Welcome to CAPLA’s FREE
RPL@HigherEd Spring Webinar Series

CAPLA is inviting you to participate in two, free ZOOM sessions this spring. The purpose of these meetings is to share activities, research, innovative approaches, and challenges associated with supporting non-traditional adult learners looking for recognition in higher education, to facilitate their education completion. These individuals may have older degrees, partial higher education credits, a combination of work experience and international credentials, or advanced knowledge, skills, and abilities in specialty fields relevant to higher education courses and programs.

Webinar 1:

“Yes, but what difference did it make?” An Impact Evaluation Tool for RPL

April 30, 2026 | 12:00 noon – 1:30 pm (Eastern)

This presentation focuses on a topic that is often overlooked when programs are created – evaluating their impact on the end user. This session will introduce participants to a new tool that was the final outcome of a year-long project partnership between the Coady Institute (St. Francis Xavier University) and the NS Career Development Association. It looked at the scope, outcomes, and impact of Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) programs and projects within the province of Nova Scotia over the last 10 years, specifically in the career development, immigrant resettlement, and post-secondary sectors. The overarching objective of the project was to determine what the true indicators of success are for these types of programs, and to then develop an impact evaluation framework that can be adapted to practitioners’ own RPL programs.

Presenters: Dr. Paula Romanow and Teresa Francis.

About the speakers

Dr. Paula Romanow

Bramblefield Research and Consulting

Dr. Paula Romanow has had an interest in RPL going back to the 1990s.

From 2012 to 2019, she sat on the Province of Nova Scotia’s RPL Advisory Committee. She is particularly interested in researching RPL as an equity-informed practice, as well as in developing evaluation frameworks for RPL programs.

Dr. Romanow took a leading role in the development of the NS Career Development Association’s Certified Career Development Practitioner (CCDP) program, the only RPL-based model for CCDPs in Canada (and arguably, globally), which is now the model for a national CCDP certification program.

Currently, Dr. Romanow serves as CAPLA’s Co-Vice Chair, and Lead – Education and Training. She recently retired from the Coady Institute, St. Francis Xavier University and has entered the world of self-employment with her company Bramblefield Research and Consulting, which specializes in participatory research and evaluation methods, especially those rooted in RPL.

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Teresa Francis

Teresa Francis is the NSCDA’s Director, Learning and Professional Practice. She has a deep belief in the power of recognizing learning to transform lives, communities and economies.

Over the past 30 years, she has led and contributed to a wide range of RPL initiatives in Nova Scotia, across Canada and in the Caribbean. A career development professional, facilitator, counsellor and manager, Teresa has applied (and gained!) her skills in not-for-profit, secondary and post-secondary settings.

Areas of strength include Career Development and Transition, Instructional Design/Delivery, and Program Development/Management.

Teresa holds an M.Ed. (Counselling) from Acadia University, a B.Ed. and BHEc. from Mount Saint Vincent University and is a Registered Counselling Therapist.

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Webinar 2:

Honouring the adult learner through recognition: Critically exploring immigrant experiences of PLAR considerations in Saskatchewan

May 13, 2026 | 12:00 noon – 1:30 pm (Eastern)

This session shares findings from a narrative inquiry study exploring experiences of immigrants in Saskatchewan as they consider navigating PLAR as a potential pathway to credential recognition and commensurate employment. Through the stories of seven internationally educated newcomers, the session highlights the barriers, uncertainties, and hopes that shape their engagement with PLAR, as well as the impacts of underemployment and non-recognition. Participants will gain insights into how PLAR processes might better honour adult learners and support more equitable recognition practices across the province and beyond.

Presenter: Dr. Tenielle McLeod.

About the speaker

Dr. Tenielle McLeod

Tenielle McLeod works in higher education in Saskatchewan. Tenielle has worked for many years as an instructor, an educational developer with a focus on assessment, and as a recognition of prior learning facilitator/enthusiast.

She completed her doctoral degree in Adult Learning at the University of Calgary. The title of her dissertation is Honouring the adult learner through recognition: Critically exploring immigrant experiences using PLAR at Saskatchewan post-secondary institutions.

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