Frequently Asked Questions We know there s quite a lot to consider when you re thinking about undertaking a distance learning course, so we have compiled a list of our frequently asked questions to try and help answer some of the queries you might have. There are some quick links at the top to go to the appropriate section if you know what you are looking for. If you can t find the answer to your question here or on our website www.vetsnow.com/certvnecc please just email us at vncertecc@vets-now.com Delivery & format of the course Course fees Assignments Exams General queries Browser & system requirements Delivery & format of the course How long does the course take to complete? In total the course takes 18 months to complete. Approximately one year to complete the 6 core modules and the course work open learning assignments, then a few months revision before you sit the final assessments. To view an example submission and assessment calendar just go to www.vetsnow.com/certvnecc. How much time will I need to spend on it each week? This varies from student to student depending on how you work best really. Previous students recorded that they spent on average 5.5 hours a week studying and completing the unit assignments. This is not a requirement though just a suggestion. So if you feel you need to do more and can devote the time to it then that s fine too. How much studying will be involved? The course is comprised of 6 core units, each of which contains 3 outcomes. You get one set of notes for each outcome and for each outcome there is an open learning assignment that you need to complete and submit to your tutor for marking.
The open learning assignments are comprised of between 3 4 short answer questions covering the material in that outcome. There is no word limit for each question or assignment you can write as much or as little as you like and obviously, the more you write the longer it will take. The questions are purposely loosely worded, to encourage you to think and read around the question; using evidence based resources to answer it as fully as you can. You will have 9 weeks to complete each unit so you will need to set aside some time to it each week to finish it in time. As we have said you will be expected to undertake further reading and research to complete your assignments so take that into consideration as well. In addition to the open learning assignments there are a set of multiple choice questions for each outcome. These are purely for self study and do not need to be submitted to your tutor, as the answers are given once you have completed the questions. How is the course delivered? The Certificate is a distance learning course delivered via our online learning platform Moodle. Therefore you will be required to have regular access to a computer and the internet, as this is where all your course materials and resources will be stored. You can of course download and print your notes from the site, but you will be required to upload your assignments* via Moodle for your tutor to mark. Does this mean I need a new laptop? Probably not, but there are some minimum browser requirements to ensure you can access Moodle and its full functionality. Most computers, especially newer models should have all this on, but if you have an older laptop, then you may need to update your browser to enjoy the full functionality of Moodle and ensure it will work properly. If your browser does not meet the minimum requirements you may be unable to upload documents properly which you are required to do to submit your assignments. So if you are unsure, you can find the minimum browser requirements for Moodle listed at the bottom of this document. Will I have to attend the Centre at any point? Not for the duration of the course work section, but you will be required to attend the Centre for one day to undertake the final assessments. Currently the only assessment venue available is the main Centre at Penguin House, Castle Riggs, Dunfermline, Fife, KY11 8SG (Scotland!) We are looking into setting up satellite centres further south, but for the moment you would need to commit to attending the final assessment day in Scotland, as we cannot guarantee that other venues will be available before your assessment date.
Course fees When do the course fees need to be paid? The course fees should be paid, in full, no less than 1 month prior to the course start date. So for example if you intend to start in the April intake, the course fees should be paid by 1 st March. The exam fee does not need to be paid until you apply to sit the final assessments. This should be paid in full by the given closing date for applications. (Usually approx 2 weeks prior to the final assessment date) How can I pay the fees? There are several payment methods including credit or debit card, cheque or BACS transfer. Just select the appropriate option when completing your online enrolment. My practice is paying the fees, how do I send them an invoice? When completing your online enrolment form you should select the appropriate payment method (i.e. BACS or cheque) depending on how your practice wants to pay. This will let you complete the enrolment without entering credit card details. Once you receive your confirmation email there is a section on documents on the right hand side of the email. If you click on the link for invoice (or receipt) this will bring up an invoice for you. You will then have the option to print or email this to your practice. I am paying for the course myself, but I can t afford to pay it all in one go? Ideally we prefer payment in full prior to the course start date; however we recognise that if you are self funding this may not be feasible for you. Therefore we are prepared to arrange for you to pay by instalments if necessary. You just need to contact vncertecc@vets-now.com to put an agreement in place. Any agreement would require a deposit of 100 which must be received at least 1 month prior to your intake start date, then no less than 50 per month. Obviously if you prefer to pay more every month then that is fine. Assignments Is there a word limit for the assignments? No. The assignments are comprised of short answer questions and there is no word limit for each you can write as much or as little as you like. Bear in mind though, that as with anything, the more you put in, the more you will get out of it. Some student s feel that the assignment questions are quite vague and not enough direction is given, but that is the point really. The questions are formative assignments, so are designed to assess your progress along the course and help you identify what areas you need to focus on. Vets Now Ltd, Penguin House, Castle Riggs, Dunfermline, Fife, KY11 8SG, Page 3 of 9
So they are not supposed to be easy enough for you to answer in 5 minutes; instead they are supposed to make you think and consider exactly what you are being asked, encouraging you to read around the question or think outside the box as it were. You will not necessarily be given all of the information within the question: for example; a question asking you to calculate the volume of fluids required for a dog might not list the weight of the dog. You aren t given the weight as the actual figures themselves are not necessarily important; you can pick the weight yourself, it s the calculation and your workings that we are assessing and marking you on. So seven students could have seven different answers (in terms of the volume of fluid) but all would be right because they have illustrated the calculation correctly. The assignments also offer the opportunity for your tutor to comment and feedback on the work that you have submitted. Questions may not be marked as right or wrong specifically, but instead tutors may suggest another possible answer, or perhaps a point you may have missed to show how your work could be improved. It is expected that you will undertake further reading and research throughout the course, but especially to complete your open learning assignments, and this will be considered in the marking of your assignments (as will evidence of practical learning). There will be resources made available to you via Moodle, but you should also carry out your own research and reading in addition to this. You will also be expected to properly reference any texts or sources that you use, (we prefer the Harvard system). If you are unsure how to do this, guidelines will be provided before you start the course. Will I get a % score or a pass mark for each assignment? Your assignments will be marked on a pass / fail basis; but you will not receive a pass mark or percentage score for each assignment, just an overall pass or fail mark. If your tutor feels that your work does not merit a pass mark in the first instance, your marked work will be returned back to you with a request to resubmit. A resubmission may only be for specific questions, or the entire outcome assignment, your tutor will specify this on your feedback comments. If once you have resubmitted your assignment your tutor still feels that your work does not merit a pass then that assignment will be marked as a fail. Do the assignments count towards my final mark? No. You must complete the unit assignments in order to be eligible to sit the final assessments; however they do not count towards your overall mark. Final award of the Certificate is entirely dependent on you passing the final assessments. Vets Now Ltd, Penguin House, Castle Riggs, Dunfermline, Fife, KY11 8SG, Page 4 of 9
The open learning assignments are a really important aspect of the course as they assess the practical activities and underpinning knowledge of the units, and are good preparation and revision for the assessments. Both the assignments and final assessments are written in short answer format, so completing the assignments will help you prepare for the final assessments, and will offer you invaluable support and feedback from your tutor. If I fail an assignment can I still sit the exams? Yes. Obviously it s preferable if you pass all the assignments and you do need to complete and submit them all in order to be eligible to sit the final assessments; but you do not necessarily need to have passed them all. We will still accept your application if you have a fail mark recorded for one or two of your assignments Will I have to submit case studies? No. The Cert VN ECC is a theory based course. The only course work you will be required to submit is the open learning assignments for each unit outcome. You will be expected to show evidence of further reading, research and practical learning though and this will be considered in the marking of your assignments. So don t worry if you don t see huge amounts of ECC cases; completing your course work is not dependant on seeing the right cases, although it obviously helps to be able to put your learning to practical use from time to time! However if you feel that you are lacking in enough ECC experience to keep up with the course then you can always arrange to see practice or do one or two locum shifts at a local ECC clinic or hospital. Exams What format do the exams take? There are 3 final assessments that you are required to sit; 2 written papers and 1 spot test station assessment. The written papers are 90 minute short answer question papers covering Units 1 3 & 4 6 respectively. The spot test practical paper is a 60 minute station assessment covering Units 1 6. For the station assessment there will be: 15 stations around the room, each with an item on it; maybe a piece of equipment, an instrument, some blood results, x-rays or maybe a photograph. You will be given a question and answer booklet before you start and you need to take these with you to each station. You will have 4 minutes at each station during which time you should write your answer to the corresponding question (i.e. at Station 4 you should answer Q4 and so on). The question will relate to whatever item you have on the station in front of you.
You are not required to demonstrate or verbally explain to the examiner your answer to the question, instead you write your answer on the answer paper you have been given. You are also not required to wear uniform to sit the final assessments. What is the exam pass mark? There is no set pass mark for the final assessments; this depends entirely on how the candidates perform on the day, as the pass mark is worked out as a statistical average of all the candidates marks in each paper. From previous assessment days the pass rate has ranged from 62% to 72%, but this can change as it would depend entirely on how everyone does on the day. Do I have to sit the exam at my first eligible date? No. We hold two final assessment days every year, one in March the next in September. So if you decide you re not ready, you need a bit more revision time or you just can t make that date then you can defer to the later date if you prefer. Even if you have already registered for one date and paid the exam fee, we can still defer your place if you wish. You just need to let us know in plenty of time. If I am unsuccessful in one paper do I have to re-sit all of them again? No. If you are unsuccessful in any of the papers then you are only required to re-sit those individual papers in order to gain the final award of the Certificate. A pass in any other paper will be carried over for you. If you are required to re-sit one or more papers then you would need to enrol for the next available assessment date to confirm your place. You would be required to pay the final assessment fee again, but only a pro-rata amount for the number of papers you need to re-sit (i.e. 3 papers = 192, 2 papers = 128). When will I receive my marks? We aim to have all papers marked and marks returned to the student within 4 working weeks of the final assessment date. Your marks will be returned to you by letter via email as well as by a separate paper copy to ensure everyone receives them. If you are successful you will also receive your official Certificate Award issued from City & Guilds. These are dispatched from City & Guilds via the Centre, so will be sent under separate cover to your initial results letter. You will also receive an official Cert VN ECC badge from Vets Now if you are successful. You will be invited to our annual graduation ceremony at the ECC UK Annual Congress in Harrogate to be presented with this by the Head of Centre. Alternatively if you are unable to attend we will post your badge out to you. Vets Now Ltd, Penguin House, Castle Riggs, Dunfermline, Fife, KY11 8SG, Page 6 of 9
General queries The course entry requirements state I need to have a minimum of 1 years post qualification experience, but I have only been qualified 6 months, so can I still enrol? Ideally we prefer students to have at least one years post qualification experience, to ensure that they have the relevant experience and knowledge to be able to keep up with the course. However in some cases we may consider students with less post qualification experience. This is assessed on an individual basis and depends entirely on the experience of the individual student. So if you have been working in a busy practice or hospital since qualification or have had relevant experience from before you qualified then we may be more likely to accept your enrolment on this basis. If you fall into this category then please email vncertecc@vets-now.com with details of when you qualified your previous work experience and current practice caseload and we will consider this. What should I expect from the Cert VN ECC? You should bear in mind that this is not an easy course. For a start it s a distance learning course, so you will be working on your own, and you will need to motivate yourself, be organised and make sure you take the time out to study. There will most likely be times when you probably don t want to and times that you can t, as well as other pressures on your time including work or your family, so it s important you consider whether you think you can devote the time it might take to complete the course before you start. What if I can t find the time or I am struggling once I ve started? If you do find you are struggling or having problems then we will be here to help. We can be flexible and we re happy to agree extensions etc if you need them, or you can defer your place to a later intake if you really can t continue at that time for whatever reason. Further information on these processes are contained within the Cert VN ECC Course Conditions document that is issued to every student before they start. As well as support from us here, you will also be able to chat with other students and tutors via the discussion forums, so although you will be physically on your own there will be people in the same boat to talk to when you need to. Vets Now Ltd, Penguin House, Castle Riggs, Dunfermline, Fife, KY11 8SG, Page 7 of 9
Browser & System requirements Minimum browser requirements for Moodle Minimum browser: Firefox 4, Internet Explorer 8 (IE 10 required for drag and drop of files from outside the browser into Moodle), Safari 5, Google Chrome 11*, Opera 9 (*We recommend using Google Chrome as this seems to work best with Moodle) There are also some other add-ons or plug-ins that you will need to be able to view & access all the resources available to you on Moodle. Please see below for a list. Recommended Browser Add-ons/Plug-ins: These may need to be installed if your browser has not already been configured with them: A PDF Reader - PDF reader should be installed on your computer, and a PDF browser plugin will let you view PDFs in a browser window without opening a separate program. Download Adobe Acrobat Reader Windows Media Player - Windows Media Player allows you to view, listen, and download streaming video and audio. Download Windows Media Player Adobe Flash Player -The Adobe Flash Player plugin for your browser will allow you to access Flash video and rich interactive media. Download Adobe Flash Player You may also need software to read files that you upload. For example, if you need to upload Microsoft Word files then you will need software to read Word files like Microsoft Office or Open Office. Accepted assignment file formats As your tutors will have to download your submitted assignments to mark them, they will of course be required to open and edit them to add in their feedback. Due to certain compatibility issues some of our tutors will only be able to access Microsoft Office files, so if you do not have Microsoft office then you may need to convert your documents to ensure they are saved in a compatible format that your tutor can access. Some instructions for various file formats are included below, but if you have any problems you can generally find free converter programmes online that will assist you. Microsoft Works Although these files are Microsoft, the works format is not compatible with office and therefore files will need to be converted to a word document (.doc) so that your tutor can open them. You should ensure you do this before you upload any documents. If you don t do so, then your tutor will contact you to advise you need to resubmit in an appropriate format before they can mark them. To convert a Works 6.0, Works 7.0, Works 8.0, or Works 9.0 document so that you can open it directly in Word, save the document as a Word document. To do this, follow these steps:
1. In Works, open the document that you want to be able to open in Word. 2. Click File and then click Save As. 3. In the Save As dialog box, follow these steps: a. Change the Save in box to the location where you want to save the Wordformat version of your document. b. In the File name box, type a new name (if one is required) for the Word version of your document. c. In the Save as type box, select Word 97-2000 & 6.0/95 - RTF (*.doc), and then click Save. Note If you are using Works 8.0, select Word 97-2003 (*.doc) in the Save as type box, and then click Save. d. On the File menu, click Close to close the document before you try to open the document in Word. e. Start Microsoft Word and open the newly created document. Apple Mac s The course materials have all been prepared on Windows PCs so there may be some differences in appearance and functionality, but as far as we are aware there should not be anything that will prevent Mac users from accessing any of the online material. Other file formats For any other file formats, please ensure you convert to an office friendly, editable file format before uploading your work. Although we ask you to have PDF reader software installed it is preferable that you do not upload your assignments as a PDF document. Your tutor will not be able to add comments or feedback to this type of document, so it will make it more difficult for your tutor to feedback to you and therefore for you to gain benefit. Vets Now Ltd, Penguin House, Castle Riggs, Dunfermline, Fife, KY11 8SG, Page 9 of 9