March 16, 2016 - sqablogs -
Hello everyone, I just wanted to take this opportunity to introduce myself and give you some background information on myself. As you know, my name is Emma Campos and I joined SQA in 2013. For the last three years, I have been working as a Qualifications Development Officer in the Technologies area for the Curriculum for Excellence team, so I have been involved in the development of the new National Qualifications. I am really excited about joining Bobby’s team because it…
Read moreRead more about Introduction
The arrival of Emma, prompted me to update my portfolio diagram. You can download it here. You might want to print it and keep it by your side for when you are planning your curriculum. Please note the qualifications in bold (new or revised awards) and italics (under review). The main addition is the PDA in Software Development (SCQF Levels 7, 8 and 9) and the on-going review of PC Passport (Levels 4, 5 and 6).
Read moreRead more about Updated portfolio diagram
I’m pleased to let you know that Emma Campos joined the team yesterday. The team has experienced a lot of changes recently. Over the last 18 months, Hilary and Caroline have moved on and Helen and (now) Emma have joined the team. Emma comes from the Curriculum for Excellence team, where she was involved in the new Computing Science qualifications. Her knowledge and experience of that vital development will be a great help to the team. Now that the team is…
Read moreRead more about Welcome to Emma
February 15, 2016 - Helen -
The core Units within the revised NPAs in PC Passport SCQF Levels 4, 5 and 6 have now been published on the SQA website. There are nine new Units in total. These are: HA6J 44 Web Apps: Presentations (SCQF Level 4) HA6J 45 Web Apps: Presentations (SCQF Level 5) HA6J 46 Web Apps: Presentations (SCQF Level 6) HA6L 44 Web Apps: Spreadsheets (SCQF Level 4) HA6L 45 Web Apps: Spreadsheets (SCQF Level 5) HA6L 46 Web Apps: Spreadsheets (SCQF Level 6) HA6M 44 Web Apps: Word Processing (SCQF Level 4) HA6M 45 Web Apps: Word Processing (SCQF Level 5) HA6M 46 Web…
Read moreRead more about NPA PC Passport – core Units are coded and published
January 27, 2016 - Bobby -
I was asked to give a talk to an SQA committee (the SQA/STF Quality Focus Group) about developments in my area. A number of Qualifications Managers had done likewise, and yesterday was my turn. The idea was for me to outline my portfolio of qualifications and highlight key developments. It might be of interest to you since it summarises past, current and future developments. Given that the Lead Person Network meeting was cancelled this year, due to staff shortages, it’s…
Read moreRead more about Presentation to stakeholder group
Some time ago, I mentioned that Caroline had been successful in getting a new job with the SOLAR team in SQA. Since then I have been busy replacing her. I recently announced that Helen had been successful in getting the (permanent) position. That meant that Helen’s job was vacant. Helen was back-filling Hilary who had gained a temporary position as Digital Literacy Manager in SQA. This post will continue until May 2017. So, since then, I’ve been looked for a…
Read moreRead more about Staff changes
January 25, 2016 - Bobby -
I received an e-mail today from a teacher who suggested a change to an NPA. Receiving suggestions is great since it permits us to improve qualifications. There are two ways you can make suggestions. One is to complete an Ideas Capture Form. This is for when you have an idea for a new qualification. Once we receive this from you, we will take over and investigate if the idea is viable. If it is, we’ll develop the qualification. The other…
Read moreRead more about New ideas or suggested changes?
January 5, 2016 - Bobby -
SQA returned today, after the Christmas holiday. Most schools and colleges also return today. I wrote a review of the year in my final post of last year, which highlighted the high (and low) points of 2015. So, in this post, I will talk about the coming year. My immediate priority is to replace Helen, who was successful in getting Caroline’s permanent position. We’re a small team so losing one member of it is significant. We’re having to prioritise our work and some…
Read moreRead more about Welcome back
December 4, 2015 - Bobby -
The web page for this new qualification is now live. The qualification was validated some time ago, but you can now access a dedicated web page about this revised award. You’ll find the Group Award Specification (GAS) and other information on that page. The GAS defines the structure of the award and contains information about how to deliver and assess the qualification. This new qualification is an ideal introduction to digital skills. It is at SCQF Level 3 and contains three (mandatory)…
Read moreRead more about NPA in Digital Literacy web page is live
December 1, 2015 - Bobby -
The launch event for the new PC Passport and Digital Passport took place on Friday at the Village Hotel in Glasgow. It went well. The keynote was given by Steve Beswick, Director of Education for Microsoft UK. Steve’s talk focused on the vital importance of digital skills for the UK workforce. Steve took the opportunity to announce that Microsoft will introduce a Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) competition exclusively for Scotland. You can find out more about that here. We’re working…
Read moreRead more about PC Passport and Digital Passport launch event