Cordie has just launched a new “attendance” policy for our apprenticeship programmes. Now, we are not usually ones to get too excited about policies and governance, they are basically rules to follow, but on this occasion we do feel that study attendance is one of those important topics that needs discussing.
What do we mean by attendance?
Attendance at a study session is more than simply turning up or even just taking a passive role listening in on an online web-based lesson. It’s about each individual being present, directly engaging and actively participating with the learning activities and a group of learners that they are with. As well as physical attendance, we mean participating in group discussions, taking notes, being involved in breakout groups and undertaking any assignments or mock exams.
Learning is an dynamic activity and so it requires the tutor and all learners to be involved in the process as a collective. It requires two-way communication, both verbal and non-verbal, and we want all learners in a study session to be contributing to the group.
Use of Cameras
Since the pandemic of 2020 and 2021, the shift in learning to online virtual studies has been significant, but this hasn’t changed the underlying principles of effective learning. Here at Cordie we have extensive interactive eLearning and highly effective online teaching sessions. But the need for effective two-way communication is still imperative and we do ask every learner to be engaged within a group.
This means keeping webcams “on” so that everyone can be seen throughout the learning session. This increases participation considerably and allows for a far greater engagement with the learning material and cohesion as a learning cohort.
While we do recognise there are occasional extenuating circumstances why a webcam cannot be enabled, on the whole most modern PCs do have this facility and open engagement with the learning is to be encouraged.
Non-Attendance
Cordie monitors learner attendance at all of its study sessions. In many cases this needs to be reported back to an employer or funding body to confirm or validate the use of expenditure. We also undertake our own “exam readiness” reviews so that we are able to confirm a learner is ready for their exam assessment and not in a position where they are under-prepared.
So what?
So, next time you are about to attend one of our study sessions, do please give some consideration to what it means to learn effectively. We believe it includes engagement with both the materials and the rest of the learning group that you are part of. We want you to get the most from studying with Cordie and so, if you are online, please do put your camera on and be involved with the rest of us!
You can find out more about our corporate policies at the link below, but do please ask if you have any questions relating to the way we work at Cordie.