November 18, 2014 - Bobby -
We’ve just about got a lead person for each new college. We have lead contacts for 17 of the 19 Scottish colleges, and we hope to have a “complete set” in the near future. I’ve created a private group for the lead people so that we can easily communicate and share information. This lead person network will not replace the usual channels of communications, such as this blog and my annual update letters, but it does provide me with a…
Read moreRead more about Lead person network now established
November 14, 2014 - Bobby -
As you may know, this award is due to be reviewed this year. The current award was introduced in 2007. I plan to convene a meeting of centres, with an interest in this award, in the coming weeks to decide the best way to progress this development. There are a number of options including leaving it as it is (but updating its contents) and bringing it into the Digital Passport family of awards. Please contact Liz if you are interested…
Read moreRead more about NPA Digital Literacy
November 12, 2014 - Bobby -
There are a series of Christmas lectures on cyber security coming up in various places around Scotland. I attended last year’s event in Glasgow, which was great fun, so I can highly recommend it. Tickets are available now. The events are organised by Martin Beaton of SICSA. SQA is currently considering the development of a number of qualifications in this area. Contact Liz for more information about our plans.
Read moreRead more about Christmas lectures on cyber security
November 10, 2014 - Bobby -
The annual Heads of Computing event will take place on Friday, 30 January in either Stirling or Edinburgh. I haven’t worked out a detailed agenda yet, and we’re not sure about the venue at this time, but please add that date to your diary. These events have been running for around 20 years now, and they are always well received. The event will follow the usual format, beginning with a keynote speaker and including updates about what’s been developed, what we’re currently…
Read moreRead more about Heads of Computing event
November 10, 2014 - Bobby -
I’ve mentioned previously that I am trying to identify a lead person from each college to act as the main point of contact between my team and each college. This person will be a subject specialist. Around half the colleges have now responded. I’ve asked Liz to contact the other colleges to get a name. So, if your college hasn’t responded yet, except a call from Liz. Once I have a designated person for each college, they will be invited…
Read moreRead more about Lead person
November 7, 2014 - Bobby -
I recently updated the FAQ for this new qualification. We are pilotting this award during the current session. A number of schools, colleges, training providers and third sector organisations have joined the pilot. It’s not too late to participate. The pilot runs from August 2014 to June 2015, and you can join (or leave) at any time. The component units are available (to all centres) now but only designated centres can offer the group award. You can find out more…
Read moreRead more about Digital Passport
November 6, 2014 - Bobby -
I updated my qualification portfolio diagram this morning. There are one or two minor changes (corrections) but no additions. It’s worth noting the qualifications in bold (these are new and you may not be aware of them) and the qualifications in italics (these are currently being revised). Here are the awards that we are presently revising: NPA Digital Literacy (SCQF Level 3) PC Passport (SCQF Levels 4, 5 and 6) HNC/D Interative Media HNC/D Information Technology HNC/D Computer Games Development.…
Read moreRead more about Updated portfolio
November 4, 2014 - Bobby -
As you know, we’ve been developing a couple of Higher National Units in the area of big data for a few months. They are: Big Data (SCQF Level 7) Data Science (SCQF Level 8). They’re almost complete now. The Big Data unit is complete, and is currently going through vetting, so I would be interested in your comments on it. Both units will be available to centres from January. The Level 7 unit will be added to HNC Computing, and…
Read moreRead more about Big Data
November 3, 2014 - Bobby -
The External Verifiers (EVs) for my subject area met on Saturday for their annual update meeting. The Senior EV (David Drennan) leads the event. The meeting took place in the SQA offices in Glasgow. There have been a few changes to the team. For one thing, there are now more women on the team than men, which is a first for the Computing EV team. When I was an EV in the 1990’s, if I remember correctly, there wasn’t a…
Read moreRead more about Annual meeting of External Verifiers
October 27, 2014 - Bobby -
The QDT for HNC/D Interactive Media met on Saturday to make some key decisions about the revised award. The development is being led by Fiona Murnin. The first decision we made was the title. The revised awards will be called: HNC Digital Design & Web Development HND Web Development HND Digital Development. The HNC will be common to both HNDs. One of the HNDs will focus on web development; the other will be more general and focus on digital platforms.…
Read moreRead more about HNC/D Interactive Media