All students got this email:
14th Nov 2014
Hi
We are writing to tell you about some important changes in the course structure which you may wish to opt in to. According to our records you have started but not yet completed training on our fixed wing ATPL course. If this is not the case, please still read through this letter and then feel free to contact us either by phone on +44 (0)1275 340444 or by email to
[email protected] if you believe that these changes may affect you.
Currently, as you know, your course includes 2 x two week classroom ‘brush-up’ periods, one before each exam sitting, or 20 working days in total. This is more than twice the 65 hours required by the regulators and more than most of our competitors offer, but it reflects what we consider is necessary to learn the content rather than just pass the exams. Running the course in two modules has had advantages and disadvantages, on the positive side the brush-ups give you plenty of classroom time to get to grips with the content and correct any misunderstandings but many students tell us they to find it difficult to get two weeks off work followed by a third week off for exams and some also find that the eight exams in Module 1 are too much to do all at one sitting.
We have been listening to our students and trying to figure out how to meet these challenges to deliver a more efficient course and have taken some guidance from the way the Open University operates. They do run some courses purely by distance learning but, for the more complex ones, they run group tutorials throughout the course, often at weekends. The advantages of these ‘accelerator weekends’ are that you get the benefits of classroom instruction earlier in the course when it is more likely to be needed, that there is more contact between the students and the tutors and, of course, that you meet the other people who are on the course at the same stage as you.
We think this is a good idea, and so we are introducing accelerator weekends for the more difficult subjects to be taken at your option throughout the course, and before you come on the brush-up sessions. The first of these have already been programmed and the dates are listed on our website together with the outline content. We anticipate that not everyone will want to attend all the accelerator weekends so we are going to make them optional, and include six accelerator days (three weekends if you attend the whole weekend) in the price of the course.
We are going to tie this in with a switch to a three module system for all new fixed wing customers, with one week (5 working days) of classroom revision for each module just before the exams. This will slightly increase the offered face-to-face classroom time from 20 days to 21 days for those that need it but reduce the required time to 15 days for those that do not.
The new course structure will be mandatory for new students, but we think it represents a significant improvement on the existing structure and want to encourage existing students to switch across to it and to take advantage of the accelerator weekends. It has been designed to make it easy to do that.
The subject distribution in the new 3 Module course will be:
New Module 1:
New Module 2:
New Module 3:
Instrumentation
Radio Navigation
Communications (VFR and IFR)
General Navigation
Aircraft General Knowledge
Mass and Balance
Meteorology
Air Law
Operational Procedures
Human Performance
Flight Planning
Principles of Flight
Performance
If you have started Module 1 but not yet taken any exams we would recommend that you switch across to the new three module system straight away, unless you are very close to your exams. This will mean you can stop studying Communications, Mass and Balance and Flight Planning and concentrate on General Navigation, Instruments, Human Performance and Met. In order to do this please email
[email protected] now.
If you don’t want to switch across to the three module system you don’t need to do anything. We will run the two systems in parallel for a while. We would still encourage you to switch over to the three module system after your first group of exams.
If you have done Module 1 on the old system, you can still switch across to the new three Module system and have slightly lighter revision courses with fewer subjects in each. Course fees are not affected but you can take advantage of the accelerator weekends. In order to do this please email
[email protected] now.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to switch?
No, you may remain on your current 2 module course if you wish. There is a limit to how long we will continue to run the 2 week brush-up courses; we’ll let you know well in advance if we decide they are no longer viable due to small numbers.
What will happen when I switch?
We will remotely change your course in ATPdigital from the old two module system to the new three module system. All the work you have done in subjects shifted to later modules will be preserved. The only thing you will have to do is reschedule the course planner on your home screen which will revert to default dates for a three module course.
Will you continue to run 2-week brush-up courses?
Yes, the current plan is to run them until all current students have had a reasonable opportunity to complete their course. We don’t know how long that will be, as we don’t know how many students will switch, but we will let you know well in advance if we decide that the 2 week brush-ups are no longer viable.
If I switch, are the accelerator weekends optional?
Entirely optional.
If I choose not to attend accelerator weekends do I get a refund?
There is no charge for the free accelerator courses, therefore no refund is due if you do not wish to attend them.
What is the new pricing structure?
£2140 for the complete course,
£1320 for the new module one alone,
£410 for the new module 2 alone, and
£410 for the new module 3 alone
Additional accelerator weekends are £240 each, £120 a day
If I stay on the two module course can I attend the accelerator weekends?
Yes, but you will be charged.
If I switch, can I change my mind later and revert to a 2 module profile?
It is unlikely that this will be possible.
Will you timetable the accelerator weekends so I can go straight from one of those into my brush-up course?
For the early transition period the accelerator weekends will be timetabled just before the brush-up course for that module so you can do both together, and the content will be appropriate for that plan. This will not always be the case, as we would expect students who have started on the three module system to take advantage of the accelerator weekends earlier in their studying.
Which subjects will be covered in the accelerator weekends?
The idea is to move conceptually difficult and time consuming material from the brush-up courses to the accelerator weekends so these will concentrate on subjects like basic navigation, great circles and convergency, electrics, fuel planning, principles of flight, etc. The content of each weekend will be published on the website.
What’s the plan for helicopter pilots?
We intend to convert the ATPL(H)/IR courses to the new profile later in 2015.