Moderation is the process whereby your portfolio of evidence is presented to the external moderator in order to achieve your Access to HE Diploma.
There are two opportunities to have your portfolio moderated: June and November.
It normally takes a year to complete the full diploma, although some students complete more quickly that this, although there is an expected minimum study time of 6 months. With this in mind, it's important to think carefully about which moderation you will aim for and coordinate any applications to HE education accordingly.
DEADLINES
The Access to HE Diploma is designed to be studied over a period of 12 consecutive months which gives a student approximately 2/3 weeks to spend for every 3 credits.
However, due to our rolling start times, the deadlines below apply to ensure portfolios are completed in time for the external moderation. Depending on when you start the course, you may find you have less than 12 months, in which case, assignments will need to be completed in less time than the stated deadline period. To help you plan your studies, the following deadlines are in place to ensure portfolios can be completed in time for the next moderation. Please note, however, that these deadlines are based on completing in the MINIMUM guideline time of 6 months and will drastically reduce the time available for each 3 credits.
In order to maximise your available time, it is best to work out at the start of your studies how many weeks there are until the final 60 credit deadline, and then divide this by 20 (this is how many sets of 3 credits the diploma consists of) - this will allow you an equal amount of time for each unit and prevent rushing at the end which can have a negative impact on achievement.
If you need any help in creating a study plan to meet moderation deadlines, AOLL will be more than happy to help.
We are thrilled to share this outstanding feedback:
The Health Science Professions diploma provided by AOLL continues to be a popular and high-quality Access to Higher Education method for many candidates. The feedback from students is complimentary and reflective of the hard work of the team.
Many instances of excellent practice
The External Moderator has found many instances of excellent practice and has seen some exemplary feedback/feedforward comments given, alongside accurate grading decisions. The team are responding to the changing environment of education and are including AI detection software into the platform where work is checked for authenticity. There is a firm and fair disciplinary process which aims to teach learners the necessary study skills linked to referencing and paraphrasing, without undue sanction or punishment.
Rated Green
The team have responded positively to the recommendations from the External Moderator in the previous visit and there will be no conditions placed on the Diploma at this point. The overall risk rating for this Diploma is Green and the AVA can have confidence in the award of credit and grades at this time.
The EM would like to place on record, once again, his thanks to the team at AOLL for all of their efforts and work leading up to this visit. Special thanks is given to the Quality Manager for the fullness and alacrity with which she responds to requests, and for the simplicity with which the arrangement of materials for this visit was made.
- External Moderator (June 2023)
"there is no doubt the academic progress made by students throughout the course prepares them for higher education" - this is "Commendable"
- External Moderator from Awarding Body, December 2023