Innovation Through Convention? Building Consensus for RPL Practice in Canadian Universities

Abstract

Dramatic changes in the last several years, marked by the advent of a globalized economy and attendant technological innovations, have thrust us from industrial to conceptual thinking, engendering an era of instant communications and Web 2.0 expectations of access, flexibility, and connectivity. In the face of this changing landscape, institutions of higher learning contemplate new ways to remain viable and creative. This paper builds on the proposition that the process of recognizing prior and/or informal learning (RPL) contains within it innovative and creative ways to enable and promote sustainable learning cultures. In many university environments, however, including Canada’s, recognizing prior and informal learning remains contentious and marginalized. From its initial proposition, this paper will present one Canadian university’s attempts to innovate by drawing on conventionally understood tenets of quality and transparency.