ACS Distance Education : August Newsletter
courses
New Online Courses
Course Upgrades
This Month's Specials
Bookshop News
Editorial: Deciding on Your Education
Staff Changes
Testimonials

Careers Counselling Corner

See examples of career profiles. Go to the Careers Information section of The Careers Guide to see where your course could take you!

Still need more help? Take advantage of our FREE Course Counselling! ACS tutors are highly qualified, and can advise you by e-mail or by phone.

Course Upgrades
Upgraded & Now Available to Study Online or on CD

Photographic Practice Macromedia Flash
Adolescent Psychoogy Development Psychology
Entrepreneurship Business Operations

New Online Courses
New online course now available!

study photographic practice New Horticultural Diplomas from ACS

Demand is still strong for horticulturists with a strong understanding of science and plant identification. Less science and plant skills are being taught these days in some courses; but feedback from employers has prompted ACS to revise its diploma programs to create a series of new diplomas that are tailored to satisfy the capabilities employers say are increasingly scarce in the workforce.

These courses take longer and are more challenging; but they will produce graduates who can:

  • Identify large numbers of plants
  • Understand the science that underpins plant culture and management
  • Work to specification
  • Problem solve in an innovative and creative way
  • Develop a globally relevant approach and awareness of the industry

NEW MINI COURSE:BACK CARE
25 hrs only $170 (+ gst)
Click here for more information

This Month's Specials

save on these courses!Check out this month's specials on courses!

Bookshop News

More Books in the School Bookshop

ACS Students receive a 10% discount on all books in the Bookshop.

We’ve added dozens of new titles recently. See www.acsbookshop.com
Latest Addition:

Plant Identification Video Course
LEARN TO IDENTIFY PLANTS -Six videos teach you to identify and pronounce over 500 plant names

Price $199.00 inc GST



Editorial

Question: How credible is a course?

Answer...

Nothing can ever guarantee the value of a course 100%, but there are many things that can indicate credibility. Consider the following checklist; courses from institutions that fulfill the following on most counts are likely to be more credible than those that don’t.

  • Duration of a course – it stands to reason that you cannot learn as much in a very short course.
  • Quality of staff – consider qualifications, quantity and quality of experience. (e.g. http://www.acs.edu.au/info/school/about.aspx )
  • Services offered –consider how accessible tutors are, and what additional services have been  developed  (e.g. http://www.acs.edu.au/info/welcome.swf )
  • How well established is the institution – long established institutions are more likely to be sound.
  • Visibility – Look for an institution that is known widely within a discipline, and employs staff with international reputations. Also look for institutions that are ranked high on internet searches. This kind of institution will hold greater international credibility than one that is obscure and known little beyond their own town.
  • Reputation – accreditation, recognition, partnerships and affiliations are indications of the regard held for an institution by other organisations or institutions. These relationships are an indicator, but their value is in turn only as strong as the credibility of the other organization.
  • Graduate success –satisfied and successful graduates are the most certain indicator of a courses value. (e.g. https://www.acsedu.co.uk/Info/About-Us/student-testimonials.aspx )
  • Accreditation/Recognition by government bodies, industry bodies, employers, etc… both formal and informal.

Any college that is credible should present its credentials clearly.

What’s more important?
Many people think formal accreditations are more important than other factors; but that is not necessarily so.

Accreditation is not as straight forward as most people think. It is not just a matter of a course being accredited or not accredited and that’s the end of it. Even accredited courses are not accredited everywhere. All accreditation bodies have a limited purpose or scope of operation; they are often costly to deal with, and there are literally thousands of them – which is why there are NO courses or institutions that are recognized and accredited everywhere!

Governments are only concerned with accrediting certain types of courses within their jurisdiction. If the course isn’t being delivered within a particular state, discipline, or is being taught a certain way, it may be impossible to accredit anyway.
This fact often means that the most up to date, innovative and creative colleges have difficulty with accreditation.

Credibility is what counts, and the critical issues must always be:

Are you studying with someone credible? and

Will the course give you a valuable education?

Staff Changes

New Staff
Colin McHugh

Colin has a Higher National Diploma in Electronics, a Bachelor of Sciences and a Master of Sciences. He will be joining ACS as a Tutor in I.T.

Departing  
Vahini Panda Vahini has left after more than 3 years with us to pursue her own business interests. Good luck Vahini!

Testimonials

What our students are saying:
"My time with ACS has been extremely beneficial... and I would recommend the school to anyone seeking to study by Distance Education"
- Victor, QLD, studying Adv. Certificate in Applied Management (Horses)


ACS Distance Education
Phone: +61 7 5562 1088
Fax: +61 7 5562 1099
Email: admin@acs.edu.au
ACS Distance Education UK
Phone: 0800 328 4723, +44 1384 4 44718
Fax: +44(0)207 6812702
Email: admin@acsedu.co.uk