Northern College Good Practice Guide in Teaching and Learning

2.1 The Northern College is a residential adult education college that has worked for many years in the area of widening participation and lifelong learning. It is one of six long-term residential colleges in England and offers full-time and part-time programmes of study to help fulfil its mission - namely:

to provide high quality learning experiences for adults who have had little or no opportunity for education and training
to do this in support of lifelong learning, widening participation, partnerships and community regeneration
to offer facilities for study in a residential learning environment, and, where appropriate, in a community setting or through distance learning, in order to assist individuals, groups, organisations and communities to realise their full potential

2.2 'Residence' helps to create a rich, stimulating and deeply supportive learning community. Staff and students, as well as the provision of library, IT and other educational facilities, all contribute to creating such a community and to fostering a culture of serious intellectual work, debate and scholarship.

experience enormous and often accelerated progress in confidence, ability and achievement
overcome the severe material, social, psychological and educational deprivations that might be otherwise suffered
define learning or life-centred goals or purposes
develop skills in respect of team or group work, such as an esprit de corps, a common identity, leadership roles and conflict resolution strategies
listen to others, share experiences, debate issues and generally build social and interpersonal skills
establish a whole way of working, studying and relating to society - in short, a common culture

2.4 Individuals and groups can, in circumstances of residence, put aside for short or long periods of study the normal distractions of everyday life (e.g. domestic and family obligations) and thus benefit from focussed and concentrated study. But much more than this, they can benefit from the links that residential adult education promotes with citizenship and participation in society.

Learner Comments

"The residential aspect of the College was crucial to my success. It meant that I could concentrate on my studies outside of class, and living and working in a learning community fostered my enthusiasm for learning. The social life was pretty good too!"

"I've had time to focus on just myself for a change, and I've had fun while learning in a relaxed, supportive and encouraging residential environment."

"By having the everyday stresses of life, such as cooking, cleaning, and getting kids off to school, removed, I was able to focus my attention completely on my studies. Besides, the incredible surroundings of the College really added tremendous value to my residential learning experience."

"As a residential student, I came to know other members of the group better, to meet people from all over the country and to share past experiences with them. All this helped to foster confidence building, opportunity awareness raising and a genuine sense of belonging."

2.4 Like the other residential adult colleges in England, the College offers a full-time programme of learning. This allows students to achieve a Diploma, which is a nationally recognised award validated by the Open College Network (OCN) and Sheffield Hallam University. The Diploma Programme recruits nationally, and those who obtain places are eligible to receive a maintenance grant from the Department for Education and Employment (DfEE).

2.5 Since 1992 the College has experienced a steady increase in its part-time short course provision, and in learning and training undertaken through special projects. The short course work now accounts for over 4,500 registrations a year, and this is set to expand still further. The size and diversity of the College's work outside of the Diploma Programme, represents a determined effort to widen access to and participation in learning on the part of many people who would normally be excluded from it, whether through cost, childcare, travel or other barriers.

2.6 With the College's expansion of its short course provision, some courses are increasingly being delivered on a non-residential basis in local community and other centres outside the College. Already the mobile IT Training Service has been an outstanding success in pioneering this type of outreach provision, and the move towards it has widened access to and participation in learning, particularly in isolated (e.g. mining) communities. It has also established a foundation for progression by which both individuals and groups move on to other residential programmes offered at the College, or programmes offered at other colleges and training providers in their localities.