The wider acceptance of the validation of prior learning has marked a significant breakthrough in higher education and in workforce development and training. More and more institutions of many types now acknowledge learners have knowledge, skills and insights gained outside of the academy or outside of formal training centers. This means that many learners now have access, status and recognition that they had previously been denied. VPL has gained a great deal of “power”!!

Over the last near half-century, institutions, organizations and policy groups have developed strategies to assess what people know. The “how to” of validation of prior learning is central to so much of our work. But the “why” questions--the values, understandings and overarching beliefs about “why” PLA is so vital is too often pushed to the side. The goal of this webinar is to remind ourselves of that “why,” both the “why” of the past and the “why” of the future. Thus, PLA is a vehicle for credential attainment, but it is also an effective tool that we can call on to address issues of justice, access, and equity. Indeed, PLA has been an integral part of a movement for educational and social change.

Whether you are new to the field or have been a PLA practitioner for many years, please join us for this Webinar to learn more about our PLA values, commitments, and our goals, and to engage in a discussion about PLA’s impact around the world.

Our guests will be:

        Amber Garrison Duncan, Strategy Director of the Lumina Foundation (USA)

        Heidi Bolton, Director of Research at the South Africa Qualification Authority (SA)

        Anni Karttunen, Senior Specialist in Education Policy (Finland)

Facilitated by: Nan Travers and Alan Mandell, Co-Editors PLAIO  SUNY Empire State College

Date: Tuesday 19 May 2020

Time: 11:00 am—noon EST (17:00 CET)

All are welcome. Please share the link. No Registration Necessary       

https://zoom.us/j/367172410