ConnectED Pathway

The ConnectED Pathway to a First Degree in Education and Childhood Studies - Get ConnectED!

Our ConnectED Pathway is a free, online, self-paced, distance learning course designed to engage you in topics around education and childhood studies.

This 3-week course will allow you to become familiar with our online learning environment, develop your knowledge, skills and understanding in the field of education and childhood, and prepare you for assessments type you are likely to encounter at university. This course was specifically designed to increase your chances of successful entry to Higher Education, and is available to take through both, English and Welsh language.

Follow this link to register for one of our ConnectED courses today!

The Benefits of the ConnectED Pathway

The ConnectED Pathway to your first degree in education and childhood has many benefits!

Flexibility: It’s an online, distance-learning, self-paced course, allowing flexibility to complete each unit at a time and place that’s most suitable for you, from anywhere around the world.
Affordability: It’s completely free of charge.
Professional Development: The course does not only allow you to develop a strong knowledge and understanding of various topics related to education and childhood studies, but also develops your skills of presentation, critical thinking, debate, communication, time management, organisation and reflection.
University Preparation: as the course runs on our virtual learning environment, you’ll gain a strong working knowledge of our platform and will become familiar with common assessment types you may encounter at university
Language Options: we offer our course in both English and Welsh, so you can engage with the content and communicate via the language of your preference
Access to Aberystwyth: on successful completion of the course, the university is prepared to provide a lowered (contextual) offer to any prospective applicants.

Details of the Course

This 3-week course will run every month between the end of the school year and the Christmas break, covering five subject areas, each assessed in a different way. Each unit consists of a lecture, in related area, an activity and an assessment, as outlined below.

Unit	Assessment	Weighting
The History of Education and Curriculum in England and Wales	Online quiz	15%
Introduction to Social Learning	Reflective essay	30%
Equality and Diversity in Education and Childhood	Poster	25%
Critical Debates in Education	Discussion board contribution	15%
Early Literacy Development and Picture Books	Reflective diary entry	15%

ConnectED Pathway - Course Timings & Dates

Course Start Date	Finish Date and Assessment Deadline	Date of Feedback	Registration Deadline
29/07/2024	16/08/2024	30/08/2024	21/07/2024
02/09/2024	20/09/2024	04/10/2024	25/08/2024
07/10/2024	25/10/2024	08/11/2024	29/09/2024
16/12/2024	10/01/2025	31/01/2025	09/12/2024

Follow the link to register!

Meet the Team

The ConnectED Pathway is delivered by members of the School of Education team.

	Dr Lucy Trotter – Lucy is our Interim Head of Department with a background in Social Anthropology, she will deliver your unit on Equality and Diversity in Education, in both English and Welsh.
	Dr Susan Chapman – Susan is one of our undergraduate lecturers, with a background in English teaching. She brings to you the unit on Emergent Literacy and the Role of Picture Books through the medium of English.
	Dr Rhodri Evans – Rhodri, also a member of the undergraduate team, comes from the realm of history, politics and geography and will deliver your units on Education History and Policy in the UK. He will also be your instructor for the Welsh medium unit on Debates in Education.
	Panna Karlinger – Panna is the coordinator of the ConnectED Pathway and lecturer in Education. She is your main contact to any queries, and will bring to you the unit on Introduction to Social Learning through the English medium.
	Dr Stephen Atherton – Steve is one of our senior lecturers, teaching both undergraduate and postgraduate students. His unit will take you to explore critical debates in education, including the homework and inclusion debate.
	Prysor Davies – Prysor is our Director of Learning and Teaching, also a lecturer in undergraduate and masters courses. He will be your lecturer for the Welsh medium equivalent to Emergent Literacy and Picture Books.
	Dr Sian Lloyd-Williams – Sian is our Director of Research, with a background in psychology and languages. She will be delivering the Welsh equivalent to the Introduction on Social Learning.

To see all staff profiles, follow this link.

Outcomes

Upon successful completion of the course, students are provided with a Certificate of the ConnectED Pathway, alongside this, prospective applicants will be given a Contextual Offer (lowered offer) to study one of our courses:

Education, BA
Childhood Studies, BA
Early Childhood Studies with Early Years Practitioner Status, BA

Students who do not currently hold a GCSE mathematics and English at grade 4 / C or equivalent will be provided with the opportunity to gain the equivalent qualification where necessary throughout Lifelong Learning courses. Click here to find out more about the university’s Lifelong Learning department.

Stay in Touch

Upon application to the university, students who completed the course should email the department directly, providing their name, UCAS application number and ConnectED certificate number in order to acquire the contextual (lowered) offer.

If you have any queries, please email the ConnectED Pathway coordinator, Panna Karlinger at pzk@aber.ac.uk, or our education office at add-ed@aber.ac.uk.