Validation for crediting of prior learning
Validation for crediting of prior learning
Students who are admitted and registered at Blekinge Institute of Technology may apply for validation to credit their previous learning.
Validation is an in-depth assessment and recognition of knowledge that a student has acquired through such as education or professional experience.
In the application for validation for credit transfer, the student must describe his / her knowledge in relation to the learning objectives in the specific course he / she wishes to be credited.
The knowledge must be proven through the student’s own description of their prior learning and through attached documents.
By this validation the applicant’s previous learning can be made visible and recognized in relation to the course. This can result in the applicant not having to spend time studying a course or parts of a course where he or she already meets the learning objectives.
The student first must make his/her own assessment
As a student you must first make your own assessment of your knowledge in relation to the learning objectives in the course you wish to be credited. Compare your knowledge with the learning objectives in the syllabus. If you find that you already have the knowledge in the course syllabus, you may proceed with filling in the application for validation. You will find the application form in the Student Portal. In your application, you must as detailed as you can describe your knowledge and in what way and where you obtained the knowledge. Attach diplomas, certificates or other documents that can prove your statements.
Once you have described your knowledge, in what way and where you obtained it, you may submit your application.
Guidance
When you have submitted your application, it will be sent to the validation coordinator who will contact you regarding your application and how validation cases are handled. If your application appears to be missing any relevant document or description, you will receive a remark about this during the conversation with the validation coordinator. At this point you may also have a dialogue to get help to make your knowledge visible in relation to the current syllabus. If you are unsure of what to do, you can contact the validation coordinator before you submit your application.
All applications that need to be completed take longer to handle, so make sure you have a complete application before you apply.
The validation
When your application is complete, it will be handed over to an assessor (subject-skilled teacher). The assessor reviews your application in relation to the objectives, level of specialization, scope, quality and focus of the course. The assessor may also request supplementing information from you.
The teacher contacts you for an interview and for information.
Decision
When the assessor considers that there is a basis for assessment, your overall knowledge will be validated. The assessment is then handed over to a decision-maker who makes the formal decision on the extent to which your knowledge corresponds to the learning objectives in the syllabus.
The validation of the knowledge you have shown can lead to an approving decision if the validation shows that your knowledge mainly corresponds to the course objectives in the course.
If the assessor in the validation finds that your knowledge does not sufficiently correspond to the learning objectives in the syllabus, the decision can either be approved for part of the course or rejected.
If your application becomes approved, you do not need to study the course. The credit of one or more courses does seldom result in that the total study period is shortened.
No grade will be set on your knowledge. The knowledge is only validated to be sufficient or insufficient.
How long does the application case take?
We recommend that you apply well in advance. Cases of validation can take up to two months, and you need to have received the decision before the course in question starts. If you have not received the decision before the start of the course, you should follow the course as there is a risk your application gets rejected.
Your own part of the application may take time to fill in and you may need to complete several times. The validation also takes some time, given that you will have the opportunity to prove your knowledge through testing.
If you are asked to complete your case, you have three weeks to do so before the case proceeds with the information you already have given.
There is no possibility to get any pre-assessment.
The decision is notified to the student via e-mail through BTH’s case management system.
Get started
- Find the syllabus for the course which knowledge goals you think you already have. Look through the content and course objectives. Describe your knowledge in relation to what is stated in the course syllabus and describe how you gained it and from where. Every part of your knowledge that you wish to be credited for will be tested by assessing subject-skilled teacher.
- Find the application form for validation for crediting. Read the filling description. Fill in a detailed description of your knowledge and attach the documents you have or can obtain that can be helpful for the validation.
- If you are unsure on how to do, you may contact the validation coordinator for questions and support. The validation coordinator will contact you when you have submitted your application, but for your help it may be a good idea to make that contact from the beginning. After the dialogue with the validation coordinator, when you have completed the description of your knowledge and no further supplementation is requested, you should send in your application. Attach the documents you have that prove the information you provided in the application as well as those that can help to clarify your knowledge.
- In the next step in the application process, you will be contacted by the assessing teacher.
Regulations
Contact
Validation coordinator
E-mail: validering@bth.se