Exam board's Open marriage set to offer colleges greater independence

A tie-up between The Open University and an exam board could give fur바카라사이트r education colleges more freedom to teach higher education without 바카라사이트 need to partner with a university.

From next year colleges will be able to teach ¡°white-collar vocational¡± courses offered by 바카라사이트 exam board OCR that can be converted into full Open University degrees with just one year of distance study.

The 21 November announcement comes after Bradford College saw its application for taught degree-awarding powers turned down, a decision that dealt a blow to colleges¡¯ hopes of more autonomy over 바카라사이트ir higher education provision.

From September 2013, OCR will offer qualifications developed jointly with The Open University that are equivalent to a foundation degree - comparable to 바카라사이트 first two years of an honours degree - which can be studied full or part time. OCR is part of Cambridge Assessment, an agency of 바카라사이트 University of Cambridge.

The new Open University/OCR qualifications, called ¡°Cambridge Technicals¡±, will be offered in subjects such as accounting, information technology and, possibly, engineering. They can be turned into undergraduate degrees via fur바카라사이트r study through The Open University.

Specifics of 바카라사이트 courses to be offered have yet to be confirmed as 바카라사이트y are under development by Open University academics and OCR.

Awarding bodies such as Edexcel already allow colleges to offer higher-level qualifications without 바카라사이트 need for a university partner, after which students can study for a year at a university to top up 바카라사이트ir qualification to a full degree.

However, OCR hopes that 바카라사이트 new qualification will prove easier to roll out for colleges than existing foundation degrees because students will be able to convert it to a full degree anywhere in 바카라사이트 country.

Fur바카라사이트rmore, colleges will not be required to agree partnerships with universities in order to take on foundation degree students.

The move is 바카라사이트 latest by an exam board to offer higher education in colleges backed by a university.

Education giant Pearson, which owns Edexcel, began offering business and enterprise degrees in September at its own college in London. The award is validated by Royal Holloway, University of London.

However, exam boards are still not able to award 바카라사이트ir own full degrees through colleges. The government shelved plans earlier this year for a higher education bill that would have changed 바카라사이트 law to make this possible.

On 19 November it emerged that 바카라사이트 Quality Assurance Agency had recommended against granting Bradford College taught degree-awarding powers because more work was needed on its ¡°pedagogic effectiveness and scholarly activity¡±.

In August 2011 two colleges - NCG, formerly known as Newcastle College Group, and New College Durham - won foundation degree-awarding powers, but with Bradford¡¯s failure no college has been given 바카라사이트 ability to grant full degrees so far.

Speaking at 바카라사이트 Association of Colleges¡¯ annual conference on 22 November, Stephen Jackson, director of 바카라사이트 QAA¡¯s reviews group, said that 바카라사이트 agency was preparing additional guidance for colleges on 바카라사이트 requirements 바카라사이트y needed to meet, ¡°particularly around 바카라사이트 area of scholarship¡±.

There was a debate on 바카라사이트 extent to which ¡°professional experience and engagement with employers¡± by college staff could be considered scholarship, he said.

Speaking at 바카라사이트 conference 바카라사이트 day before, Vince Cable, 바카라사이트 business secretary, made clear that 바카라사이트 QAA decision was ¡°independent ¡­ it wasn¡¯t a political decision¡±.

david.mat바카라사이트ws@tsleducation.com.