Akamas

SUPPORTING YOUR STUDENTS

For students to gain full benefit from our online training, it is vital that they are properly supported. Our BTEC courses include the following support as standard:

• A printed manual provided to every student before they begin training
• Online academic support from tutors
• Support from our administrative and technical staff by telephone and email
• A support section in the Online Learning Environment, with access to free computer tutorials and advice on using the internet

However, there are several ways in which you may choose to provide extra support to students undertaking online training.

Computer Training and Support

Many of the students starting our courses feel they would like to be more confident about using their computer. We provide links to free online tutorials but there may be resources in your own organisation that could be put at your students' disposal. Do you have access to an IT Training Suite that could be used for a day's introductory training? Or an IT Support worker who could answer questions from students?

Student Support Groups

One of the key features of our BTEC courses is an online facility for our students to share ideas on the course material and their own practice. In addition to this, a number of agencies using the courses have established regular support groups where students can meet face-to-face. If your agency only has a small number of students, why not ask us for details of other agencies in your local area and explore the possibility of a joint student group?

Reading Materials

While much of the material needed for the courses is available in the Online Learning Environment or via the internet, we also provide lists of useful books for each unit of study. You might like to establish a library from which staff or carers can borrow materials relevant to the course, and we will happily provide a list of recommended reading to enable you to do so.

Practice Supervisor Packs

Available for each of our BTEC Certificate courses, these packs ensure that supervisory staff or line managers have a reference copy of the material being studied and can understand issues from the course as they impact on students' day-to-day practice. Also included is a guide to our Online Learning Environment, a troubleshooting reference, and the full mapping of the BTEC courses to NVQ and other relevant standards.

Cost: £200 per pack

First Steps Courses

These half-day courses allow new students to spend a half-day session with one of the Akamas team, ensuring they feel comfortable with using the Online Learning Environment and have the opportunity to explore issues of time management, learning styles and assessment. They are particularly valuable where agencies are enrolling their first student group.

Cost: £300 per half-day session