Pre-entry qualifications – keeping teaching staff informed Clare Carter, Roisin Curran, Sarah Maguire University of Ulster

Context  Concern about poor progression of first year students  Concern about study skills of incoming students  Concern about student expectations (or lack of) of independent study  Growing awareness that we lacked knowledge of students’ prior educational experiences

Types of qualifications  A level  AVCE – now Applied GCE  BTEC  Content may be different  Teaching style has similarities

Teaching at secondary level  Highly specified courses  Specification available to students  Teacher will relate teaching to specification  Reading outside text book not generally encouraged

Assessment  Mark schemes available and highly specified  Coursework drafted and feedback given several times before final submission  Exams limited in time (AVCE/BTEC – only limited number of exams)  Modules may be retaken to improve mark

What does this mean for student learning?  It is very teacher-dependant - structured and focussed by the teacher  Feedback on progress and assignments is frequent, with opportunities to improve before submisssion  Only the best students will read around the subject  It is assessment-driven

What do we expect?  Independent learners  Once-only submission of coursework  Students to understand what is feedback and how to use it  Reading-around the subject for the best marks

Staff Development  Started with conference  Workshops for faculties  Academic Induction  PgCHEP modules

Activities Task 1  Compare content of qualifications with current 1 st year curriculum content Task 2  Focus on the assessment of secondary qualifications, particularly the style of questions, and compare with current assessment in first year modules Task 3  Reflect on student’s previous learning and teaching experience and compare to lecturer’s expectations of 1 st year students

Materials provided  Course specifications  Chief Examiner’s reports  Exam papers  Exam answers (if available)

Feedback  ‘this should be compulsory for all staff’  ‘now I understand that it’s not all the student’s fault’

Changes in practice  Tutorials  Shorter exams in first semester  Study skills incorporated in first year modules

What’s next?  Changes to A levels – first entrants 2010 Number of modules Applied A levels  Diplomas –a limited number offered for entrants in 2010 Construction & Built Environment Creative & Media Society, Health & Development Information Technology Engineering

Sources of information  Exam board websites OCR –  QCA  Dept of Children, Schools and Families ualificationsExplained/DG_070676

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