June 9, 2015 - sqablogs -
I’m the qualifications officer for all computing NQ subjects, old subjects and levels as well as the new CfE curriculum. This involves managing the teams who write assessment materials, replying to any queries and organising and attending any events/meetings as well as looking after the computing teams when we are marking in May and June. We are currently in the middle of procedures, most marking for computing subjects is now completed and we are starting to looking at the statistics which show lots…
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I’m pleased to announce that we will be developing a suite of awards in software development. These new qualifications will be Professional Development Awards (PDAs) at SCQF Levels 7, 8 and 9. The working title of the qualifications will be: PDA in Software Development at SCQF Levels 7, 8 and 9. The business case was recently approved so I am now in a position to begin this development. The qualifications will focus on programming skills to address the skills shortage…
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We are now in the final stage of this development. The two component Units in this award are now available on the NQ Search of SQA website: H980 44 Refurbishing and Recycling a Computer (at SCQF level 4): http://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/files/nu/H98044.pdf H981 44 Setting up a Computer (at SCQF level 4): http://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/files/nu/H98144.pdf The Group Award Specification has been validated and will be coded and published on the website by the end of June. This award will be ready for centres to deliver…
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A few months ago, I mentioned that we were developing a new HN Unit entitled Digital Skills at SCQF Level 7. The aim of the Unit is to deliver basic digital skills to learners undertaking HN awards. The Unit is just about finished now. It will be finalised and coded in the next few weeks. You can see the current version of the Unit here. It will be available to centres from 1 August. Caroline will consult with the QST…
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I’ve been liaising with The Tech Partnership recently to ensure that the new Cyber Security awards take account of the National Occupational Standards (NOS) in that area. The Tech Partnership is a network of IT employers that aims to ensure that the UK has good digital skills. It took over many of the functions of the former Sector Skills Council (E-Skills UK), including the setting and maintenance of NOS. There are NOS for IT Users, IT Professionals and Information Security. NOS…
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The QDT for NPA Cyber Security met yesterday. It was an all day meeting to focus on finalising the qualification. We spent a lot of time considering the consultation feedback and looking at the contents of the units. We’ve made a lot of progress in a short period of time. The units will be finalised in the next few days, as will the Group Award Specification, so that we can go forward to validation, which takes place on 25 June.…
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I was asked to give a talk about the new SQA subject blogs at the College Curriculum Planning Group (CCPG) this morning. The CCPG’s remit is to ensure that both colleges and SQA know what each other are doing. It comprises senior members of staff from SQA, colleges and national organisations. The college representatives were interested in this initiative. I explained how it fitted into SQA’s Vision Statement (which seeks to “digitally transform” SQA) and Corporate Plan (which seeks to modernise…
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May 26, 2015 - sqablogs -
We recently blogged on the outcome from our first Qualification Design Team (QDT) meeting for the proposed HNC/D Technologies in Business awards. I am pleased to announce that Chris Deegan of City of Glasgow College has agreed to take on the role of Lead Developer for this qualification development. Chris is an experienced and knowledgeable QDT member who also led the HND Computing: Networking development in 2012/13. If you would like to find out more about this development or join the QDT, please contact me direct.
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Regular readers will know that the team are developing a large number of qualifications right now. But you may not be aware of the qualification development process. SQA follows an established procedure for this. One that heavily involves practitioners. In fact, our awards are effectively created by our stakeholders since you are involved at every stage. The full process can be seen in the attached file [PDF] or you can view it online here. Qualification development
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I noticed that we crossed the 600 mark on Twitter today. We now have 601 followers. We use Twitter for small updates and we use this blog for more detailed information. Very often, we use Twitter to publicise important posts on this blog (such as the beginning or end of a development). If you’re a regular reader of this blog (or you’ve added it to your RSS feed) then there is no need to follow us on Twitter but I know…
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