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Agored Cymru Access to Higher Education Diploma
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Dear Colleagues,
At Agored Cymru, we are thrilled about the future of education in Wales. Our mission is to help individuals achieve the skills and qualifications they need to reach their potential, enrich their lives, and contribute to their communities and the Welsh economy. The changes and developments we are implementing this year are designed to ensure our qualifications remain at the forefront of educational excellence, meeting the evolving needs of learners and higher education institutions alike.
I want to extend my heartfelt thanks for your hard work and dedication in the past year. Your efforts have made a significant impact, and we are deeply grateful for your commitment to excellence. It's been a challenging year, but your perseverance and dedication have ensured that our learners continue to receive the highest quality education.
Looking ahead, we are excited to welcome you to the new academic year. Together, we will continue to provide the best possible support for our centres and learners, ensuring our qualifications are robust, relevant, and respected. We have many exciting plans and initiatives that we believe will greatly benefit our educators and learners. I invite you to read on to learn more about the important updates and initiatives we have planned.
What's going on at Agored Cymru?
I’m Victor, the Access to HE Manager at Agored Cymru, and I'm excited to share our latest updates with you. Our Access to Higher Education (AHE) Diplomas are designed to provide students with the knowledge, skills and confidence they need for university and beyond. We're constantly striving to enhance these qualifications to better serve our centres and the diverse learners you support and to meet the requirements of receiving higher education providers.
We are immensely grateful for your dedication and hard work throughout the past year. Your contributions have been invaluable in maintaining the high standards characteristic of Agored Cymru AHE Diplomas. As we prepare for the upcoming academic year, we are committed to working closely with you to ensure a smooth and successful transition to the new QAA grading scheme and AHE Diploma Specification. Our focus is on ensuring that you have all the resources and support you need to deliver these qualifications effectively.
Thank you for your continued collaboration and support. We look forward to another successful year working together.
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Access to HE Outcomes 2023-24
We congratulate all Access to HE learners and their tutors for their incredible achievements this year.
Final awards boards took place at all 11 Access to HE centres in June and July 2024. 845 learners were awarded the full qualification. This will enable learners to progress to a higher education qualification at a university in Wales or elsewhere, demonstrating the truly life changing impact of the Access to HE Diploma.
Agored Cymru Access to HE Learner of the Year Awards
Centres are invited to nominate learners who completed the Diploma in 2023-24 for the prestigious Access to HE Learner of the Year Awards. Nominations can be submitted in two categories:
- Outstanding Academic Achievement
- Outstanding Commitment to Study
Full details of the awards and instructions on how to submit nominations are available on the Agored Cymru website.
If you like us to support you with the nomination process or if we can be involved in your awards ceremonies please get in touch.
| The winners of the Agored Cymru awards will be entered for the national Keith Fletcher Memorial Prize. We have enjoyed great success in this with Agored Cymru nominees winning the award for the past two years. |
This is further recognition of the learners outstanding achievements and raises the profile of the Access to HE Diploma and colleges on a national level.
This date is based on a notional start date of 02 September 2024. Centres can formally request an agreement to extend the Access to HE registration period in cases where course start dates are after 02 September. Requests will be considered and a later registration date will be approved where appropriate.
Registration dates for January and February 2025 intakes will be agreed with each centre when the start dates for these courses are confirmed. Full details regarding Access to HE registrations are available on the Agored Cymru website.
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Changes from September 2024
We are making some important updates to our Access to HE Diplomas from 01 August 2024. All learners registered on an AHE Diploma after this date must now be assessed in line with the revised QAA grading scheme.
Key Unit Amendments: To comply with the new QAA Diploma specifications, we have combined the following three credit units into a single six credit unit. This also creates a more streamlined learning experience:
- Practical Scientific Project - Design and Implementation (RA13CY020)
Enhancing Diplomas
Agored Cymru is committed to continuously improving our qualifications to meet the needs of learners, centres and receiving higher education providers. We will be working closely with centres and higher education providers to modify existing AHE Diplomas. This collaboration aims to ensure our qualifications remain relevant and comprehensive, ensuring our qualifications remain top-notch and widely respected. Your input will help us maintain our rigorous standards and ensure that your learners are well-prepared for their next steps in higher education.
New Developments
We’re developing the existing Access to HE Diploma (Health Care) to align with the QAA subject descriptor for Nursing and Health Professions. Plus, we’re exploring the potential development of new diplomas in:
- Creative and Digital Media
- Animal Science
- Environmental Science
- Public Services
- Education
- Counselling and Psychology
These new diplomas can help address current and future skills gaps, giving learners the qualifications they need to fulfil their aspirations and succeed.
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Upcoming ConsultationYour input is invaluable! We’ll be launching a consultation on current Diploma content in September 2024. We want to hear your thoughts to help shape the future of our AHE diplomas. This is a great opportunity for you to provide feedback and suggest improvements that will benefit learners, your delivery and assessment. This change will help us maintain our rigorous standards and ensure that our learners are well-prepared for their next steps in higher education. |
Access to HE Standardisation
Consistent Assessment and Verification
To maintain high standards, we’ve developed standardised assessment and internal verification templates. These will be piloted in selected centres during 2024-25 and will become mandatory in 2025-26. This will help ensure consistency in the assessment process across all centres.
Exemplar Assignment Briefs
We’ve added a few exemplar assignment briefs to our website to support centres in their transition to the requirements of the revised grading scheme. We encourage centres to submit the assessment materials they are developing to accommodate the transition for Agored Cymru approval so we can share best practices across the board. This initiative will provide you with high-quality exemplar assessments to guide your assessment design.
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Cross-Centre Standardisation Activities
Early in the academic year, we’ll be hosting activities to consider:
- • Assessment design
- • Implementation of the new grading standards
- • Ensuring fair access to assessment
- • Managing the use and misuse of generative AI in assessments
These activities will provide valuable opportunities for collaboration and sharing of best practices.
Introduction to Assessment on the Access to HE Diploma
Essential training on assessment methodologies to ensure high-quality delivery and assessment. This session will cover the basics and provide your teams with the tools they need to assess effectively.
Introduction to Internal Verification on the Access to HE Diploma
Best practices for maintaining assessment standards through effective internal verification processes. This training will help your teams understand the internal verification process and ensure consistency and fairness.
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Stay Updated
For more details on the consultation process, new unit codes, and upcoming training schedules, please visit our website or contact us directly. Your feedback and participation are crucial as we continue to enhance our Access to HE qualifications.
For more information or queries, please contact us via email by clicking the button or call 02920 747866.
We are dedicated to providing sector-leading qualifications and services that meet the evolving needs of our learners and the wider economy. Thank you for your continued dedication and support.
For more detailed information on our qualifications, please visit our Access to Higher Education page