Accreditation of work experience
Accreditation of work experience as a part of your degree is an alternative way to study at your workplace or during voluntary work. Accreditation means that learning at work is recognized during your studies, i.e. the experience is evaluated and credited as ECTS credits. At Humak, Bachelor’s and Master’s degree students can credit work experience as part of their studies.
What does accreditation mean?
Accreditation of work experience as a part of your degree is an alternative way to study at your workplace or during voluntary work. Accreditation means that learning at work is recognized during your studies, i.e. the experience is evaluated and credited as ECTS credits. The accreditation of work experience requires initiative. At Humak, Bachelor’s and Master’s degree students can credit work experience as part of their studies.
Accreditation of work experience offers the opportunity to acquire a wide range of knowledge and skills needed for work. You will acquire a knowledge base to support your work tasks, which you will immediately put into practice by carrying out the work tasks defined in the learning plan.
The basis for accreditation is work experience you acquire during your studies. Voluntary work can also be credited. When figuring out your work placement, you should consider how it will influence your career path. You can try to reach an agreement with your employer on making the job description more varied. You can therefore make a conscious effort to develop your skills in a direction that suits you.
The difference between work-based learning and recognition of prior learning (RPL) is that you must agree on accreditation before you acquire the work experience. Accreditation differs from internships in that the accredited work is not linked to an internship contract or internship supervision practices. In accreditation, the student is not supervised by Humak. Work-based learning is based on the assumption that the student is in control of their work and does not require additional guidance from the workplace.
The following courses included in Humak’s Bachelor’s degrees cannot be credited:
- Professional development 5 ECTS
- Study skills 5 ECTS
- Finnish language and communication 5 ECTS
- Swedish 5 ECTS
- English 5 ECTS
- English language and communication 5 ECTS
- Development methods 5 ECTS
- Thesis 15 ECTS
Accreditation is always agreed upon before the work begins, and you cannot apply for credits afterwards. The work experience you have gained during your studies may be eligible for RPL, if it is appropriate to the objectives of the courses in the curriculum.
Please note that Humak reserves the right to decide the methods implementation for study courses in situations where the implementation includes working life cooperation with the entire class (RDI project or other assignment).
The student needs to initiate the accreditation process. The accreditation of work experience can also be suggested by your workplace or Humak. The purpose of the process is to achieve the course objectives in an alternative way. The accreditation process includes the assessment of whether you can achieve these goals and, after the work is done, whether you have achieved the goals.
The planning of the accreditation is made in Workseed.
The steps of the accreditation process
- Get acquainted with the competence goals and criteria in the curriculum and form an understanding of what kind of competence the accredited work would provide. Consider what kind of competencies the study course includes that you could utilize in your work. Look for possibilities of accreditation in your work. Discuss possible work assignments and study goals at your workplace.
- Agree on the crediting with your PSP coach.
- Fill in the plan and agreement on Workseed: Your PSP coach will open the assignment on Workseed, after
which you will get an invitation link to the system. Remember to describe the
competencies your tasks require in the accreditation plan. Write down how the
demonstration of competence is related to the objectives of the course and the
source literature used in the course. If your tasks do not cover the objectives
of the course, you can agree on demonstrating competence in another way (e.g.
an additional display of competence). The plan also outlines how you plan to
gather feedback on your own activities at work. - Accepting the accreditation plan: Your PSP coach has to
accept the plan on Workseed before the plan progresses to the demonstration
phase. Additional information can be added on the comment section. - Follow the study plan
and document your work as agreed. - Assess your achievement
of course objectives.
Demonstration and assessment of competence are based on the ways defined in the accreditation plan. The demonstration of competence takes place during work (e.g. observable work situations and real work products, products, product descriptions, plans, or reports). In addition, you can demonstrate your competence through reflective essays, reports, oral presentations, teaching other students at Humak, or any other form that can be agreed upon.
Your PSP coach will assess your performance and make a note in your academic record.
The evaluation will follow the same procedures as regular course evaluations. Forms of assessment may include:
- Self-evaluation
- Peer evaluation
- Supervisor evaluation
- Customer evaluation
- Teacher-student evaluation
Administrator of the page: Johanna Henriksson,
Helka Luttinen,
Last modified: October 2, 2022
