Prior learning assessment and recognition (PLAR) and the impact of globalization : a Canadian case study

This is a case study of participant narratives in the prior learning assessment and recognition (PLAR) process at The Royal Military College (RMC) in Kingston, Ontario. RMC is under the direction of the Department of National Defence Canada, and has a full-time staff dedicated to the maintenance and expansion of the prior learning assessment and recognition process. The research problem of this thesis is to ask if a participant in a prior learning assessment and recognition program acknowledges their own knowledge as valuable and how this may be linked to the motivating factors that cause the participant to return to formal study.In order to provide a context for the research problem, I use the literature review to examine the history of prior learning assessment and recognition programs in Canada. Through a mail survey, the use of participant narratives provides a voice to the literature in discussing the question of how knowledge is valued in a prior learning assessment program. Although the focus of the thesis will be prior learning assessment and recognition in Canada, the background to the concept of prior learning assessment is found in the United States. It is therefore essential to begin there in order to provide a context in which to understand the current Canadian situation. As a timeline the study begins with the post-World War II era and continues to the present. The sub-theme of my doctoral research is to investigate how the concept of prior learning assessment and recognition in Canada has been influenced by the broader context of globalization