August 2008

Nelson Croom improves students' distance learning experience

Over the last few months, the technical team at Nelson Croom has been working on some important new developments in their distance learning functionality for the Pensions Management Institute (PMI) which greatly enhances how students submit and tutors mark assignments.

The PMI first made the move to online learning for their professional qualifications in 2005 when they brought their Retirement Provision Certificate (RPC) online. Since then, the PMI has seen a significant increase in student numbers and has started to make more of their qualifications curriculum available online.

The new system that Nelson Croom has created will not only allow students to submit assignments online using WYSIWIG formatting but to have those assignments marked and feedback given by their tutor, all via the Imago system. This new functionality will be used in the Advanced Diploma in Retirement Provisionstudy material packages which will be launched in September.

To date, the PMI has been offering study support for the Advanced Diploma as a series of PDF manuals (one per module for each of the ten modules) and a number of test assignments for each module. Currently the distance learning courses are post based which not only lengthens the amount of time it takes to correspond on assignments, it also increases the likelihood of any communication going missing. All of this places an unnecessary administrative burden on the PMI.

The new online version of the Advanced Diploma allows students to access all study materials, test assignments and mock exams and to liaise with their tutors online. Modules will continue to formally assessed in the twice yearly written exams.

This new system has a number of important benefits for the PMI - it reduces the administrative burden on PMI staff, enables the Institute to more effectively track the flow of work from student to tutor and back again and provides one central repository for everything the student needs to complete the learning required to pass the qualification modules.

"Nelson Croom is committed to providing the very best online study experience for distance learning students - giving them an inclusive experience and ensuring they have everything that they need to succeed in their studies. This new functionality really drives this forward. The testing has been going well and we look forward to the launch in September" says Jacqui Nelson, Business Development Manager, Nelson Croom.

"The new web based system should improve the learning experiences of our Advanced Diploma students and tutors as well as assisting our staff administering the programmes" says Neil Scott, Head of Qualifications and Student Services, Pensions Management Institute.

About Nelson Croom
Founded in 2000, Nelson Croom has rapidly grown into a leading developer and publisher of online learning. Nelson Croom works in partnership with professional associations, companies and voluntary organisations to provide flexible, relevant and creative CPD, training, distance learning and compliance programmes.

To find out more about this story contact:
Victoria Clarke
T. 020 7582 3309

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