Access to HE Online

education

AIMS OF THE COURSE

The Access to Higher Education (HE) Diploma is a qualification, equivalent to A Level, which allows learners to go on and study at University when they did not have the relevant qualifications needed to do so. Access to HE courses are available in a wide range of different subjects and are widely recognised by UK Universities.
The Access to Higher Education Diploma (Education) will provide you with the fundamental knowledge you need to study education at degree level. One route to become a qualified teacher is through studying a Bachelor of Education (BEd) degree with QTS.

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BENEFITS FOR INDIVIDUALS

After successfully completing this Access to Higher Education Diploma, you’ll have a good understanding of development of education, theories of child development, roles and responsibilities in education, basic psychology, and sociology in education and the skills needed to study an education or teaching related undergraduate course. Once you have chosen and completed your degree programme, you will be ready to begin your career in Education.

Potential career paths:

  • Primary school teacher
  • Play therapist
  • Learning mentor
  • Secondary school teacher
  • Teaching assistant
  • Learning mentor
  • Youth worker
  • Further education teacher
  • Special educational needs teacher

KEY COURSE DETAILS

  • Course Fee: £3,384
  • Course length: 10 months
  • Recommended study per week: 15 hours*
  • Total number of units within the course: 22

* You should allow a total of around 15 study hours per week to complete the whole qualification, over 10 months. If you study more hours each week, you may finish the course more quickly.

SUPPORT PROVIDED

A qualified Assessor will mark your work and provide written feedback via the VLE. Your appointed Assessor will confirm contact hours once you start your learning and will be able to offer support via email correspondence. During Induction you will be provided with a Study Plan including the expected assessment schedule for your course.

PASS CRITERIA

  • Each unit includes specific Learning Outcomes and Assessment Criteria.
  • To achieve a Pass in any assessment you must meet all criteria.
  • The list of detailed Assessment Criteria for each Unit is made available to you on the VLE.

COURSE CONTENT

The course consists of 22 Units of Study.

UNIT 1 PREPARING FOR SUCCESS – INDUCTION UNIT

This introductory unit will provide you with useful information, advice and guidance to enable you to get the most from your studies,and help you to decide which options within HE are best suited to you. Once you have completed all of the elements of this introductory section you will be able to progress onto the units of study for your Access to HE Diploma

UNIT 2 PREPARING TO STUDY
  • Understand how study is organised and planned
  • Understand how to apply theories of learning in relation to personal approaches to learning
  • Understand a range of constraints upon study
  • Understand the importance of assessment feedback.
UNIT 3 ACADEMIC WRITING SKILLS
  • Be able to write with relevance in responding to an academic task.
  • Know how to interpret and discuss ideas and issues in responding to a set, academic writing task
  • Be able to summarise for academic purposes, selecting key points, information or central ideas.
UNIT 4 PREPARING A WRITTEN ASSIGNMENT
  • Understand how to use key information sources.
  • Understand why sources are acknowledged and referenced.
  • Understand a range of reading strategies.
  • Understand note-making methods.
  • Understand how to plan draft and produce a written assignment.
UNIT 5 ROLES, RESPONSIBILITIES & RELATIONSHIPS IN EDUCATION
  • Understand the role and responsibilities of the teacher/mentor/trainer
  • Understand the professional relationships between teachers and trainers engaged in education.
  • Understand the importance and use of Teacher’s Standards.
  • Understand the importance of continued professional development for education staff.
UNIT 6 THE DEVELOPING CHILD
  • Understand the stages of development of children from birth to 18 years.
  • Understand the stages of cognitive development of children from birth to 18 years
  • Understand factors which affect social, emotional, physical and cognitive development in children from birth to 18 years.
UNIT 7 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF LEARNING
  • Understand what is meant by learning.
  • Understand what is meant by conditioning and its practical applications.
  • Understand Social Learning Theory and Observational Learning.
UNIT 8 INFLUENCES ON EDUCATIONAL ACHIEVEMENT
  • Understand the differences in educational achievement between different groups.
  • Understand measures to address differences in educational achievement.
UNIT 9 THE HUMAN NUTRITION AND THE DIGESTIVE SYSTEM
  • Understand the structure and functions of the organs of the digestive system.
  • Understand nutrients and their sources.
  • Understand the components of a healthy diet and the consequences of an unhealthy diet.
UNIT 10 THEORIES OF CHILD DEVELOPMENT
  • Understand Piaget’s theory of development.
  • Understand the major criticisms of Piaget’s work in child development.
  • Understand alternative theories of development.
  • Understand how stages of development link to practical situations.
UNIT 11 LANGUAGE ACQUISITION
  • Understand Piaget’s theory of development.
  • Understand the major criticisms of Piaget’s work in child development.
  • Understand alternative theories of development.
  • Understand how stages of development link to practical situations.
UNIT 12 THE DEVELOPMENT OF EDUCATION
  • Understand changes and developments in the educational system.
  • Understand contrasting theories of the role of education in society.
  • Understand the relationships between educational opportunity, social class, gender and ethnicity.
UNIT 13 DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY
  • Understand the importance of early relationships in child development.
  • Understand explanations of the development of individual differences.
UNIT 14 DISABILITY AND SPECIAL EDUCATION NEEDS
  • Know the different types of disability and special education needs.
  • Understand key features of the current legislation, guidelines, policies and procedures for working with learners with disabilities and special education needs.
  • Understand the planning approaches used in the classroom to support inclusive learning involving learners with disabilities and special education needs.
UNIT 15 PLAY
  • Understand types and the value of play.
  • Understand the theories of play in relation to children’s life stages.
  • Be able to plan, deliver and review an activity linked to a theory of play, which meets an intended learner’s needs.
UNIT 16 SHORT STORY
  • Understand narrative elements of the story.
  • Understand textual features and language.
  • Understand the influence of social and historical factors on the text.
UNIT 17 MANAGING BEHAVIOUR IN THE CLASSROOM
  • Understand the importance of maintaining a positive learning environment in a classroom.
  • Understand how to maintain a positive learning environment.
  • Understand some of the underlying causes of behavioural problems as displayed in the classroom.
  • Understand methods for managing pupil behaviour.
UNIT 18 HUMAN REPRODUCTION, GROWTH & DEVELOPMENT
  • Understand the structure and function of the human reproductive system.
  • Understand how hormones regulate the reproductive system throughout life.
  • Understand the sequence of events from conception to childbirth.
UNIT 19 SOCIOLOGY OF EDUCATION
  • Understand the importance of education as a socialising agency.
  • Understand the roles of education in contemporary society.
  • Understand the sociological explanations of labelling and the use of stereotypes.
  • Understand the concept of meritocracy.
UNIT 20 STUDY SKILLS PORTFOLIO BUILDING
  • This unit requires you to build a portfolio of evidence which covers a range of different study skills. The different elements of the portfolio will be a combination of work that you have already completed as part of your programme, as well as reflective and evaluative commentary.
UNIT 21 EQUALITY OF OPPORTUNITIES
  • Understand the main aspects of the legal framework which identify rights and responsibilities about equality of opportunities.
  • Understand how to promote equality of opportunities, inclusiveness and diversity in the workplace.
UNIT 22 SAFEGUARDING IN EDUCATION
  • Understand the development of legislation, guidelines, policies and procedures for safeguarding learners in education.
  • Be able to categorise different types and recognise indicators of abuse.
  • Understand policies and procedures in relation to safeguarding in an educational institution, and their use.
  • Understand how different agencies work together to safeguard learners in education.
  • Understand the importance of application of accepted Codes of Practice in classroom practice.

ASSESSMENT METHOD

The study materials and all assessment for this course is through an online platform (VLE). You won’t need to purchase any books unless you wish to supplement these study materials.

The Access to Higher Education Diploma is a nationally recognised Level 3 qualification, regulated by the Quality Assurance Agency (QAA).

In order to complete this diploma, you must achieve a total of 60 credits. 45 credit graded (taken from the subject specific areas of biological science, childhood studies, education practice, education studies, education theory, language literature and psychology) and 15 credits are ungraded from the skills for learning and IAG assessments. You should note that 45 of these credits are taken from graded units which are concerned with academic subject content. The remaining 15 credits are earned via taking ungraded units which are included to help you to develop your study skills.

The Access to HE Diploma in Education is made up modules that fall under specific subject areas. The subjects are:

  • Skills for Learning
  • Biological Science
  • Childhood Studies
  • Education Practice
  • Education Studies
  • Education Theory
  • Language
  • Literature
  • Psychology

You will study the online course materials and self-direct your study.

You will be required to submit assessments by a set deadline. To pass the module you must meet all the assessment criteria. After your first submission your assessor will provide feedback. At this point you will either have met all the pass criteria and your module will be graded or will be asked to resubmit your assessment taking on board the assessor’s feedback and you’ll be permitted to make further submission of your work. Once your module has been achieved you can then proceed to the next module of the course. You will continue in this way through until you have completed all modules of the course.

Once all of the assessments are complete and have gone through internal moderation and external moderation the College will then present your grades to the Awarding Body.

Learners should ideally already have a GCSE in English and maths (grade A* - C or Level 4 – 8’ or an equivalent) or be working towards. We also ask that learners have the ambition to study a Education related degree at a higher education institute or university.

Access to Higher Education Diplomas are extensively accepted as an alternative to 'A Levels' for University entrance. The Access to Higher Education Diplomas have a reputation of successfully helping students to gain admission to University.

Learners should, however, be aware that each university apply their own admissions criteria, and we highly recommend that you research universities prior to applying to this course, to ensure your chosen university accepts this Diploma and the credits and graded units available for each subject area.

Whilst we have confidence that the Access to Higher Education Diplomas are compliant and sufficient to form part of a University application, East Sussex College will not be able to accept any liability for the inability of any Access to Higher Education learner to secure an offer from a Higher Education establishment due to the individual set requirement of each university or higher education institution.

STUDY TIME

Study time includes:

  • working through the interactive content
  • completing the assignments for each unit
  • reading assessor feedback and reviewing course material or other resources as directed
  • resubmitting your assignment where requested

DELIVERY STYLE

This online course differs to a classroom course, as you will not be taught. Instead, you will study independently following the online learning materials and completing assignments. Your dedicated unit assessor can be contacted through the message system on the VLE (Virtual Learning Environment). If you need any guidance, help, or wish to book in a phone or Teams video support call you can message your assessor or contact the admin team. We allow 10 months to work through the course, so it’s flexible in that you can study when you want eg the course platform is available 24/7 however you will have deadlines to meet to complete each unit assignment.

HOW DO I KNOW IF THIS IS THE RIGHT COURSE FOR ME?

East Sussex College offer a 14-day Cooling-Off Period for this course which enables you to assess whether both the course and the online mode of study is suitable for you. It also allows the College to assess your suitability, in particular whether you can produce work to meet the standards set by the awarding body.

You will be set a deadline within the cooling-off period to complete the first assignment.

Enrolment onto the qualification will take place once you have passed the first assignment. If you do not meet the pass criteria for the first assignment after 3 submissions, you won't be enrolled onto the course.

If you take out an Advanced Learner Loan to cover your fees, then this will be activated 14 days from the course start date.

If you wish to withdraw, you may cancel your enrolment by notifying the Administration Team in writing (by e-mail) prior to day 14 and you will owe nothing. After 14 days, you will owe the full course fee plus an administration charge, in line with the ESCG Tuition Fee Policy.

TECHNOLOGY REQUIREMENTS

  • PC, Laptop, Tablet (smart phones are not recommended as aren’t fully compatible with the VLE)
  • Reliable internet access

PAYING FOR YOUR COURSE

• If you are 23 or under and have no prior Level 3 qualification or higher, then you may be entitled to a tuition fee waiver*
*subject to eligibility and availability check

• If you are over 19 years-old and have a full Level 3 qualification you have two options: an Advanced Learner Loan or self-funding.

ADVANCED LEARNER LOANS

  • This Government loan will be paid directly to the college and is linked to your attendance.
  • You will start to repay your loan when you start to earn over £25,000 per annum (correct at time of posting).
  • If you take out an Advanced Learner Loan to fund an Access to HE Diploma, then go on to complete a higher education course, you’ll be eligible to have the balance of your Advanced Learner Loan written off. However, if you don’t complete either course, you won’t be eligible to have the balance written off and will need to repay your loan in full.

For more information about Advanced Learner Loans visit:
Advanced Leaner Loan Guide to Terms and Conditions for courses starting on or after 1st August 2023