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The ADI Foundation Course

Welcome to iCourse Theory, the foundation for your future career.

If this is your first visit, please read the information below and on the next two pages for full details of how to fully register and get started.

When you return to study on future occasions (after full registration) you can use the 'Returning Students' link on the menu bar above.

The iCourse Theory programme is laid out in a series of Sections and Units - our instructions will help you to easily move step-by-step through the material.

At the start of each Unit we will explain what's required for that particular study, and then guide towards completion.

The course is designed to help you succeed through a series of 'bite sized' chunks. This step-by step approach makes it easier for you to learn all the information you need in an easy and efficient way.

To help gain maximum progress through the course, please read all the information on this page carefully before moving on.

Giving yourself a head start

We are keen for you to qualify as soon as possible, however, you are responsible for your own learning - we can do a lot, but we can't learn for you! Having said that we will help you to learn as naturally and intuitively as possible.

In order to help yourself you must follow the course instructions. Please read the information on this page carefully as it forms an integral part of your course..

By following the course as directed, you will gain the maximum chance of success and avoid many of the problems that can trip people up during a course of home learning.

Another important benefit of following the study instructions is that you will also learn a lot about learning – essential for a teacher! There is an old saying: 'Before you can teach you need to learn how to learn'.

iCourse Theory

iCourse Theory is all about learning and teaching and is designed to help you to pass ADI Part-One; but more importantly it's designed to give you a firm foundation for your new career. One of the reasons that people fail later in training (or fail in business after qualification) is that they do not have a solid base upon which to build their skills.

It can be tempting to jump straight into the main question units without completing the Preparation Units - resist the temptation! Make sure that you do the 'study preparation' first in order to get full value from the course and maximise your learning.

In the preparation Units you will learn about learning and motivation, this is essential for all teachers, and about how to get the best from your SmartDriving iCourse.

You must complete iCourse Theory (including Hazard Perception Test preparation) and notify SmartDriving before applying for Part-One of your ADI examination.

Please contact us regarding the application for your exam when you have completed all units up to and including Unit 16* (there is a reminder about this in Unit 16).

As with all of the course, tackle iCourse Theory by printing-out, and working on, one unit at a time.

Do not 'skip ahead' and print units in advance - log in, print the unit you wish to work on, check your marks and then only move on to the next unit when you you have reached the recommended standard.

Work through the units one at a time, completing each unit in turn before printing and/or working on the next.

Hazard Perception: Please ensure that you follow the instructions in the Hazard Perception preparation unit when setting up and using the DVD - you can practise your HPT along side the other units as you work through the course.

iCourse Driving

iCourse Driving offers you all the information you need to raise your driving to an advanced standard. The course covers all aspects of road driving from the basics of safely moving away to the advanced techniques of brisk open road driving and commentary driving.

iCourse also includes access to the DriverActive learners site - although DriverActive is designed for learners, all of the principles are appropriate to the advanced standard of driving needed for the DVSA instructor's driving test.

Studying DriverActive will ensure that you have all the basic detail for driving, but will also provide a wealth of information to help you work towards being a teacher.

iCourse Teaching

iCourse Teaching will show you how to construct a driving lesson and series of lessons.

By following the course and getting plenty of practise on your own or with friends you can develop your teaching skills.

We also suggest that, if possible, you find a learner driver to practise with, but remind you that is illegal to charge for driving lessons - even for the fuel used - until you are either fully qualified or operating on a DVSA Trainee Licence. You must also be absolutely sure that any vehicle you use is fully insured for the purpose.

Support

SmartDriving Support is staffed during the normal working week from 9am to 5pm and can answer questions about any aspect of the course or your study.

99% of support requests are resolved by e-mail; in the unlikely event that we cannot answer your query via e-mail we will arrange a phone call. Note that we prefer to use e-mail because it gives you a record that you can refer to when revising (phone info can be easily forgotten!).

The online element of course is designed as a self-study programme, the degree and timing of support needed will vary from person-to-person; personal support is triggered by your support requests to us. Remember that you can contact us at any time with questions about any aspect of the course.

Important:We will endeavour to answer support e-mails as soon as we possibly can. However, please note that using other e-mail addresses or the telephone for iCourse support might delay our response time or your message may be misplaced in our system.

The support address is: training.support@smartdriving.co.uk

Practical training

You must complete all relevant iCourse study units, Hazard Perception and Mock Theory Tests, and submit requested work for assessment before any in-car training will be offered. 

Completing the course as directed and within specified time-scales is in your best interests as you work towards qualification.

We will request a sample of your work before allocating a trainer. We reserve the right to request all course work. In the event of work being incomplete or not submitted on request, we reserve the right to withdraw the offer of free in car training. Please see the terms and conditions of your course for further information.

Additional resource sites

Before getting started please take a moment to register on the two additional training resource sites. After registering you will be directed to the main study course and can take the next step in preparing for your new career.

Click here for information about registering for the SmartDriving Members' Area and DriverActive