Comparing Professional and Academic Qualifications as a Route to Institutional Curriculum Change
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.14297/jpaap.v4i2.199Abstract
There are many current initiatives concerned with achieving institutional changes to curricula. These include, inter alia, various versions of online learning, distance learning and work-based learning. This paper considers blending academic curricula and qualifications with professional body curricula and qualifications as a possible way of achieving cost-effective curricula change.
The author’s home institution currently delivers Academic Qualifications in Facilities Management (FM); a BSc (Hons) and an MSc. The institution also delivers the Professional Qualifications for the relevant professional body, the British Institute of Facilities Management (BIFM), at levels 4, 5 and 6.All qualifications and awards are delivered by web-based distance learning.
This paper analyses the content and assessment of the Professional Qualification and compares the Professional Qualification with the equivalent Academic Qualification. Using both quantitative and qualitative analysis the paper finds that the Professional Qualification is more challenging and more rigorous than the Academic Qualification. The expectations of the learners from the professional body are higher than the expectations of the students from the university.
The implications of this finding are then considered. Given that the Professional Qualification is more challenging and rigorous, could the institutional curricula be changed so that the Professional Qualification could be integrated into an Academic Qualification, thus opening a vocational route for a degree?
The paper concludes with a brief consideration of the financial costs and other implications of such an institutional curricula change.
References
Anderson, K., & Krathwohl, D. R. (2001). A taxonomy for learning, teaching and assessing: A revison of Bloom's Taxonomy of educational objectives. New York: Longman.
Bartolci-Zlomislic, S., & Bates A. W. (1999). Investing in On-line Learning: Potential Benfits and Limitations. Canadian Journal of Communication, 24(3).
BIFM. (n.d.). Level 6 Qualifications. Retrieved 10 November 2014, from http://www.bifm.org.uk/bifm/careerdevelopment/newbifmqualificationnetwork/level6/l6units
CBI/Pearsons. (2014). Gateway To Growth education and skills survey. London: CBI.
Garbett, C. (2011). Activity Based Costing Models for Delivering Online Courses. Formamente Rivista Internazionale di Ricerca Sul Futuro Digitale.
Goddard, B. (2012). Making a Difference: Australian International Education. UNSW Press.
McNaught, L. (2010). Using Wordle as a Supplementary Research Tool. The Qualitative Report, 15(3), 630 -642.
Network, E. (2012). Bologna Process Implementation Report. The European Commission.
Piketty, T. (2014). Capital in the Twenty-First Century. Cambridge, Mass: Harvard University Press.
doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.4159/9780674369542
QAA. (n.d.). Qualifications can cross boundaries. Retrieved 10 November 2014, from http://www.qaa.ac.uk/en/Publications/Documents/qualifications-can-cross-boundaries.pdf
Weisse, M. (2014). The Real Revolution in Online Education Isn't Moocs. Harvard Business Review.
Yin, R. K. (2009). Case Study Research. London: Sage Publications.
Published
Issue
Section
License
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).
Journal of Perspectives in Applied Academic Practice has made best effort to ensure accuracy of the contents of this journal, however makes no claims to the authenticity and completeness of the articles published. Authors are responsible for ensuring copyright clearance for any images, tables etc which are supplied from an outside source.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.
