Edinburgh College Glossary
If you’ve been out of education for a while, you might have noticed some unfamiliar terms or acronyms. We’ve put together a glossary of the common terms and acronyms you might come across when considering college as an option so that you can be clued up when making your decision.
Further Education (FE)
Further Education refers to courses that are SCQF level 4-6, including Introductory, Access, Skills for Work, National Progression Awards (NPAs) and Higher National (HNs) courses.
Higher Education (HE)
Higher Education refers to courses that are SCQF level 7-10, including Higher National Certificates (HNCs), Higher National Diplomas (HNDs) and Degree courses.
Higher National Certificate (HNC)
A Higher National Certificate (HNC) course is a short, higher education qualification designed to give you the practical skills and knowledge that employers look for.
HNCs are made up of 96 SCQF credit points and usually take a year to complete. Some HNCs allow progression into second year of a university degree programme.
Higher National Diploma (HND)
A Higher National Diploma (HND) course is a short, higher education qualification designed to give you the practical skills and knowledge that employers look for.
HNDs are made up of 240 SCQF credit points and usually take a year to complete. Some HNDs allow progression into third year of a university degree programme.
Foundation Apprenticeship (FA)
A Foundation Apprenticeship (FA) is a type of course that school pupils can study while they are in S5 – S6 at school. It combines study with real life work experience.
Schools College Partnership (SCP)
Our Schools College Partnership (SCP) programme is a range of course opportunities for school pupils in the Edinburgh and Lothians. Pupils can apply for a SCP course as one of theircolumn choices in S4 – S6. null
Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF)
The SCQF is the national qualifications framework for Scotland. The SCQF helps learners and employers to understand qualifications by using levels and credits points.
The level of the qualification illustrates the difficulty of the course, and the credit points illustrates the length of time it takes to complete a course.
If you are browsing courses on our website you will see that they are all attached to a SCQF level. This will help you determine what difficulty level the course is compared to others so that you can apply for a course that is right for you. For example, a National 5 is SCQF level 5 and a HND is a SCQF level 8.
Students Award Agency Scotland (SAAS)
SAAS help higher education students find the right information, support and funding. You can apply for SAAS funding to cover course fees and living expenses through loans or bursaries if you are studying a Higher Education course.
Blended Learning
Blended learning is a way of teaching that combines online learning, on-campus learning and off-campus learning. Edinburgh College are using a blended learning approach for session 2020/21 with most courses being delivered online only.
Learning Development Tutor (LDT)
Learning Development Tutors act as the main point of contact for full-time students. LDTs help to make an individual learning plan for each student and support students throughout their time at college.
Moodle
Moodle is our Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) which students can access at college and at home. Lecturers use Moodle to post course information and resources, files to download and activities to get involved in.
Edinburgh College Students’ Association (ECSA)
ECSA is our students’ association and they represent and support all students at the college. They make sure student’s voices are heard through a class rep system and run a range of clubs and societies.
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