RECOGNITION OF PRIOR LEARNING AS A SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURIAL PRAXIS Shirley Lloyd 25 February 2014.
Social Entrepreneurship The Case report authors (CASE: v) suggest that SE represents an important new lens through which to view social change Common across all definitions of SE is the fact that the underlying drive for SE is to create social value, rather than personal and shareholder wealth (Zadek and Thake, 1997:31). The central driver for SE is the social problem being addressed (Austin et al. 2006:2).
SE Social entrepreneurs are people with new ideas to address major problems who are relentless in the pursuit of their visions (Bornstein: 2004); they are not-for-profit executives who pay increasing attention to market forces without losing sight of their underlying mission (Boschee: 1998); social entrepreneurs play the role of change agents (Dees: 1998); they are people who use an opportunity to make a difference (Thompson, Alvy and Lees:2000).
Actor Network Theory (ANT) Miettinen (1999:171) studied ANT as an approach for innovation studies. ANT asks how a system or structure has been compiled. ANT theory views all things as assemblies, connected in precarious networks that require much ongoing work to sustain their linkages; but also how they can be unmade (Fenwick, T, 2010: 113).
ANT Fenwick proposes that socio-material perspectives Refute a linear and anterior positioning of things in a work and learning environment. Instead socio-material accounts examine how things (including objects, texts, human bodies, intentions, and concepts) emerge and act in what are indeterminate entanglements of local everyday practice. Law proposes the theory of heterogeneous networks which he views to be at the heart of ANT; It is a way of suggesting that society, organizations, agents and machines are all effects generated in patterned networks of diverse (not simply human) materials (2011:380).
Case Studies The five case studies are: The Insurance Sector Education and Training Authority (INSETA)/Independent Examination Board (IEB) RPL project for Communication/languages and mathematics literacy, which took the form of a portfolio of evidence submission and a summative assessment The first Financial Advisors and Intermediary Services (FAIS) Project with a professional body in the insurance industry and a distance-learning university as partners, which took the form of a RPL written assessment based on multiple choice case studies The INSETA/Large Company Pilot project, which took the form of a Portfolio of Evidence submission and one-to-one summative oral interviews. The Multimark III curriculum mapping and equivalence project, which took place between the INSETA education, training, quality assurance body (ETQA), insurance industry specialists and a large insurance professional body. A large INSETA/industry-wide RPL assessment project based on multiple-choice case studies, and the development of the RPL Toolkit.
CASE STUDY 1 Project partners The Independent Examinations Board (IEB), which is a national examining body in the private schooling system A large international auditing firm which was the INSETA Project Office A specialist NQF Consultant INSETA ETQA staff
Case Study 1 King (IEB: 2003: 2) The INSETA raised its concerns about the fundamentals with the IEB. These concerns took three forms: Who would provide and who would quality assure the fundamentals in their qualifications for those who did not have equivalent credits; How could they be assured that equivalent credits (i.e. senior certificate symbols) were in fact equivalent, and represented the levels of language competence and math literacy competence required by their industry; and How could they standardize the achievement of financial literacy as required credits across all their qualifications?
Case Study 1 Legal challenges Equivalence Support issues for RPL in the learning programme implementation Technical RPL issues
Case study 1 INSETA and the Concessions for languages and math literacy bridging programme of between 40 to 80 hours; the learners were required to achieve 50%. INSETA material development project (INSMAT), A final Concession for Communication, Financial Literacy and Mathematical Literacy NQF level 2 4 policy document was approved by the INSETA Council in May 2007, and became widely used.
Case Study two Project partners A professional body in the insurance industry the assessment partner A distance-learning university, (logistics partner) The INSETA FAIS Project Team, A large international auditing firm (INSETA Project office) Numerous independent specialists, and consultants The INSETA ETQA division The company which did equivalence mapping called Outlearning
Case Study 2 The SSP research revealed that about 70% of people working in the sector had at least a grade 12 qualification; the majority of the employees were between the ages of 30 and 45; and In other words a relatively young sector, with employees who had achieved at least an NQF level 4 qualification.
Case Study 2 The project comprised three phases, namely: The awareness campaign; The qualifications equivalence; The RPL assessments.
CASE STUDY TWO Qualifications Equivalence Matrix The underlying philosophy was to create a userfriendly equivalence matrix that not only incorporated insurance-specific qualifications but broad based banking and financial qualifications that have relevance to the financial advisory sector (Equivalence map, 2003: 1). Achieve credit for recognized programmes or qualifications they had already achieved, if these were relevant to their world of work. A qualifications equivalence matrix of existing insurance and other qualifications.
Case Study 2 Initially 132 qualifications that relate to the insurance industry were mapped on a matrix and valued in terms of the unit standards that were part of insurance qualifications registered on the NQF. The aim : to determine the status of all historical and then current formal qualifications available to industry practitioners.
Case Study 2 The methodology used by Outlearning included: Working with key role-players in the industry; Inviting public input through a national media campaign run over three weeks; Using professional bodies and SAQA s database to extract relevant qualifications; Aligning all qualifications with NQF registered insurance qualifications and unit standards; Presentation of the draft matrix for broad consultation to the industry; and Sign-off from INSETA ETQA. The methodology used to compile the matrix made it simple to add to the matrix at any stage, should the need arise.
Case Study 2 Reliance on SAQA accreditation of INSETA ETQA The RPL assessment phase basic learning material to cover the existing unit standards registered on the NQF, as part of the registered qualifications; Setting up of the website and portals to include registration information and access to learners to register on-line; Design and moderation of the RPL assessment tool; Logistics related to examination venues, invigilators, transport of papers, marking venues and so forth; Standardization/ogiving of raw assessment data; and Final awards, and credit uploading to the NLRD.
Case Study 2 Web-based portals To simplify learner registration for the RPL assessment web-based portals were designed through which learners would enrol. Those learners who could not access the portal could use the INSETA FAIS project call centre and register telephonically with assistance from the help desk.
Case Study 2 Design of the RPL assessment tool Many questions were found to be complex, and badly phrased; The questions did not follow the specific outcomes or assessment criteria in the registered unit standards; Euro-centric examples were used almost exclusively; Negative questioning methods were used extensively; Complex and often incorrect language was used to phrase the questions; Careless editing mistakes were made
Case Study two Design cont: Unrealistic examples were used, that would not assess the learners knowledge or competence; and The questions would not engage people who did not have English as a home language, and who were from rural areas or previously disadvantaged people. Of the 950 questions set, in 6 papers, many had to be revised, with sometimes up to eight revisions.
CASE STUDY THREE: THE INSETA/LARGE COMPANY PILOT PROJECT Project partners A RPL Consulting micro enterprise A large international auditing firm as INSETA project managers INSETA ETQA Process a RPL process would be more than a written assessment for the minimum number of credits; would enable people to use RPL to obtain the whole qualification, at level 5 of the NQF Target Group People in senior positions in the organization. They also came from different educational backgrounds and levels.
Case Study 3 RPL PoE assessment: A portfolio of evidence learner guideline and checklist, to be used in the introductory meeting with the group. Agreement about the format of the orientation session, the building of the PoE and the face-to-face interview and final oral assessment had to be reached. The format in which the PoE would be presented was agreed. The self-assessment grid was developed. The type of evidence required for the PoE was agreed. The format of the face-to-face interview and final oral assessment was agreed.
Case Study 3 Lessons learnt which open the discourse for a special pedagogy for RPL The first lesson learnt, was that the NQF was an enabler for the RPL process to happen. Secondly, thorough pre-rpl assessment preparation is essential. Third, understanding the demographics of the learner group proved important in the approach and eventual success of the project. Fourth the facilitator, assessor/s and the candidates need clear assessment guidelines Fifth the integrity of the quality assurance process
CASE STUDY FOUR: THE PROFESSIONAL BODY/MULTIMARK 111 MAPPING PROJECT Project partners Professional Body Large short term Insurance Company 2 MULTIMARK III Programme specialists INSETA ETQA Manager Reasons for mapping the CoP, (which covers short term insurance, life insurance and retirement funds), ICiBS (which covers short term insurance, life insurance and retirement funds) and Multimark III offered for the short-term insurance industry were not qualifications equivalent to 120 credits, and did not merit interim registration.
Case Study 4 Process for CoP, ICiBS and Multimark III Allocate a NQF level to these courses. Examine the content/themes in the CoP and ICiBS Compare these findings with unit standards that covered basically similar themes specific outcomes and assessment criteria send the draft recommendations to the professional body for stakeholder consultation and feedback.
Case Study 4 The programmes were located on the INSETA website, with their equivalence map: CoP Short Term: Provides 17 credits towards the achievement of the NQF Level 4 Short term insurance qualification CoP Life: Provides 17 credits towards the achievement of the NQF level 4 Long term insurance qualification CoP Retirement: Provides 19 credits towards the NQF level 4 Long term insurance qualification, with retirement funds specialization ICiBS Short term: Provides 26 credits towards the NQF level 4 short term qualification ICiBS Life insurance: Provides 25 credits towards the NQF level 4 Long term insurance qualification ICiBS Retirement: Provides 24 credits towards the NQF level 4 Long term insurance qualification, with retirement funds specialization.
Case Study 4 Process for learners to be granted credits through RPL Present their CoP or ICiBS certificate to the professional body for endorsement; Provide a statement from their supervisor re their implementation of the course in their work situation, which was similar to a basic performance statement. The PROFESSIONAL BODY had to Endorse the certificate Provide raw data to INSETA ETQA to verify and sign off Upload the credits of each individual learner onto the INSETA database Provide each learner with a professional body statement of credits Send the confirmed status of credit achievement per learner to either the company compliance officer or the FSB register, so that the financial advisor could be licensed.
Case Study four Challenges experienced The challenges can be categorized as communication and systems challenges. The industry had a lack of understanding about the difference between a NQF registered qualification, and a short course, in-house training programme and Continuing Professional Development (CPD). In 2007 INSETA ETQA arranged for its CFO partner to provide specialist services to the professional body, to begin the task of locating the learner records, verifying authenticity and uploading them.
Case Study 5 See presentation