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Are you thinking of developing or delivering an in-house course? The following suggestions might help you to set things up and give you a useful starting point.

Learning resource of good practice

This document is to provide a resource to follow when setting up training.

To deliver good training there are two processes that run side by side.

The first is the tutoring process and second is the assessment process.

Setting up a course.

  • Obtaining approval to run the course
  • Resources required
  • Scheme of work
  • Lesson Plans
  • Assessment
  • Evaluation
  • Progression

Recruiting the right candidates

  • Marketing materials
  • Application to attend the course
  • Initial assessment ( choosing the right level )  Individual needs
  • Individual learning plan
  • Induction
  • Learner feedback at stages through out the programme 

Assessment procedures

  • Training cycle
  • Action planning
  • Collecting in work
  • Judging evidence
  • Giving feedback
  • Action planning

Quality of provision

  • Inducting the tutor
  • Support with resources
  • Monitoring the tutor
  • Monitoring the course paperwork ( scheme of work , lesson plans)
  • Monitoring the assessment process
  • Providing support for external moderation

SETTING UP A COURSE

Approval to run a course

Resources

In today’s market:

  1. A good training room with computers available for the learners to use for research and exercises set during the training sessions
  2. Sufficient lighting and ventilation heating
  3. Facility to run under examination conditions if required.
  4. Suitably qualified staff occupationally and with tutor and assessor qualifications. Members of IfL
  5. Facilities for reproducing work books handouts.
  6. Power point projector and laptop
  7. Flip charts stands and pens

Scheme of work

Once a course has been decided upon the first thing to do is provide a scheme of work to set out how the course will be delivered and what will be included in the course.

A good measure of this is to check the allocation of guided learning hours suggested for the course and then match this to the information to be delivered.

Guided learning hours incorporate a number of things. It is not all delivery of learning by a tutor standing at the front of the group. It can be directed study, assessment , research etc.

If a course guided learning hours are 180 hours, then my starting point would be to look at what must be covered during that time. This is the core of your delivery and will need to be set out in lesson plans.

Next I would look at the syllabus and see what should be covered to meet the learning outcomes. This may incorporate some other methods of working with the candidates such as assessment , observation, assignments, projects, homework as well as delivery.

Finally I would look at what could be delivered if there is time and resources available. This is the extra ‘s that could make the course fun, but often there are restricting factors in this re: costs so would need careful planning. Some homework and research can be included in here.

The scheme of work will also identify starting point and a critical path to follow so the course fits together, flows well and moves the candidate from the known into the unknown motivating  and keeping interest. 

Appendix Scheme of work (Youth work)

Lesson plans / Session plans

From the scheme of work then follows the session plan.

A lesson plan is prepared to show how the lesson will be delivered and is a record for anyone who is to deliver the session. It should be prepared  in enough detail for anyone to be able to pick it up and use it.

A session plan must have an aim. This is an overview of the session and describes what the session contains.

The objective or learning outcome is a follow on from the aim and this describes the change in behaviour that the learner will have as a result of the training given. Learning outcomes usually start with the words..” the candidate will be able to …”

When choosing an objective or learning outcome it must be measurable. For example use words such as “demonstrate, list, state”.  Avoid words such as “understand, know” as these are not measurable words.

The session plan is set out with;

  • Introduction
  • Development
  • Conclusion

And each section and teaching point is timed to make sure there is sufficient time to develop and recap the points.

A session plan also needs to have the resources listed and usually states what teacher is doing as well as what is expected of the candidates.

The other part of the plan is to link in some differentiation so that all the candidates are involved at the level appropriate to them in the lesson.

Differentiation takes into account any special needs of the learners and makes sure the resources are appropriate for these needs.

For example there may be large print handouts for partially sighted learners or a simpler handout for someone who is finding it difficult to understand the one for most learners in the session.

Session plans can incorporate other things such as home work set and evaluation strengths of the session and weaknesses. It is also useful to outline an appropriate venue for completing the lesson.

Some may need a special type of room with specialist equipment; others may need to be outside etc.

This is useful if the course is an ongoing one and will be run again. It identifies what went well and what needs changing for the next time it is run.

Appendix : See. Eg. Session plan

Assessment

Decisions of how to assess the course are sometimes laid down in a strategy attached to the syllabus.

In every case there will be some assessment formal or informal and this must be decided at the beginning to ensure it is fair, reliable, sufficient, valid and authentic.

When preparing work for assessment there has to be an acceptable level of competence, which can be applied to meet the standard of the course.

It is useful to look at other courses at the same level to establish what is acceptable if it is not laid down in an assessment strategy.

Some courses are met by building a folio of evidence against the learning outcomes. There may be a test for other courses, which has a set pass mark. In some cases the tutor has to set the pass criteria.

If the assessment is formal for example a test under examination conditions there will be laid down procedure for setting up the room with candidates spaced out according to the requirements of the awarding body. This information will be under the course procedures and have detailed requirements and measurements that will need to be checked at approval.

Evaluation

Evaluation is a way of finding out if the course was useful for the candidates, set at the right level and met the expectations of the candidate.

It is very useful to link the evaluation to the initial marketing information and also to the aims and objectives of the session plans as this will give an easy measurement of success.

It should also look at location and easy of access facilities provided to make sure the candidate has the most conducive start to their training ie. Barriers are removed the candidate is ready to learn.

Appendix: Evaluation forms

Progression

It is useful to think through where the learner may want to proceed after the course is complete and whether there is a follow on for the candidate as this helps with the ongoing marketing and recruitment.

Appendix Eg progression routes

RECRUITING THE RIGHT CANDIDATES

Marketing materials

This is a crucial part of running any course. So often the way the course was sold and the information given is confusing and as a result the wrong people are recruited and this then leads to dissatisfaction and complaints.

Marketing must be clear about the level of the course, who it is for, how long the course will be and what is expected of the learner to complete.

Appendix Marketing splurge for “a course”

Application to attend

It is important to try and find out as much as possible about the learner who applies to do the course to ensure that they understand what will be expected of them and also to check out the commitment and ability of the learner to complete.

Application can take a number of things into consideration. If the form is filled in on line for example there is no indication of the person’s ability to write. Hand writing is a good indication of any special needs, such as dyslexia. Depending on the level of the course being offered it is sometimes appropriate to ask for a short application test.

Appendix : application form

Initial assessment

To decide on the level of the course to be followed it is important to complete an initial assessment. This may be something that is aligned to the job role rather than the ability of the candidate.

For example if the course is specifically set to a series of work place tasks, unless the candidate has the opportunity to complete those jobs in the wok place they will not be able to complete the course.

In customer service qualifications candidates often only complete part of a process and not see a task through to completion.  They can make recommendations but are unable to monitor improvements as it was not their decision to carry out the improvements. Part of initial assessment may be “Accreditation of prior learning” This is a method which looks at the past experiences and courses that a candidate has completed and may be brought forward  or transferred into a new course being undertaken.

This can be a complicated process and can take longer than completing the work again, however it should not be ignored but what ever is brought forward has to be tested in some way either through demonstration,  question and answer, professional discussion to name a few to ensure that the competences are still current. For example a first aid certificate does not necessarily mean that 4 years later the candidate can still effectively carry out CPR.

Initial assessment is used to find out levels of functional skills and if these fall below the level of the course on offer there is often an option to bring these up to a more acceptable level prior tot taking the course applied for. Functional skills are literacy, numeracy and ICT.

Initial assessment may also be used to check a person’s motivation and ability to complete a course, but can be used as a tool to support the candidate to complete, as it can highlight special needs.

Appendix: Eg skill scan / functional skills assessment

Individual learning plan

It is useful to set up an individual learning plan for all longer courses as this helps the learner to see the milestones expected of them at the beginning of the course. It shows the support that the learner can expect and also the time scales for projects assignment completion and sometimes can be detailed to show the type of evidence required for each part of the course. It sets review dates for progress reports and is a working document that should be used throughout the programme.

Appendix : Eg. ILP

Induction

This is an important part of the course and should be given time so everyone is at ease with the expectations and requirements of the course. It is at this stage that the learner can walk away and also the course provider has the authority to negotiate with the learner re levels and expectations.

Induction should cover health and safety of the venue and the individual. Health and safety is also a part of most courses on offer so it is not wasted by giving it time. It sets the parameters of expected behaviour and respect for one another.

Equal opportunities is a further setting of parameters for everyone’s benefit and this should forma part of the induction. Both of these aspects will be reviewed at subsequent meetings to review progress.

A learner charter is a good way of setting out what we are offering through our organisation and also what we expect of the learner. This also forms part of the induction process. Ground rules can be covered here where the group negotiates length of lunch break, confidentiality, responsibilities for keeping the area tidy and clean, end of day duties etc.

Most important in induction is the coverage of the course to be taken and what the learner can expect over the period of the course. Style of course ie research, home study, setting a test at the end or building a folio or both plus observation assessment.

Induction may include some form filling for registration on the course with awarding bodies and also how to appeal against decisions made if the learner is not in agreement.

Appendix :

Include meet and greet paper work for short courses and induction paperwork for longer accredited courses

Learner feedback

Feedback is a way of finding out the learner views of how they have been treated, how effective the marketing was and whether there is anything they would like to see improved. It is also good for future marketing if there are good things said about the company and course.

It can be used as a measure of the learners feelings, confidence and motivation. Sometimes good to do this more than once say after induction in the middle of the programme and also at the end.

Appendix eg. learner feedback sheet

ASSESSMENT PROCEDURES

This is an aspect of the course delivery which can be specialised or merely a process of judging the evidence presented by each learner to decide whether their work is at the standard acceptable for the qualification undertaken.

Some courses need you to be a qualified assessor to be able to make these decisions other courses would accept that tutor status with an appropriate IfL membership is enough.

All work handed in for assessment has to be judged against the requirements in the syllabus or standards set by the awarding body. These may be described as any of the following:  learning outcomes, objectives, performance indicators, performance criteria, knowledge and understanding. When writing the scheme of work and session plans the learning outcomes have to be taken into consideration and assessed according to the strategy set by the awarding body. How this is completed will be up to the tutor / assessor and will be monitored by an appointed quality person within the company.

Assessment decisions are also monitored by the awarding body to ensure that the standard of work carried out is of similar standard across the country and all the different provisions. The monitoring of this process may be called moderation or Internal verification. If the assessment is an externally set test then a similar process is carried out by awarding body contractors who mark the work and then it is moderated in the same way by the awarding body.

To become a specialist assessor you will require an assessor award. This is a qualification set to assess the national vocational qualifications and vocational qualifications through observation and portfolio evidence.

All assessment decisions should be completed with these elements in place, sufficiency, validity, reliability, authenticity. 

If the course lends itself to assessment then there is a  cycle of  actions that have to be appropriately carried out.

Training cycle

Action planning: 

This is a detailed record of the actions negotiated between the assessor and the candidate within a set time scale.

Action planning is a good way of monitoring progress.

A further meeting is set up to look at the work brought forward from that action plan and to assess it against a set of standards, learning outcomes.

Judging the evidence:

When the action plan has been completed the assessor looks at the evidence with the candidate and makes a decision regarding the evidence under the four categories of “ sufficiency, reliability, authenticity and validity” This is then tracked against the standards , learning outcomes and from that decision…

Feedback:

Feedback is given to the candidate about what was good about the evidence, and how it might be improved whether it is sufficient etc.

Feedback is completed to motivate the candidate and set the scene for the next piece of work. Feedback should always be presented with any negative set between the positive, leaving the candidate on a positive note with a further action plan.

Feedback should always explain to the candidate exactly where they are with the qualification or that section of the qualification.  

QUALITY OF PROVISION

What ever the qualification on offer there has to be a quality back up system to ensure the delivery is of the required standard the assessment is fair and reliable and the policy and procedure of the organisation is being followed. It also should be providing support for the tutor / assessor to ensure they are comfortable with the delivery and assessment of the course.

Induction of the tutor

Appendix: See Induction check list

Support with resources

Monitioring the tutor

Monitoring the paperwork Scheme of work session plans

Support for the moderation visit

Keeping abreast of developments for awarding body

Offering CPD

 

 

 

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