External Evaluation of the National RPL Project Summary Report
Acknowledgements
The evaluation team is indebted to the many project stakeholders who gave generously of their time and perspectives to inform the evaluation. These included centralised project management o�ice sta� as well as project leads, sta� and senior leaders situated across 14 publicly funded Irish higher education institutions. The evaluation has also benefited from direct input from enterprise representatives, government agencies (including the project funder) and the project’s co-sponsors. Particular gratitude is extended to the current and former learners who had availed of recognition of prior learning processes and shared their perspectives with the evaluation team via interviews, focus groups and surveys.
Evaluation Team
This external expert evaluation of the National Recognition of Prior Learning in Higher Education project was undertaken by ThreeSixtyInsights.
The evaluation was led by Dr Cathy Peck and coordinated by Ms Alexandra Anton-Aherne. The evaluation team comprised of Dr Annie Doona, Ms Naomi Jackson, Mr Matthew Hurley, Mr Nico Lorenzutti and Dr Fiona Chambers.
Definition
Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) processes enable a formal value to be placed on the prior learning of an individual or cohort of learners. That prior learning may have been formal and achieved through a programme of study delivered by an education provider leading to certification. It may also have been experiential,1 achieved in the context of workplace learning and development or training activities, leisure, community engagement or other forms of life experience. RPL processes can be used in Irish higher education (HE) for the purposes of:
• Credit towards an award or exemption from some programme modules
• Advanced entry to a programme
• Entry to a programme
In some Irish HEIs, RPL may also be used to gain a full academic award. However, this is noted to be at the discretion of the individual HEI (Technical (Data) Definition of RPL in HE, 2022).
Project Summary
The National Recognition of Prior Learning in Higher Education Project responded to calls made in multiple policy, strategy and analysis documents over the preceding decade that emphasised the need for a common understanding of RPL and the development of a national framework. These included the National Strategy for Higher Education to 2030, which called for the development of a national framework based on the expertise and experience built up within higher education institutions (HEIs) (DES, 2011). Recommendations on advancing RPL practice are also prominent within a report released by the Expert Group on Future Skills Needs, which emphasised the need for a coordinated approach (EGFSN, 2011) as well as the National Plan for Equity of Access to Higher Education 2015-2019 (HEA, 2015) and the National Skills Strategy (DES, 2016). The current National Access Plan 2022-2028 (HEA, 2022) provides more recent reinforcement of the importance of RPL in the wider higher education and training landscape, as does the OECD’s recent assessment of Ireland’s skills strategy (OECD, 2023).
1 Experiential learning is often described as either non-formal or informal learning. This is particularly true in the broader European context, where the term validation is more commonly used to describe RPL (Cedefop, 2023).
The project was initiated in 2020 following a successful application to the Higher Education Authority (HEA) for Human Capital Initiative (HCI) Pillar 3 funding and is scheduled to conclude (in its current form) in October 20252. The total budget allocated to the project in 2020 for the five-year lifespan of the project was €6,904,176.20.
Two representative bodies, the Technological Higher Education Association (THEA) and the Irish Universities Association (IUA), served as project cosponsors. THEA has housed the Project Management O�ice (PMO) for the duration of the project. The full list of project partner HEIs following the mergers is provided in table 1.
Each HEI was funded for the position of a (0.5 FTE) project lead. Project leads were recruited or seconded to the role to work toward local implementation of project objectives within their institutions.
Notably, the National RPL in HE Project was initiated and progressed concurrent to substantial change (both planned and responsive) across the Irish higher education sector. This included the establishment of five public technological universities (TUs) under the Technological Universities Act, 2018 (entailing the mergers of predecessor Institutes of Technology).
Dublin City University (DCU)
Maynooth University (MU)
Trinity College Dublin (TCD)
University College Cork (UCC)
University College Dublin (UCD)
University of Galway (UG)
University of Limerick (UL)
The project commenced during a period of ongoing and substantial disruption caused by the Covid-19 pandemic across 2020 and 2021. Subsequently, in late 2022, the need to respond to the release of generative artificial intelligence tools such as ChatGPT created additional demands for sta� and leadership within HEIs.
This external evaluation, which was requested by the PMO and commissioned by THEA on behalf of THEA and the IUA, discusses work undertaken within the project, identifies transferable learnings and makes recommendations for activities that should be undertaken to sustain RPL practice beyond the formal project timeline. It considers the overall achievements of the project in relation to its three primary objectives:
1.To embed RPL across the partner HEIs in a consistent and coherent manner,
2.To develop sta� capacity to practice RPL, and
3.To work with employers to open up new upskilling and reskilling opportunities for workers.
Atlantic Technological University (ATU)
Munster Technological University (MTU)
South East Technological University (SETU)
Technological University Dublin (TU Dublin)
Technological University of the Shannon (TUS)
2 Additional funding has been allocated to the project which will facilitate a limited scope of activities to be carried out over a further 14-month period.
Dundalk Institute of Technology (DkIT)
Dún Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design & Technology (IADT)
Table 1: National RPL in HE Project Partner HEIs
Evaluation Scope and Methods
The purposes of the evaluation were, in summary:
1.To conduct a summative assessment of the project, evaluating its overall e�ectiveness, e�iciency and impact, and to assess the sustainability of RPL operations in institutions post-project.
2.To review RPL practices across the EU and benchmark the e�ectiveness of practices in Ireland against those of other EU countries.
3.To capture key learnings and identify what RPL activities should be advanced to enhance accessibility and flexibility for learners and enterprise.
The external evaluation team was provided with a substantive volume of documentation and associated data that was reflective of e�orts to track, monitor and report on activities carried out by the PMO and project partner HEIs throughout the lifespan of the project. This secondary data was triangulated by the evaluation team through direct engagements with stakeholders (see table 2) and audits of the publicly available policies, websites and programme information of the 14 project partner HEIs. In all evaluation activities and workstreams a minimum of two expert evaluators were involved, which facilitated a high-level of inter-rater reliability, reducing potential subjectivity and bias.
A limitation of the evaluation is noted. The objectives of the project were focused on further realising the potential of RPL in Irish higher education. However, RPL was already practised (in various forms and to varying extents) by some of the project partner HEIs prior to the project’s initiation. This means that it was at times di�icult for the evaluation team to discern whether an activity or output is attributable to the project or may have occurred independently. In some instances, the PMO and other stakeholders clearly identified that particular activities preceded the project or were enabled by core/ alternative funding streams. However, communications and marketing work undertaken within the project subsequently raised the visibility of those activities, facilitating valuable peer learning and awareness raising. As a result, clear cut delineations between ‘project’ and ‘nonproject’ RPL activity are not always possible or meaningful.
Project Implementation
Seven work packages were identified in the funding application. The interdependent nature of the seven work packages identified in the HCI funding application and discussed in the self-evaluation report means that they should not be considered discrete. Nonetheless, they provide a useful structure for key achievements and learnings to be summarised.
Work Package (WP) 1 Governance and Management
Potential Learning Key Achievements
• The National RPL in HE Project represented an unprecedented level of sector wide collaboration to progress a set of common objectives. A project governance structure was established that facilitated the achievement of sector wide consensus on key outputs and provided appropriate oversight.
• Outputs from a Visioning Workshop provided clarity on the project’s objectives that informed subsequent activities.
• Project leads were appointed within all project partner HEIs to progress project objectives locally, supported by Registrars.
• Project data and reports reflect that a careful monitoring strategy evolved over the life of the project.
• Projects of this nature require a commitment from all senior leaders providing oversight to meet and engage as a unified body at key junctures.
• Projects of this nature could usefully be allocated longer lead times for applications or alternatively advised to anticipate the need for an establishing phase prior to full deployment of project resources.
• Additional parameters (for example, the level and location of project leads) within HEIs should be agreed with project partners prior to local project lead appointments. This would achieve a better balance between, on the one hand, facilitating autonomy and appropriate integration with local structures, and on the other hand ensuring project funded project sta� are consistently positioned to progress national project objectives.
• Longer lead times may be needed to return HCI Pillar 3 (or equivalent) reports in projects of this nature, which feature highly distributed accountabilities. Future sector wide projects may also benefit from establishing finance o�ice contacts within HEIs from the outset.
WP 2: Research and Analysis
Key Achievements
• An early PMO led phase of analysis and research provided clarity and sectoral baseline understandings that facilitated benchmarking for HEIs and informed subsequent activities.
• A Technical (Data) Definition of RPL was agreed by the project partners. The definition is essential to facilitate consistent data collection and reporting processes within HEI’s systems, to develop a sectoral baseline dataset for RPL activity and to subsequently provide evidence of the provision of RPL by HEIs and any expansion of this attributable to the project.
Potential Learning
• Following the agreement reached on the Technical (Data) Definition across the sector, there is good potential for HEIs to provide more consistent and accurate information on RPL in reporting to the HEA within the new Student Record System if fields are developed to enable this.
WP 3: Capacity Building Tools
and Resources
Key Achievements
• New or updated RPL policies were documented and published by all 14 project partner HEIs, serving as an important precursor to, and foundation for, consistent practice and implementation.
• Sta� training and development was progressed nationally via delivery of four iterations of the RPL Digital Badge and the development of an RPL Toolkit.
• Sta� training and development was also facilitated locally (in variable formats) in all 14 project partner HEIs.
Potential Learning
• In order to increase capacity to implement RPL in HEIs, senior leaders may need to more actively encourage academic sta� and institutional stakeholders to engage. It may be necessary to reinforce the importance of RPL with Schools and Departments as well as at institutional and national levels.
• There is scope to substantially expand the RPL toolkit resources, which could usefully include additional (downloadable and customisable) templates, exemplars and self-access resources and incorporate more dynamic multimedia formats.
WP 4: RPL for Enterprise
Key Achievements
• High quality enterprise case studies, reports and multimedia resources have been produced that document how RPL has been used to enable upskilling and reskilling initiatives.
• Nationally, an #RPLforEnterprise Think In Event was hosted by the PMO.
• Work to increase local awareness of RPL within HEIs and with local and national enterprise bodies has been progressed across the project partner network.
Potential Learning
• Where foundational work is needed to develop sectoral frameworks or capacity within HEIs, it may be useful to clearly define this as a precursor to any outward or enterprise facing activity to manage stakeholder expectations.
• Given that enterprise relationships are dispersed across HEIs and may not be readily accessible to central project sta�, a precommitment to intra-institutional coordination may be beneficial for similarly scoped projects in future.
WP 5: Create National Framework for RPL in Higher Education
Key Achievements
• A Pilot Framework for RPL in HE closely aligned with European equivalents was developed and agreed by the project partners. The framework is an important output for the project that supports coherence and consistency in RPL policy and practice across the sector.
WP 6: RPL Platform (Website) for Irish Higher Education
Key Achievements
• The project website priorlearning.ie was launched, providing a valuable repository of information. The website makes project outputs and resources readily available.
WP 7: Dissemination and Communication
Key Achievements
• Active engagement with national and European stakeholders and experts early in the process provided opportunities to raise awareness of the project and explore how project outputs might integrate with complementary initiatives.
• A brand identity was developed for the project and an active social media presence was established.
• Significant media exposure was obtained in 2024, including features on RTE’s Nationwide and in The Irish Times.
Programme Logic Model
Although it is too early to measure the longer term impacts of the project, the (high level) logic model in Table 10 indicates how resources, activities and outputs during early stages of the project (2021-2022) led systematically toward project outcomes.
Table 10. Programme Logic Model Part 1
Resources
Project Steering Group
Activities
Outputs
Clarification of project vision and objectives
Mi:Lab Consultancy
Support
PMO Sta� (Project Director, Head of RPL Research & Development)
HEI surveys and research
Compilation of case studies and testimonials of existing RPL practice
Project Lead Network
Registrar Oversight
Development of institutional action plans
Development of Technical (Data) Definition
Vision statement and set of guiding values agreed by steering group
Baseline for Benchmarking of RPL Practice across HE Sector Registrar or Equivalent Sign o� on Institutional Action Plans by all HEIs
Agreement of Technical (Data) Definition
Agreement of Pilot Framework for RPL in HE
Outcomes
Increased capacity to measure outcomes of project activity
Exemplars of good practice available to support communications
Capacity to track RPL activity across the sector and facilitate potential future reporting via SRS
Expert Consultancy
Development of Pilot Framework for RPL in HE
Publication and hosting of National RPL in HE project resources, stories and news items
Capacity to align HEI policy,practice and supporting resources to facilitate coherence and consistency across the system
Launch of project website.
Project soft launch, including brand identity assets
The outcomes of work undertaken in the early stages of the project became important resources for subsequent phases of activity, as highlighted in Table 11. Additional personnel recruited to the PMO were deployed in growth areas of activity, including sta� development and communications.
Table 11. Programme Logic Model Part 2
Resources
Activities
Further PMO Sta� Appointments (Sta�
Development, Project Liaison, Communications and Digital Engagement Roles)
Project Lead Network
Expert Consultancy
Registrar Oversight
Pilot National Framework for RPL in HE
Technical (Data) Definition of RPL
Case studies and testimonials of existing practice.
Outputs
Outcomes
Facilitation of 4 cohorts for the RPL Digital Badge
Localised sta� capacity building activities in HEIs.
Ongoing compilation of new RPL case studies and testimonials
Further development of social media and public relations strategy.
Pilot integration to HEI operating systems
Development and approval of new & updated HEI RPL Policies
Promotion of RPL for enterprise within local HEIs
#RPLforEnterprise Think In Event
RPL Digital Badges Issued to 312 participants
Increased volume of sta� with RPL training in HE
Publication and hosting of National RPL in HE project resources, stories and news items
Increased media exposure and digital engagement rates
Raised awareness of RPL in society and enterprise
Increased volume of learners utilising RPL
Voluntary testing by HEIs
Aligned RPL policies approved and published by 14 project partner HEIs
Increased capacity to track RPL activity across the sector Increased coherence and consistency at policy level
Sustaining RPL Practice
The evaluation was undertaken in the context of an announcement that funding for a subsequent phase of the project would not be provided by the HEA. Consequently, how the ongoing work to embed RPL practice could or should besupported by HEIspost the formal timeline of the project was a particularly prominent theme in the evaluation team’s discussions with stakeholders.3 Concerns were expressed that project work to develop and embed RPL remained at a precarious point in most (but not all) HEIs. Diverse examples of approaches to institutional resourcing were elicited from four HEIs to explore this (see Section 6 of the full report).
With regard to the project’s first objective of embedding RPL across the partner HEIs in a consistent and coherent manner, the evaluation team observed that there is good evidence that a consistent and coherent approach to RPL has been established across the partner HEIs as an outcome of the project. Examples of the evidence informing this observation include:
• Agreement of the Technical (Data) Definition
• Agreement of the Pilot Framework
• Audit of Institution’s RPL webpages (all)
• Audit of Institution’s policies (all)
Project data also indicates that during the lifetime of the project the number of students utilising RPL has increased substantially (and/or the capacity of HEIs to collect RPL data has improved). This represents a significant achievement at system level, as reflected in Table 3.
RPL Activity Aggregate Figures
However, at the time of the evaluation, there was less evidence that the approach is consistently embedded across all partner HEIs (e.g. widely understood and implemented). Examples of the evidence informing this observation include:
•Audit of each partner HEI’s programme information (representative sampling only).
•Interviews and focus groups with learners.
The evaluation team observed that there is good evidence that sta� capacity to practice RPL has been developed in the Irish higher education sector during the project lifetime, as per the project’s second objective. In particular, high quality enabling resources have been created and/or promoted via the project for developing sta� capacity. However, more activity will be needed to enable mainstreaming of practices. Inputs to the evaluation indicate that in some areas, lack of sta� capacity and understanding or willingness is preventing consistent RPL practice from being implemented ‘on-the-ground’.
3 During the evaluation an allocation of additional funding to the value of €500,000 to commence in November 2025 was announced by the HEA.
Table 3: RPL Activity Aggregate Figures Three Year Summary
Regarding the third objective of working with employers to open up new upskilling and reskilling opportunities for workers, the evaluation team found relatively limited evidence that this objective had been achieved as a direct outcome of the project within the project lifetime. However, it is noted that good examples of activity in this area exist, and that some institutions are working with enterprise cohorts to facilitate groups of learners in programmes relevant to industry needs. Potential learnings regarding the sequencing of objectives and positioning of project sta� in HEIs are noted (see also Section 5.4 of the full report).
Recommendations
The project has enabled the sector to reach agreement on the necessary preconditions for establishing a coherent, national approach to RPL across Irish higher education, for example, the technical (data) definition and pilot framework.
At institutional level, there is good evidence that policies have been developed/revised and approved in line with the nationally agreed frameworks and definitions. It is therefore appropriate to shift the locus of activity from national consensus to institutional accountability for the implementation of those policies.
Stakeholders acknowledge cultural obstacles (see Section 8.2 of the full report) and the danger of ‘backsliding’ if mechanisms to maintain momentum within HEIs are not in place. Substantial investment has already been made in this area and solid foundational work completed. As the initially scoped timeline for the project draws to a close, the evaluation team recommend that to secure longer-term impacts associated with the work undertaken to date, establishing targeted and di�erentiated objectives for a subsequent phase of work is essential.
Recommendations
Overarching Recommendations
1. Establish a subsequent phase of work in which objectives and key performance indicators (KPIs) target on-the-ground implementation of the National Framework for RPL in HE.
2. Clearly di�erentiate between objectives and KPIs to be achieved at national level and those to be achieved at institutional level.
Recommendations
for National Activity
3. Embed statutory reporting on RPL within HEA’s Student Record System to facilitate ongoing reporting on RPL data by HEIs to the HEA.
4. Consider whether HEI reporting on RPL data (see recommendation 3) and/or other direct indicators (see recommendation 9) should be linked to any additional funding to progress RPL practice within HEIs
5. Coordinate with employer representative organisations to develop a strategy to raise awareness of RPL and ensure the opportunities it presents are understood by enterprise.
6. Require that RPL be considered, embedded by design and made explicit within information pertaining to new programmes or micro-credentials.
7. Ensure that the existing communications material (e.g. priorlearning.ie and RPL stories) and practical resources developed by the project (e.g. pilot framework, case studies) are maintained, hosted and actively promoted for use by the sector, e.g. via the National Forum for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education (NFETLHE). Within this:
a. Facilitate ongoing contributions to a repository of case studies or exemplars of good practice by institutions to maintain the currency of these resources.
b. Enable academic and professional sta� in Irish higher education to continue to achieve recognition for their engagement in professional learning via access to the existing RPL Digital Badge.
8. Progress redevelopment of the existing RPL Digital Badge and RPL Toolkit to provide a suite of practical, self-access training resources available for use on demand by institutions and relevant stakeholders.
Recommendations for Institutional Activity
9. At institutional level, propose and agree appropriate indicators of achievement, particularly in the context of any additional funding to progress RPL practice within HEIs. Reasonable examples of direct indicators may include:
a. Visibility of RPL in programme information for prospective learners.
b. Visibility of RPL in strategic and operational plans and KPIs.
c. The proportion of academic, external engagement and relevant area (e.g. admissions, registry) sta� engaging in RPL training or development activity
d. Numbers of RPL processes actioned (which may be expected to vary substantially by institutional profile).
10. In HEIs where the RPL coordinator role exists, clarify the role of RPL in relation to roles and responsibilities for RPL throughout the organisation. Within this:
a. Embed responsibility for RPL appropriately in the role descriptions as relevant for academic and professional sta�.
11. Embed RPL in the industry communications, external engagement and enterprise strategies of institutions, particularly in relation to cohort RPL.
12. Raise the profile of RPL in communications and promotions material targeting prospective learners.
