A STUDY ON THE RECOGNITION OF PRIOR LEARNING IN DISTANCE HIGHER EDUCATION

Abstract

Many people are forced to go back to college to align their bachelor's degree with their job in order to meet the academic qualifications for their profession. One way to do so is to earn a bachelor's degree through the Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) pathway, which recognizes previous education and shortens the time it takes to complete studies. Teachers, including early childhood education (ECE) teachers, must align their qualifications with the ECE field to comply with regulations stipulating that professional teacher must have qualifications aligned with their work. This alignment meets the requirements for professional teacher certification and obtaining an educator certificate. Early childhood education teachers must attend college while continuing to work to pay tuition. Distance learning is the solution. Universitas Terbuka is one of the distance learning institutions in Indonesia that offers this opportunity. To recognize teachers' previous work experience and studies, UT uses RPL for prospective students. The RPL process is conducted through the RPL application on srs5G. This study aims to describe the RPL recognition process in distance higher education, particularly within the Early Childhood Education Teacher Education program at UT. This ex post facto study used a survey technique to collect data. Data were collected through document analysis and an online survey distributed to prospective students applying for RPL. The research period was from March to July of 2025. The data were analyzed using descriptive qualitative methods. The findings indicate that the RPL system in distance learning should be simple, practical, and transparent. Prospective students at UT feel greatly assisted by the RPL system. However, challenges and issues related to the application and perception of RPL by staff or assessors were identified. Recommendations include allowing sufficient time for the RPL process to be completed on schedule. The application should be thoroughly tested before implementation to minimize potential issues.