Computer Studies: Tutor Guide PDF
Preview Computer Studies: Tutor Guide
~IAC\11 LLA~ Updating for Business computer Studies Tutor Guide M MACMILLAN EDUCATION © Crown copyright 1986 Published by permission of the Controller of Her Majesty's Stationery Office. This work was produced under an Open Tech contract with the Manpower Services Commission. The views expressed are those of the authors, and do not necessarily reflect those of the MSC, or any other Government Department. All rights reserved. No reproduction, copy or transmission of this publication may be made without written permission. No paragraph of this publication may be reproduced, copied or transmitted save with written permission or in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright Act 1956 (as amended). Any person who does any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages. First published 1986 Published by MACMILLAN EDUCATION LTD Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire RG21 2XS and London Companies and representatives throughout the world Typeset by Communitype, Leicester ISBN 978-1-349-09172-0 ISBN 978-1-349-09170-6 (eBook) DOI 10.1007/978-1-349-09170-6 3 Contents PART 1 General Information and Guidance 1 Introduction 4 The Units and the Materials; BTEC Approval and Awards 2 Preparing to Run the Course 7 3 The Open Learning Student 10 4 Open Learning Tutorials 12 5 Tutor Review Exercises 13 6 Feedback on the Materials and Their Use 15 7 The Personal Study Plan 17 PART 2 Information Relating to this Unit 21 4 PART 1 General Information and Guidance 1 Introduction Welcome to Open BTEC and the Updating for Business series. As a tutor, we regard you as a partner. We have developed the materials for this open learning course, but the success of the course will be very much in your hands. The aim of this first section of the Guide is to introduce you to the Updating for Business materials and to provide you with the general information you need to run a successful Updating for Business course. The second section gives more specific information about this particular Unit. In preparing the first section we have included some general guidance on open learning. If you are already an experienced open learning tutor, you can of course skip these bits. On the other hand, if this is your first open learning course, you will probably want to read more widely about how to make it a success. We have therefore added a short, selected bibliography. 1. 1 The Units and the Materials The materials have been developed to help centres (colleges, companies, and other education and training organisations) to run BTEC Continuing Education Units. These Units can be run in various ways: as ordinary 'class-based' courses (evening classes, short blocks, in-company etc.) or by open learning. Guidelines (syllabus and notes on implementation) for all these units can be obtained from BTEC. Continuing Education Units are designed for adults and assume that students have reached a level equivalent to that of a BTEC National Award holder when they start the course. This ability may have been gained through experience and not necessarily through formal study. Open BTEC has selected a number of these units and (with the help of an Open Tech grant) has prepared materials to support their delivery by open learning. Each Unit is designed to take about 90 hours of study time, including reading, listening to or viewing any related audio or video cassettes, and doing the activities and exercises. Depending on how much time a student can spend each week, a Unit should take somewhere between 15 and 20 weeks to complete. 5 The materials have been developed by practising teachers and trainers in consultation with educational technologists, designers and industrial advisers. They have been through a thorough evaluation procedure, including pilot trials with students. Much of the information provided in this Guide is based upon feedback from these pilot trials. Each Unit has been divided into a number of Elements. The materials for each Element include: A Study Guide: which provides a 'route map' through the learning activities (reading, exercises and practical work) involved in that Element. A Workbook: which provides much of the information content of the Element. Support material: (not included with all Elements), audio or video cassettes (VHS format), or computer software. There is also a Foundation Element which is common to all Units. We strongly recommend that this is given to all students before they start work on a particular Unit, and that completing the Personal Study Plan is made their first assignment. Open BTEC units covering the following subject areas are available: Managing the Office Training and Coaching Skills Computer Studies Working with People Improve Your Financial Decision Making Implementing Small Business Computer Systems Management of Word Processing Information Technology for Managers 6 1.2 BTEC APPROVAL AND AWARDS If your centre is already approved to run BTEC courses or units, you will be familiar with the benefits. However, you may need to check to ensure that your centre has approval to run this Unit by open learning. If you are less familiar with BTEC approval, read on. You may obtain and use Open BTEC materials without seeking BTEC's permission to do so. However, the standing of the course, and its worth to your students, will be greatly enhanced if it leads to a BTEC award. Becoming a BTEC Approved Centre for this Unit will enable your successful students to receive a BTEC Certificate of Achievement, officially recognising their competence in this area of study. Successful completion of five Units (or four plus a major project) can lead to the BTEC Continuing Education Certificate of Business Administration. Further information on Continuing Education courses and awards may be obtained from BTEC, Central House, Upper Woburn Place, London, WCl H OHH. Any education or training centre (college, polytechnic, company, training body etc.) with appropriate resources in England, Wales or Northern Ireland, can apply for BTEC approval. Standard application forms and guidance notes can be obtained from BTEC. Obtaining approval involves demonstrating to BTEC that the study centre has the tutorial staff, resources, facilities and expertise to successfully run this open learning Unit. BTEC also requires the centre to appoint one or more External Examiners (acceptable to BTEC) who will monitor and support the course and verify the assessment standards. Depending upon the time of year applications can take between four and eight weeks to process. It is therefore advisable to apply well ahead of the proposed start date. Once approval has been obtained, the centre can enrol students and register them with BTEC. Students should be registered with BTEC within two weeks of their starting the course. 7 2 Preparing to Run the Course There are a number of arrangements which must be made before the course begins. This section provides you with a checklist of things to do. They are not listed in any order of priority and you will probably be involved in a number of these arrangements concurrently. Storage of Materials Obtain a secure place for the temporary storage of printed learning materials and other materials such as video and audio tapes. Six to ten feet of shelf space in a store cupboard would probably be sufficient. BTEC Approval If you have not already done this, begin the process of obtaining approval from BTEC to run this Unit as an open learning course (see Section 1.2). Equipment and Use of Centre Make arrangements to give access to students for viewing video tapes, using computers or using other equipment required by the Unit. You may also need to organise accommodation for group discussions, tutorials and similar activities. Refer to Part 2 of this Guide to identify these needs. Administrative Help Some administrative work will be involved, so it is important to obtain help for the duration of the course. The tasks will include: * receiving, storing and distributing learning material; * maintaining appropriate records; * acting as a communication channel between the tutor and the student. Learning Materials Tutors will need to be familiar with the material provided. You should, in particular, try to identify likely problem areas and to prepare for them. Records The aim of open learning is to enable students to progress at their own pace, in ways that meet their needs. Consequently students may be working on different parts of the Element at the same time. To keep track of students progress in their work, and their motivation and commitment, you will need a method of recording assignments submitted, attendance at tutorials, and telephone contacts. Design some record forms which suit you (or your centre may have standard record forms) and ensure that everyone who needs to, knows how to use them. 8 Telephone Make arrangements for receiving calls from students by answerphone, secretarial help or otherwise, and inform students of the arrangements in the Personal Study Plan in the Foundation Element. Open learning students may need to be looked after far more than students who meet each other and their tutor each week, so provision for fairly frequent communication should be made and encouraged. Counselling Open learning students may experience difficulties arising from the nature of open learning itself, and from their lives at home and work and may wish to talk to you about them. Identify a quiet, private place where you can meet to listen to student problems and, where appropriate, to offer advice. Liaison between tutors In some cases the Unit tutor may also act as tutor to each Element. In other cases, each Element may be tutored by a different person. It is assumed that a Unit tutor will co-ordinate the work of any additional Element tutors. Having studied the materials, the Unit tutor should meet with the other tutors to: * agree the arrangements for tutorials; * agree the information to be provided in the students' Personal Study Plans; * consider whether to encourage the formation of a self-help group among the students; * plan how to ensure that the students understand the relationships between the different Elements in a Unit. Personal Study Plan When each student starts, they should receive a copy of the Foundation Element, together with a part completed Personal Study Plan. A blank Personal Study Plan is printed on pages 17 to 20; it also appears in the Foundation Element. You should photocopy sufficient copies for your needs (or prepare a similar one to suit your 9 own centre). Before issuing the Plan to each student, you will need to complete: * the top three lines of the front page; * the first part of Section 2 (details of tutorial contact and resources); * columns 2 - 4 of the table in Section 3; * the assessment box in Section 4; * the tutor's name and address; * the target date for the Plan's return. When each Plan is returned, check it through. For example, are the planned weekly commitment and the target dates for the Tutor Review Exercise reasonable? You may wish to discuss these with the student before agreeing the targets. Retain the Plan for your records and return a signed copy to the student.
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