Action Planning and Recording Achievement. INSTITUTION Further Education Development Agency, London (England)
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DOCUMENT RESUME ED 392 958 CE 071 105 AUTHOR Green, Muriel TITLE Action Planning and Recording Achievement. INSTITUTION Further Education Development Agency, London (England). REPORT NO ISBN-1-85338-407-0 PUB DATE Dec 95 NOTE 16p. AVAILABLE FROM Further Education Development Agency, Citadel Place, Tinworth Street, London SEll 5EH. England, United Kingdom (3.50 British pounds). PUB TYPE Guides Non-Classroom Use (055) EDRS PRICE MF01/PC01 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS *Academic Achievement; Foreign Countries; Postsecondary Education; *Recordkeeping; *Student Certification; *Student Records; Technical Institutes; Vocational Education IDENTIFIERS *Action Plans; *National Record of Achievement (United Kingdom) ABSTRACT This document examines strategies and procedures that British further education (FE) colleges can use to develop and enhance systems and structures for guiding and supporting learners and learning. It is based on the findings of a field test of the Managing Learning model for planning and recording the process of FE students. First, the importance of auditing existing programs is emphasized. The contribution that processes for recording achievement can make to quality assurance is discussed along with ways in which individual action plans (IAPs) and National Records of Achievement (NRAs) can inform and enhance entry services. Evidence for using action planning and recording achievement to support learning is presented along with a procedure for their use in providing a focus for tutorial support. Guidelines for recording evidence of achievement in an NRA and using IAPs and NRAs to facilitate transition are listed. The appendix contains a flowchart illustrating the proposed process of managing learning through regular planning and review. (Contains lists of acknowledgements and useful documents.) (MN) Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. ********************************************************). ************ AI U S DEPARTMENT OFEDUCATION (Ace of Educational Research andImprovement EDUCATIONAL RESOJRCESINFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) "PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE THIS (2is document has oeen reproduced as MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY received from the person or organization originating it 0 Minor chanops rine beenmade AO December1995 frnprovn roorochfCtion Quality Poo's ot vona or op monsstated in this document ao not necessarilyrepresent official OERI positior or policy TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC)" MURIEL GREEN Action planning and recording achievement Colleges are giving a higher priority to the individual learner in response to curriculum change and the require- ments of the Further Education Fund- ing Council (FEFC). This involves the provision of guidance and support CONTENTS to enable individuals to make in- formed decisions about their edu- AUDITING EXISTING cation, manage their learning, remain PROVISION 2 on programme and achieve their primary learning goal. CONTRIBUTING TO QUALITY ASSURANCE 3 Individual action plans (IAPs) and records of achievement (RoAs) are INFORMING AND tools which can be used to promote ENHANCING ENTRY effective guidance and support at all SERVICES 4 stages in the learner pathway. Managing Learning (FEU, 1993) SUPPORTING LEARNING6 described a system for managing the process from entry through to exit A FOCUS FOR TUTORIAL (see Appendix). SUPPORT 7 The system proposed in Managing EVIDENCE OF Learning was trialled by colleges and ACHIEVEMENT 8 their experiences analysed. Drawing on that experience, this publication USING NRAs TO SUPPORT provides insights into theways in TRANSITION 10 which colleges can develop and enhance systems and structures ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 12 which guide and support learners and learning. APPENDIX 14 This publication: The college has had a process of review, reiterates the importance of auditing target setting, guidance and support for many years, albeit in an informal way. existing provision Managing Learning has helped us to review and tighten our tutorial procedures shows how the outcomes of recording and a college policy has been clearty achievement processes can contribute to defined. quality assurance The evaluation of the RoA system and outlines the ways in which individual process took account of the views of action plans (IAPs) and National personal tutors, subject lecturers and Records of Achievement (NRAs) can students in A-level, GCSE and BTEC inform and enhance entry services programmes. Questionnaires were produced and circulated via the cross- advocates a role for action planning and college working group. The results of the recording achievement in supporting evaluation were presented and discussed by senior management along with a learning report from the Head of Student Services which highlighted a number of issues and describes the way in which action made recommendations. planning and recording achievement can provide a focus for tutorial support An internal audit can be a simple and identifies how evidence of achievement effective way of informing development. can be recorded in the NRA Colleges will need to measure existing practice using a simple but clear audit offers guidance on the ways in which tool. This should involve a range of IAPs and NRAs can be used to help staff, who have been thoroughly briefed. transition In auditing current provision, colleges will need to: Auditing existing establish a clear and simple framework through which to review and evaluate provision existing provision Many colleges introduced systems for provide opportunities for all those action planning and recording involved to understand and prepare for achievement through the Training and their role in the process Vocational Education Initiative (TVEI). These were likely to have been piloted identify and use existing good practice in particular curriculum areas rather to inform or enhance a collaborative than throughout the college. Where policy for the whole institution college-wide systems exist, they are likely to be restricted to full-time establish where-and-why structures, students. systems and processes which have been effective as a basis for devising codes of Project colleges were encouraged to practice and setting out quality standards audit, review and evaluate their practice in the light of the model in use evidence gathered through internal Managing Learning. This helped colleges audit to inform planning for whole- identify strengths and weaknesses in college implementation to ensure their systems and identify staff skills consistency in the quality of services to and professional development needs. learners These were the basis for planning to extend and enhance the quality of maintain a cycle of review, evaluation services offered to learners. and target setting to ensure continuing development ot quality services twv, " Contributing to Although student/tutor reviews can provide evidence which indicates the quality assurance extent to which the curriculum is supporting effective learning, formal Many colleges use student satisfaction procedures need to be set up to enable questionnaires among their strategies to such evidence to have an effect on measure the quality of their provision. curriculum development. However, they recognise that such intelligence is not always used to good For example, where a number of effect in influencing change. students on an Intermediate GNVQ indicate, in their first individual tutor Colleges trialling the Managing Learning review session, that they are having model recognised the ways in which difficulty in understanding the feedback from regular one-to-one assessment and grading regime, the review meetings between tutors and tutor will need to find a solution to the students could contribute to the quality problem. Any solution at this stage is debate and inform quality assurance likely to be bolt-on and where procedures. Some set up formal structures exist for regular student structures to enable groups of tutors to feedback to inform curriculum meet with managers to consider the planning, long-term solutions can be evidence and use it as a basis for found. curriculum planning. In this particular case, a short-term As part of a re-organisation of the solution may be some re-allocation of college staff structure, the post of tutorial time to work with small groups, student care manager was created. A helping them to reach a better number of these were appointed with understanding; in the long term, the each being responsible for a group of course manager and others could tutors. This was seen as a positive develop both a programme handbook development by tutors as it made it and an enhanced induction programme easier to deal with issues about for the next intake of students. It could curriculum delivery brought up by indicate a need to regularly discuss students. The student care managers report to the head of division. assessment evidence in relation to grading and to support students with The interviews with staff also identified the development of their portfolios. the need to provide tutors with ongoing Curriculum models accommodating training and development and the need such arrangements could include two to get the sequence and timing of hc rs flexible learning timetabled each learning programme reviews, student week with the tutor, or six weeks tutor reviews and parents evenings right. timetabled delivery sessions, followed by one week of support activities, A summary course report and action plan including review, target setting and was produced