Learning and Teaching Strategy

9 key principles which have been embedded within the design of the Programmes offered by Alexander College and in collaboration with the Canterbury Christ Church University.

	Alexander College
Building learning communities	Alexander College provides its students with the support they need to achieve their academic and professional goals. Our commitment is to the integration of knowledge, technology and digitalisation with the best of professional practice. Our ongoing commitment to providing ideas and techniques that students can put into action immediately. Alexander College looks after its students’ interests with a critical and constructive vision and reflection, promoting the strengthening of Professional Skills, Abilities, Competences, and facilitating contact with real professional real experiences of the highest level. The aim is to create an international educational community where all students are integrated and accompanied during all phases of the learning process, so that they become the future professionals of the 21st Century.
Educating the whole person	At Alexander College, all efforts are focused on each individual student: their abilities and skills, intelligences and affinities. Taking as a starting point each student being who he/she is. Our learning system is based on: A transparent international reference system for professionals and business organisations. Recognition of professional experience. Recognition of Learning Outcomes. Validation of skills, professional competences and prior learning. Reflecting achievements in the Training Curriculum. The learner throughout their studies discovers in practice their personal and professional expectations and affinities. Our objective is the academic, professional and moral improvement of our students, respecting the opinions of others, cultures and religions. We promote inalienable virtues with the training of independent people who dedicate themselves to putting into practice an ideal of peace, love and cooperation. We consider work as an essential duty in the human being and consequently, to honour and promote it in all its forms.
Students as partners in learning	We believe that continuous collaboration between the College and the students is necessary at all times, in order to build active and knowledge-based communities. The College places great emphasis both on the importance of the role of the students in the courses and of the Alumni who have completed the courses and who, being abroad, are true ambassadors of their experience. Alexander College courses embrace the digital learning environment by using the Virtual Learning Environment (Blackboard, Moodle) including Canterbury Christ Church University resources and other online resources for all aspects of teaching, learning, assessment, communication and administration. All modules have a dedicated Blackboard/Moodle containing a wide range of learning resources and other materials that support, supplement and in some cases provide an alternative to lectures and seminars.
Supporting success for all students	At Alexander College specialised support is offered to students and their families. All parts of the university system are integrated to support students in their international educational journey. The platform and technology delivery systems are highly reliable and work within the established, measurable technology operating standards. The platform is accessible 24 hours a day, seven days a week, allowing students to access at any time and from anywhere. There is a contingency plan to ensure continuity of data centre operation, access to students and support services in case of long service breaking off. Evidence files for each student in an appropriate database: students’ evidence, short assignments and all activities rated by teachers. The staff and students of the college have the necessary support and are kept informed to develop the knowledge and skills to use technologies effectively, in addition, the staff will be composed of experienced professionals in online platforms. In addition, the school will organise and make available to staff training on how to use the assessment, the courses manual, the staff induction, academic materials, student induction. In addition to academic counselling and support, the college also has a strong careers unit from which we offer a personalised career guidance and counselling service. We provide guidance and support in the preparation of CVs and professional profiles (digital CV, Professional Profile on Social Networks). In addition, we organise specialised events with companies and we offer information about national companies in all areas. Our method makes the students work on themselves, this implies self-knowledge and development of their skills. We are in permanent contact with companies and HR consultants in order to reach new agreements with companies in the field of internships and recruitment at all levels.
Outstanding learning, teaching and assessment practices	Creativity, emotional intelligence, cognitive flexibility, agility and the ability to learn are key aspects of our students’ learning process. From their knowledge and skills, they progress on a real and international career path. Alexander College helps them to develop their talents, acquiring relevant knowledge so that they learn the best techniques and working methods necessary to achieve what they want and desire. In this way, they will develop the right technical and technological skills and competences. We accompany the students on this path in which we will have as a reference, the main international business standards, university academics and the professional reference groups.
Curriculum design for transformation	Our courses address the world’s learning communities, engaging students in applied, practical, interpersonal and thinking skills, helping them to develop their practical, interpersonal and thinking skills. The European Credit Transfer System User Guide for making studies and courses more transparent and thus helping to enhance the quality of higher education serves as an important tool in the design of Programmes. The Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area (ESG) shape our commitment to student-centred learning and teaching. The courses are designed to reflect the growing need for high quality vocational and technical education and provide learners with a clear line of vision towards employment, students are at the heart of what we do. There is a flexible, unit-based structure, which focuses on the development of practical, interpersonal and thinking skills that students will need to succeed in employment and higher education. They represent the latest in professional standards and provide opportunities for students to develop skills and behaviours in the workplace. Our courses aim to keep doors open for future study and they offer a space for students to develop their study skills. We have embedded some interesting aspects of the future trends in the tourism and events industry into our curriculum. Keywords such as sustainability, innovation, entrepreneurship, and employability have been the focus of the design of the new modules and learning outcomes.
Internationalisation and global citizenship	In all our courses we promote the internationalisation of student and teacher communities, inclusion and understanding of diversity. Our aims are: · to give students the skills, knowledge and understanding they need to achieve high performance in the international business environment; · develop students with enquiring minds, who have the skills and confidence to work in different international business roles and to lead, manage, respond to change and deal with a range of complex business situations; · provide an insight into international business operations and the opportunities and challenges presented by a global marketplace equip students with knowledge and understanding of culturally diverse organisations, cross-cultural issues, diversity and values, and enable flexible study to meet local and specialised needs.
Flexible and responsive learning environments	Our learning environments, both physical and virtual, are flexible and responsive. Employability skills (sometimes referred to as transferable skills) are vital to increase students’ career prospects and contribute to their personal development. Our courses support students in developing the key skills, qualities and strengths that employers are looking for. We divide employability skills into main categories. Problem-solving skills. These include: critical thinking, using expert and creative solutions to solve non-routine problems, using systems and digital technology, and generating and communicating ideas creatively. Independent skills. These include: self-management, adaptability and resilience, self-monitoring and self-development, self-analysis, and reflection, planning and prioritising. Interpersonal skills. These include: leadership skills, communicating effectively, working with others, negotiating and influencing, and presentation skills. Students also benefit from opportunities for deeper learning, where they can make connections between different study units and select areas of interest for detailed study. In this way, the programmes provide a vocational context in which students can develop the knowledge and academic study skills they need to progress to academic degree courses. These academic study skills include: active research effective writing analytical skills critical thinking creative problem solving decision making preparing for exams, and using digital technology.
An integrated approach to graduate employability	The Courses support strategic goals of delivering an integrated approach to graduate employability in adaptable and responsive learning environments. This provides a blend of contemporary and practical modules that enable students develop and establish the essential research, management, and contextual skills, knowledge, and experience required, whilst also gaining access to opportunities to specialise in their interest areas. Core competencies developed on the courses will support students in preparing for a range of employment opportunities in their chosen sector.