Operationalising Accreditation of Prior Experiential Learning for Credit Awards: A Quantitative Perspective from Malaysia

• Main Author: Mohamad Afzhan Khan Mohamad Khalil
• Format: Article
• Published: ASEAN Journal of Open and Distance Learning 2021
• Subjects: LB1028 Research - Education; LB2300 Higher Education; LC5201 Education extension. Adult education. Continuing education
• Online Access: https://ajodl.oum.edu.my/document/Current/05.%20Operationalising%20Accreditation.pdf; http://library.oum.edu.my/repository/1473/
• Institution: Open University Malaysia

Accreditation of Prior Experiential Learning can be the catalyst for boosting income and propelling productivity. This process enables knowledge and experiences that people acquire outside of formal education to be assessed and recognised, thereby granting them the opportunity to enrol in courses at open and distance learning institutions like Open University Malaysia. The main objective of this paper is to provide descriptive information on the operationalisation of credit awards and to examine the factors affecting the operationalisation of credit awards in open and distance learning institutions. Data related to applications, eligibility and results of 1,721 students over five years were summarised in this paper. A review was conducted on previous literature, policies and documents from Malaysian Qualifications Agency to create an instrument. A total of 203 usable questionnaires were obtained from Open University Malaysia using phone interview methodology. Based on the mean analysis performed, it can be summarised that the students put much emphasis on saving time and cost via credit transfer because most of the adult learners intend to graduate faster. An exploratory factor analysis procedure was conducted using Principal Component with Varimax Rotation on the 20 items that measured operationalisation of APEL for credit awards (Kaiser Mayer Olkin = 0.94; Total Variance Explained = 70%). Service Quality (Alpha = 0.94), Management System (Alpha = 0.89) and Support system (Alpha = 0.87) were the three factors that were extracted from the exploratory factor analysis procedure and they were all found reliable to claim a model fit. In terms of originality, this is a preliminary study on credit awards in Malaysia that has furnished empirical data. It can be concluded that this mechanism serves as a social justice tool, providing lifelong learning opportunities to adult learners. (Abstract by author)