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CPD: Accreditation of prior learning (APL)

Accreditation of prior learning (APL) is an opportunity to be given credit for learning and skills already gained before joining one of the Faculty’s courses. This means you can avoid duplicating previous learning and it can help you to:

  • Gain entry into a course even if you don't have some of the required qualifications
  • Be exempt from certain parts of the course
  • Progress more quickly towards qualifying for the final award.

For example, you may have already studied individual modules or short courses or gained a relevant qualification at another institution. Or you may have achieved relevant learning through work experience, volunteer work, or as part of a training course.

Tell me more... introducing Sue Heatley, APL Adviser for our CPD courses

Sue Heatley, APL Adviser for our CPD couresesSue is a Principal Lecturer in the School of Midwifery and Child Health. She also teaches modules for the School of Nursing and provides careers advice for students. Read on for Sue’s advice about the APL process and how you can use it to complete your studies faster.

What is APL and what can it offer students?

APL stands for Accreditation of Prior Learning and includes AP(C)L – Accreditation of Prior Certified Learning, and AP(E)L – Accreditation of Prior Experiential Learning.

AP(C)L is quite straightforward. Students wishing to enrol on a degree course with us can use credits obtained during previous study to be counted towards that degree (this applies whether the previous study was with us or another higher education institution). The type and number of credits that can be counted in this way depend on your chosen course. For example, up to 60 credits can be used for some degrees, even if they come from study in another subject.

AP(E)L is a bit more complicated. The experience we look at is not just work experience. It can also be voluntary work or personal learning. What’s important is that you must be able to demonstrate to us what you’ve learned through your experiences and how it has influenced your professional and personal competencies. For each student we will assess individually whether the experience you have in mind is suitable to be used for AP(E)L.

How can students claim APL?

For AP(C)L, if you want to have your credits count towards you degree, the first step is to get in touch with me. Each student’s case is then evaluated individually. The credits must have been obtained within the last five years and there is an administration fee of £100 for each 15 credits.

AP(E)L, having not been previously assessed, will be evaluated by us. You'll be asked to demonstrate how your experience has taught you skills or knowledge relevant to your work or your desired field of study. We'll ask you to prepare a portfolio and this will be assessed through our Work-Based Learning moduleOpens new window (PDF 130K), which you'll complete as part of the AP(E)L claim process.

What are the advantages of APL?

As you can count credits from all higher education institutions towards your degree, APL makes studying much more flexible. You can bring your credits over from universities all across the country, as long as your studies were undertaken during the last five years and you haven’t used them to count towards any other qualifications.

The AP(E)L scheme also makes it possible for people who never thought they could study at university - because they haven’t done any formal studying or they completed their education a long time ago – to do so.

Where can students find out more about APL and check whether their credits or experiences are eligible?

You can find some very good comprehensive information in the following leaflets on the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education's website:

If you're considering studying with us, please contact our APL Adviser to review your options :

We're keen to help you achieve your study goals, so please don’t hesitate to get in touch with any queries.

 

Continuing professional development prospectus 2009-11