Hi Lisa

It may be that you’re simply not suited to distance learning / learnnng on your own and that you tend to. learn effectively in groups and /.or led. by a physical teacher. But it may be that you’re finding it hard to get into higher level educational study of any kind and just need some guidance and confidence building in this regard.

The Open University do distance learning very efftively nd supportively indeed. Sadly the financial. cost of their courses has become prohibitive for many: I was going to suggest you consider trying their Social Sciences Foundation Course as a possibly more effective starting point. Obviously it will be vastly wider in scope than the L5 HRM Diploma and much less directly vocational, but it’ can nonetheless be invaluable insight into how and why human society operates as it does and something like that may well help and inspire you and prepare you for revisiting the far more specialised HRM stuff, which you may well be equipped to see in a new and less intimidating light in the context of your new and far wider (and arguably just as useful) knowledge.

In reply to David:

Thank you David. I’ll take a look.

Best,
Lisa

In reply to Lisa:

Negotiating, influencing and persuading should be a huge part of your work.
Find a way to transfer that does not mean losing what you have done

So when you are approached by a staff member, senior colleague or indeed any employee on business - just asking for advice, information or opinion do you never ever have to convince, chide or encourage them to take on board your advice or guidance? Or do they just say, "OK, thanks" and walk away as soon as you've spoken?

Like Peter says, you probably do it a lot but just can't see when. Ask your tutor/advisor - thats what they are for - to help you pass!!

Yes the language is - or can be confusing if you are not used to working with competency statements sometimes but you don't need to be a rocket scientist Lisa.

PS I found going to college for the very 1st time to do my Diploma in HR rather challenging - especially when it came to answering what I saw as rather academic questions.

In reply to David Perry:

"Like Peter says, you probably do it a lot but just can't see when".

I agree with Peter and David. 

Where do you see yourself in, say, 5 years?

Do you have a mentor?

(Questions to ask yourself, not necessarily to share with us here... but Lisa, I'm glad you posted and you are very welcome here on the Community).

I've recently finished my Level 5 Certificate in HRM via Mixed mode/distance learning. I don't know how the courses differ, but I had an allocated Coach/Assessor who I was able to go through assignments with, particularly if there was anything I didn't understand. Once the language was 'explained' it made a lot more sense. I was also lucky in that working in Local Government I work in a large team and was allocated a Mentor as further support, particularly in relation to applying my organisational knowledge etc to the assignments.
When I started the assignment I didn't think I would be able to demonstrate negotiating, influencing or persuading skills in my role, but I was still able to demonstrate the skills in a wider context albeit not directly HR related (e.g IT project skills).
As I was provided with a Reading list I bought the main core text book - Studying Human Resource Management - by Stephen Taylor and Carol Woodhams and there is also a book available for the optional modules Human Resource Management: People and Organisations -
by Stephen Taylor and Carol Woodhams.
Even with all the support outlined above and have previously completed a degree (albeit in very different subject area) I did find it challenging, so don't give up and you will get there (I did!). Although you may decide you prefer the college style of learning.
I have often seen people on this forum asking to pair up with others studying and also what about your Local CIPD branch (who may offer mentoring?)

In reply to Clare:

Thanks Clare. I don’t think the course providers I’ve gone with are the best and my employer (left there now) wasn’t supportive. Lisa

In reply to Lisa:

I found out I really wasn't suited to distance learning - I just don't process information well from a text book and just can't translate that to application at all. It was very difficult and had a poor effect on my confidence - I felt I was thick for not being able to get on with it like others were.

I quit and went on weekly day release to Uni and had a much better time, being able to connect with the cohort who were also exploring academic language and approaches to assignments. It allowed me to discuss on a weekly basis the things that I'd gone away and processed from the last session - It wasn't easy but I flourished and completed my post grad with merit. I'm also still in touch with my cohort, we meet regularly and share information, jobs and whatnot.

It was the making of my HR career so don't be afraid to really examine how you learn and process information and choose the delivery that suits you.

In reply to Lisa:

Hi Lisa,

I did CIPD Level 5 via distance learning and completed last year.

Although I wouldn't recommend my particular provider again (lack of choice at the time) there were a few tricks I employed to ensure completion;
- As Clare said, you should have a tutor - if they aren't forthcoming, there should also be a course leader who may have introduced themselves at the sign up period, or just be noted amongst all your materials - speak to them.
- Use the student services to help - usually really quick to respond, and they can chase up your tutor/assessor if necessary. Remember, you've paid for service so make sure you try everything before giving up
- I had an online forum of peers and cohort on the course - I found if I asked there and we generated enough discussion, a tutor usually commented as well to confirm if we were right or wrong in our interpretations
- You should be able to get a marking sheet for each assignment, so you can see what marks will be given for what in your assignment, This usually guides as to how much to write and in what detail - something worth only 2 marks was a small paragraph. Something worth 8 marks required a page to itself etc.
- You usually get 2 attempts at submission for each assignment. You may not feel that the first assignment is submission ready, but that could be your own self-doubt. Bite the bullet and submit it. You'll get feedback on what you did well and where further improvement is needed - this will steer you for further assignments.
- Again, my course had live classes online where you could interact with your cohort in real time - we were spread globally, so it was fascinating to hear what others said and this prompted me to consider how I did apply the different skills, although I didn't recognise it before someone else pointed it out.
- I got myself exercise books; as I worked through the online learning, I took meticulous notes and treated my laptop like a teacher. The bonus for distance learning for me was I totally went at my own pace - I did not have to wait for others in the class, or feel rushed ahead due to timings.

The first assignment is the biggest hurdle, but once done your understanding of the way it works does increase, which leads to easier follow on assignments. If it were me, I would persevere - if only for budget reasons! Like Clare I bought the core book to use as my main guide. Most others I could find enough of online to complete assignments.

Kind regards,
Laura

In reply to Joanne O'Hagan:

I do enjoy distance learning but have undertaken levels 3 & 5 via Reed online which do cover CIPD course content but are not CIPD. Am I wasting my time?

Sharon Wood

In reply to Laura Fazackarley:

Yes, good point Laura - I forgot to add that you can have 2 attempts at submission and that the 1st assignment is the biggest hurdle.. I wasn't very confident at first, but when submitted whilst they weren't always a pass, it was just a case of adding a bit more here or explaining something in more details. So it lets you know if you are on the right lines and specifically what areas you need to add too.
I was also lucky in that the course provide did provide guidance/a summary of what was to be included in each part (rather than how many marks for each section).
As you say, whilst not suited to all, I did find I could go at my own pace which I preferred.

In reply to Clare:

Thanks Laura

In reply to Joanne O'Hagan:

Thank you Joanne

In reply to Joanne O'Hagan:

Thanks Joanne

In reply to Laura Fazackarley:

Thank you Laura
I think the lack of support is a big factor. I’ve found a free online study skills course with OU and it’s making sense. Im already feeling slightly more confident.

Regards,
Lisa