TVETipedia Glossary

Recognition of learning

The principles and processes through which the knowledge, skills and competences of a person are made visible, mediated and assessed for the purposes of certification, progression and professional standing.

(Comment: Recognition can take place by making learning explicit through the codification of knowledge, skills and competences in qualifications, but it is not limited to this form).

Source:
UNESCO, Level-setting and recognition of learning outcomes: The use of level descriptors in the twenty-first century, 2015
UNESCO, Level-setting and recognition of learning outcomes: The use of level descriptors in the twenty-first century, 2015
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Description of the report:
"The aim of this research is to support a broader initiative that will explore the possibility of developing international guidelines on quality assurance for the recognition of qualifications based on learning outcomes, including a set of world reference levels to facilitate the international recognition of qualifications."
Description of the glossary (pp 189 ff):
"The definitions of this glossary are provided by the authors, drawing on a wide range of literature in the field, and in particular the cited references for this publication. They do not necessarily coincide with official positions of UNESCO."

Recognition of learning is a process of granting official status to learning outcomes and/or competences, which can lead to the acknowledgement of their value in society.

Source:
European Commission, Validation of Non-formal MOOC-based Learning, 2016
European Commission, Validation of Non-formal MOOC-based Learning, 2016
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The OpenCred study is part of the OpenEdu Project, carried out by DG JRC IPTS on behalf of DG EAC. It supports the 2013 European Commission's Communication 'Opening up education: Innovative teaching and Learning for All through New Technologies and Open Educational Resources1.
It focuses on one of the core dimensions of the OpenEdu framework for openness in higher education institutions, which is recognition […]. Recognition is an important topic in the European Agenda for modernising higher education. […] Within this perspective, the purpose of validation and recognition are the same: both confirming certain learning outcomes against specific standards, providing proof of learning that can potentially be exchanged into future learning and/or work.