), July. APN Educational Media Pty. Ltd.

Schon, D. (1987) Educating the reflective practitioner. Josey-Bass, San Francisco.

Talbot, L.A. (1995) Principles and Practice of Nursing Research Mosby, St Louis.

Trowler, P. (1996) Angels in Marble? Accrediting prior experiential learning in higher education. Studies in Higher Education. March, Vol.21, No.1, 17-30.