A learner guide gives students a structured way to study the concepts and processes they will use in vocational training. It can support a class, prepare a group for a practical activity or provide material to revisit between sessions. Look for a guide that fits the course sequence and the way your learners will use it.
What is a learner guide?
A learner guide is the material a student reads and works through during training. It can introduce a topic, show a worked example and offer a chance to check understanding. For a budgeting unit, a worked example might explain how to read a budget, then ask learners to identify where planned and actual spending differ. A later activity can ask them to explain what they would investigate.
The learner should be able to see what to read first, which example to refer back to and what to do after each activity. Ask a colleague unfamiliar with the material to try a short section. Look at whether they can complete the exercise with the instructions available and identify when they should check their answer with the trainer.
What comes with Learner Resources?
CAQA Resources Learner Resources listings describe a Learner Guide, PowerPoint Presentation, Session Plan, Classroom Activities and Self Study Guide. The listings describe formative assessment in the learner guide to help trainers see where learners need further explanation. Check how the components are provided for the specific unit or qualification you intend to deliver.
Review one topic in the learner guide. Check whether the guide gives learners enough explanation to attempt the formative activity. If your RTO uses a separate session plan, slide deck or classroom activity, compare it with the same topic and identify what the trainer needs to explain. Check the selected listing before assuming those additional files are included.
Should I start with a PDF example?
A PDF sample can show the reading level, layout and detail in an explanation. If you plan to distribute a guide online, try the sample on a device your learners use. Check whether headings are easy to find, instructions are understandable and figures remain readable at the size the learners see them.
For adaptation, identify which parts of the source material you need to edit. Look for examples, forms and terminology that assume a workplace or piece of equipment your learners will use. Ask the trainer which terms should stay because learners will encounter them at work, and which can be explained in plainer language.
Tailor the guide to the cohort
Replace examples with situations learners recognise and check that any changes still support the intended learning. Update the slides and activities if they refer to a replaced example. Give learners a clear place to find the current version and tell trainers how to identify the copy used in class.
After a trial, ask learners to point to the part they used to finish the exercise. Ask the trainer where they needed to supply extra explanation. Use those observations to refine the order or examples and to plan what to revisit in the next class. You can request a sample learner guide for the selected code to check its reading level and activities.
Browse Learner Guides for your course or unit code.
CAQA Resources materials are written by subject matter experts and are compliant and audit ready. You can customise, rebrand and reproduce the supplied Word or Office materials within your RTO. Your licence covers unlimited students within your RTO. This resource comes with CAQA's Quality Assurance Guarantee: if it gives an adverse audit outcome, we fix it free of cost, and all future updates are free until the training product becomes superseded and equivalent.
