On the front line of delivering Diplomas
For some centres the Diploma is already a reality. They are sailing the relatively uncharted Diploma waters, pulling together the complex demands of the Diploma package and delivering pupils robust and engaging courses. Sarah Davis is the Line Lead of Learning and Domain Assessor for the Creative and Media Diploma for the Aylesbury Vale Consortium in Buckinghamshire, which currently has 34 learners in the first year of the Level 2 Creative and Media Diploma.
The Consortium has two Principal Learning teaching hubs, Waddesdon C of E School & Chalfont Community College. Common timetabling is in place enabling learners to move from other schools into the teaching hub at Waddesdon for their Principal Learning. All other components of the Diploma are taught in the learners’ own centre.
Sarah and the delivery teams are working towards educating learners with a combination of the essential knowledge and skills that employers and universities look for. Feedback from learners and parents has been very positive to date. The Creative and Media Diploma is an interdisciplinary course spanning visual art, performing art and media. This means the delivery teams are made up of practitioners from a number of traditional teaching departments. We are focusing on building a skill-set in a number of creative and media disciplines (photo imaging, graphic design, 2&3 dimensional art, music, podcasting, film, animation, music) that allows learners flexibility and choice in how they pursue the final outcomes for assignment briefs. We are fostering an independent learning environment where learners quickly realise they can take the initiative and are working in unique ways outside the traditional subject boundaries.
Having worked in the creative and media industries for over twenty years, Sarah says she is very excited about many of the concepts that underpin the Diploma courses, especially the way they are designed to create clear links to commercial/industry practice and experiential learning. Although the students haven’t reached the work experience stage yet, the first unit of study across all the Diploma lines is designed to give learners a broad knowledge of the industry they are studying and the diverse career opportunities available within it. Pupils at the Waddesdon teaching hub have already investigated the BBC and Red Bee Media in this context. Sarah and her team are in the process of setting up placements for students and believe that it is important to ensure that they place the students in an environment which is closely linked to their creative and media interests to get the best value and learning outcomes.
Training is an important part of the support that Sarah receives in order to meet the demands of Diploma delivery. AQA-City & Guilds has supported Sarah through training to deliver the diploma from a number of areas, from one-day events to regular contact with the AQA-City & Guilds Chief Examiner for Level 2 who is her advisor/moderator. There are a number of planned meetings to ensure that the consortium is on track with assignment design and content, standardisation and moderation. She also recommends The Chartered Institute of Educational Assessors training for the role of Domain Assessor.
Resources also provide a major support element to teachers and students. Sarah has ensured that each student has their own AQA-City & Guilds Creative and Media student handbook. The handbook provides a good generic flavour for the course and a place for students to track their learning. They also use the AQA-City & Guilds online Teaching Resource Zone “The first year is very busy developing the content of the units, creating resources for students and working out how to present work in a range of media for assessment. Pupils also have a virtual learning environment to show case all digital work alongside traditional portfolios.”
Reminiscing over the past 18 months whilst introducing the Diploma into her consortium Sarah is happy to share her vital experiences, “The great thing about the Diplomas is that you have a blank canvass on which to build an exciting and modern course. Start with the end in mind, use the specification as your bible and make sure that your delivery plan is based on the assessment criteria.”