Case Study: RPL at Trinity College Dublin

Using a Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) Approach to Evaluate Experiential Learning for Access to a Postgraduate Education Programme

The Global Brain Health Institute (GBHI) at Trinity runs multidisciplinary leadership training programmes aimed at developing a global response to increasing dementia rates by developing scalable, policy-relevant methods for dementia prevention and mitigation. 

The Challenge

The Global Brain Health Institute (GBHI) received an application for its NFQ Level 9 Postgraduate Certificate in Equity in Brain Health in which the applicant did not meet the entry criteria of a 2.1 Honours Degree but had relevant informal and non-formal learning experience. A process needed to be developed by GBHI and the RPL Project Lead at Trinity to assess the applicant’s informal and non-formal learning to ensure sufficient rigour could be applied for waiving the 2.1 Honours Degree requirement for programme access. 

The Solution

The applicant had extensive prior non-formal experiential learning and a method of capturing and assessing this learning was required to inform the decision-making process. A best practice approach suggested by the National Pilot RPL in Higher Education for measuring and evaluating non-formal learning was modified to develop the IDAC methodology which can be summarised as follows:

1. Identification: The learner explores their prior learning with a view to making an RPL application. 
2. Documentation: The learner undertakes a reflective process and gathers relevant materials to substantiate their application.
3. Assessment: The learner’s application is assessed. A range of assessment mechanisms may be used (e.g., portfolios, interviews).
4. Certification: If the application is successful, the learner will receive formal recognition or certification, which will lead to one or more outcomes (e.g., access, advanced entry, module exemption).

In addition to the IDAC approach above, GBHI included some additional tailored questions for the applicant to address. The application was also evaluated against the NFQ Grid of Level Indicators at Levels 8 and 9. The applicant submitted their evidence portfolio for final review and the Course Committee (Module leads and Programme Director) recommended the applicant for access onto the programme.

The Impact

This case study details a robust tailored approach to measure and evaluate non-formal learning for postgraduate programme access at Trinity, which other Schools and HEIs can learn from. The applicant concerned has since successfully graduated from Trinity and has gone on to advance their research in dementia care and support.

Supporting Policies and Procedures:

The following policies and procedures were consulted as part of this RPL process development:

1. Trinity RPL Policy: rpl-jan2021.pdf (tcd.ie) 
2. Cedefop Guidelines for validating non-formal and informal learning: European guidelines for validating non-formal and informal learning (europa.eu))
3. QQI NFQ Grid of Level Indicators: NFQLevelindicators.pdf (qqi.ie)