We met with Loraine Johnston, of James Watt College, this morning to discuss a new PDA linked to CIW. We currently have a PDA that links to CIW’s Foundations curriculum but we have been planning on extending links to include the CIW Site Designer award for some time. We asked Lorraine to do a mapping of existing units to the Site Designer course a few months ago. The results were mixed — some coverage but not 100%. So we decided…
Read moreRead more about Links with CIWThere is a new facility available on the SQA website which tracks all changes made to exisiting HN Unit Specifications and any changes to existing Group Award structures across all subject areas. This could prove to be a useful tool for all practitioners looking to ensure they have the most up-to-date information. Click here to access.
Read moreRead more about Changes to Unit Specifications and FrameworksThe Internet Safety unit has been very popular in schools and colleges in Scotland — and across the UK. Infact it’s SQA’s most popular award in England. It was originally developed in 2006 as SQA’s first “paperless qualification” with digital teaching, learning and assessment materials — including SQA’s first course deliverable on a mobile phone. Thousands of young (and not so young) people have undertaken the qualification. Some schools offer it to every pupil in specific years (such as S2).…
Read moreRead more about Internet Safety updateThe Group Award structures within each of the following HNC/D Arrangements documents have been updated and can be downloaded from the SQA website from 1st August 2010: 1. HNC/D Computer Games Development2. HNC Computing3. HND Computing: Technical Support4. HND Computing: Software Development5. HNC Information Technology6. HND Information Technology7. HNC Interactive Media8. HND Interactive Media9. HNC/D Computer Networking & Internet Technology
Read moreRead more about Arrangements Documents – UpdateToday’s Scotsman has an article on the new qualifications in Computer Games Development.
Read moreRead more about Computer games qualifications in the newsIt can be confusing comparing qualifications from different awarding bodies and, especially, from different countries in the UK. A colleague sent me this useful leaflet this morning, which explains how the different frameworks relate to each other.Qualifications Can Cross Boundaries I thought that you might find it useful.
Read moreRead more about Comparing qualifications across the UKI attended the International Computer Assisted Assessment Conference today, in Southampton, where I presented a paper on the assessment of online writing. It was a good event with interesting keynote talks and presentations on a variety of topics such as the potential for wikis to assess collaborative writing, the barriers to the uptake of e-assessment, and selecting questions from an item bank. My own presentation was based on a recent paper I wrote about the challenges in assessing online writing such…
Read moreRead more about CAA ConferenceI was in London today to meet with representatives of CEOP, who we are working with on a new qualification relating to child protection called the PDA in Online Protection & Safeguarding of Children. This qualification is designed for teachers, police officers, social workers and others who work with children. As far as I know, it’s the first national qualification in this area in the world and, partly as a result of its innovative nature, it has been a long…
Read moreRead more about Working with CEOPI received an e-mail this morning to inform me that the new units that were developed as part of the NPA in Computer Games Development (at SCQF 4, 5 and 6) are now available on the SQA website. These units are: F915 10 Computer Games: Design (SCQF 4/Intermediate 1) F916 10 Computer Games: Media Assets (SCQF 4/Intermediate 1) F917 10 Computer Games: Development (SCQF 4/Intermediate 1) F915 11 Computer Games: Design (SCQF 5/Intermediate 2) F916 11 Computer Games: Media Assets…
Read moreRead more about National Units in Computer Games are now availableThe UK’s Digital Champion, Martha Lane Fox, recently published a report on the use of the Internet in the UK. The Manifesto for a Networked Nation makes interesting reading. Her manifesto is simple: by the end of the current parliament, everyone of working age should be online and no-one should retire without web skills. She points out the size of the challenge – 10 million adults in the UK have never used the Internet. These are primarily the socially disadvantaged…
Read moreRead more about Manifesto for a Networked Nation