December 21, 2010 - Bobby -
Some time ago, I wrote that there was a dedicated blog to keep you up-to-date with the review of HNC/D Computing and HNC/D Networking. We held the third meeting of the QDT yesterday. The blog has a full report. I don’t plan to post many more messages about this development on (this) main blog so please bookmark and read the dedicated blog if you want to keep up to date with what’s going on. Blogger has recently introduced new templates…
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December 14, 2010 - Bobby -
I attended a meeting in London yesterday presenting the findings of a large piece of research relating to their video games (VG) and visual effects (VFX) sectors. The meeting was hosted by NESTA. The findings will be presented to the government in the New Year. This was an invitation-only, early look at what will be in the report. SQA was the only UK awarding body invited, perhaps reflecting our position in this sector. Some fascinating information was presented. Young people…
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December 10, 2010 - Bobby -
The performance indicators (PIs) for Computing are a problem for most colleges and it’s an issue that has been raised by the Sector Panel on many occasions. At the last Sector Panel meeting, Ron Dillon (Stow College) and Joanna McGilvray (Forth Valley College) asked to look into this in more detail. So, Ron, Joanna and me met this afternoon to take this forward. We looked at some data about uptake, and unit and award pass rates. It was an interesting meeting.…
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December 8, 2010 - Bobby -
I put something on Twitter about the current situation re. the Computing team’s availability during the severe weather. We’re still operational! The SQA offices are open. I made it into the office today, Hilary is working from home, and Caroline is on annual leave. So, you will get a response to your queries but it is better to use e-mail than the telephone. Twitter is better for updates like this than Blogger so, if you haven’t already done so, please…
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December 8, 2010 - Bobby -
I’ve now set-up an evaluation questionnaire about the recent Heads of Computing event so, if you were one of the people who made it, I would appreciate if you would complete this short questionnaire. One of the things I meant to say at the event, but forgot, was that I intend to create a survey in the New Year to gauge your satisfaction with the service that the team provides. I hope that this will be an annual survey so…
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December 6, 2010 - Bobby -
Friday’s annual Heads of Computing event went ahead as planned in spite of severe weather problems. The start was delayed by an hour to give people extra time to get to Edinburgh. But, in spite of that, only 18 people managed to make it through the snow. We had expected 57 attendees. I started the meeting with an update of what’s been happening in the sector over the last 12 months and what is likely to happen in the forthcoming…
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November 27, 2010 - Bobby -
The team of External Verifiers (EVs) meet occasionally to discuss a range of issues relating to quality assurance. The Computing team met this morning in the SQA Glasgow offices. The meeting was led by David Drennan. There is a standing item on the agenda when I update the EVs about recently developed (or soon to be developed) qualifications that they might come across while carrying out their duties. My update today included the recently developed NPA Doing Business Online, the…
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November 26, 2010 - Bobby -
I attended a meeting at Glasgow Caledonian University this morning about college/university links. Anne Russell is leading a project that aims to improve the links between colleges and universities in the Glasgow area. Representatives of universities and colleges attended. The project is funded – by the Funding Council – until July 2011. It was a productive meeting. We identified some of the issues facing students who move from college to university, issues such as self-confidence, critical thinking skills, independent learning, and…
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November 22, 2010 - Bobby -
I met with Loraine Johnston of James Watt College this morning to discuss the progress with the new PDA in Web Design. Loraine is the Lead Developer for this project. The new PDA is based on the official curriculum for the CIW Web Design Specialist (formally CIW Site Designer) qualification. The proposed award will consist of three mandatory single credit units at SCQF Level 7. These are currently in the process of being finalised and will also be added to the optional section…
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November 19, 2010 - Bobby -
This week is Global Enterprise Week and, as part of that, Google has been promoting it’s Getting British Business Online (GBBO) initiative. It held 25 simultaneous “business breakfasts” across the UK this morning, including one in Glasgow, which I attended. GBBO is a fantastic opportunity for small businesses to establish a web presence – for free and in 20 minutes. David MacMurtrie, of Google, led the event. He emphasised the phenomenal growth of the Internet and how vital it is…
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