Preparation of the portfolio and student support

The student prepares the elements of the portfolio, following the guidance in the Candidate Handbook and the discussions with the AP(E)L advisor which will include suggested time scales.

The assessment of the claim will mirror the normal quality assurance procedures associated with Part 1 of the DipSW Programme, with two markers for each element drawn from lecturers, practitioners and practice teachers, and will be subject to the standard assessment procedures and processes including confirmation of results by the Programme Assessment Boards, including external assessors. The institution will scrutinise the relevant documentation with regard to the following criteria:

Authenticity - It should be the student's own work

Quality - Learning claimed should be at the academic level appropriate to the route

Directness - Learning should match the content of Part One within the DipSW Programme as taught within the institution

Currency - All learning claimed must be up to date, mainly relate to the last five years, or show evidence of up-dating.

Students may require support from the work place, where applicable, to access relevant materials and evidence. Participants should have access to adequate material, physical resources to allow assessment criteria to be met. Where workplace mentors/advisors are used they must be conversant with the APEL process in operation and have an in-depth knowledge of the skills being assessed. It should be recognised that learners may require access to relevant training or learning experiences in order to complete claims for the whole of Part One.

The institution should provide information on the procedure for claiming APEL. The student will require details of the learning outcomes/aims and objectives of Part One. The method of assessment must be made clear to the student and be appropriate to the learning claimed. Support may be provided through written guidance materials and/or through group work / workshops. Examples of appropriate evidence may be made available to the student.

©West of Scotland Consortium for Education and Training in Social Work 2001.