ASDAN Short Courses

What is the subject? Outline of the course

ASDAN is an awarding organisation whose curriculum programmes and qualifications help young people develop knowledge and skills for learning, work and life.

We are currently offering five ASDAN Short courses (Gardening, Volunteering, Leadership, Beliefs & Values and Citizenship)

What is our approach to the subject?

ASDAN Short Courses are flexible, portfolio-based programmes designed to accredit up to 60 hours of activity and skills development across a range of topics and curriculum areas. These courses help students to make progress towards their personal and career goals.

It is fun!
Recognises and rewards student achievements
Helps develop a range of skills
Looks great on their CV
Develops knowledge on the respective course

How is the course assessed? What is the structure?

Students spend between 10 and 60 hours on the award. For every 10 hours they spend on activities, they are awarded one credit. The length of time it takes to complete the award depends on how much time students spend on it each week.

Learners must present evidence of their activities in an organised portfolio or e-portfolio.

This will contain:

a record of challenges completed, with supporting evidence for each challenge
recording documents, showing how learners have planned and reviewed their activities
summary of achievement, highlighting skills development
personal statement

The Gardening Short Course contains eight modules:

Planting in the garden
Growing food on the allotment
Working under cover
Wildlife in the garden
Using your produce in the kitchen
Construction in the garden
Art in the garden
Careers in gardening

The Volunteering and Volunteering as an Adult Short Courses each contain three modules, corresponding to different aspects of volunteering:

get ready to volunteer – volunteering planner
your volunteering experiences – volunteering log
making the most of your volunteering – volunteering review

The Leadership Short Course contains four modules:

Develop leadership skills
Be a leader
Review your leadership
Support new leaders

The ASDAN Citizenship course aims to encourage students to develop their understanding of Citizenship issues.

The course covers 6 modules:

Rights and Responsibilities, Community and Volunteering,
Government and Democracy,
Law and Order,
Finance
Global Citizenship.

By the end of this course, students will benefit from developing employability skills, having an understanding of global issues, and be recognised and rewarded for their personal achievements.

The Beliefs and Values Short Course has been updated for 2022 and helps learners aged 13+ to develop the personal and social skills they need to play their role in our modern multicultural society. It offers a flexible, accessible alternative to religious education at GCSE.

The Beliefs and Values Short Course comprises 6 modules:

Values, beliefs and decision-making
Environment
Crime and punishment
Peace and conflict
Beliefs and practice
Inspiration

The course will enable learners to:

respect different beliefs and values, and how they contribute to a multicultural society
gain an awareness of the impact that humans have on the environment and how to protect our planet
become a responsible citizen and understand the laws needed for a fair and just society
appreciate the value of peace in society and understand the impact of conflict
understand how different religions express their beliefs through worship and actions
explore the concept of inspiration from religious and non-religious perspectives.

Assessment objectives

Learners complete challenges and collect evidence of their activities to build a portfolio. When the portfolios have been externally moderated, an ASDAN Endorsed certificate of achievement is issued.

Facts and Figures

Flexible, multi-level programme
Internally moderated
Accredits 10-60 hours of activities
Can count as up to 6 of the credits needed to achieve the CoPE qualification, which students complete in Years 10 & 11.