Dietetic prior learning assessment: student and faculty experiences.
Prior learning assessment (PLA) is a process for documenting competence gained through formal and informal opportunities. It has been endorsed by adult educators but is not widely used in dietetic education. Graduate students at a Canadian university, who have prior learning relevant to dietetics, are given the opportunity to develop a portfolio documenting competence in lieu of portions of formal internship experience. An exploratory descriptive methodology is used to describe the experiences of graduate students (n=6) and faculty (n=3) who participated in this innovative program from 2000 to 2005. All students successfully completed portfolios for one-third or more of their internship. After completing the documentation process, students participated in semi-structured interviews consisting of 16 open-ended questions. Faculty completed a five-item survey designed to capture their experiences with the PLA process. Student and faculty data were thematically analyzed and several risks and benefits were documented. Results indicate that, overall, both students and faculty viewed the PLA as a positive experience. Because of the limited placements available for practical internship experiences, PLA can be a useful process for the confirmation of dietetic competence.
Lordly
Daphne
D
Department of Applied Human Nutrition, Mount Saint Vincent University, Halifax, NS, Canada.
D002170:Canada; D002983:Clinical Competence; D004046:Dietetics / Q000193:education*; D004282:Documentation; D004521:Educational Measurement / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D007397:Internship, Nonmedical