Briefs ze Bonds deadline A reminder that October 21 is the deadline to apply for your Payroll Savings Plan for Canada Savings Bonds. If you are interested, applications are available in the Payroll Department. za Equity meeting The Douglas College Equity Committee invites you to a meeting on October 12 from noon-2pm in the Boardroom. The meeting will review results from last spring’s College Equity Survey. za United Way meeting You are invited to a meeting which will address United Way activities in the College this fall. It will be held on October 5, at 3pm in the Board Room. za Tend those muscles Douglas College now has a Registered Physiotherapist providing services to members of sports teams and to the College community. Darrell Epp provides treatment in Room 1303 on: Mondays, 8am-noon; Tuesdays, 2:30-8pm; Wednesdays, 8am-noon; Thursdays, 2:30- 8pm; Friday, as required. There is a fee, but most of the services are covered by your B.C. Medical Plan. Advance bookings are recommended. For more information or to book times, call 527-5496 or 527-5038. Changes coming in November In November, the provincial government’s Bill 22 is due to be signed by the Lieutenant Governor. The bill will change the makeup of governance bodies such as College Boards and Education Councils at B.C. colleges and institutions. Included in the changes, will be the addition of elected students and College employees to serve alongside appointed members on College Boards. For a detailed story, see the November issue of INside. 1 om ae cAI AGA EE NE MOI RP ATI SELIM RIED EAMES EE TN NETRA za Birds away This fall you have two chances each week to take the court and play badminton at Douglas College. All College employees are invited to join the net crowd in the gym on Mondays and Wednesdays from 4 pm to 6 pm. Bring proper gym shoes, all equipment is provided. z@ Activate activities Douglas College now has an Activities Coordinator. If you would like to organize an event for College community Credit continued from page 1 economic competition while facing the constraints of decreasing resources. “Central to this study is the concern that many working adults are being required to leave their place of employment and comply with rigid college structures that require them to be taught some of the things they already know and can do,” writes Miller. “As a result, valuable time and resources are being used unnecessarily.” Across North America, APEL (also called Prior Learning Assessment) has already been widely recognized as a useful strategy in the quest to provide more efficient and responsive education. However, within B.C. the mandate for Prior Learning Assessment has been mainly limited to the Open Learning Agency. Douglas College’s three-year plan identifies PLA development as a College goal. Currently a College task force is in place and several pilot studies are underway. By comparison, Miller observes that English education is already in the midst of a “quiet revolution” as that country implements recommendations of the National Council for Vocational Qualifications (NCVQ). Two developments are particularly significant. One is the implementation of a model for assessing non-formal learning. The other is the still-ongoing creation of national standards for all vocational education and training from entry to professional level. Once in place, these steps will change both how mature learners access education and the relationship between institutions and those they serve. members, on or off campus, contact Richard Williams in Room 1317B on Tuesdays or Thursdays. za Canopy for sale For sale: six-foot canopy, suitable for import and mid-size pickups. $150 or best offer. Call Ray at 527-5024 or 351-2704. za Stuff for sale For sale: teak table and chairs (nearly new), $640; exercise bike (rarely used), $120. Call Tatsuo at 527-5271 or 531- S175: “The most profound part of this study has been the realization that the United Kingdom envisions a paradigm shift in its approach to education and training in the vocational sector,” writes Miller. “The country is attempting to move from a process of vocational education and training which has been primarily ) managed by the educational system, to one in which the educational system provides the leadership in a wider context of the entire community.” At the report’s conclusion, Miller makes several recommendations related to assessment, accreditation and institutional flexibility at Douglas College and across the province. Her recommendations include: a review of the College’s three- year plan to include specific APEL targets and strategies; creation and development of a provincial APEL “team” consisting of educators, employers and labor representatives; creative selective partnerships with field professionals to define standards of competence in areas such as Therapeutic Recreation. Miller also suggests that the College keep an eye on England’s progress. “England is in the middle of a move to the use of national standards and Assessment of Prior Experiential Learning,” Miller writes. “As experience in England grows, there are valuable lessons to be learned.” (To obtain a full copy of Learning from the English Experience, contact @ Beverley Miller at 527-5135.)