Messverfahren und Benchmarks in der Weiterbildung

The aim of the paper is to give an overview of key issues involved in recognising non-formal and informal learning, ranging from the legitimacy of the learning activities in terms of the outcomes to be recognised, through the cost of the necessary assessment, and essential elements such as quality assurance, the standards used, the potential benefits and the real obstacles. The findings summarised here are based on a report that describes and analyses practices in the 22 countries that participated actively in an OECD study (2009), with participating countries from the five continents.

Interdependence of context, selection criteria and usability of assessment methods
Competence assessment is a broad field increasingly difficult to structure. The article distinguishes different assessment methods regarding their relation to different definitions of competence (competence as a collective term vs. competence as an organizing function), purpose of assessment (summative - formative) and objects of assessment (action - resources - reflection). There are contingencies shown which support the selection of tools for different contexts. Respective to the quality of procedures and instruments, the pragmatic criterion of acceptance is highlighted. It strongly influences the choice of instruments depending on the context and is often the reason for the use of instruments of low quality.

Recognition of informal professional competencies
Learning in informal and non-formal contexts has not yet gained wide-spread political and social acceptance, documentation and certification. Due to its individual and contextual situation, informal learning can be recognized via learning results only. Professional competence, including both formal and informal learning strategies, will constitute the foundation for a comparative evaluation and certification of such competencies and abilities.

Equality of professional and academic education? Results of comparisons according to the “Oldenburger Anrechnungsmodell”
It is intended to strengthen the permeability of the educational system by taking into account professional qualifications for academic studies. The article describes an appropriate instrument, developed as a model project, to measure levels of learning units which is being used for comparisons between professional and academic qualifications.

Consulting as an empirical deficit? Evaluation of educational institutions’ programs
The article discusses the empirical relevance of consulting in adult education institutions. By evaluating the programs of institutions, it will be shown that consulting only selectively is present and thus may help to document the programmatic and theoretical discourse on the matter in a less efficient way. This lack will be interpreted as a deficit in its implementation by the respective institutions and in its theoretical reflection.