Recently, a secondary school teacher approached us to do some Bachelor top-up credits as she wanted to develop her area of specialisation to teach agricultural science. She had found our modules online, looked at the outlines, liked the core competencies and the possible outcomes, and thought they would provide her with the necessary knowledge and grounding to do her job.

However, she had to obtain approval from her regulating body first. She came back saying that they would not approve the modules because they were too “industry-focused” and “not scientific enough”.

Therein lies the problem with the mandarins of traditional education: outdated ideas of what constitutes an education. There is nothing wrong with a highly-academic qualification. It prepares students for an academic pathway — postgraduate research, for instance.

At secondary school- or undergraduate-levels, we at Warnborough feel that qualifications should be more practical. Not everyone will want (or can afford) to go on to further study. Notwithstanding a depressed economy worldwide, jobs are important for many people. Industry and the professions prefer graduates who can apply knowledge towards clear, practical outcomes.

Competencies and Outcomes

Our Bachelor degrees are proudly geared towards competencies and practical outcomes. We want our graduates to be able to ‘hit the ground running’. Our students are usually mature people who are already working within their chosen industry – people who need top-ups, or who do/did not have time to complete a degree the traditional way, or who wish to change careers.

The distinction here is crucial: our programmes are not less scientific – they are still based on sound science. They just aren’t as rigidly structured as a traditional degree. We provide different ways for students to demonstrate ability, knowledge, competence and practice. Lengthy essays and theses are not always required for vocational disciplines. Not requiring a 3000-word essay per module is apparently unacceptable to the close-minded mandarins.

For example, horticultural students can demonstrate their knowledge and competency in tree grafting by actually doing it and recording the process through videos and/or photographs, describing each step of the process. The tutor may ask additional questions or require photographs from different angles to see if the grafting is done correctly (and we would prefer not to be receiving pots of plants in the post!). Does the student know what s/he is doing? Can s/he explain the process? Can s/he demonstrate this clearly? That shows knowledge, ability and competency, regardless of the mode of demonstration.

Back to the secondary school teacher – she would already have had ample experience teaching in an academic way. However, a practical top-up course would ensure that she could walk the walk, not just talk the talk. It’s a great way to inspire and motivate students too when you can personalise the learning for them. What better way to put paid to that oft-quoted sneer “Those who can, do. Those who can’t, teach.”.

Originally published at http://warnborough.edu/update/scientific/