Sheffield Online College

Sheffield Online College is part of The Sheffield College and has been offering online learning to learners and their employers since 1997, making it one of the first colleges in England to use the internet in this way. The experience gained in this field is reflected in the quality of its courses, and in the acclaim that the courses, course teams and individual tutors have received. The college has won many national awards since 1997 and all courses lead to nationally recognised qualifications. The Online College is also the home of online teaching and learning resources for the use of learners, tutors and employers in Sheffield and elsewhere in England. Learners are aged from 16 years old.

Courses available include English from Level 1 (Literacy for Adults) to GCSE and A level, as well as IELTS for international students who want to study or work in an English-speaking country.

GCSE English Language Online is probably the best known online course in the UK. It has been running since 2001 and over one thousand people have gained grades A*-C. Almost 45% of those learners get A or A* and the pass rate at C or above is 99.7%. It is a one year online course beginning in September and ending with an exam in May or June the following year. Students belong to an online class and have their own online tutor. The course has won five national awards and is the subject of one of the VISCED pilots.

The second well known and established course is LeTTOL (Learning to Teach Online) which has had almost 3,000 students from across the world since it began in 1997. It is an online course aimed at teachers, lecturers, trainers and content developers who wish to transfer their existing skills to an online environment.