Some testimonials from some of our students that we have received lately:
Trevor is a grandfather with a background in Engineering.  He's enjoying his studies and has completed 6 of the 9 modules in Sports Nutrition.  The knowledge he has gleaned is already being applied in meaningful ways.  He has generously shared the following tale:
"I think I finally got through to my grandson when I told him of the benefits of carbohydrate stacking.  His eyes lit up when I told him that done correctly the levels of glycogen in the muscles could be increased 2-3 times and levels in the liver doubled.  I stacked him as much as possible on Sunday morning and he completed 4 quarters of AFL footie in the afternoon with energy to spare...he reckoned he could have run another quarter.  It was his best game for the year...received the best on the ground vote by the 3 judges...think he's now appreciating the benefits of good nutrition." Trevor - Sports Nutrition. When Trevor finishes his course he plans to "create meal programs for eccentrics like myself and fellow gym junkies as well as the grandkids."

“I’ve been really happy with the course, and the tutors and feedback that I have had.  I will be willing to recommend the course to any of my friends and colleagues who re looking at doing something in this line.” Mark – Crop Production

ACS Distance Education is internationally recognised through the International Accreditation and Recognition Council (IARC). IARC has just launched the re-design of their site, and we encourage you to have a look through. Visit: www.iarcedu.com

ACS is pleased to announce the release of two new Royal Horticulture Society Certificates which are being phased in to replace older RHS courses over the second half of 2010:
The RHS Certificate II in Plant Growth, Propagation and Development
This course covers 4 units:
The Plant Kingdom (Unit 1)
Plant Nutrition, The Root Environment (Unit 2)
Pests, Diseases and Weeds (Unit 3)
Sexual and Asexual Propagation (Unit 4)

The RHS Certificate II in Principles of Garden Planning, Establishment and Maintenance
This course provides a route to employment in professional horticulture by assessing knowledge of the scientific principles and underpinning horticultural practices, and supports career development for those already working in the profession. It also provides a foundation for further learning or training in the field of horticulture.

John will be visiting several Affiliates in the UK and Europe over the next few weeks: Garden Design Academy in France, and Warwickshire College, Fitness Industry Education, and the Academy of Distance Learning in the UK. He will also be meeting with several industry bodies.

For more information on each of these ACS Affiliates, please visit their respective websites:

Garden Design Academy
Warwickshire College
Fitness Industry Education
Academy of Distance Learning

What is the place of "assessment" in education?
Assessment is not just something to be done after the learning has finished. It is (or at least should be) a tool for the actual learning.
When a student is assessed, they are revisiting things encountered earlier.
More than this, assessment has the potential to introduce new and different ways of thinking about something that was confronted earlier; and to prompt students to develop their thoughts about a subject introduced earlier in a course.
The whole process of assessing a student is all too often viewed as nothing more than "measuring compliance". This has led many schools to lean increasingly toward becoming "compliance mills"; or institutions that give a higher priority to compliance than what they do to learning.
 Assessment used to be much more than compliance, and in some institutions still is.
 Most people who live in the "real world" understand that the value of any course is in what a person learns. Passing exams and holding qualifications is secondary to the skills and knowledge attained.
 Teachers need to be empowered to use assessment as a learning tool. All too often, they are forced to use it only as a compliance tool.

For any students either enrolled in our AC (Association for Coaching – UK) recognised Life Coaching course, working as a Life Coach, or wanting to get into this growing area, we have found a forum that you may be interested in:
The Life Coaching Forum is designed to connect coaching students and professionals throughout the world to share knowledge, support, techniques and experiences in an equitable fashion and to engage other interested individuals with coaching process within a community framework. For Coaches, The Life Coaching Forum is a free space for new and experienced practitioners to discover more about your craft, pose those tricky questions within forums and connect with other coaches in your area of expertise
Visit the website: www.thelifecoachingforum.com

We encourage all students and friends of ACS Distance Education to become members of ACS on Facebook. Simply log in to Facebook, search for ACS Distance Education, and click "Become a Member". We will keep you up to date with all the latest news and views.