How to Choose Strong Evidence for an APEL.Q Portfolio
An appointment letter can confirm your job title. A report you prepared can show how you analysed a problem and justified a decision. Both can be useful in an APEL.Q portfolio, and each tells the assessor something different. Choose documents by asking what each one shows about your learning.
Start with the programme learning outcome
Under Malaysia’s Accreditation of Prior Experiential Learning for Award of Academic Qualifications (APEL.Q), assessors consider prior learning against the programme learning outcomes (PLOs) and the programme’s body of knowledge. For each outcome, explain what you did, what you learned and how the assessor can verify your claim.
A certificate of attendance can show that you attended a workshop. A work sample showing how you applied what you learned can help the assessor see the skill in use.
Check your evidence against MQA’s five criteria
The Malaysian Qualifications Agency (MQA) lists five criteria that assessors can use to judge whether portfolio evidence is suitable. Review each item against the learning you are claiming.
| Criterion | What to check |
|---|---|
| Authenticity | Does the evidence show your own work and learning? For a team project, identify your individual contribution. |
| Acceptability | Does the evidence fit the outcome being assessed? MQA links that fit to using a reliable and valid assessment method. |
| Sufficiency | Does the evidence show the breadth and depth of your learning? Include reflection that explains what you learned and how you used it. |
| Currency | Does the evidence show that your knowledge or skills are current enough for the field? A recent example can show how you have maintained a skill first developed on an older project. |
| Specificity | Which part of the evidence shows the specific learning required by this programme outcome? |
Combine work samples with records that confirm your role
A report, project plan, presentation or training material can show what you produced. A job description or a letter from a supervisor can confirm your responsibilities. Certificates, awards and photographs can provide context. The most useful combination depends on the outcome and what the assessment centre can verify.
Cedefop’s European guidance explains that a portfolio can draw on documents, work samples and demonstrations. The evidence should give an assessor enough detail to judge what you learned. Choose material from your own experience that makes the claimed skill visible.
Point to the right section for each outcome
A report on a system rollout might document both risk assessment and team coordination. If it supports more than one outcome, give the report a single reference number where the assessment centre’s format permits it. Under each outcome, cite the relevant page or section and explain what it shows about your contribution.
Make important records easy to verify
Keep the original document or digital file. Record who issued it, when it was created and how the assessor can check its source. Depending on the document, that might mean providing a signature, a project reference, a traceable electronic record or the name of someone authorised to confirm your role. Add any explanation about the context in a separate note.
Portfolio review is one part of MQA’s assessment process, which also includes a Field and Validation Visit (FVV). Follow the assessment centre’s instructions for submitting and verifying your evidence.
How Swiss Academic Support can help
Swiss Academic Support (SAS) can help you sort the records you have, map them to programme outcomes and identify gaps. If your contribution is unclear, SAS can help you identify existing records or people who may be able to verify it. You provide and explain the evidence, and the authorised assessment centre decides whether it meets the programme’s requirements.
References
Cedefop. (2023). European guidelines for validating non-formal and informal learning (3rd ed.). Publications Office of the European Union. https://doi.org/10.2801/389827.
Malaysian Qualifications Agency. (2020). Guidelines to good practices: Accreditation of prior experiential learning for award of academic qualifications (APEL.Q).
