Exploring the Contribution of Mentoring to Knowledge Building in PLAR Practice

The project's research activities were completed as per the project description. Learners and mentors from 4 different Canadian institutions participated in providing data. Initial questionnaires were followed by telephone interviews (3), a face-to-face interview (1), and an on-site focus group (7).Through RPL’s process of intensive reflection, learners come to understand the nature of their past learning. In so doing, new knowledge – knowledge about their own learning histories and learning styles – is created. This is not an easy task, and mentoring is important to learners as they engage with and learn to take ownership of their own learning. This study, informed by the central research question – how best can mentoring be enacted in order to foster and elicit the high-level cognitive activity required for successful RPL? – gathered data from learners and mentors from four Canadian institutions. Major findings include the importance of learners' "finding their voices" – academically, linguistically, and emotionally. Learners' empowerment emerged as a major theme as did the the inability of both learners and mentors to speak fluently about their own learning process. Data reflecting input from both learners and mentors also reveal the complex nature of the RPL process, mentors' sensitivity to learners' work, learners' extreme dedication and commitment to the process, and their pride of completion

Assessment challenges in open learning: Way-finding, fork in the road, or end of the line?

Growing global commitments to open learning through the use of Open Educational Resources (OERs) are accompanied by concerns over what “to do” with that learning when learners present it to traditional institutions for assessment and accreditation. This paper proposes that established RPL (recognizing prior learning) protocols, in place at many institutions worldwide, can offer a pedagogically sound framework that supports the spirit of open learning and respects the diversity of learners’ efforts.</p

An Enhanced Actualized DNP Model to Improve DNP Project Placements, Rigor, and Completion: A Research Brief

Doctor of nursing practice (DNP) projects are summative evaluations of enactment of the DNP Essentials. However, information about structure, process, and outcomes of DNP projects is scarce. Guided by an enhanced actualized DNP model, this study tested the effect of a PhD-DNP-site mentor model to guide DNP projects. Time-to-complete assignments, defense, and graduation improved; high satisfaction for students, mentors, and faculty were found; and a strengthened academic-practice partnership occurred, leading to additional student placements. Broader testing of the enhanced model in various size and types of academic-practice settings is needed prior to use

What we know and where we’re going: In medias res on self-representation and identity in university use of ePortfolios

Evelyn and I made the presentation successfully to a full house. I have since had requests for copies of the material from participants and the material will be posted on the conference website. Following the presentation, I was asked to sit on the closing panel to address conference themes and issues. I took that to be a good thing…. Also following the conference, Evelyn and I met with the conference organizer and a Canadian colleague to discuss future work and collaborative issues. It’s probable that I will attend the conference again next year to continue in this stream of investigation.ePortfolios are slowly gaining credibility in Canadian universities as useful vehicles for a number of learning activities. In both graduate and undergraduate programs, ePortfolios are used to house and share the repertoire of students’ work. Sometimes, such portfolios are a necessary part of completing a program, or may replace other types of assessment, such as comprehensive exams. ePortfolios are also used for assignments in individual courses, both as a topic of study and as a presentation tool.. In recognition and assessment of prior learning practices (RPL, APL, APEL), ePortfolios serve as the 21st century platform within which students bring forth or demonstrate, for assessment, their prior learning. To date, ePortfolio use has followed on the heels of older, paper-based portfolio models, providing university students with a more flexible means of demonstrating their learning, as well as contributing to their sense of self and the creation of self-identity. Extended, long-term ePortfolio use, coupled with social networking and media sites, provides continuous opportunities for learners to both engage in identity-building activities and to reflect on those types of activities, both privately and collectively, within designated collaborative groups or learning communities. This paper examines ePortfolio use with three questions in mind: 1) What lessons, relative to ePortfolio use and self-representation and identity, have already been learned at one progressive ODL Canadian university? 2) What research directions and initiatives arise from this history? and 3) What continuity with or relationship to the more established use of portfolios can practitioners and researchers draw upon for the same purposes? The Canadian distance education university in question uses ePortfolios in a number of ways: as formative and summative assessment mechanisms within masters programs in nursing and distance education; as the assessment vehicle for learners engaged in recognized prior learning (RPL) practice; by students in professional programs in the areas of communication studies and heritage resource management, who use ePortfolios in the compilation of their work for display and assessment; and by partnering professional development associations for the on-going certification needs of their members. Each of these uses has transitioned, or is transitioning, to ePortfolio use from more traditional, paper-based strategies. Developing and using paper-based strategies over many years has yielded extensive experience as well as the insight and accompanying wisdom to create “new ways” of practice for reviewing and assessing the efficacy of the new products. The shorter history of ePortfolio use has added to this body of knowledge. Although the uses of ePortfolios vary, each targets precise outcomes and holds at its central core the importance of learners’ self-representation and identity. Data to support this presentation will be brought forward from across the populations noted above in various ways: through examination and analysis of historical practice; through qualitative questioning of current learners’ experiences; and through anecdotal recollections from distance educators using ePortfolios for RPL, assessment, and pedagogical purposes

UNIVERSITY INSTRUCTORS’ REFLECTIONS ON THEIR FIRST ONLINE TEACHING EXPERIENCES

Moving from traditional face-to-face teaching to teaching online can be a precarious process for instructors. In this qualitative study, I interviewed instructors who were engaged in online teaching, for the first time, in a graduate program at a Canadian university. All instructors had some postsecondary face-to-face teaching experience. In-depth interviews with the instructors showed that they had very little knowledge of the new medium they were entering and relied heavily on their face-to-face experiences and their own pedagogy. Instructors’ reflections on their performances centered largely on their roles as deliverers of content. They revealed very little awareness of issues of collaborative learning, of learners’ social presence, or of the role of community in online learning environments

Flexible paths to assessment for OER learners: A comparative study

This paper highlights the preliminary findings of a one-year research project (2011) that investigated the fit of recognizing prior learning (RPL) practice and related assessment and transfer protocols to projected OER use, especially by the Open Educational Resource University (OERu), a newly-formed consortium of like-minded institutions located worldwide. Across a study that included 31 post secondary institutions from 10 countries, findings indicated both consistencies and inconsistencies in the treatment of RPL. While most institutions reflected the intent of honoring learners' prior learning, achieved informally or non-formally, institutions were bound by internal policy and structure in terms of protocols. The relationship of transfer credit opportunities to engaging with learners in preparing RPL documents for assessment was also varied. Broad disparities in fee information made it difficult to determine what the actual costs of various protocols would be for learners. OERu will continue to search for innovative approaches to providing universal and collaborative education, globally, to non-traditional learners. Keywords: Open Educational Resources, OER, Open Educational Resource University, OERu, assessment, recognition of prior learning, RPL, access, credentialisation, polic

Flexible paths to assessment for OER learners: A comparative study

This paper highlights the preliminary findings of a one-year research project (2011) that investigated the fit of recognizing prior learning (RPL) practice and related assessment and transfer protocols to projected OER use, especially by the Open Educational Resource University (OERu), a newly-formed consortium of like-minded institutions located worldwide. Across a study that included 31 post secondary institutions from 10 countries, findings indicated both consistencies and inconsistencies in the treatment of RPL. While most institutions reflected the intent of honoring learners' prior learning, achieved informally or non-formally, institutions were bound by internal policy and structure in terms of protocols. The relationship of transfer credit opportunities to engaging with learners in preparing RPL documents for assessment was also varied. Broad disparities in fee information made it difficult to determine what the actual costs of various protocols would be for learners. OERu will continue to search for innovative approaches to providing universal and collaborative education, globally, to non-traditional learners. Keywords: Open Educational Resources, OER, Open Educational Resource University, OERu, assessment, recognition of prior learning, RPL, access, credentialisation, polic

Report on the Assessment and Accreditation of Learners using OER

This report shares the findings and lessons learned from an investigation into the economics of disaggregated models for assessing and accrediting informal learners, with particular attention to the OER University (OERu) consortium. It also relies on data from a small-scale survey conducted by two of the authors on perceptions, practices and policies relating to openness in assessment and accreditation in post-secondary institutions (Murphy & Witthaus, 2012). These investigations include the perceptions of stakeholders in post-secondary education towards the OERu concept, combined with a look at economic models for universities to consider in implementing OER assessment and accreditation policies.This report was prepared under the UNESCO/COL Chair in OER programme, with funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) of Canada, the Commonwealth of Learning and the Technology Enhanced Knowledge Research Institute (TEKRI) of Athabasca University

Report on the assessment and accreditation of learners using open education resources (OER)

This report shares the findings and lessons learned from an investigation into the economics of disaggregated models for assessing and accrediting informal learners, with particular attention to the OER University (OERu) consortium. It also relies on data from a small-scale survey conducted by two of the authors on perceptions, practices and policies relating to openness in assessment and accreditation in post-secondary institutions (Murphy & Witthaus, 2012). These investigations include the perceptions of stakeholders in post-secondary education towards the OERu concept, combined with a look at economic models for universities to consider in implementing OER assessment and accreditation policies. The OERu is a global consortium of post-secondary institutions collaborating around the assessment and accreditation of learners studying online and using OER. Taylor (2007) described the aim of the OERu as providing free education to learners worldwide using OER as learning materials, with pathways provided to enable them to gain credible qualifications from government recognised or accredited educational institutions. The OERu concept is based on the notion of community service and outreach, and institutions that are members of the OERu network are committed to developing a 'parallel learning universe' to augment and add value to traditional delivery systems in post-secondary education. The ultimate vision of the OERu is to provide free learning opportunities on a massive scale for learners who lack the financial means to access traditional higher education. The OERu currently consists of a collaborative partnership among 26 partner institutions. The network includes nationally accredited universities, colleges and polytechnics and publicly-funded organizations (Mackintosh, Taylor & McGreal, 2011). The current geographic spread of institutions includes Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the USA, England, Ireland, Spain, South Africa, India and the South Pacific. The initiative is coordinated by the OER Foundation, which is an independent, not-for-profit organization that works internationally to support the mainstream adoption of OER in the formal education sector (Mackintosh 2012)

Formalising informal learning: Assessment and accreditation challenges within disaggregated systems

This report shares the findings and lessons learned from an investigation into the economics of disaggregated models for assessing and accrediting informal learners undertaking post secondary education. It presents some key economic and governance challenges for universities to consider in implementing OER assessment and accreditation policies. It also includes discussion of findings from a small-scale survey conducted by two of the authors on perceptions, practices and policies relating to openness in assessment and accreditation in post secondary institutions, with a particular focus on the OER universitas (OERu) concept