_edited.png)
Level 3 AET online: self-paced or blended learning?
A few weeks ago, I asked a question on LinkedIn. If you had the choice between learning something completely independently or learning alongside other people, which would you choose?
The responses were interesting, but perhaps unsurprisingly, there wasn't one clear answer. Some people love being able to work through learning independently, at their own pace and without having to fit around anybody else's schedule. Others immediately chose learning with a group because they value the discussion, different perspectives and opportunity to bounce ideas around.
For me, both have value.
It's something we've thought about a lot while developing our own Level 3 Award in Education and Training (AET). There are plenty of online and distance learning options available for this qualification, including courses that can be completed almost entirely independently.
We deliberately chose to do something slightly different.
The benefits of studying the Level 3 AET online
There is a very good reason self-paced and distance learning has become so popular. It gives people flexibility.
Most people completing the Level 3 AET aren't able to put their lives on hold while they study. They may already be working full-time, running a business, managing a team or delivering training alongside another role. Being able to log in when it suits them and work through learning at their own pace makes the qualification much more accessible.
There are learning benefits too. Some people need longer to process a new concept, while others may already have experience in a particular area and move through it more quickly. Self-paced eLearning gives learners more control over that journey.
This is why the core learning within our own AET is delivered through interactive eLearning. Learners can access it through our online platform and work through it around their own commitments.
But we didn't want that flexibility to mean learning completely alone.
I was once told workshops wouldn't work
Years ago, I was involved in developing workshops as part of another learning programme and had a phone call with one of the tutors who was absolutely desperate to make us understand that they weren't going to work.
"No one will attend. I'm telling you, they will fail. I've seen it before."
She wasn't being difficult. She had experience of workshops that learners didn't value, didn't attend and didn't see the point of. She genuinely believed we were setting ourselves up to fail. They didn't fail.
In fact, she eventually became one of the tutors delivering them and one of their biggest advocates.
The difference was that the workshops had a purpose. They weren't there to repeat content learners could have read themselves. They gave people somewhere to discuss what they had learned, ask questions, hear other perspectives and actually use some of that knowledge.
When workshops are done well and led by passionate experts, nobody should feel like they're being put on the spot. People feel supported. They learn from each other and, importantly, they can leave feeling more motivated and energised than when they arrived.
That experience has stayed with me.
A training qualification needs interaction
There is another reason this matters particularly for the Level 3 Award in Education and Training.
This is a qualification about teaching and training people.
A good trainer needs knowledge, but they also need to be able to communicate, listen, explain an idea in different ways, facilitate discussion, respond to other people's contributions and build confidence in a room.
Those skills aren't developed particularly well in isolation.
A learner can absolutely study the theory of inclusive teaching independently. Put that learner into a conversation with somebody from construction, another from healthcare and somebody delivering management training, however, and suddenly that theory has context.
They hear how other trainers approach the same challenge. They explain and sometimes defend their own thinking. They encounter perspectives they hadn't considered and learn how different sectors and different learners can require completely different approaches.
That interaction isn't an interruption to the qualification. It's part of becoming a trainer.
What our AET workshops are actually for
This thinking shaped the way we've designed our own blended Level 3 AET.
The eLearning is where learners develop much of their underpinning knowledge. The live workshops are not there for a tutor to spend two hours reading the same information back to them.
Instead, we use the workshops for things that benefit from having other people in the room.
Learners might:
compare teaching and learning approaches from their own sectors
discuss strengths, limitations and different learner needs
work with learning aims and objectives
explore how activities and resources can be adapted
share experiences and different perspectives
practise explaining and justifying their choices
ask questions and get support from an experienced tutor.
It means the two parts of the programme have different jobs. The digital learning provides flexibility and allows people to learn at their own pace. The workshops provide interaction, application and the opportunity to develop some of the wider skills that good trainers need.
Our live AET workshops are optional
This was important to us too. Our workshops are there because we believe they improve the learning experience, and we strongly encourage learners to attend them. But we also recognise that one of the reasons people choose an online Level 3 AET course is because they need flexibility.
Work happens. Shifts change. Children get ill. Meetings appear in diaries.
Missing a workshop does not mean somebody fails their qualification.
Our two-hour live online workshops are optional, and learners who cannot attend can access the recording afterwards. The core learning remains available through the learner platform and tutor support continues throughout the programme.
That allows us to provide the benefits of learning as a group without removing the flexibility that makes online and distance learning accessible in the first place.
Choosing an online Level 3 AET course
There are a lot of providers offering the Level 3 Award in Education and Training, and the way those courses are delivered can vary considerably.
Price will naturally be part of the decision, but I think it's worth looking at the learning experience behind it too.
When comparing AET courses, look at how much tutor support is included, whether you'll have opportunities to interact with other learners, how the online content is delivered, what happens if you can't attend something live and how much flexibility you have to complete the qualification.
It's also worth considering what you actually want from it. There is a difference between completing a qualification and developing the confidence to become a good trainer.
Finding the balance between independent and collaborative learning
I remain a huge advocate of digital learning. I've built a business around it, so it would be slightly concerning if I wasn't.
But good learning design isn't about choosing digital learning over tutors, or live learning over self-paced courses. It's about understanding what each approach does well and using it appropriately.
For our Level 3 AET, that means giving learners the freedom to complete their eLearning at a time and pace that works for them, while still creating opportunities to learn from an experienced tutor and from each other.
Training is ultimately about people. I think learning how to do it well should involve spending at least some time learning with them too.
Level 3 Award in Education and Training with Emblem
Our blended Level 3 Award in Education and Training combines interactive, accessible eLearning with optional two-hour live online workshops and ongoing tutor support.
You can join individually, learn alongside colleagues from your own organisation or take advantage of our team discounts when two or more people join the same cohort.
Comments