Scheduling your study

As with any distance-learning course, you have considerable autonomy in the way you organize your method of studying. You can study wherever and whenever you choose, and at whatever pace suits you best, within the five-month time frame of the course.

You should inform your supervisor that you are taking this course and try to gain support for the duration of your studies. If possible try to organize some regular time away from your work station to work on the course.

Distance learning, however, places the onus on you to organize yourself to complete the course in an appropriate time frame. If English is your second language, depending on your fluency, you may need to assign a longer period than indicated.
You will need to schedule your study time carefully, so that you have time to complete the activities, make your own notes and complete the assignments. It is easier if you can manage to work on the course at a set time, for a set period, in the same place.

The entire course is estimated to require roughly 26 hours of study time: 14 hours for Module 1, and 12 hours for either of the second modules. Please note that completion times are bound to vary from learner to learner. Your experience may differ from these estimated times. How you wish to spread your time out is up to you. Some people find it more effective to work in long, uninterrupted periods while others prefer to work at the course a little bit at a time.

There are no set dates for submitting assignments. This arrangement is to enable you to work more easily around your various work commitments. This degree of flexibility, however, has its dangers, and successful completion of distance courses requires significant self-discipline and time management skills.

To maintain a steady schedule of study in the course and give yourself the best chance of finishing it, we strongly advise you to set yourself target dates for submitting assignments. You should do this as soon as you have looked over the modules and the assignment requirements. Keep these dates marked in your diary, digital organizer, or whatever means you use to schedule your activities. Please take account of travel, especially busy work periods, and leave, into your planning. Your tutor will ask for your proposed dates for assignment submission early in the course.

There is a time limit of five months to complete this course. The Course Administrator will provide a list of critical dates for the cohort in which you are participating.