CAVA News

 WCG’s (formerly known as Warwickshire College Group) Access to HE Diploma (Engineering) has been recognised for demonstrating a range of good practice within the 2023-24 academic year. The course Leader for Engineering, Ugochukwu Chibuisi, met with our Communication and Events Officer to share some insight into the good practice. Industrial Site Visits to Britvic Soft Drinks LTD Students had the unique opportunity to visit Britvic Soft Drinks LTD, where they explored the workings of an automated warehouse. This visit was particularly impactful for students studying programmable logic controllers (PLCs), as they could witness first-hand how these systems operate in a live industrial setting. Students typically work with simulators, but seeing the PLCs in action—monitoring conveyor belts and automated stacking in the control room—enhanced their learning experience. The site visit also sparked curiosity about career opportunities, leading students to ask questions about what they nee...

  As the new academic year begins, here is a reminder  of the recent changes to the QAA grading scheme that are now in effect. These changes have been implemented to enhance the structure of qualifications and the assessment process, impacting how students' work is graded and how their study programmes are organised. Changes to the Grading Scheme Simplification of Grading Descriptors   From Seven to Three:  The seven grade descriptors previously used have been replaced with three grading standards: Knowledge and Understanding, Subject Specific Skills and Transferable Skills. These three new grading standards must be applied to all units and assessments, simplifying the grading process and making it clearer for both students and educators to understand the criteria for each grade.   Unit-Level Grading   Grading on Completion:  The new grading standards are applied at unit level only after  all  unit learning outcomes for a unit have been compl...

We recently caught up with Zoë Chapman, author of the upcoming Access to HE Student Handbook, set to release in October 2024. Zoë’s dedication to Access to Higher Education (HE) is clear through following her fascinating career journey. Zoë’s journey began as an Access to HE Diploma student in Medical Science, which led to a Biochemistry degree at the University of Liverpool. After a tutor suggested she’d make a great teacher, she returned to her college to teach Access to HE Diploma students. Her passion for the field only grew, eventually leading her to run her own Access to HE provision and now write the first-ever handbook for Access to HE students. “If you cut me open, I’d bleed Access!” she joked. The Access to HE Student Handbook is part journal, part textbook, offering comprehensive support to Access learners. It covers everything from assessment strategies and academic skills to preparing for university, with a focus on addressing the unique needs of adult learners—something Z...