As I posted earlier, Jiglu closes tomorrow. We are moving the online groups to a new service provider — hosted by GroupSpaces. If you are currently a member of one of the Jiglu groups, you should have received an invitation to join one of the new groups. If not, please join the generic support group here, and we will take care of you. In fact, everyone should join this group since it is the main support group for all vocational…
As you are aware, we are currently consulting on the five group awards which are part of the HN Review (HNC Computing, HND Computing, HND Computing: Software Development, HND Computing: Technical Support and HND Computing: Networking). If you have not yet had a chance to complete the online consultation survey, it can be accessed here. Once all frameworks have been finalised we will be in a position to identify new units to be developed and also those requiring revision. Given the high number…
There is a QST for non-advanced awards and one for advanced awards. Today was the turn of the advanced [HN] QST. Ten members attended a meeting in the Glasgow office, including a couple of new members. Most members are lecturers from FE colleges, across Scotland. Like the NQ QST, the key activity is the discussion about the various suggestions from centres. We considered five QST proposal forms today. The QST is not a talk-shop. We take action and make changes…
The Qualification Support Team (QST) for my non-advanced awards met this afternoon in the SQA offices in Glasgow. QSTs are charged with advising SQA about the support needs of our awards. A key part of any QST meeting is consideration of proposals from centres, which can request improved assessments or revised unit specifications. We use two types of form: a QST proposal form, for such things as requesting changes to units, and an assessment feedback form, to ask us to…
I received an e-mail yesterday, which contained a link to a story about boring ICT lessons in schools. SQA is working on new Computing qualifications as part of the Curriculum for Excellence, but there are already a large number of modern, engaging vocational qualifications available to centres. These include qualifications in Computer Games Development, Social Software, and Digital Culture. I was disappointed to see the uptake figures for the Digital Culture units. These are available at SCQF Levels 4-8 but…
I have previously posted about the E-Placement scheme, which is sponsored by the Scottish Funding Council and supported by E-Skills UK, Scotland IS, and Napier University. I met with Colin Smith, of Napier University, this morning to discuss how SQA can support the academic side of the initiative. The placement lasts for (at least) three months and could be done between the first and second years of the HND Computing programme. Students are paid during the placement. We looked at…
SQA was the first awarding body in the UK to produce a national qualification in the field of Internet safety and we were delighted when E-Skills UK adopted our qualification as the basis of their own award in this area. The National Unit [PDF] has been available since 2006. Since its introduction, it has proven to be very popular in schools and colleges; some schools offer it to every child in the early years of secondary school; many colleges include…
I met with Caroline and Hilary this morning to discuss the closure of Jiglu, and what we will do to replace that service. We’ve been supporting qualifications through online groups since 2003, when we used Yahoo Groups. Since then we have used a range of services, including Egroups, Smartgroups, Google Groups and Jiglu. In the last few years, the field has thinned out and there are not so many choices today. We decided to choose two service providers for our…
The HN development is now at the stage where the QDT is seeking feedback on its proposals. More on the HN Review blog. Please take a little time to complete the survey.
I received bad news yesterday. Jiglu is closing. We’ve used this service for our online groups for a few years, and we’ve been very happy with it. We now have the problem of finding a replacement service and moving the groups to the new service. But time is not on our side – Jiglu closes at the end of April. We are looking at a number of possible replacements, including our own internal service (based on Lotus Notes). Let us…
E-Skills occasionally hosts meetings between themselves, vendors and awarding bodies, and one of those meetings was held today in their London office. The purpose of the meetings is to provide a communication channel between the parties and to let the awarding bodies and vendors know about each other’s plans. A number of vendors (such as Microsoft, Apple and Cisco) attended this morning’s meeting, along with a number of awarding bodies (such as City and Guilds, and EdExcel). There were discussions…
Following my blog post last month the following Units are now coded and available to centres: FK89 34 Configuring a Desktop Operating SystemFK8A 34 Troubleshooting a Desktop Operating SystemFK88 35 Managing a Desktop Operating System Deployment All three Units will be added to the optional section of all existing HNC/D Computing related frameworks. They will also be part of the frameworks that are currently being revised as part of the HNC/D Computing/Networking Review.
Coincidentally, this morning I noticed that this blog had just reached 20,000 hits and our Twitter account now has 200 followers. I was particularly pleased with the Twitter statistic since we have been working hard to build-up that service, and 200 is a bit of a milestone. There’s a long way to go. I’d like every Computing teacher or lecturer to follow the team, but 200 is a start. Organisations are beginning to see the potential of services like Twitter.…
BigAmbition – a digital career starts here E-Skills have launched a tool that will help learners find the right career path in IT. A useful tool for current students and for profiling those interested in taking a computing course. BigAmbition’s iPhone app is now available to download, and it’s FREE! The application is designed for students interested in a career in IT as it matches personality traits to IT job roles. Students play games to unlock the jobs and can…
The Sector Panel for Computing & Information Technology met today, for one of its regular bi-annual meetings. The meeting was held in the SQA offices in Glasgow. The purpose of the Panel is to advise SQA about external developments, and it’s also an opportunity for me to update members about what we are doing. The Panel consists of representatives of FE colleges, universities, employers, and national bodies such as E-Skills UK and HMIE. The agenda always covers a wide range of…
Really just to follow on from Bobby’s post yesterday – leaflets are on the way to every College and the team are currently making appointments with every College in Scotland. We are delighted to support e-skills , Scotland IS and the team at Edinburgh Napier University in delivering this programme. What are the benefits for Colleges? e-Placement Scotland is working with Colleges across Scotland to identify best practices in accrediting paid work placements. We hope this will further encourage student…
The web log of the qualification team for Computing within SQA. Look out for news about Computing qualifications and related information.
