Results of an Experiment on the Use of Credit Bank System of Vocational Institutions in Tak Province

Abstract

A credit bank system provides all citizens opportunities to transfer prior knowledge and experience gained from formal education, non-formal education, self-instruction, or learning experience into their studies in a curriculum of an academic institution, and hence, it can reduce time to obtain a degree. The credit bank system also encourages lifelong learning.  Both students and working adults have opportunities to use their prior education or working experience to pursue further studies or to efficiently apply it to their work. According to the experiment on the use of a credit bank system of vocational institutions in Tak Province, it was found that the system can (1) enhance learners’ opportunities for those who have discontinued their studies and subsequently wish to transfer the credits acquired to recommence in the same institution or in another institution, either in a different education system or at a different level;  (2) offer opportunities for working adults to substitute working experience for credits in a curriculum in order to pursue continuous self-development according to the lifelong learning principle; (3) create innovation in a collaborative network among vocational and secondary institutions and non-formal and informal education; and (4) be used as a prototype for a credit bank system of vocational institutions to improve the quality of vocational education in Thailand.