A Return to the Beginning

It is appropriate at this point to briefly reconsider the questions which initially sparked the desire to undertake research into RPL at the postgraduate level:

Why does anyone require an undergraduate degree in order to pursue higher level studies?

Several instances were encountered during the course of the study of students who had successfully completed Master’s degrees without any undergraduate qualification, which seems to imply that an undergraduate degree is not a prerequisite. In fact, in a recent case, a student who was admitted to Master of Science studies without any formal post-school qualification, graduated in minimum time and, moreover, gained a distinction (RU Science Faculty Minutes, 2006; RU graduation records, 2008). However, these cases are likely to be exceptions to the rule and although the lack of a formal academic qualification may not be an insurmountable barrier to postgraduate study, some form of academic experience undoubtedly remains desirable before embarking on high level research.

How does one measure or assess a ‘keen intellect’ and a ‘sound knowledge of the field’?

Academic skills such as a ‘keen intellect’ or ‘critical reasoning abilities’ are challenging to evaluate but appear to be best assessed by an experienced, qualified professional having personal knowledge of the applicant – either in the form of an interview or previous encounter with the student in an academic environment. Practical experience such as a ‘sound knowledge of the field’ or ‘research competence’ are easier to assess, as their evaluation can be based on concrete evidence of past performance and achievements.

Could life-, work- and/or practical-experience be as, or possibly even more, valuable as preparation for postgraduate study than a formal undergraduate qualification?

140 It is difficult to provide a generalised answer to this question. The findings suggest that life-, work- and/or practical experience is indeed valuable preparation for postgraduate study although academic skills are also essential pre-requisites. In the final analysis, applications should be considered on a case-by-case basis albeit within an RPL framework which provides explicit criteria and evidence-based assessment procedures.

Is it possible that students admitted on the basis of recognition of prior learning are as, or perhaps even more, likely to succeed than those entering postgraduate studies via the formal route?

Students admitted to postgraduate study on the basis of RPL do not appear to be MORE likely to succeed than those entering via the formal route. However, given that there was no significant statistical difference in the completion and distinction rates between the two groups, RPL admissions appear to be AS likely to succeed as formally qualified students.

9.4

Towards a Framework for Postgraduate Access

At the start of this research journey, I assumed that there would be general support from interviewees for the development of a conceptual and procedural framework for assessing ‘postgraduateness’ – or, as the term later evolved, ‘postgraduate readiness’ at Rhodes University. This was indeed supported by the findings, albeit with the proviso from respondents that case-by-case flexibility and the personal judgement of experienced professionals should be retained as far as possible.

While the University has an overarching RPL policy and established practices regarding the recognition of prior learning at the Master’s level via the AEG rule, and although there is a great deal of common ground regarding the postgraduate attributes used to assess potential Master’s students at Rhodes, no institutional framework or formal criteria to guide the implementation of this form of admission currently exists. This situation is well illustrated in a Head of Department’s motivation for admission of an AEG candidate in the Humanities Faculty in 2006:

Rhodes University currently has no formal set of criteria by which to judge or interpret the admittedly complicated notion of prior learning on the basis of which one would like to admit exceptional, mature students like *student’s name+. This naturally means that until such criteria have been articulated (as I believe Rhodes is now in the process of doing) we have to make what effectively amounts to ad hoc decisions simply on the strength of the application in question. In this case, the sole object of such a decision is to satisfy ourselves that his knowledge is comparable to that of an average honours student.

141 (Rhodes University, Board of the Faculty of Humanities, 2006.1.12)

This study has shown that there is no uniform international or national ‘list of postgraduate readiness attributes’ which applicants for Master’s level study are required to demonstrate and even if there were, it is dubious as to whether there would (or could) be a common or prescribed method for how to evaluate and record such attributes.

Ultimately however, and given the University’s strategic goal to increase the quantity, quality and equity profile of postgraduate students (see Chapter 2, Section 2.4.4), it would seem logical that appropriate strategies are developed by the University in order to facilitate the achievement of its aims. An important step in such a strategy would be to develop a framework and criteria for admission to postgraduate study.

Before proceeding to develop a list of criteria for assessing postgraduate RPL applications, the institution would need to consider certain pertinent issues such as whether or not it wishes to have a generic set of rules/guidelines for alternative entry, or would it be best to leave it entirely to the judgment of the academics concerned? Would one set of guidelines work across different Faculties and disciplines? Would the requirements for entry to a Master’s degree in Mathematics be the same as a Master’s in Philosophy for example?

While the detailed content would need to be provided by the institution itself, I propose the following outline and suggest elements which should be taken into consideration in developing a Postgraduate Access Framework:

FIGURE 4: Postgraduate Access Framework Outline