Techniques for Graded Unit Preparation Workshop Objectives By

Techniques for Graded Unit Preparation

Workshop Objectives • By the end of the session you should – Understand the preparation for Graded Unit examination – Understand the stages of a Graded Unit Project – Be able to support students at each stage of the Graded Unit Project – Use teaching contact time effectively – Support the less able student

Examination Preparation • Graded Unit examinations are based on certain units • Check Unit Specification for units contributing to Graded Unit examinations • Ensure that those units are delivered in the same year that the Graded Unit examination is being delivered

Examination Preparation • Revise a topic each session – Students should be asked to bring their notes for that topic – Students should be asked to extract main points from topic – You can provide them with practice questions/discussion topics/case studies

Examination Preparation • Create practice questions – ask students to complete one question as a practice (use self assessment questions in Student Learning Guides) • Explain what the command word means in the question – evaluate, explain etc and what they need to do to meet the command word

Examination preparation • Explain timings to students – 3 hour exam 5 questions – 180 / 5 = 36 – Read all questions – 10 minutes – 30 minutes to answer one question – 10 minutes to read at end • OR – 100 mark assessment = 180 minutes – Allow 1. 5 minutes per mark

• Remind students to decide the order they are going to answer questions – best questions first

Graded Unit 2 Project - Purpose • Further develop organisational and investigative skills • Promote the development of transferable skills in planning, organising and evaluation • Promote advanced level of entry to further academic or professional qualification • Develop underpinning knowledge

Graded Unit 2 Project - Support Step 1 - Explain the project requirements • Investigative nature • 3 stages • Marks per stage • How the marks are split down • The extra marks • Submission dates • Reflective log – Get it started • GIVE OUT WRITTEN GUIDANCE AND INSTRUCTIONS

Business Graded Unit 2 • Based on “live” organisation(s) • Can be UK based • Can be China based (IF topic allows students to research and investigate) • Allows for easier primary research

Graded Unit 2 Project - Support Step 2 - The Title • The title must be related to one or more subjects within the course Delegate Exercise • Devise a title relating to ONE of the following subject areas, (you have 4 minutes) Marketing, Economics, Business Management or Accounting

Graded Unit 2 Project- Support Step 2 - The Title • Selecting a topic for the project is one of the most difficult tasks facing your students (as I suspect you have just experienced) Examples • Promoting a product, Pricing strategy used/compared • Do supermarkets operate as an oligopoly • Motivating staff, staff incentive schemes • Outsourcing the accounting function

Graded Unit 2 Project - Support Step 2 - The Title • Brainstorming • Past titles • A possible list of titles • Subjects the students are interested in The Process • Identify a topic • Find an organisation • Draft a title • Redraft and narrow the title

Graded Unit 2 Project - Support Step 2 - The Title 1. Comparing prices 2. Comparing prices charged by supermarkets 3. Comparing prices charged by Tesco compared to Lidl 4. A comparison of the pricing strategies of Tesco and Lidl

Graded Unit 2 Project - Support • Step 3 - The brief/plan summary sheet • Once the students have a working title it is important that they start to flesh out their project and a summary sheet can help

Graded Unit 2 Project - Support Step 4 – Ongoing Individual Assistance Do’s • • • Set submission dates for each part Directing towards resources Check their reflective logs – use a template if needed Individual progress reviews Encouragement Drafts – How many? Reasonable assistance Pass each stage before moving to the next stage Redo Feedback met minimum evidence requirements/how good rather than marks

Graded Unit 2 Project - Support Step 4 – Ongoing Individual Assistance Don’ts • Don’t accept submission of completed projects at the end • Don’t just leave them to get on with it for long periods of time • Don’t allow them to complete the reflective log at the end of the developing stage • Don’t ignore their pleas for help • Don’t allow candidates to drift off or put the project at the bottom of the ‘to do’ list

Financial Services Graded Unit 1 • Case study – customer scenario with questions • Student to research available products and report back to customer

Financial Services Graded Unit 1 • Students to do online research on personal customer websites of organisation • Must be up to date – assessors and verifiers need to update solution each year • No primary research in this project

Financial Services Graded Unit 1 • Not a formal report • Student chooses format – suitable for customer • Support students…….

Financial Services Graded Unit 3 • Investigative project • Comparison of 2 financial services companies • No primary research can be done – corporations will not respond

Graded Unit 3 Financial Services • Stage 1 – Planning and justifying • Stage 2 – Gathering the research information • Stage 3 – Analysing the information, making comparisons plus conclusion of evaluation

Financial Services Graded Unit 3 • Stage 2 – Only about information gathering – No requirement for student to comment on data – Assessing students’ research skills

Financial Services Graded Unit 3 • Stage 3 – Analysis – Students need to understand what analysis is……… why Company A did better than Company B – Quality not quantity

Financial Services Graded Unit 3 • No need for academic report • Final choice of presentation is for student • Provide support and guidance – keep students on track

End of presentation