There is increasing interest around the use of microcredentials for upskilling, employability, professional development, and reaching a wide range of learners. However, little discussion exists around the use of microcredentials to contribute towards broader qualifications and accreditation. This paper investigates the use of a series of…

This paper seeks to advance our understanding of the credit transfer phenomenon in the UK, specifically how students draw on a credit as a form of institutional cultural capital. Drawing on interviews with 26 part-time mature learners, this paper examines the progressive and retrospective orientations to study that surfaced in students' accounts…

This paper considers how far Anglo Saxon conceptions of vocational education and training have influenced European Union vocational education and training policy, especially given the disparate approaches to vocational education and training across Europe. Two dominant approaches can be identified: the dual system (exemplified by Germany); and…

This account of practice reports on an action learning initiative designed and implemented in partnership between a regional NHS Acute Trust and a UK Business School. The central initiative was the implementation of an action learning programme entitled "Leading change in tissue viability best practice: a development programme for Link Nurse…

Introduction: Since reliable information is scarce to describe continuing medical education (CME) and revalidation in Europe, we carried out a survey in 5 selected countries (France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom). Methods: A tested questionnaire was sent to 2 experts per country (except in Germany), during August-September 2004.…

In earlier work the Student Assessment and Classification Working Group (SACWG) found that up to 15% of honours classifications in UK higher education might be different if the results had been fed through another institution's award algorithm. In this article a more sensitive analysis has been applied to two blocks of institutional results that…

In an assessment culture, credit-based education and training are increasingly important in voluntary and community sectors. Examples from Hungary and Britain were used to develop a democratic participative model to identify the need for and relevance of credit and to use qualifications to further civil society. (Contains 53 references.) (SK)

The 1998 Bologna declaration attempts to coordinate a system of comparability of degrees and credits across European higher education institutions to improve mobility. The United Kingdom has a number of quality assurance initiatives and is developing credit and qualifications frameworks in response to the declaration. (Contains 17 references.) (SK)

The Open University (OU) is the UK's largest university, with over 200,000 people studying, part time and at a distance, a range of undergraduate and postgraduate courses and packs. Research and development carried out at the OU's Centre for Outcomes-Based Education (COBE), has provided a new way of enabling students to be accredited at higher…

Description of the issues surrounding introduction of assessment of prior experiential learning for nurse practitioners illustrates concerns in contemporary British higher education: multiplicity of purposes, fear that academics are losing control over knowledge creation and assessment, and shift from norm- to criterion-referenced assessment.…

A credit-based qualifications system within the framework proposed in the Dearing "Review of Qualifications for 16-19 Year Olds" could enhance the United Kingdom (UK) qualification system in the 21st century. The United Kingdom currently has over 14,000 qualifications and more than 100 awarding bodies, which makes it difficult to compare…

Development of a common credit accumulation and transfer (CAT) system for the post-16 learner has been proposed in Great Britain. The rationale for this system is to increase the participation and achievement of learners over age 16, to improve access to learning opportunities, and to facilitate the development of core knowledge and skills. The…

Includes reactions to "The Learning Age" from the following: A.G. Watts, Richard Taylor, Richard Ely, Carole Stott, Donald Rae, John Lawton, Philippa Langton, Mary Lord, and Sarah Perman. Emphasizes the need for practitioner input from their varied experiences and for knowledge of client groups into the continuing development of the…

This collection of seven articles examines achievement-based resourcing (ABR), the concept that the funding of educational institutions should be linked to their success in promoting student achievement, with a focus on the application of ABR to postsecondary education in the United Kingdom. The articles include: (1) "Introduction" (Mick…

Unit accreditation is presented as a form of assessment that motivates students and gives insight into the learning process. Units of accreditation are programs of work written as discrete modules that students complete for curriculum credit. Two case studies illustrate the development of unit accreditation. (SLD)