Develop your own Curriculum!
Develop your own Curriculum!
You DEFINITELY need to be writing and developing your own courses!
This recognises the key role that part-timers have in widening participation, and provides you with some control over your work in the future. I say 'some control', as many providers wrest ownership of new course provision away from their authors when agreeing to fund and provide a new course. This can be highly counterproductive, since it in effect 'kills the goose that was laying golden eggs' by failing to recognise, support, duly reward and invest long-term in future creative work. Still, the APTT is currently trying to develop systems to allow members to get their work developed, written-up and accredited without the individual losing overall creative control; if this becomes a reality then it will shift the balance of creativity from the providers to the workers in the field (the teachers) ... just as it should be, to my way of thinking!
It's also a fatal mistake to think that qualifications alone get you into work. There are literally thousands of part-timers with good qualifications, so you need something extra to make you stand out from the crowd? The answer to this is having your own course programme(s), developed and ready for teaching. Employers look for those with initiative and a knowledge of curriculum development; and if you design your own courses you are one step ahead of the rest. Additionally, you are in fact 'writing your own job' as you go, something which gives you enhanced prospects and more choice over your future career direction.
Writing courses though is a skilled process and needs a very systematic and thorough approach. Most tutors do not have these skills (and in fact, most providers don't either!) and they need to be learned in a manner that encourages quality and effectiveness in the designed product.
Luckily, the APTT runs an accredited course (free to the membership, as ever!) which takes beginners through all the stages of producing their own full documented and developed courses. The Course Design Course (CDC) is available as part of the PLATO programme, has Level 3 credits and addresses the FENTO national standards. Courses developed with CDC are readily accreditable and have been proven to be high quality. Get in touch with the APTT if you want to join the course!
Copyright Bob Groves 26/12/2000