7 minute read
The future of learning New
Giving students what they want
New ways of learning put the onus on students to engage fully with the learning materials, says Rob Sowerby
Does anyone want to be restricted to a schedule anymore? We all seem to want access to what we want when we want it.
The ‘boxed set’ approach to accessing entertainment on demand is something that we in education and training could well reflect on. Should this be the same for tuition courses? Why would a student commit to attending at specific times and dates when they could access content when and where they want? Flexibility of study to fit in with their lifestyle is increasingly important. I can see some advantages to synchronous revision but much less so for teaching.
You could say that I am simply talking about a home study course. The scope and effectiveness of online courses have come a long way from the point where you were confronted with a couple of hefty books and told to get on with it, and yes, I studied that way in the good old days. It was tough. But things have moved on, it doesn’t need to be the isolating and soul-destroying process I experienced.
A contemporary asynchronous course could and should include most of the following, clear and detailed guidance, recorded tuition videos, regular testing, exam question practice with debrief and effective tutor support to deal with issues or problem areas. I would argue it serves the needs of the current student at least as well as any synchronous course.
Why is a synchronous course considered more effective?
Structured study
Where to start, what to study and in which order is often an issue. You could argue that the very structure of a synchronous course encourages the student to best approach their studies and work at a measured pace through the materials that need covering. I am inclined to agree with this but it cannot be beyond the wit of the developer to achieve this asynchronously.
Note, the onus should be on the student to be an active learner, to accept responsibility for their learning. Passive acceptance of the ramblings of a tutor, however talented, is less likely to be successful. A key aspect of learning is to be proactive and question and critically assess.
Motivation
I would like to think that as a tutor I not only teach but also coach, encouraging and motivating the student towards exam success. This is where a synchronous course may have the edge depending, quite critically, on the motivational abilities of the tutor concerned. Again, it comes down to ownership, a student who needs to be metaphorically ‘kicked’ to study is likely to be a poor student. Further, any asynchronous model can employ simple diagnostics to see who is ‘keeping up’ and who needs to be monitored, contacted and assisted. Multiple feedback loops are easy to build into any learning management system encouraging consistent monitoring and effective action.
Pacing the learning
We structure synchronous courses over weeks or even months on the principle that students want and need that period of time to study. This fails to reflect that all students are different. Having analysed the exam performance of students for many years over differing course structures the one thing that strikes me is that slow and steady is no better than a more accelerated or shorter course. In fact the opposite tends to be true. Of course students are self-selecting the course type that they want but, if anything, shorter, time restricted courses lead to better results. We all say that cramming is bad, but the stats do not bear this out.
Ownership
Where an asynchronous model wins out is that it gives control back to the student. It forces them to focus on their own success rather than simply going through the process. They can study when they want and have to make specific allowance for that study. Of course we can advise but at the same time engagement by the individual is the most critical element in the equation.
I appreciate my thoughts may be heresy to some tutors but the manner in which people study is changing. Students are far more likely to have been encouraged to be independent learners from a young age, well before they have entered higher education. We should consider their wants and needs more, giving them the opportunity to fit their studies best to their lifestyles and constraints. Be the change.
• Rob Sowerby is a tutor and former director of a major tuition provider. He is the founder of KeepStudySimple. com, a consultancy that provides training solutions across academic and professional training
How to pass ATX
Top tax tutor Neil da Costa explains how his condensed notes could help you get through the ATX exam
The ACCA Advanced Tax exam is the only closed book high-level longer periods than expected. One of the other obstacles to effective study is students exam on UK tax. Advanced Tax Condensed distils the vast technical material of the ACCA subject with the largest syllabus into about 150 brightly coloured mind maps.
The Kaplan study manual has 1,142 pages, while the exam kit has over 700 pages. This requires the successful student to invest substantial study time in learning all the technical rules.
The vast majority of students are working full time so tend to sit the exam with vast knowledge gaps. The complexity of the exam questions requires a high level of technical knowledge to unlock the scenarios and visualise the pathway through the question.
Advanced Tax Condensed provides the unique solution to this. It provides the perfect bridge between the study text and the exam kit. Using my 20 years’ experience gained from lecturing thousands of students at Kaplan, I have worked out simple techniques to explain complex topics and have incorporated these techniques into memory joggers.
One of the mind-mapping pioneers was Tony Buzan, who realised that memory works best with bright colours and diagrams. This is what I have incorporated into Advanced Tax Condensed. What this means is not only do you quickly understand a topic, but the essential knowledge will be imprinted in your memory. Many of my students have found that the strong visuals (colour and diagrams) have made it easier to grasp the concepts as opposed to black-and-white print. I discovered that the single key words used in original mind mapping do not work for tax due to the technical complexity of the subject matter and instead students found it much easier to memorise short phrases. Memory works by creating neural pathways in the brain and by repeatedly reading Advanced Tax Condensed you will create a neural pathway allowing you to recall technical information under time-pressured exam conditions. Being an NLP (neurolinguistic programmer), I found there is a lot of scientific evidence to back up the concept that you can programme your brain to automatically choose the desired outcome. We can all work at developing good habits such as eating healthily, exercising, or getting enough sleep. I have taken these concepts such as habit loops and incorporated them into Advanced Tax Condensed by ensuring that the information on a page can be easily understood in just a few minutes. I have also put in little tips called Neil’s Top Tips to emphasise the key points the examiner will be looking for. This makes the whole study process enjoyable and fun. When your brain finds reading Advanced Tax Condensed pleasurable, it will signal your body to release dopamine, which will result in you studying for find they are constantly distracted and unable to concentrate. Advanced Tax Condensed helps with this by allowing students to concentrate in short bursts such as 15 minutes which fits in well with other productivity techniques such as the wellknown Pomodoro Method. As an Advanced Tax Marker and an ACCA ‘Train The Trainer’, I realised that marks are awarded for key phrases. If your answer contains these key phrases and you apply it to the scenario, you will score high marks. Many students write answers that are too generic. By learning these key phrases from Advanced Tax Condensed, you will give your answer the technical integrity you are looking for. While Advanced Tax Condensed is tailored for the ACCA Advanced Tax exam it is also very useful for the ICAEW BPT exam where students get overwhelmed with the information, they need to take into the exam with them. As it is colour coded and quick to copy, it forms the perfect reference document for referencing to an exam scenario in an efficient manner. The same principle applies to all the ATT and CTA direct tax exams which now offer online un-invigilated exams where you need to find the information you have forgotten ASAP. You can buy Advanced Tax Condensed at https://
neildacosta.co.uk/advancedtax-condensed/ • Neil da Costa is a tax lecturer and author with Kaplan Financial
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