Technological Aids to the Efficient Assessment of Prior Learning - E-Infrastructures and Technologies for Lifelong Learning - page 327

E-Portfolio correct/reliable (Miao, Sloep, Hummel, & Koper,

2008). Metatags for competence profiles may
support this understanding.
To match the candidate's prior learning with
a competence profile, a bottom-up or top-down
approach can be taken. Bottom-up, the prior
learning of the candidate is compared to and
matched with a competence profile. Top-down, a
competence profile is compared to the candidates'
prior learning.
Technical specifications of interest in this
context are the IMS Learner Information Pro-
file specification (IMS LIP, 2001), the Human
Resource-XML (HR-XML consortium, 2007)
and IMS Reusable Definition of Competency or
Educational Objective (IMS RDCEO, 2002). IMS
LIP is of importance to declare the information of
the learner in a population. HR-XML supports a
variety of business processes related to human re-
source management. IMS RDCEO is developed to
create common understandings of competencies.

After a candidate has decided to start APL, the
evidence-gathering phase is initiated. In this phase,
the candidates visualise their prior learning in an
e-portfolio. The e-portfolio is one of the most com-
mon instruments in APL and is usually a database
of collected evidence for competences. Examples
of international initiatives that stress the impor-
tant role of e-portfolio are EuroPortfolio (Eifel,
2009), which is a European consortium for the
digital portfolio and Europass (Europass, 2009),
an initiative of the European union to stimulate
mobility and learning in Europe.
An e-portfolio is a collection of artefacts or
evidence (e.g., documents, products) of attainment
and achievement in formal, informal or non-
formal learning contexts, reflecting the candidates'
competence development. It is a synthesis of the
personal, social and occupational experiences to
highlight competences (Colardyn & Bjørnavold,
2004). In their portfolio, candidates collect and
classify authentic evidence of their competences
to support a claim for credit with respect to a
specific competence profile. Whether the evi-
dence is sufficient for this claim is decided in the
assessment phase by the assessors. They decide
whether the standards (i.e., the competence pro-
files) are achieved. The e-portfolio can contain
any evidence the candidate can provide. In this
way, the portfolio takes into account the individual
differences between candidates and acknowledges
informal and non-formal learning.
An e-portfolio has many advantages over a
paper-based portfolio and is therefore highly
recommended to make APL more efficient. The
e-portfolio is virtual and can be accessed anytime
from any place if it is a web-based portfolio, it is
easy to maintain, edit and update (Heath, 2005),
and evidence can easily be checked by cross
references (Canada, 2002)

Self-Assessment Instrument

Assessment of Prior Learning is not always use-
ful or beneficial for all candidates. The level and
amount of prior learning might not be relevant or
sufficient to start an APL procedure, because the
outcomes will not provide any benefits for the can-
didate's career choices and career development. To
assess whether an APL procedure will be benefi-
cial for a candidate, a webbased self-assessment
instrument can be provided to candidates who
consider participating in an APL procedure. This
self-assessment instrument (a) helps candidate to
rapidly identify their competences, (b) compare
these competences with competence profiles, and
(c) decide on the usefulness of an APL procedure,
given the outcomes of the self-assessment. The
self-assessment instrument can be part of the
PDP, but in APL it is often a separate instrument.