Responsible officer: Deputy Vice-Chancellor
Designated officer: Director, Student Administration
Approving authority: Academic Board
Approval: 5 February 2008
Last amended:
Effective starting date: 5 January 2009
Any policies replaced by this policy:
Policy number: O8
Related policies and rules:

• Assessment: Courses and Coursework Programs – Governing Policy

• Credit Transfer – Institutional Operating Policy
• Academic Rules

Due date for next review: 30 October 2013

Part A: Preliminary

1. Purpose of policy

The policy is intended to provide a broad framework, set of principles and minimal requirements for:

(a) recognition and assessment of the prior learning obtained by an intending or enrolled student of the University through the student’s previous non-formal or informal studies or other learning (eg training programs undertaken during employment, adult education classes, extensive work experience, extensive community and volunteer work, extensive participation in a leisure pursuit, life experience) and

(b) on the basis of that assessment, determining any grant of credit to the student towards completion of a coursework award program of the University.

The policy is subsidiary to the Assessment: Courses and Coursework Programs – Governing Policy, and complementary to the separate Credit Transfer – Institutional Operating Policy.

2. Application of policy

This policy applies to all staff, decision-making bodies, students enrolled in, or proposing to enrol in, coursework award programs of the University, and agents and partners of the University. The policy does not apply to applicants or candidates for higher degrees by research.

3. Definitions

In this policy the following definitions apply:

“Award program” means a set of studies or courses leading to the award of a qualification, eg a Bachelor of Education program
“Course” means a specific subject that is studied as a component of an award program “Coursework” means study that involves undertaking courses other than research components in higher degrees by research
“Unit value” means a numerical value associated with a course or program, eg in order to complete a program a student may need to acquire 96 units (complete eight courses that have a value of 12 units each or four courses that have a value of 24 points each).

Part B: Policy

4. The meaning of recognition of prior learning for program credit

4.1 Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) for program credit is a process that involves the assessment of a student’s or an intending student’s knowledge and skills obtained through that person’s previous non-formal or informal studies or other learning (eg training programs undertaken during employment, adult education classes, extensive work experience, extensive community and volunteer work, extensive participation in a leisure pursuit, life experience), in order to determine:

(a) whether the knowledge and skills previously acquired by the student or intending student contribute to meeting the learning outcomes and assessment criteria of a course or program at the University of the Sunshine Coast; and

(b) whether that prior learning may be counted (credited) as equivalent to successful completion of a course or courses, and towards completion of a program.

4.2 When an assessment is made that the prior learning is equivalent and may be credited towards completion of a program, the prior learning may replace some courses in that program.

4.3 The amount and type of credit granted for RPL will vary depending on the assessment made, the type of credit granted and any limitations on amounts of credit that may be granted for a particular program.

5. Provision of RPL for program credit

5.1 The University will provide RPL for program credit in order that a student may gain credit for the student’s previous non-formal or informal studies or other learning towards completion of an award program within this University, where this is appropriate to the particular program.

6. Purpose of RPL for program credit

6.1 Arrangements for RPL for program credit will be designed to:

(a) encourage individuals to participate in learning pathways that include formal, non-formal and in-formal learning

(b) contribute to development of diverse and inclusive pathways to lifelong learning

(c) remove duplication of learning and promote a continuum of learning

(d) contribute to improved success in higher education by groups with historically low participation and success rates

(e) provide opportunity for students to have their non-formal and informal learning recognised and counted towards a qualification, regardless of how, when and where that learning was acquired, provided that the learning is equivalent to learning outcomes in courses within the program to which the qualification applies

(f) enable students, wherever possible, to gain a qualification in minimal time provided that the quality, integrity and standing of that qualification is not diminished in the process

(g) reduce the University’s exposure to risk with respect to academic standards.

7. Context for RPL for program credit

7.1 RPL for program credit will be provided by the University consistent with the requirements and guidelines contained within the current versions of the:

• Australian Qualifications Framework Implementation Handbook
• National Principles and Operational Guidelines of Prior Learning (Australian Qualifications Framework)
• Principles for the Provision of Education by Australian Universities (Universities Australia)
• Provision of Education to International Students, Code of Practice and Guidelines for Australian Universities (Universities Australia)
• National Code of Practice for Registration Authorities and Providers of Education and Training to Overseas Students.

8. Availability of RPL for program credit

8.1 Credit for RPL will be available only where it is suitable and appropriate to a specific award program and only where a student’s or intending student’s previous non-formal or informal learning is assessed as:

(a) meeting the learning outcomes and assessment criteria required for satisfactory completion of a particular course or particular courses within the relevant award program

(b) comparable and having direct relevance to learning outcomes expected in studies such as elective or optional courses or at a particular level of study, eg the first year of study in a program, and being a suitable alternative to such courses available within the award program

8.2 Credit for RPL will not be available:

(a) towards completion of award programs that are subject to any external accreditation or professional registration or similar recognition requirements that prohibit credit for RPL, or

(b) when the award of such credit could bring into question the quality, integrity and standing of the award program and qualification, and

(c) for a part of a course or parts of courses in a program – credit for RPL will be granted and transferred only for whole courses or in unit values equal to those of a course or courses in a program

8.3 Where RPL is used as the means for meeting alternative entry requirements for an award program, credit for that same previous non-formal or informal learning may not be granted subsequently towards completion of the program except where that learning or part of that learning has been assessed as meeting the assessment criteria for, or as being equivalent to learning outcomes specified for, a particular course or particular courses within the relevant award program.

8.4 RPL for program credit may be available to individual students in conjunction with credit transfer (refer to Credit Transfer – Institutional Operating Policy).

8.5 The types of credit available to students or intending students for RPL will be:

(a) specified credit for designated courses – the student is not required to complete one or more specific courses in the relevant program for the different qualification because the previous non-formal or informal learning of the student has been assessed as meeting the assessment criteria for, or having equivalent learning outcomes to those of, the specified course/s

(b) unspecified credit – based on an assessment that the previous non-formal or informal learning of the student is comparable and has direct relevance to learning outcomes in courses such as electives or options, the student is not required to complete the total number of courses that usually need to be completed successfully in the program in order to gain the relevant qualification and is given credit for courses such as electives or options; however, the student is still required to complete specific courses within the number of courses remaining

(c) block credit – based on an assessment that the previous non-formal or informal learning of the student is comparable and has direct relevance to learning outcomes at a particular level of a program, the student is not required to complete the total number of courses that usually need to be completed successfully in the program in order to gain the relevant qualification and is granted credit for a block or set of courses, e.g. all first semester or first year level courses in the program, and

(d) exemption – based on an assessment that the previous non-formal or informal learning of the student meets the assessment criteria for, or has learning outcomes equivalent to those of, specific course/s in the program, the student is nonetheless required to complete the total number of courses that need to be completed successfully in the program in order to gain the relevant qualification but may substitute alternative courses in place of those courses for which the student’s previous learning was assessed as having met the assessment criteria or having equivalent learning outcomes

8.6 Credit for RPL that involves specified credit, unspecified credit and block credit will usually enable a student to complete a program in less time, whereas credit involving only exemptions will not reduce the amount of time required to complete the program.

9. Maximum amounts of credit that may be granted

9.1 The Academic Board will determine the maximum amount of credit that may be granted towards completion of each award program on the basis of RPL, provided that:

(a) the maxima preclude any student from completing an award program solely on the basis of credit for RPL or a combination of both credit for RPL and credit transfer;

(b) the maximum amount of credit, whether granted on the basis of RPL or a combination of credit granted for RPL and credit transfer for post-secondary education studies, that may be granted for a postgraduate coursework program in the case of an individual student or intending student is:

(i) 50% of the total unit value of a program that is accredited as being of less than two years full-time study

(ii) 67% of the total unit value of a program that is accredited as being two years or more of full-time study, and

(c) the maximum amount of credit for RPL, or a combination of credit granted for RPL and credit transfer for post-secondary education studies, that may be granted towards completion of a Bachelor degree is 67% of the total unit value of the relevant Bachelor degree program.

9.2 If, at the time this policy takes effect, the University has entered into a formal contractual agreement with another entity that provides for a grant of RPL for program credit that would exceed any maxima specified in item 9.1 above, the arrangements in that contractual agreement will prevail until the conclusion of that agreement and any renewal or extension of the agreement must accord with the provisions in item 9.1.

10. Processes for RPL for program credit

10.1 The Academic Board will ensure and overview the development of procedures or guidelines, consistent with this policy, for assessing and granting credit for previous non-formal or informal learning of an individual intending or enrolled student of the University to enable that individual student to gain credit towards completion of an award program within this University.

10.2 The procedures and guidelines developed for RPL for program credit will:

(a) be designed to achieve the purposes of RPL for program credit as specified in item 6 above;

(b) detail application processes for individuals seeking RPL for program credit, including in relation to the range of measures that may be used to assess the applicant;

(c) provide for an individual to lodge an application for RPL for program credit simultaneous with an application for entry to a program or at any time during a student’s enrolment in a program;

(d) enable timely and transparent assessment of individual applications for RPL for program credit;

(e) detail general processes and criteria to be used for evidence-based assessment of individual applicants for RPL for program credit, ensuring that the assessment processes and criteria are:

• designed to assess the applicant’s learning and not the means for acquiring that learning
• of a comparable standard to the processes used to assess whether learning outcomes in a course or the relevant program have been met
• equitable, culturally inclusive, flexible, valid, reliable and transparent
• designed to provide for a range of ways for students to demonstrate that they have met the assessment criteria required or the learning outcomes expected for recognition and credit for their previous non-formal and informal learning
• as far as is appropriate, similar across faculties and programs

(f) ensure that assessments and decisions concerning RPL and the grant of program credit for individual applicants are made by faculty staff with an understanding of the relevant discipline or field of study and who are familiar with the course or program to which the application for RPL for program credit relates;

(g) make clear the responsibilities of Deans, Program Leaders and Course-Co-ordinators with respect to various processes associated with RPL for program credit;

(h) incorporate processes for recording and managing records of RPL and associated grants of program credit;

(i) incorporate processes for validating and monitoring RPL and associated grants of program credit;

(j) include information on grievance and appeal processes in relation to decisions made on RPL and associated grants of program credit;

(k) result in production of a statement issued to an applicant that provides details of any grant of credit in association with RPL and, in the case of an international student on a student visa, any associated adjustment of the duration of the student’s program;

(l) incorporate processes for provision of detailed information and advice on RPL for program credit for the University community, University partners and intending students

(m) include processes for evaluating the effectiveness of RPL for program credit in:

• encouraging individuals to participate in learning pathways that include formal, non-formal and in-formal learning
• contributing to development of diverse and inclusive pathways to lifelong learning
• contributing to improved success in, higher education by groups with historically low participation and success rates
• providing opportunity for students to have their non-formal and informal learning recognised and counted towards a qualification
• enabling students, wherever possible, to gain a qualification in minimal time provided that the quality, integrity and standing of that qualification is not diminished in the process.

10.3 The Academic Board will ensure that the processes for assessment of RPL for program credit will result in a qualification achieved in part or full through credit for RPL being of the same quality and having the same standing as the qualification achieved as a consequence of a student successfully undertaking the complete program.

11. Responsibilities

11.1 The Academic Board is responsible for:

(a) ensuring and overviewing the development of procedures, guidelines and information for implementation of this policy;

(b) determining the maximum amount of credit that may be granted for RPL within each award program;

(c) validating and monitoring assessment processes and outcomes related to RPL for program credit; and

(d) evaluating the effectiveness of RPL for program credit.

11.2 The Learning and Teaching Management Committee is responsible for providing advice to the Academic Board on matters relating to RPL for program credit.

11.3 The Dean of each Faculty is responsible for:

(a) ensuring implementation of this policy and its associated procedures and guidelines within the relevant faculty

(b) making final decisions on the grant of credit to individual applicants for RPL for program credit in relation to programs offered or administered by the Faculty

11.4 Each Program Leader is responsible for:

(a) authenticating any evidence provided by an applicant as part of an application for RPL for program credit;

(b) arranging timely assessment of applicants for RPL for program credit, consistent with this policy and its associated procedures and guidelines, by faculty staff with expertise in the relevant discipline or field of study and who are familiar with the course/s or program to which the application relates; and

(c) providing Deans with detail of assessments made on applicants for RPL for program credit.