Review of the year

This seems a good time to look back over 2015. The most significant event (for me) was losing Caroline, who had worked with me for a long time. My loss is SOLAR’s gain. On a happier note, Caroline’s vacant position was filled by Helen, who had been working with me on a temporary basis. From a qualification perspective, the big development was the NPAs in Cyber Security, which went live at the end of July, followed by the new Award…

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Christmas Cyber Security lectures

I attended the Christmas Cyber Security lecture at Glasgow University yesterday afternoon. It was the usual high standard, with great speakers from all over the UK talking about various aspects of cyber security. This year’s theme was the new NPAs in Cyber Security so the speakers all addressed some aspect of this qualification. I particularly enjoyed the informative and entertaining lecture on selecting a password. The lectures have been organised by Martin Beaton since their inception. Martin is a great…

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PDA Software Development validation

The validation event for the new PDA in Software Development took place yesterday in the SQA offices in Glasgow. The validation panel consisted of representatives of colleges, universities, employers and SQA. The purpose of a validation event is for a group of independent experts to scrutinise a new (or revised) qualification. I’m pleased to report that the panel liked the proposed award, describing it as “needed” and “very good”. Some improvements were suggested (but none that related to the structure or…

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Cyber Security assessments

I’ve had a several enquiries about the assessments for the new Cyber Security awards. We are developing Assessment Support Packs (ASPs) for every Unit within the new NPAs, as well as an ASP for the new Cyber Security Fundamentals Unit. The assessments all have two parts: (1) an assessment of knowledge (normally a short multiple choice test); and (2) an assessment of practical abilities (normally a short practical exercise). Each ASP will contain the second bit (the practical assessment) with…

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Qualification portfolio update

I updated my qualification “portfolio” today. You might prefer to call it my list of qualifications. Look under “Useful links”. This is a live link, which means that it will always point to the latest version of the diagram. So, I won’t keep posting updates every time I change it. Please remember to check the permalink if you want to access it. The main things to look for in the diagram are the awards in bold and italics. The bold ones are…

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National Technologies Network meeting

Education Scotland convenes regular meetings with Local Authority leaders in technology called National Technologies Network meetings. I attended the meeting in Glasgow yesterday since cyber security was on the agenda. I gave a presentation on national qualifications in this field. I focussed on the new National Unit Cyber Security Fundamentals (at SCQF Level 4) and the new NPAs in Cyber Security. I expressed my view that every young learner in Scotland should have the opportunity to take the National Unit since,…

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Update on PDA Software Development

I recently posted about the forthcoming validation of this new suite of awards. It will take place on Tuesday, 15 December in the SQA offices in Glasgow. A strong panel has been selected to scrutinise the awards. The development was announced in June but, due to the academic calendar, didn’t commence until late August. So, it’s been a speedy development. But, I think, it’s been thorough. Almost 100 representatives participated in the research (including 28 employers) and the results are…

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NPA in Digital Literacy web page is live

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)…

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PC Passport and Digital Passport launch event

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…

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