Page 12 - 3.3

JIMINY SELF-HELP HANDBOOK 12

The needs of the learner are very important. It can cover many issues such as easy access to the
validation process, or comprehensive information about the process. However, let us focus on other
issues that are directly relevant for the selection of validation methods. A distinction can be made here
between the candidate's learning (or achievement of learning outcomes) and their purpose in entering
the validation process. This information can already be collected during the preparation of the
qualification description.

If we develop the topic of learning path, we can list here three basic ways of achieving learning
outcomes within the framework of:

 formal education (school, university),
 non-formal education (training),
 informal learning (e.g. self-study, acquiring knowledge and skills at work or as a hobby).
Each way may require a completely different approach in the validation process. It is therefore
important to take this into account when developing validation requirements in the qualifications
description. It is worth considering the possibility of using a variety of methods and taking this into
account when creating a scenario for the validation process and making several versions (to adapt
techniques for experienced and beginner students).
The way it is learned can also have a huge impact on the need to include the identification and
documentation stages in the validation process. This is important especially for those who have already
acquired a significant part of the necessary knowledge, skills and social competences through practical
(work) experience.

Another very important issue concerning the choice of an appropriate method with regard to the way
of education, which is worth remembering, is the fact that there is a risk that people who, e.g. have
been gaining knowledge for a long time other than formal education, writing a theoretical test can be
very stressful and can have a negative impact on the outcome of the verification. In this situation, for
example, it would work better the method of observation in real-life conditions, unstructured
interview, or analysis of evidence and statements. The opposite is true for those who have recently
completed formal education. For this group of people the test should not be a difficulty, but the use
of observation or analysis of evidence and statements in this case could negatively affect the outcome
of the validation, due to little professional experience.

As regards aspect 2 - the purpose of validation, it is usually to obtain a qualification. However, as each
stage of the validation process produces results, further learning or retraining may be an additional
objective.
If a person wants to determine his or her chances of obtaining a given qualification or his or her
deficiencies, he or she can only approach the first two stages of the process (i.e. identifying and
possibly documenting to have a fuller picture). In this case, the methods used at these stages should
make it possible to provide complete and detailed feedback to the candidate.

In the opposite situation, if a candidate only wants to go to the last stage - verification and omit the
two previous stages - it is worthwhile to consider at the verification stage methods that are not
dependent on others that were used at the previous stages.

Stages of validation
The validation process can take place in 3 stages: