The social dimension - peer to peer discussions
The website does offer a number of online forums, but participation in these is voluntary and not a requirement for course completion. In addition to forums relating to topics of general interest, NEC has created online discussions in certain subject related areas that anyone can access. This allows users to 'communicate online with other current past and potential NEC students'. Subject areas include those within their A Level and GCSE courses, a very small number of professional and vocational courses and a larger number of personal development/leisure courses.
Assessment
NEC is a content provider working in collaboration with qualification bodies that support and monitor assessment usually carried out in approved testing centres (often colleges which may also provide tutor/teaching support to learners). With the emerging embedded nature of their offering, assessment of 'learning in process' and learning transformation through communication and interaction, the role of NEC in assessment is becoming 'fuzzier'. With the development of their new VLE, they will in future be able to collect data to support verification of participation and performance in learning activities. NEC is in the process of planning how this data will be monitored and the process verified by formal QC agencies, whose models for validation are based on formal verification of knowledge and skills through separate and controlled conditions for formal assessment.
...continue to lessons learned
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