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The structures/systems required to ensure the quality of individual learning programs in further education (FE) in Britain and the coherence of learner achievement were examined through a study in which data were obtained from a survey of students in individual learning programs at two FE colleges and a literature review. At both colleges, personal tutors played the key role in ensuring ongoing guidance/support and access to central college services for all students. Neither college allocated personal tutors to part-time students, however. The subject tutors who acted as personal tutors for part-time students did not necessarily know about possible progression routes or central services within their college. Existing systems for part-time students did not systematically collect information about student purpose, and there was no central system for ensuring coherence for students studying units from different courses or across qualification routes. Most students considered the help they received in choosing their courses adequate; however, only 55% considered the various parts of their program to be linked together properly. (Concluding this document are checklists for evaluating coherence of student purpose, program design, and the learning experience and assessment. Appended are the student questionnaire and a summary of questionnaire responses.) (MN)

It is widely agreed that the United Kingdom's post-16 qualification system must be made coherent and intelligible to users. Developing a credit-based certification system is the key to increasing participation in further education (FE) and achieving a broader, more flexible curriculum. The benefits of a credit-based certification framework for learners, providers, and employers are evident in case studies of eight FE colleges in Wales that participated in a 3-year pilot project to embed credit-based certification systems in FE. The case studies provide important lessons on the following aspects of development and implementation of credit-based certification: designing programs, assessing on a continuous basis; planning across colleges; offering sampler courses; reaching the disaffected; unitizing access programs; mapping common elements; and improving life chances. The benefits of credit-based certification in FE are also evident in six case studies that were conducted in England to examine the application of a credit-based certification framework to accomplish the following: develop learning materials and improve quality; use a discrete generic model to unitize the curriculum; facilitate progression from school to work; facilitate progression from FE to higher education; base resourcing on credit; and promote institutional change. (Contains 20 references) (MN)