Shrewsbury Colleges Group
COURSE SPECIFICATION

 

Teaching Institution Awarding Organisation
scg logo Pearson Logo

 

Intermediate Awards

n/a

Mode of Study

Part-time (1 day a week)     

Location of Study

London Road Campus

Course Length

Two years

Total Guided Learning Hours (GL) – 480 Hours
Total Qualification Time (TQT) – 1,200 Hours

Course Code

PLR4EHC002

UCAS Code

n/a

QAA Subject Benchmarks

n/a

HECoS Code

100163 electrical and electronic engineering

Accreditation Type

n/a

Accreditation Details

n/a

Criteria for Admission to the Programme
  • A* to C grade and/or 9 to 4 in GCSE Maths (or equivalent) is strongly recommended
  • A BTEC Level 3 qualification in Engineering
  • A GCE Advanced Level profile that demonstrates strong performance in a relevant subject or adequate performance in more than one GCE subject. This profile is likely to be supported by GCSE grades at A* to C and/or 9 to 4 (or equivalent)
  • Other related Level 3 qualifications
  • Accreditation may be given for prior learning both academic and work-based.

Minimum/Maximum Numbers

Minimum 10                   Maximum 15

Applicants will be advised w/c the 27 August 2021 if insufficient numbers have been recruited to make the course viable.

Course Fee

£4,625 / £7,425 per year.

Please refer to the published fee policy for information on international fees, when your fees are due and how they will be collected.

Additional Costs

n/a

Date of Production

July 2021

Proposed Revision Date

July 2022

 

This Programme Specification provides useful information about your course being delivered at Shrewsbury Colleges Group, how it will be delivered and how you will be assessed - it should be read in conjunction with the Programme Specification you were provided with during recruitment and the Edexcel/BTEC Higher National Specification for this award. 

We hope you choose to come and study with us at Shrewsbury Colleges Group and take advantage of the opportunity to access Higher Education locally in Shropshire. 


Welcome from Curriculum Leader:

Andrew Lee

Here at Shrewsbury Colleges Group, we are committed to providing vocationally relevant and industry-specific Engineering courses and enabling our students to both enjoy an informative journey and gain crucial knowledge and skills and within their chosen area. All courses provide challenge and enable our students to both express themselves and understand their work in a wider context through research and analysis of the work of others. We pride ourselves on working with both regional and national employers in varying Engineering sectors, to ensure that we are providing our students with the most up to date and relevant teaching possible.

We welcome you and look forward to working with you throughout your course here at Shrewsbury Colleges Group.

Andrew Lee


At Shrewsbury Colleges Group we are committed to providing vocationally relevant arts education for the creative industries and enabling our students to both enjoy a creative journey and gain crucial employability skills within their chosen area. We strive with our students to make the creative journey from student to working professional achievable and enjoyable. All creative courses provide challenge and enable our students to both express themselves and understand their work in a wider context through research and analysis of the work of others. We are building our visiting lecturer and study visits programme, to provide a programme of both personal and professional development for all of our students. In this area we do recognise that not all of our learners will be involved in career-changing and perhaps have come to Music Technology after a full working life, for these students we involve them fully in the working life of our faculty and they provide a great sounding board for some of younger students. A cultural mix of age’s abilities and outlooks provide for a healthy and dynamic creative atmosphere that benefits all our learners. We welcome you and look forward to working with you throughout your course here at Shrewsbury Colleges Group.


Staff Profiles

  • Andrew Lee

    Andrew Lee Curriculum Leader

    Telephone: 01743 342552
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    Andy is the Curriculum Leader for Mechanical, Electrical/Electronic, Automotive Engineering and Creative Media, as well as Director of Employer Engagement and manages this provision from London Road Campus. Andy started his career restoring cars before moving into education and has had 19 years of experience in teaching and managing courses at different levels from; Level 1 to Higher Education courses.

     

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  • John Watts

    John Watts Course Leader

    Telephone: 01743 342506
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    John has taught electrical and electronic engineering at the college for over 16 years. Previous work-based experience includes engineering and quality management, electronics design and development, product compliance testing and microprocessor software development. John holds an honours degree in electrical and electronic engineering and is an active member of the IET (Institute of Engineering and Technology).

  • Paul Parsons

    Paul Parsons Course Teacher

    Telephone: 01743 342374
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    Paul has taught engineering for 15 years. Prior to working in education, Paul was an electronics designer and then spent a number of years in automated machine design and production engineering. Paul holds a master’s degree in electronic engineering.

  • David Vickers

    David Vickers Course Teacher

    Telephone: 01743 342 336
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    David started his career in a mechanical based apprenticeship, working in the manufacturing industry, progressing to production director of a local engineering company. Drawing on a wealth of knowledge built from his experience has taught engineering subjects over the last seven years.

  • Lois Bamidele

    Lois Bamidele Course Teacher

    Telephone: 01743 342336
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    Lois has taught General Engineering/Mechanical Engineering in the College for over 9 years. Preceding work-based experience includes all aspects of Structural Engineering, specifically the design and construction of Dams and Water Engineering. Lois holds a Bachelor of Engineering (B.Eng.) Honours Degree in Civil Engineering and a Post Graduate Certificate in Education (PGCE).

  • Doug Stanyer

    Doug Stanyer Course Teacher

    Telephone: 01743 342480
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    Doug has taught Mechanical engineering at the college for 4 years. He has many years of experience within the industry, which includes managing engineering departments and programming multi-axis CNC tools, mainly for the aircraft industry. He is an ex Rolls Royce apprentice and has been actively involved in setting up quality systems and the development of many high profile projects during his career.

  • Christine Chapman

    Christine Chapman Course Teacher

    Telephone 01743 342375
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    Christine started out as an apprentice engineer in the Aerospace industry and then gained a degree in Mechanical Engineering and a Masters in Business. She worked in large OEMs and subcontracting as an Operations manager/director, she was very involved in lean improvements and logistics. Christine has moved between teaching/assessing and operations management in the last 12 years and has been part of the SCG team for three years.

  • Victoria Thornton

    Victoria Thornton HE Study Support Tutor

    Telephone: 01743 342553
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    Victoria provides support to HE students with their studies, such as assignment planning, presentation skills, reading and taking notes etc as well as with applications for DSA.

  • Michelle Dawes

    Michelle Dawes Higher Education Lead

    Telephone: 01743 342439
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    Michelle manages and oversees the quality of Higher Education at Shrewsbury College.


Overview of the Award – what does the course involve?

To study at Higher Education level, you must be more of an independent learner, managing your own study, meeting deadlines and developing the techniques and strategies for independent work. In addition to scheduled classes, we expect you to do a substantial amount of private study to understand the topics covered in class, to extend your knowledge beyond the class, to develop skills and to complete assignments. There is no shortcut to independent learning nor is there a single correct way to get there - all of us have to develop a system that suits us. You must work to develop the way that suits you.

Pearson’s BTEC Higher Nationals are designed to provide a specialist vocational programme, linked to professional body requirements and National Occupational Standards where appropriate. They offer a strong, sector-related emphasis on practical skills development alongside the development of requisite knowledge and understanding.

The qualifications provide a thorough grounding in the key concepts and practical skills required in their sector and their national recognition by employers allows direct progression to employment.

A key progression path for Pearson’s BTEC HNC learners is to the BTEC HND or University Foundation Degree/Degree.


Programme Aims

Aims of the programme:

The Pearson BTEC Level 4 Higher National Certificate in Engineering offers students a broad introduction to the subject area via a mandatory core of learning, while allowing for the acquisition of some sector-specific skills and experience through the specialist units in each pathway, with the opportunity to pursue a particular interest through the appropriate selection of optional units. This effectively builds underpinning core skills while preparing the student for more intense subject specialisation at Level 5. Students will gain a wide range of sector knowledge tied to practical skills gained in research, self-study, directed study and workplace activities.

Programme Learning Outcomes

The HNC in Mechanical Engineering is designed to support both the technical and personal development of students in the following ways:

Technical Development

  • Providing the opportunity for educational experiences that assist career development and prepare students to participate in project teams, and enable them to think critically about how the team can work on technological innovation
  • Developing knowledge of underlying principles of science, engineering and design as they apply to the contemporary engineering industry
  • Developing skills that have usefulness in any working environment in a technological setting
  • Helping students respond positively to change and take up opportunities thus created
  • Providing the opportunity for students to progress to a BSc honours degree at Staffordshire University.

Personal Development

  • Developing the communication skills necessary to take full advantage of the course and to optimise career potential
  • Helping students to appreciate the benefits of time management
  • Developing organisational skills, responsibility for the work of others, and the importance of team membership
  • Developing student initiative and self-motivation and thus increase confidence and self-reliance.
  • Offering students opportunities to develop employability and other transferable skills to support career development and continuing education
  • Providing preparation for a range of technical and management careers
  • Creating the opportunity to engage in Personal Development Planning (PDP).

This programme is distinctive because:

Students are given the opportunity to design projects and assignment work. Teaching staff all have industry-relevant experience and use this to generate ‘real world’ opportunities for study and practice. The teaching staff still work in the industry and often provide students with the opportunity to communicate and interact with other professionals in the field. Students wishing to pursue a career in community-based work, teaching or workshop delivery are given the opportunity to gain experience and make professional connections which have in previous years led to paid work. All students are encouraged and supported to develop entrepreneurial skills, to seek out work opportunities suitable for their skills and career aspirations.

Employability

All Pearson BTEC Higher Nationals have been designed and developed with consideration of National Occupational Standards, where relevant, and have been mapped to relevant Professional Body standards.

Employability skills such as team working and entrepreneurialism as well as practical hands-on skills have been built into the design of the learning aims and content. This gives you the opportunity to use relevant contexts, scenarios and materials to enable students to develop a portfolio of evidence demonstrating the breadth of their skills and knowledge in a way that equips them for employment


Programme Structure, Modules and Credits

The programme is comprised of eight separate units of study. Each unit has a value of 15 credits.

You must achieve a minimum of 120 credits (of which at least 65 must be at level 4) on your programme of learning to be awarded a Pearson BTEC Level 4 HNC.

Pearson BTEC Level 4 Higher National Certificate in Mechanical Engineering Unit credit Level
Core unit Mandatory Engineering Design 15 4
Core unit Mandatory Engineering Maths 15 4
Core unit Mandatory Engineering Science 15 4
Core unit Mandatory Production Engineering and Manufacturing 15 4
Core unit Mandatory Quality & Process Improvement 15 4
Core unit Mandatory Mechanical Principles 15 4
Core unit Mandatory Managing a Professional Engineering Project 15 4
Core unit Mandatory Fundamentals of Thermodynamics and Heat Engines 15 4

Teaching and Assessment

Pearson BTEC Higher Nationals are assessed using a combination of internally assessed centre-devised internal assignments (which are set and marked by centres) and internally assessed Pearson set assignments (which are set by Pearson and marked by centres). Pearson set assignments are mandatory and target industry-specific skills. The number and value of these units are dependent on qualification size.

  • For the HNC, one core, 15-credit, unit at Level 4 will be assessed by a mandatory Pearson set assignment targeted at particular skills.

All Modules will be individually graded as ‘pass’, ‘merit’ or ‘distinction’. To achieve a pass grade for the Module you must meet the assessment criteria set out in the specifications. This gives transparency to the assessment process and provides for the establishment of national standards for each qualification.

The Modules in Pearson’s BTEC Higher National qualifications all have a standard format which is designed to provide guidance on the requirements of the qualification for you, your tutors and those responsible for monitoring national standards. The purpose of assessment is to ensure that effective learning of the content of each Module has taken place. Evidence of this learning, or the application of the learning, is required for each Module.

The assessment of the evidence relates directly to the assessment criteria for each Module, supported by the generic grade descriptors.

The process of assessment can aid effective learning by seeking and interpreting evidence to decide the stage that you have reached in your learning, what further learning needs to take place and how best to do this. Therefore, the process of assessment is part of the effective planning of teaching and learning by providing opportunities for both you and your assessor to obtain information about progress towards learning goals.

You and your tutor must be actively engaged in promoting a common understanding of the assessment criteria and the grade descriptors (what it is you are trying to achieve and how well you achieve it) for further learning to take place. Therefore, you will receive constructive feedback and guidance about how you may improve by capitalising on your strengths and clear and constructive comments about your weaknesses and how these might be addressed.

Your assessments are constructed by your module tutors. They collectively ensure coverage of all assessment criteria within each Module and provide opportunities for the evidencing of all the grade descriptors.

How will I be taught?

In deciding how modules should be taught and how learning will take place and be assessed, two important principles have been used:

  • Each module should be taught and assessed in the way that best fits the subject matter rather than imposing common learning and assessment methods across all modules
  • That the student should have the opportunity to experience a variety of different ways of working and to demonstrate their skills and knowledge in the most appropriate way.

Lectures

Formal lectures enable tutors to impart ideas and information to groups of students, whilst creating the opportunity to stimulate discussions and bring forward areas the students find challenging. Students can be brought together for lectures across the pathways; this improves group dynamics and supports the HE experience where students are gaining much of their experience in the workplace.

Practical work

This is an essential feature of the course and may take place in a number of settings, including the computer laboratory or classroom. Practical work is required for preparation, assessment and other course work.

Enquiry-based learning

This is a particularly effective approach to learning and involves you on your own or in a project group being asked to investigate, collect and analyse information and generate new knowledge. This will facilitate deep as opposed to shallow learning and develops many of the Staffordshire Graduate attributes. You will practice and develop enquiry-based learning through a number of modules on this course.

How will I be assessed?

The grading of Pearson’s BTEC Higher National qualifications is at the Module and the qualification level.

Each successfully completed Module will be graded as a pass, merit or distinction.

A pass is awarded for the achievement of all outcomes against the specified assessment criteria.

Merit and distinction grades are awarded for higher-level achievement. The generic merit and distinction grader descriptors listed above are for grading the total evidence produced for each Module and describe the learner’s performance over and above that for a pass grade. They can be achieved in a flexible way, for example in a sequential or holistic mode, to reflect the nature of the sector concerned.

Each of the generic merit and distinction grade descriptors can be amplified by the use of indicative characteristics. These give a guide to the expected learner performance and support the generic grade descriptors. The indicative characteristics should reflect the nature of a Module and the context of the sector performance.


HE student procession

Applying

Full-time applications for this Award need to be made through UCAS at: www.ucas.com/ucas/undergraduate/register

Part-time applications for this Award need to be made directly to our Admissions Team via the online application form on our website.

For more information on our application process or to receive the application form in an alternative format, please follow the link below or contact our admissions teams on 01743 342346.

www.shrews.co/apply


Induction

Students will be provided with a structured Induction Programme covering:

  • Welcome Event – June
  • Enrolment Event – August/September
  • Induction Events – September/October
      • College Induction
      • Programme Induction
      • Student Finance Support Session for those with outstanding queries

Student Charter

The College has a HE Student Charter which sets out the standards of conduct expected of tutors and students on the programme with us. Follow the link below for more information.

www.shrews.co/policies

What happens if I fail a unit?

 All students are entitled to one re-submission opportunity if the work they initially submit is judged to have failed.

However, if the initial work is not covered by extenuating circumstances, and you submit work for the module for a second attempt (called a referral) the maximum mark that can be awarded for re-submission is the threshold pass mark; i.e. 40% grade point 4 for levels 4 and 5.

If the re-submitted failed work or non-submission is covered by a successful extenuating circumstances claim then the re-submitted work is considered ‘as if for the first time’ and can receive its full awarded mark.


Appeals

The College has formal procedures for appeals if you have grounds for believing that your work has not been assessed fairly. For further information, please speak to your course tutor or the curriculum area leader within seven days of your assessment being returned. Follow the link below for more information.

www.shrews.co/policies


Assessment and Award Boards

All summative assessment grades are agreed at formal Assessment and Award Boards held at regular intervals throughout the year at the College.


Support for students with additional needs

We aim to ensure that individual needs are met before starting a course and during the course of study.

Our Student Support Tutor for HE runs a study skills support programme throughout the academic year. This covers academic skills such as:

  • Assignment planning
  • Presentation skills
  • Critical thinking
  • Reading and note-making
  • Referencing
  • Time management & organisation

These will be advertised and accessible to all HE students. The HE tutor will also be available to work with and support learners with an identified additional learning need or disability. If you’re a current HE student or prospective HE student with additional learning needs the sooner you inform us the earlier we can discuss and advise you on the support available for you while you study.

Learning support can also be provided by approved Disabled Student Allowance (DSA) providers for Higher Education Students studying at Shrewsbury College who have an identified disability, mental-health condition, medical condition, or a specific learning difficulty and who are in receipt of DSA. If you have an identified disability, mental-health condition, medical condition, or a specific learning difficulty an application to Student Finance for Disabled Students Allowance will need to be completed along with supporting evidence of your disability. Follow the link below for more information.

www.shrews.co/dsa

Alternatively, visit www.gov.uk/disabled-students-allowances-dsas/overview

Quality improvement: Listening to your views

We aim to make your experience both worthwhile and enjoyable and to continually improve the quality of our awards. Therefore, we value your feedback about the quality of our programmes. Student Consultatives will be held every term and a nominated representative from your group will attend these to provide feedback on your experience, please let your Course Tutor know if you would like to become a student representative. An end of course review will also be carried out to obtain your feedback.

HE student engaging with teacher


Concerns

We really hope you never have any reason to be dissatisfied with the delivery of your course and/or the support we provide you with here at Shrewsbury Colleges Group, however, we are aware that sometimes things go wrong. If your concerns are affecting the whole of your group please use the Student Consultative meetings to air your concerns and enable us to resolve your complaint, if able.

If your concern is of a more personal nature, in the first instance we would always encourage you to talk over your concerns with your Course Tutor or whoever it is that has been providing the service you are unhappy about, often things can be resolved quickly in these circumstances. The HE and Education Lead is also available to chat things over on a one-one basis.

If you wish to formalise your complaint you will need to access the guidance in our HE complaints policy.

www.shrews.co/policies

If following your complaint/appeal to the College you feel that our regulations have not been applied properly or procedures followed incorrectly The Office of the Independent Adjudicator (OIA) can consider whether the decision made by ourselves was fair and reasonable. More information can be found here.


Term and Conditions/Policies and Procedures

Please ensure the Terms and Conditions you are issued with at offer stage are retained for your reference.

Policies and procedures to support you during your studies can be found via the link below.

www.shrews.co/policies

During the year it may be necessary to make minor changes to our Terms and Conditions/Policies and Procedures. We will advise you of any such changes once you have accepted an offer with ourselves and update our website accordingly.


HE Regulatory Information

Regulatory information can be found via the following link.

www.shrews.co/reg