ROYAL MILITARY COLLEGE OF CANADA

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ROYAL MILITARY COLLEGE OF CANADA

• Progress towards a national university PLAR
  database
• Cally Warwick
• RMC Director PLAR

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Topics

• PLAR at RMC prior to 1996 96-05 today
• RMC PLAR Policy statement definition standards
• Types of PLAR at RMC
• PLAR review processes for Transfer Credits and
  for Credits Granted
• PLAR tools
• PLAR statistics
• The way ahead in partnership with CVU member
  universities

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PLAR Then Now

• Prior to 1996 No OCS/DCS very little PLAR!
• 1996 OCS and BMASc brought PLAR to the
  foreground for DL students only.
• 2005-2006 RMC wide PLAR policy to accommodate
  steady increase in PLAR requests across all RMC
  programmes.

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Vision

• Royal Military College of Canada recognises that
  significant university level learning can take
  place outside of post secondary institutions and
  as such respects all forms of learning no matter
  how it is attained.

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Aim

• The aim of RMC Prior Learning Assessment
  Recognition is to acknowledge the importance of
  this learning by providing an accessible, fair
  and academically rigorous process for assessing
  this learning to determine whether it meets the
  standards of university level learning.

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Process

• The RMC PLAR process involves individual
  assessment of prior learning by faculty and the
  awarding of credit when this learning is of the
  expected range and depth for the particular
  academic credential requested by the individual.
  The purpose of the PLAR process is to recognize
  all university level learning by ensuring that
  RMC policies are in line with other Canadian
  universities.

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Goal

• The goal is to enrich the learning experience of
  the student and help the student meet his/her
  academic potential while at the same time
  maintaining the academic integrity of the Royal
  Military College of Canada.

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PLAR Definition Standards

• Prior Learning Assessment Recognition is a
  process that involves identification,
  documentation, assessment and recognition of
  learning acquired through formal and informal
  means.

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PLAR Standards For Assessing Learning

• STANDARD I Credit should be awarded only for
  learning, and not for experience.
• STANDARD II University credit should be awarded
  only for university-level learning.
• STANDARD III Credit should be awarded only for
  learning that has a balance, appropriate to the
  subject, between theory and practical application.

Adapted from Assessing Learning by Urban
Whitaker, (cael), 1989.
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PLAR Standards Contd

• STANDARD IV appropriate academic and subject
  matter experts must make the determination of
  competence levels and of credit awards.
• STANDARD V Credit should be appropriate to the
  academic context in which it is accepted.

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PLAR Standards Contd

• STANDARD VI Credit awards and their transcript
  entries should be monitored to avoid giving
  credit twice for the same learning.
• STANDARD VII Policies and procedures applied to
  assessment, including provision for appeal,
  should be fully disclosed and prominently
  available.
• STANDARD VIII Fees charged for assessment
  should be based on the services performed in the
  process and not determined by the amount of
  credit awarded.

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PLAR STANDARDS CONTD

• STANDARD IX All personnel involved in the
  assessment of learning should receive adequate
  training for the functions they perform, and
  there should be provision for their continued
  professional development.
• STANDARD X Assessment programs should be
  regularly monitored, reviewed, evaluated, and
  revised as needed to reflect changes in the needs
  being served and in the state of the assessment
  arts.

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Types of PLAR at RMC

• Transfer Credits
• Credit Granted Credits
• Second Language Credits

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Transfer Credits

• Credits for work done at an accredited
  post-secondary institution, transfer credits may
  be granted for university courses, college
  courses, and CEGEP courses that are assessed as
  satisfying RMC academic requirements as
  equivalencies, or as fulfilling the requirements
  for unallocated credits, provided that marks of
  C- or higher have been earned.

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RMC TC Policy-CEGEP

• CEGEP DEC (Diploma)
• 12 CEGEP courses completed
• 12- CEGEP courses completed
• RMC Table of CEGEP Science Equivalencies (40
  courses)

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Credit Granted

• Credit granted based on challenge exams,
  non-university/college courses or other types of
  learning that is assessed as meeting RMC academic
  requirements.

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CG Contd

• Military training and qualifications training,
  whether obtained within Canada or abroad,
  recognized as learning at a university level
• Professional training courses or programmes given
  by an organization other than a post-secondary
  institution recognized as learning at the
  university level
• The combination of Military training and RMC
  courses designated as top-up courses to be
  completed to augment specific military training
  and experience to the university-level.
• Credits may then be granted in any RMC degree.

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Second Language Credit

• Credits granted based on students achieving the
  bilingual standard (BBB) and higher on official
  language tests.
• SL Credit policy applicable to Honors and General
  Degrees

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RMC PLAR Review Process

• Student driven
• Request for Advanced Standing
• Course Outlines, Course Training Plans
• Results tracked in RMC UG PLAR Database and RMC
  Table of Credit Granted
• Programme specific Assessment provided to student
  
• RMC transcripts updated

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PLAR Tools

• RMC PLAR PP Document
• Date specific RMC PLAR PP
• Mark requirements
• Course currency requirements
• Acceptable documentation for review
• Equivalencies vs Electives
• Block vs Course by Course review policy

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RMC Table of Credit Granted
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RMC UG PLAR Database
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RMC Table of CEGEP Science Equivalences
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RMC Website Calendar
http//www.rmc.ca/academic/registrar/programme/p00
3_daccred_e.html
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Assessment Results
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PLAR Statistics
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PLAR Statistics Contd
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CVU PLAR

• Who completes PLAR reviews?
• faculty members only faculty members from at
  least 3 different member universities subject
  matter experts approved by Department Heads/Deans
• Is there a minimum acceptable number of hours of
  study for a course to result in credit?
• Minimum- 30 hrs more less
• What are acceptable means to evaluate learning?
• tests, papers, exams,group projects,observation
  only

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CVU PLAR

• Will Portfolio PLAR review reports include enough
  detail on specific material reviewed to avoid the
  granting of credit twice for the same learning?
• How/Who will we track PLAR courses that have been
  reviewed according to CVU standards/MOU keep
  students informed of PLAR across the member
  institutions?
• Database
• Website

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The Way Ahead
A National PLAR Database...
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Equivalencies and Accreditation within the
Canadian Forces

• Registrar of Equivalencies and Accreditation

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Our programs

• MCTAP Military Civilian Training Accreditation
  Program
• - Working with Civilian organisations to gain
  credit for CF training and education
• CFMEP Canadian Forces Military Equivalencies
  Program
• - Working with CF organisations to recognise
  civilian and other training and education within
  the CF

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Current projects

• PLAID
• Joint DND-HRSDC-CCDA initiative
• Accreditation contract with four post-secondary
  institutions
• Catalogue of Equivalencies
• Registrar of Equivalencies

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PLAID

• A database that will keep track of equivalency
  review results for both MCTAP and CFMEP
• Support partnership amongst key participants to
  promote learning achievement
• Allow DND/CF members to self determine
  equivalencies they possess
• Allow institutions to maintain accreditation and
  equivalencies information

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Joint DND-HRSDC-CCDA initiative

• Inter-provincial Red Seal program allows
  qualified tradespersons to practice the trade in
  any province in Canada without having to write
  further examinations.
• DND/CF is working with Human Resources and Skills
  Development Canada (HRSDC) and the Canadian
  Council of the Directors of Apprenticeship (CCDA)
  to review 39 military technical occupations
• to determine what equivalencies can be granted
  toward Red Seal Certification
• to determine training delta required to achieve
  certification

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Post-secondary accreditation

• Currently partnered with two colleges and two
  universities
• one English and one French at each level
• Institutions must be part of a consortium that
  will recognize credit granted by partner
  institutions
• Biggest bang for the buck enables our members
  to have more choice when deciding where to take
  degree or diploma programs
• Each will review up to 15 CF occupations or
  courses each year for academic credit

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Catalogue of Equivalencies

• Creation of a comprehensive document that will,
  initially, list equivalencies for NATO Command
  and Staff College-level courses
• Initial document will have equivalencies for 4 or
  5 nations
• Eventually hope to have this document available
  online and in hard copy with equivalencies for
  all manner of military courses for NATO partners
  and others

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Registrar of Equivalencies

• Centralisation of Equivalency and Accreditation
  activities for the CF
• keeper of the E A gateway
• Coordination of E A to ensure consistency,
  validity and reliability of results
• Reduce redundant E A activities through
  creation of tools such as PLAID, E-Portfolios
• Facilitate the granting of equivalencies within
  the CF

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Contact Us!

• Cally Warwick, Director, PLAR
• Royal Military College of Canada
• Warwick-c_at_rmc.ca
• [phone], ext 6548
• Janet Lang, Registrar of Equivalencies
  Accreditation
• Canadian Defence Academy
• Lang.jm_at_forces.gc.ca
• [phone], ext 3861