The Institute of Applied Holistic Health Sciences (here forward The Institute) recognises that many Students may have already completed one or more of the modules included within the Diploma courses, and is therefore committed to developing a system that will recognise its Students prior learning achievements in order to avoid students having to duplicate their learning and evident skills.

Recognition of prior learning benefits Students in many ways:

I. Eliminates the need to duplicate training that has already been completed;

II. Assists Students in establishing areas of strength and weakness in their existing skills and knowledge thus identifying subjects beneficial to aide their personal development;

III. Enables Students to complete the diploma in a shorter time span;

IV. Helps to minimize the costs involved.

There are many factors which need to be taken into consideration when awarding modular recognition, as The Institute is profoundly determined on training its Students to attain competency levels that are in line with current industry standards, it cannot therefore simply grant RPL for modules on the basis of a certificate based transfer. All Students will therefore be required to complete a competency based assessment before the recognition decision can be made.

The Importance of a Competency Based Assessment in RPL:

The Institute recognises that there are a number of ways that Students may have acquired their prior learning, this could have been through:

I. Formal certified academic studies within a structured educational establishment;

II. Formal certified on the job training as part of their employment contract;

III. Informal non-certified on the job training / experience;

IV. Informal non-certified training / experience via leisure / voluntary activities.

 

However, the scope and objectives of skills and knowledge gained from each of the above will vary quite considerably, therefore merely holding a certificate alone, having a substantial level of experience or in-depth knowledge of a subject does not automatically assume a Student to be competent to standards required by The Institute. Therefore the use of competency based assessments will provide Students with the opportunity to demonstrate how their skills, knowledge and understanding meet the standards set by The Institute.

Prior learning assessments are in line with The Institutes equivalent criteria for each module, therefore the type and duration of assessment(s) will vary dependant on the objectives of individual modules. These may include but are not limited to the following:

Ø Written assessments;

Ø Written assignments;

Ø Assessed practical demonstrations;

Ø Verbal assessments;

Ø All of or a combination of the above;

 

Summary of the RPL Procedure:

All Students should initially contact The Institute to inform us of the modules for which RPL is being claimed, this can be done via email or telephone.

A qualified member of The Institute will then conduct a brief initial assessment for each RPL module to ascertain the level of relevant skills, qualifications and experience of the Student. If the Assessor deems the Student to have inadequate prior learning for the module in question, the Student will be informed at this stage and will therefore be required to complete the full training.

If the Assessor deems the Student to potentially have adequate prior learning, the Student will be required to attend a full competency assessment.

The Student will be advised of the type and duration of assessment(s) they will be required to complete and any supporting evidence which they are required to provide in support of their application.

Students are required to pay the RPL fees in full before the assessments can be completed. Contact Peaceful Life for more information.

The assessment(s) will be undertaken and examined by a qualified member of The Institute at a designated site and students will be informed of the assessment results in due course.