11.1 The PLAR Process
The Fanshawe College Personal Support Worker Program recognizes that practical experience and learning can happen before you begin the PSW Program. The practical experience can happen in a variety of Clinical settings outside of the formal PSW Professional Clinical Practice experience.
PLAR is a process that allows you to identify, document and be assessed for recognition of your prior learning and skills. Your learning may be formal, informal or experiential.
What is PLAR?
Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition (PLAR) is a process of evaluating the knowledge and skills gained through experiential and/or non-formal learning for the purpose of obtaining credit. Fanshawe College recognizes that learning occurs from a wide variety of work and other life experiences outside of formal educational settings.
Prior Learning Assessment uses a variety of tools to help learners reflect on, identify, articulate, and demonstrate past learning which has been acquired through on-the-job training, military service, community-based volunteer activities, and self-directed study, that all together are not recognized through formal transfer-of-credit mechanisms. These experiences may have resulted in college-level learning and may be eligible to be credited as such.
The College’s PLAR process is designed to accurately, fairly, and equitably assess these experiences to determine if such learning minimally meets college-level learning standards. Assessors balance the need to protect College credentials and community interests against the need to fairly recognize prior learning as college-level.
Please note that if your course load drops below that of a full-time student because of credits earned through PLAR, eligibility for financial assistance through the Ontario Student Assistance Plan (OSAP) may be impacted.
If you are an international student, please note that if your course load drops below that of a full-time student because of credits earned through PLAR, your current study permit and working eligibility, or your future post-graduate work permit eligibility, may be impacted.
PLAR does not provide credit for prior formal post-secondary education. If you have prior learning through a recognized post-secondary institution, check for possible transfer credit first with the Advising Centre. Please refer to Policy A124, Recognition of Prior Learning [PDF].
Image Description
Title: “What is PLAR?”
Main Section: PLAR stands for Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition. It is the process used by the college to assess the knowledge and skills you have gained through work and life experience. This helps determine if your learning through experience is eligible for college credit toward a course or program requirement.
PLAR Tools Section: PLAR uses a variety of tools to help you reflect on, identify, articulate, and, where appropriate, demonstrate your learning.
Three Subsections:
What’s Eligible?
- Work experience
- On-the-job training
- Self-study
- Volunteer experience
- Military training
- Engagement with First Nations, Métis, or Inuit knowledge systems and traditions
Requirements: The learning to be assessed through PLAR should be current, relevant to the Fanshawe College course/program outcomes, and demonstrate the breadth and depth of college-level learning.
Benefits:
- Saves time
- Promotes self-confidence
- Increases access to education
- May reduce school costs
- Could shorten the time to complete a college program
- Supports career development
- May lighten course loads
Get Started with PLAR: The Admissions and Pathways Advising Centre is the central contact point for PLAR. Advisors can answer general questions and guide you through the application process. To schedule an appointment, visit fanshawec.ca/booknow or call 519-452-4277, or email advising@fanshawec.ca.
Important Note: PLAR does not apply when seeking credit for courses taken at other colleges or universities. Post-secondary credits can be assessed through the Transfer Credit process.
At the bottom right, it mentions the official college policy on PLAR (Policy A124: Recognition of Prior Learning).
“8.1 Early Childhood Education PLAR (Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition)” from Fanshawe College Early Childhood Education Field Practicum Hub by Kim Woods is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.—Modifications: Reworded, added image.
Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition (PLAR) © Fanshawe College, All Rights Reserved.
