The Commonwealth of Learning has developed this course as one of five courses to build the capacity of TVET educators within its Skills in Demand model. This model aims to increase access to TVET for marginalised people across the Commonwealth. The
detailed theory of change outlines TVET challenges facing developing Commonwealth countries and three interventions to help overcome these challenges and thus improve many lives. The three interventions are fostering collaborative partnerships between industry and TVET institutions, developing skills for sustainable livelihoods through distance and workplace learning, and influencing TVET policy.
The OARAS learning design framework introduced in the five courses supports the design of quality distance and workplace learning to achieve national qualifications. The hope is that through distance and workplace learning, TVET can be scaled without needing to build new TVET institutions and thus be more affordable. It can also give more choice to marginalised learners by taking learning to where they are already working and fitting around their life and work commitments.
This course is for you if you are a vocational educator, trainer or industry practitioner. It will guide you and assist you in the design of competency-based training. It will introduce you to the OARAS learning design framework and help you analyse the support requirements of your module or unit in order to design and develop your project course written for your intended cohort. This is the fifth course of the CTVSD courses as Support is the fifth key element of the OARAS framework. In order to identify key elements of learning support you need to understand what support means in an education setting.
This is the final course in CTVSD series. Providing and understanding support is something that is embedded in developing outcomes, assessments, resources and activities. You may have already completed the courses OARAS – Outcomes (CTVSD1), OARAS - Assessment (CTVSD2), OARAS - Resources (CTVSD3) and OARAS -Activities (CTVSD4). If so, you will have developed an understanding of your learner cohort and how you will scaffold the resources and activities in a way that provides the learner with successful assessment outcomes. This course will expand on that understanding and help you to plan and develop OARAS courses in the future.
