26 May, 2015

On Tuesday 12th of May, 2015, CIT hosted an event as part of the National Forum for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education seminar series.  This event was under the sub-theme of 'Pedagogical Innovations to support transitions'.  The seminar attracted participation from across professional bodies, employer organisations, higher education and further education and training.

The seminar centred on valuing all forms of learning attained in different contexts, which incorporated learning achieved through the workplace, voluntary activities, and previous academics achievements.

The aim of the seminar was to share perspectives of work based and prior learning which could facilitate the transition of learners into education and vice versa from education to the workplace. The second element centred on how this learning is recognised, valued and, where appropriate accredited by the various stakeholders. The seminar included presentations from a number of perspectives including the learner, higher education institution, employers and an international expert.

The currency of learning was an area relevant to this discussion, the challenge of how to strike the balance between specific, current and future workplace skills and competency requirements and the broader purpose of higher education.  The focus of facilitating transitions between the workplace and higher education was not to dominate the agenda but to identify good practice which is beneficial to all stakeholders.

The final area which this seminar discussed was how the workplace itself can be valued as a centre for learning. The discussion centred on how the workplace can contribute in terms of learning opportunities and structures to support learning and assessment and how this approach can benefit stakeholders. The enablers and challenges of this approach to education and training were also considered by the participants.

Presentations of the event are available here