A Self-Study Guide helps learners extend their understanding outside the main teaching session. It can direct them to readings and references related to the unit, give them a way to revisit a topic and help them prepare for later assessment. Start with the time learners will spend studying independently and the support they can access if they get stuck.
What does the store include?
CAQA Resources describes its Self-Study Guides as collections of references and links for learners to read more about their units or course. The store lists the comprehensive Learner Guide as a separate document. Check the product for your training code and see how its references fit with the material your trainers already use.
Give a reviewer one topic from the sample. Ask them to identify what a learner will read first and what they will do with that information. A reading can be useful before a class discussion when learners know which part to focus on. For revision, a trainer may prefer a reference that lets learners return to a concept and check their understanding after class.
How do I check whether learners can use it independently?
Ask a colleague to follow a sample link on the device learners are likely to use. Check whether the page opens, whether access requires an account and whether the relevant information is easy to locate. If a reading is long, decide whether to add a page reference or a short prompt that tells learners why they are reading it.
Consider the learner who has missed a session. Try the same example without the explanation normally given in class. If the learner would need a term defined or a task clarified, decide where to supply that information. Explain who they can ask for help and how they can flag a reference that has moved.
What should the trainer customise?
Match the reading sequence to the delivery plan. Where your organisation uses a particular process or form, add an example learners can access and explain how it relates to the course topic. Keep a record of the references you replace so other trainers can see which reading supports which session. Confirm that learners can open any local document you add.
Review the timing of independent work. A short reading before a workshop can introduce a term. A longer activity after class may give learners time to review several examples and bring questions to the next session. Give the group an idea of the time to allow and tell them what to have ready when they return.
What should I look for before buying?
Choose a topic your learners often need to revisit and ask for a sample from that unit. Ask a trainer to review the sequence, check the level of the reading and identify any reference that duplicates material already provided. Invite a colleague to try the same reading and describe which instruction helped them decide what to look for.
Check whether your team has a place to record changes and a routine for reviewing references before each intake. If the guide will be made available in a learning platform, test the links from a learner view and identify where students will find the current copy. Use the trial to decide whether the guide adds useful reading and practice to the main materials for your cohort.
Browse Self-Study 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.
