The recognition of prior learning (RPL) as pedagogical practice: tensions and affordances in assessment

An effective system of Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) requires assessment processes that are appropriate for the nature of the experiential learning being assessed [Cooper, and Ralphs 2016. Crossing the Lines: RPL as Specialised Pedagogy. Cape Town: HSRC Press]. Otherwise, potential candidates may be discouraged from engaging in RPL applications and therefore not benefit from the lifelong learning opportunities available. It has been argued that foregrounding RPL as a specialised pedagogical practice [Cooper, Ralphs, and Harris. 2017. "Recognition of Prior Learning: The Tensions Between its Inclusive Intentions and Constraints on its Implementation." Studies in Continuing Education 39 (2): 197-213. https://doi.org/10.1080/0158037X.2016.127389], and not just as assessment, can help in this regard. This article draws on the conceptualisation of RPL as 'pedagogical pragmatism' [Pokorny, Fox, and Griffiths. 2017. "Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) as pedagogical pragmatism." Widening Participation and Lifelong Learning 19 (3): 18-30. https://doi.org/10.5456/WPLL.19.3.18] and asks how this might look in practice and how might it help in creating assessment processes that reflect the epistemological particularity of prior experiential learning. A cohort RPL project that ran in 10 Education and Training Boards (ETBs) in Ireland, in partnership with the Irish Defence Forces (DF) in 2018-2019, provides the basis for the research. A key theme in the results is the integrated nature of RPL assessment in its design and operation, and the way in which formative and summative assessment are brought into productive relation and understanding the affordances in assessment can help drive practice forward.