Foundation Degree

[Guest]

Hi is anyone doing the Foundation Degree in Early Years via the OU?

[dublinbay]

Hi,

I'm starting the FD on 6th October, beginning with E123 and continuing with E124 in Feb. 2008. With the OU. Welcome to the forum, by the way!!!

Miriam

[Guest]

Welcome. I've just posted my agreement forms of to start Feb 08 E123 & E124!

[Guest Wolfie]

A warm welcome from me too -you'll get LOADS of support with your degree on here...good luck with it!

[Guest]

I started mine in feb this year e123 and have found it very interesting!!! it's good fun but hard to get back into writing essays again after such a long time , i am starting e124 in oct 07 off we go again!!!!!!!!!!!! good luck to everyone who is starting their eca the final assignment

[Sue R]

Welcome mcfletch! Sure you'll get loads of help and support

 

Sue

[Guest]

Thank you for the warm welcome. I am currently studying E123 and E124 which finish in October, when I start E115. I will be grateful of any help .

[Guest]

I started mine in feb this year e123 and have found it very interesting!!! it's good fun but hard to get back into writing essays again after such a long time , i am starting e124 in oct 07 off we go again!!!!!!!!!!!! good luck to everyone who is starting their eca the final assignment

 

I have just started my eca finding it hard to get motivated at moment though!

[HappyMaz]

I have just started my eca finding it hard to get motivated at moment though!

Welcome mcfletch - but what's an eca?

 

Maz

[Guest]

Welcome mcfletch - but what's an eca?

 

Maz

 

End of course assessment, 3000 words on Reflecting on theory and practice.

[dublinbay]

Thanks for that Mcfletch - I didn't know what a ECA was either!

[belle06]

I finish my degree with the OU in October at times it has been hard but have really benefited from the course in my practice and beliefs if I can be of help to anyone doing E123 E124 e115 E215 E243 E230 or MU120 please feel free to message me. I was very lucky to get help and support from people on this site.

[Gezabel]

Hi and a warm welcome to the forum from me too

 

I completed the Foundation Degree with the OU in April this year and graduated in June.

 

I have done E123. E124, E243, E230, E115 and E215. I have been studying part-time with the OU since 2003 and must admit I have enjoyed this summer as it has been the first in four years without the need to tackle a TMA or ECA. However, I do miss studying and am returning to study KE312 in January 08 to top up my foundation degree to a BA. There is a possiblity that a further new level 3 course will be introduced in 2009 which will enable students to go to BA (Hons) in Early Years.

 

My advice for E115 is to be as organised as possible from the start as this will pay dividends as the course progresses. You will become familiar with lots of acronyms: WBLF (Work based learning folder) PEF (Personal evidence folder) EYCLO (Early years core learning outcomes). Early on the course materials gives detailed instructions on how to set your folders up - I would follow it carefully! Some students I know didn't do so and got in quite a muddle as the course progressed. IN fact I had my folders set up just before the official course start date - the course materials usually arrive at least a week or so before the official start date. I was just impatient really and itching to get going and with hindsight the time I spent on 'administrative' stuff was well worth it. You really need to be clear about the purpose of the folders and 'what goes where' and the ease of access this will give when you need it, is beneficial! You may have heard negative reports about E115 and there is alot of paperwork but don't be put off it is a great course it is just very different in style to 123/124.

 

If you need any help then just shout! Good luck and hope you enjoy it as much as I did

[Guest]

I finish my degree with the OU in October at times it has been hard but have really benefited from the course in my practice and beliefs if I can be of help to anyone doing E123 E124 e115 E215 E243 E230 or MU120 please feel free to message me. I was very lucky to get help and support from people on this site.

 

Thank you, all the other people doing it locally seem to be childminders and have formed there own study group but it is during my working hours, so I feel a bit isolated. I am due to start e115 , all the reviews i have read sound quite negative how did you find it?

[HappyMaz]

If you need any help then just shout! Good luck and hope you enjoy it as much as I did

Thanks for that Geraldine! Now I know what all the acronyms mean! I'm seriously thinking about whether I can study with the OU to top up my Foundation Degree - but am a bit lost in the world of credit transfer etc. I might have to ring a real person tomorrow to see what my options might be...

 

Maz

[Guest]

Hi and a warm welcome to the forum from me too

 

I completed the Foundation Degree with the OU in April this year and graduated in June.

 

I have done E123. E124, E243, E230, E115 and E215. I have been studying part-time with the OU since 2003 and must admit I have enjoyed this summer as it has been the first in four years without the need to tackle a TMA or ECA. However, I do miss studying and am returning to study KE312 in January 08 to top up my foundation degree to a BA. There is a possiblity that a further new level 3 course will be introduced in 2009 which will enable students to go to BA (Hons) in Early Years.

 

My advice for E115 is to be as organised as possible from the start as this will pay dividends as the course progresses. You will become familiar with lots of acronyms: WBLF (Work based learning folder) PEF (Personal evidence folder) EYCLO (Early years core learning outcomes). Early on the course materials gives detailed instructions on how to set your folders up - I would follow it carefully! Some students I know didn't do so and got in quite a muddle as the course progressed. IN fact I had my folders set up just before the official course start date - the course materials usually arrive at least a week or so before the official start date. I was just impatient really and itching to get going and with hindsight the time I spent on 'administrative' stuff was well worth it. You really need to be clear about the purpose of the folders and 'what goes where' and the ease of access this will give when you need it, is beneficial! You may have heard negative reports about E115 and there is alot of paperwork but don't be put off it is a great course it is just very different in style to 123/124.

 

If you need any help then just shout! Good luck and hope you enjoy it as much as I did

Thank you Geraldine, i actually received the course materials Saturday but have not opened them yet, as need to do two ECAs by the end of September. What sort of personal evidence will I need to collect? Is there anything I can start gathering now to get a head start?

[Guest]

Hi - starting E123 with the OU this October - knees knocking and nail biting a bit now, as the time gets a bit closer - hopefully will be getting support from this brilliant forum!

[Gezabel]

Is there anything I can start gathering now to get a head start?

 

Just don't throw anything away! You will (over the period of the course) gather evidence of your practice to meet the EYCLO's (and there are 12 of them) Policy documents, observations, planning, children's work, witness statements, letters from other professionals, certificates from courses attended - and that's just off the top of my head, there are many, many more. You will be amazed what you will be able to come up with.

 

I really wouldn't worry too much. You are absolutely right to be focusing on your ECA's and once they are out of the way you can think about 115.

 

You know where I am if you want me once you start Do you use firstclass at all? I would highly recommend you instal the software if you haven't already. The conferences are a great source of support and also a part of the course is compulsory participation in conferencing within your tutor group.

 

Good luck

[Beau]

Welcome to the forum. Good luck with your degree - I'm moving this to the training part of the forum where you will find lots of existing threads about this and should hopefully find lots of helpful hints and tips.

[Guest]

I'm studying a DPP which finishes in December. I'm not sure what I want to do after that but I am now considering the foundation degree but I don't know much about it - amount of study/college time etc and what is actually covered in the course. Any info or advice would be great.

 

Thanks

Sally

[Guest]

Thank you Geraldine, i actually received the course materials Saturday but have not opened them yet, as need to do two ECAs by the end of September. What sort of personal evidence will I need to collect? Is there anything I can start gathering now to get a head start?

Hi I woundered if you can give me some guidance for EYCLO 8

[Guest]

Just don't throw anything away! You will (over the period of the course) gather evidence of your practice to meet the EYCLO's (and there are 12 of them) Policy documents, observations, planning, children's work, witness statements, letters from other professionals, certificates from courses attended - and that's just off the top of my head, there are many, many more. You will be amazed what you will be able to come up with.

 

I really wouldn't worry too much. You are absolutely right to be focusing on your ECA's and once they are out of the way you can think about 115.

 

You know where I am if you want me once you start Do you use firstclass at all? I would highly recommend you instal the software if you haven't already. The conferences are a great source of support and also a part of the course is compulsory participation in conferencing within your tutor group.

 

Good luck

Hi I wondered if you can give me some guidance on EYCLO 8

[Cait]

Hi 3children, I'd be delighted to help you, I'll send you a message which you'll be able to get by clicking on 'New messages' on the top tool bar

[Guest]

I hope to complete E123 and E124 and am thinking about starting the Foundation Degree in September. As you have completed this I would be grateful for some advice on which modules to consider - I work in Preschool and wonder which ones would be more relevant to this. Do they all come with an exam component (I have heard this mentioned for U212?).

 

I would also be interested to receive a little more information on E115 - how current does the evidence need to be, for example can I start collecting it now (I have just been asked to write a policy, should I wait until October to do this or could I do this now and use it as evidence?).

 

I would also be very interested to know where the 12 EYCLOs are drawn from (the EYFS standards perhaps?) and what they are exactly.

 

I have really loved doing E123 and E124 but am very nervous about committing to a Foundation degree until I know if I am capable of taking this on!

[Gezabel]

Hi Saturnpa

 

I will try and answer your questions

It is possible to achieve the Foundation Degree with the OU without doing an exam.

 

There is a choice of 'routes' with your level 2 courses, you need 60 points at this level of study and achieve it by either doing U212 which is worth 60 points and does have an exam OR you can do E243 (Inclusive Education) and E230 (English Maths and Science in the Early Years). These are worth 30 points each and neither of them have an exam.

 

I did E243 and E230 and can highly recommend both of them! I have nothing but good reviews about U212, without exception everything I have heard has been positive (apart from it having an exam which some people really don't want)

 

With regard to how current your evidence needs to be for E115 it isn't so much about the date on the evidence but more a case of ensuring it reflects your current practice. I would see no reason to wait until October to write your policy, it would be good evidence, not only the policy itself but the fact that you wrote it You do enter a date for the evidence on the front of the EYCLO but in your explanation on the reverse of the form you explain how it reflects current practice. It is perfectly feasible to write a policy in March that is adopted by the setting and implemented in your practice and therefore it would be 'current' in October. ( and beyond !)

 

The 12 EYCLO's are actually the Early Years Core Learning Outcomes (hence the acronym EYCLOs) which were published by the DfES in their 'Statement of requirement'. The OU foundation degree is sector endorsed and to comply with that the 'core learning outcomes' have to be part of the OU course materials. Each EYCLO has 'elements' and one or two of the EYCLO's have 5 elements, some have 4 and a couple have 3. You need to gather evidence for each element of each EYCLO. Each element has 3 sections (literally A, B, C) which is really for ease of recording evidence and referring to it in your explanation. The aim is that you are working towards gathering evidence and the recommendation is that by the end of E115 you should have at least one piece of evidence for each section of each EYCLO (You will meet the EYCLO's again in E215 so plenty of time to enhance both quality and quantity of evidence.

The 12 EYCLO's are:

1. Access, review and update own knowledge of significant and emerging theory and practice

2.Contribute to the protection of children from abuse

3.Work with other professionals

4.Develop, implement and evaluate specific plans and activities to meet individual needs of children

5.Assess and enhance the intellectual and cognitive development of children

6.Assess and enhance the personal, social and emotional development of children

7.Work with parents to enhance their children's learning and development

8.Provide information to support decision making

9 Develop your own resources

10.Enable children to participate confidently and effectively in activities

11Evaluate and use ICT to support children's learning and development

12 Manage sessions with groups of children

 

To give you some idea of the 'elements' I mentioned, EYCLO 1 has four elements:

1.1 Evaluate and update your own knowledge and practice

1.2 Establish and implement procedures to review and update current knowledge and practice

1.3 Integrate outcomes from review into your own practice

1.4 Apply underpinning equal opportunities and anti-discriminatory values and principles to your own work.

 

Phew! Please don't be daunted by all that it may look like an awful lot of work but it is enjoyable and of course you are 'learning as you go'. The order in which you study the courses to make up the foundation degree is up to you. Personally I found doing E243 and E230 before E115 was very helpful but many students have happily and successfully done E115 and then their level 2 choice. E215 is recommended as being the last course you study for the foundation degree.

 

If you have loved E123/124 I have no doubt you will continue to enjoy your study if you go on the foundation degree level. I can understand you feeling nervous, I was very apprehensive, only ever intended to do E123 and 124 and here I am the proud 'owner' of a BA in Early Years through the OU I would say go for it!!

The OU forums are supportive and there are lots of OU students on this fantastic forum who have or are currently studying with the OU

Good luck with the decison making and hope this helps

Edited March 25, 2009 by Geraldine

[Guest]

Thank you so much Geraldine, that was very comprehensive and helpful - I can't wait to start now!

 

Many thanks

[dublinbay]

Gosh Geraldine, you explain things so well.........if I wasn't already doing the FD I would be after that reply to saturnpa!!

 

Good luck with your studies saturnpa.

[Guest]

I am just over half way doing the E123 and E124 together. I'm a bit confused about how long this course actually is and where we can stop as I don't want to be studying now for ages!! So glad to find this forum as I am doing it with the OU so don't know anyone else who is doing it and I can't find time with my pre-school admin, my keyworker stuff, my assignments to write (oh and normal life!) to be meeting other OU students.. so a quick peek on here now and then is great!