By Kim Van Haren

The TRUly Flexible approach to education at Thompson Rivers University (TRU) aims to make learning accessible and adaptable to fit students’ individual needs and lifestyles.

A key part of this flexibility is Open Learning’s Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition (PLAR) process, which gives students academic credits for the knowledge and skills they’ve gained outside of traditional classrooms. TRU has been investing in PLAR since joining with Open Learning in 2005.

Creating accessibility

PLAR Director Susan Forseille says assessing and recognizing past learning helps students begin their education at a level that matches their different backgrounds and life experiences.

“Many students have told us that starting at the beginning of a degree, or somewhere near the beginning, is really intimidating. They worry they don’t have the time or cognitive capacity, or that post-secondary education wasn’t meant for them. And so, when you look at the accessibility piece, we’re opening it up to more students with more backgrounds and really valuing the whole person, the whole being, including their prior learning.”

Forseille adds that research from both TRU and the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning shows students who go through PLAR have higher grades, finish their studies more quickly and are more likely to complete their programs.

“When students go through PLAR, they spend a lot of time reflecting on what they know,” she says. “This boosts their confidence, sometimes substantially, helping them realize they can succeed in post-secondary education. It highlights that their challenges aren’t personal flaws, but often a matter of not having the same opportunities as others.”

And, since PLAR grants students credits for skills acquired through work or other experiences, they can skip specific courses, reducing the number of classes they need to pay for. Additionally, by not enrolling in certain courses, students save on textbooks and other materials.

Adapting to change

Susan Forseille, director of PLAR at TRU

In today’s rapidly changing world, being able to adapt is essential. As industries change and technology improves, people need to keep updating their skills and knowledge to stay competitive. This makes PLAR increasingly important, helping individuals use what they already have learnt through experiential learning, to make the most of new job opportunities.

“In recent years, as we look at the labour market, there’s a growing recognition among employers that many people possess skills and knowledge that haven’t been officially recognized, which could significantly enhance their career options, or even prepare them for entirely new roles,” says Forseille.

Recognizing this potential, the provincial government is backing PLAR, acknowledging learning experiences outside of traditional settings. This support underscores a growing recognition of alternative pathways to skills certification and education, which is gaining traction across various post-secondary institutions and regulatory bodies.

“We’ve been working with a handful of colleges and universities, as well as B.C. and Canadian regulatory bodies that assess people’s prior experiences and learning, to determine if they can earn a certification. This effort is expanding, with increased government funding for a variety of things including improving micro-credential assessments,” says Forseille.

To ensure that PLAR is inclusive and responsive to diverse needs, it’s also engaging with Indigenous communities to ensure the process is culturally sensitive and aligns with their educational goals.

“We’re working with three Indigenous communities right now to better understand their specific needs and how we can give them credit for their Indigenous knowledge systems through PLAR and how we can help braid what they need with what we can offer,” says Forseille. “In one community, we’re working with over 50 students, and we’ve been asked to expand that program into other communities, which we plan to do.”

As TRU continues to drive this initiative, the university takes pride in paving the way forward.

“TRU is one of the institutions leading PLAR in Canada and globally, and since we’ve been doing it for so long, other universities are reaching out to learn from us. They want to make education more inclusive and be open to new ideas,” says Forseille.

Opening doors

TRU alum Jennifer Pelletier, senior manager of administration in UBC’s mechanical engineering department, was 38 when she resumed her studies — 20 years after she initially began her degree at UBC.

“Traditional learning experiences have not been easy for me,” says Pelletier. “Previously, I found a post-secondary education very difficult due to circumstances beyond my direct control.”

Over the years, she built up a broad portfolio, which included project management expertise, prior learning in equity, diversity and inclusion, and the completion of various non-credit courses.

Pelletier chose TRU’s Bachelor of General Studies for its flexibility, allowing her to merge her interests from different fields into a customized, non-traditional educational path.

“When I started the program, I had 39 credits left to complete. I needed two courses, one in statistics and one in HR, which were important for my current career path,” she says.

Pelletier learned about PLAR while pursuing her degree.

“PLAR provided an opportunity for me to validate, explain, understand and reflect on my learning in a way that post-secondary education doesn’t normally allow you to do,” she says. “I could bring that learning and reflection together and have that recognized as credit towards my degree.

“PLAR was instrumental in helping me complete the last 33 credits of my Bachelor of General Studies and having this degree enabled me to earn my Project Management Professional designation, which is vital for my career.”

Pelletier’s academic achievements are a significant source of pride for her family.

“I was the second person in my family, after my brother and in my late 30s, to earn a degree,” she says.

Among her many cousins, Pelletier was the second one with a university degree. She serves as an inspiration to their children; one is currently attending McGill University and another is heading to UBC next fall.

“It’s a really big deal in a family where we’re first-generation learners,” she says.

Reflecting on her journey, Pelletier credits much of her success to PLAR at TRU.

“In the end, PLAR is a unique opportunity. It can seem daunting and overwhelming at times, but if I can make it through, so can you.” 

To find out more, contact a PLAR advisor at 250-852-6373 or by email at plar@tru.ca.