How it could work

The example below is for a typical Bachelor’s degree and is for illustrative purposes only.

Student A has not applied for RPL and below shows a typical pattern for studying a part time Bachelor’s degree – it shows the number of academic credits an individual must gain, and at what level, during each year of study.

Student B has applied for RPL and is awarded 120 credits at Level 4 and 60 credits at Level 5 – this example shows the student will not have to complete years 1 – 3 as their prior learning has been taken into consideration and mapped against the course modules of the programme being applied for. They will begin their study at Year 4 and will have to complete the modules for years 4 – 6.

Student B is expected to complete a bridging module aimed at developing study skills to enable the student to work at the higher levels effectively without having completed years 1 – 3.

The College has created 2 matrices, one for National Police Curriculum (NPC) courses and one for experiential learning gained through the skills and experience acquired during a policing career. These 2 matrices form a framework for HEIs to indicate the minimum number of academic credits NPC courses and learning gained from skills and experiences should attract. The exact number of academic credits an individual is able to claim for their learning will be dependent on how the learning they demonstrate maps to the modules of the programme being applied for, this is for the HEI to determine.

Although the example here demonstrates a Bachelor’s degree, it is recognised that other qualifications at Level 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 can utilise this framework to allow entry at various points throughout a programme, or it may allow direct entry where an individual has no prior formal qualifications.

It is advised that bridging modules are provided to equip students with the academic skills that they need to successfully complete the programme they enter.

CoP Recognition of Prior Experience and Learning Matrices V0.1