The paradox of Scotland: limited credit transfer in a credit-based lifelong learning system

On paper, Scotland has a highly permeable, unified system of lifelong learning underpinned by the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework. Recent reports suggest that the reality is less positive. This paper examines credit transfer in Scotland across three interfaces: between general and pre-v...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Oxford review of education 2013-06, Vol.39 (3), p.366-384
Main Authors: Howieson, Cathy, Raffe, David
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
access to higher education
Colleges and universities
Continuing education
Credit
Education
education system
Education systems
Education, Adult
Epistemology
Financial systems
Fiscal transfer
Higher education
learning pathways
Lifelong learning
Mobility
permeability
Qualifications
Scotland
United Kingdom
Vocational education
vocational education and training
Vocational training
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:On paper, Scotland has a highly permeable, unified system of lifelong learning underpinned by the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework. Recent reports suggest that the reality is less positive. This paper examines credit transfer in Scotland across three interfaces: between general and pre-vocational learning and vocational education and training (VET); within VET; and between VET and university degrees. It finds that credit transfer across the first two interfaces is limited; credit transfer at the third interface is more frequent but often problematic. One explanation is that the system is designed around credit accumulation rather than credit transfer; this, together with other features of the Scottish system, means that a degree of permeability is built in without the need for formal credit transfer. But a second explanation highlights the epistemological, institutional and political barriers to a unified system. The paper illustrates the importance of distinguishing among different types of credit system and the limitations of credit and qualifications frameworks as agents of change in the face of the institutional logics of national education and training systems. The capacity of cross-national credit systems to support mobility between national systems should not be exaggerated.
ISSN:0305-4985
1465-3915
DOI:10.1080/03054985.2013.806250