Webinar 1 - Thursday, February 3 (12 ET)

Introducing the INTERNATIONAL INDIGENOUS RPL PRACTITIONER MANUAL (2021): A Conversation with Karihwakeron Tim Thompson and Paul Zakos, Co-Editors and Indigenous adult educator Janice Brant

The Canadian Association for Prior Learning Assessment (CAPLA) and the Nova Scotia Department of Labour, Skills and Immigration are pleased to be co-hosting a ZOOM discussion about the newly released International Indigenous Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) Practitioner Manual (2021).

Co-editors Karihwakeron Tim Thompson and Paul Zakos will present some of the many components of the new publication, which features essays from North America, South America and South Africa, along with information about the powerful role that Indigenous portfolios can play as a transformative process. Indigenous educator Janice Brant will also share her unique perspectives and extensive RPL expertise. Q&A will follow.

About the speakers

Karihwakeron Thompson is from the bear clan family of the Mohawk Nation at Wahta Mohawk Territory and serves as the chair of the International Indigenous Recognition of Prior Learning Collective (IIRPLC). Karihwakeron values his experiences with Indigenous organizations and Indigenous controlled educational institutions and continues to work with initiatives which utilize Indigenous knowledge and support the revitalization of Indigenous languages.

Paul Zakos has been actively involved in adult education for over four decades in both mainstream and Indigenous settings. He is a founding member of the Canadian Association for Prior Learning Assessment and the International Indigenous RPL Collective. He has implemented RPL and adult friendly practices across Canada, USA, Chile, South Africa, and Ecuador working closely with colleagues to ensure educational policies and programs respond to community needs and the life circumstances and cultural teachings of Indigenous peoples.

Janice Brant is a Mohawk scholar and adult educator who created a portfolio process, “Utilizing Portfolio Development in Adult Basic Education”, for Haudenosaunee adults on the Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory in Ontario, Canada several years ago. She has made a significant contribution to the creation of the International Indigenous RPL Practitioner Manual and the development of culturally-based RPL processes in Canada and internationally.

Webinar 2 – Thursday, February 24 (12ET)

RPL at New Brunswick Community College (NBCC)

We are aiming to have a centre that will facilitate the widening of access to college level education, particularly for underrepresented groups. We are keen to be able to recognize not only validated learning but also experiential learning in the full breadth of its definition, core employability skills, international education etc. Integral to our approach will be the use of technology alongside the more traditional documented approaches dependent on the learner. For the 2021-22 school year, NBCC is piloting new approaches in the field of Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition (PLAR), with a focus on assessing experiential learning in IT. Operating on a continuous intake basis, participants are able to have their learning assessed and gain course credit before enrollment. The pilot also includes the implementation of online tools to be used for competency-based learning demonstrations and assessment.

Speakers: Ann Drennan, Vice President Academic and Research; Chris Harris, Registrar; Hazel Richardson, Director, Academic Planning and Evaluation; Patrick Reinartz, Recognition of Prior Learning Coordinator; Mackenzie Bartlett, Recognition of Prior Learning Coordinator

Webinar 3 – Thursday, March 10, 2022 (12ET)

RPL at Dalhousie University’s Faculty of Open Learning and Career Development

Dalhousie University’s Faculty of Open Learning and Career Development has become the lead for RPL as part of an innovative strategy supported by the Government of Nova Scotia. Starting with an RPL Framework grounded in a vision of economic, educational and societal access and equity for all, the Faculty of Open Learning and Career Development is well positioned to offer a range of services to underserved populations and to extend its growing expertise to many other partners in the province who understand the importance of recognizing the learning of job seekers, prospective students, newcomers and Indigenous populations.

Speaker: Chris Fevens, RPL Project Manager, Faculty of Open Learning and Career Development, Dalhousie University