Ruth Whittaker

Ruth Whittaker is the Deputy Director for the Centre for Research in Lifelong Learning at Glasgow Caledonian University (GCU). Her role is to provide academic leadership within GCU for Widening Participation. Whittaker also has particular responsibility for research and development in the areas of: recognising prior informal learning (RPL); credit transfer; transition; and progression.
Whittaker has worked in the field of RPL since 1993 on both national and European projects. She has also led GCU development projects in RPL policy and practice and university-wide strategic development projects such as GCU’s Flexible Entry Guidelines (RPL and Credit Transfer). Currently, Whittaker is working on Moving Forward (Transition and Progression) and the Greater Glasgow Articulation Partnership (articulation from college to university) as well as directed research and development projects at national and European levels at the policy/practice interface. These projects included: the development of the national Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF) RPL Guidelines; the development of models and resources to support RPL in the Community Learning and Development and Social Services sectors; the Flexible Delivery Quality Enhancement Theme project on Supporting Flexible Entry to University; and the First Year Experience Quality Enhancement Theme project on Transition into and through Higher Education. Whittaker has also led a number of EU funded projects, including the Socrates Grundtvig project Valuing Learning from Experience (Valex).

Whittaker also serves as an RPL Consultant to the Scottish Government and, for example, undertook an RPL scoping exercise on their behalf across the education, training and guidance sectors within Scotland in 2006 to understand stakeholder views on priority areas for RPL development as well as key drivers and barriers. In addition, Whittaker was an expert contributor to the Scottish Executive’s response to the OECD report on RPL (2007)and the expert presenter for the RPL Working Group at the Bologna seminar: Learning Outcomes-based Higher Education: the Scottish Experience (February 2008).

Whittaker is continuing her work on the recognition of prior learning through new research and development activities at sectoral, national and international levels. These activities are located within the context of widening participation, workforce development and national qualifications frameworks. She is the Chair of the Scottish Universities RPL Network, coordinated by the Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) in Scotland, and represents Universities Scotland and the QAA on the cross- sectoral Scottish Credit And Qualifications Framework (SCQF) RPL Network.

(See more information on Ruth Whittaker at the Centre for Researchin Lifelong Learning website)