profit from learning
Page 84
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
by David Lowe, MInsTA, AMBIM
More correspondence courses
ONE of the major correspondence schools offering tuition in transport subjects is the Pitman Correspondence College, Central House, Park Street, Croydon. The College offers courses for examinations in the Royal Society of Arts transport subjects and for the Intermediate and Associate Membership examinations of the Chartered Institute of Transport.
Six subjects form the RSA syllabus: communication and report writing; road :transport operation, papers I and ll (the candidate can choose either goods or passenger operation); road transport records: road transport accounts; and economics applied to road transport. Students who obtain passes in five subjects they do not all have to be taken at one sitting are awarded the RSA Diploma in Road Transport.
Studies are conducted through course notes, only one text book being required for the communication and report writing paper. Prices are based on individual subjects; most are £7.50 each and one is £8 making a total for the six subjects of £45.50. Text books are normally charged extra: the only one required for this course is available from Pitman at 40p.
For the CIT courses individual subject prices are very much the same as those already mentioned and recommended text book prices range from 45p to £2.37. Where possible a choice of text books is given but an acknowledged by the CIT) shortage of suitable books places some limitation on this.
In view of the CIT's recent examination changes. Pitman is not quite ready with all its new courses these are, however, expected soon. Students who studied under the old graduateship syllabus and failed subjects which they now wish to re-take can do so with Pitman's aid because the College will continue to offer both old and new courses during the changeover.
I examined an example of the Pitman course notes (economics) and found it easy to read and understand. The lesson was well set out under sub-headings with self-examination questions to answer and a test paper to be answered (five from seven questions) and returned for marking.
A useful booklet sent with all courses is a guide to home study which explains how to follow the course and gives many useful pointers towards the best methods of reading, revising, note taking and answer writing and some suitable advice on examination techniques.
Since 1946 correspondence courses for the loT (now CIT) examinations have been available from the Transport Tutorial Association Ltd, c /o Ealing Technical College, St Mary's Road, Ealing, London W5. The Association is a registered non-profit making charity and for this reason it is claimed, its fees are much lower than for commercial courses. Prices range from £3 for single subjects to £1 3.75 for six or more subjects for the Intermediate Course and £4.20 to £18.50 for the Associate Membership course. The lessons are conducted by means of course notes backed up by recommended text books which have to be purchased separately by students.
The Association's residential revision courses which take place during the Easter vacation at the University of Surrey are unique they are particularly valuable in giving students face-to-face tuition and problem solving. Costs including board and
lOdging are reduced if combined with the course fees and vary from £35 for three subjects and residential tuition on the intermediate examination to £50 for the six-subject course and three-subject residential revision period for the Associate Membership examination.
A newcomer to the field of correspondence courses is the RTITB with its joint course with the IFWRI for removal managers. The course is in the form of 26 lessons, mostly self-contained only four supporting text books are recommended and the cost of these qualifies for grant purposes and subjects are clearly explained with diagrams, charts and sample forms where necessary.
A period of residential training is to be held in February based on the syllabus and the total course fee will be in the region of £50-£60 which is also eligible for grant purposes by the RTITB and the DITB,