An idea that takes student created media, adds careers advice, and generates a resource for schools to use. The Real Course Choice “ Post-compulsory students on A-level, GNVQ, or BTEC courses are encouraged to produce a 5-10 minute short film on what it is really like to study on one of their college/6^th-form courses. These are posted on a C4 site. To post students also have to vote for the best short about another course, and they are prevented from voting for shorts from their own study centre. The producers of the top short for each course is then given the opportunity to visit C4 and sees their work broadcast on TV. The whole collection can then be collated and sold as a careers DVD for schools as a resource.

We've worked on similar exercises at college and what becomes clear is that the perspectives of students about the nature of the course content and the methods of study required differ markedly from view points expressed in college brochures and course information sheets. Students are the ones experiencing the study first-hand and they can be the sharpest critics and most perceptive commentators on the qualities of courses. Secondary students often have only vague ideas about what A-level Film Studies or BTEC Travel and Tourism really entails. The professional advice, college or schools liaison and general course notoriety can sometimes provide little that is concrete for them to latch on to. Hearing and seeing other students provide a whistle stop tour of their subjects could provide a significant point of reference for them.

What do you think?