The QDT for the review of HNC/D Interactive Media met yesterday afternoon for the fourth time. The previous meeting was held last January. The purpose of the meeting was to review progress and agree future tasks and timescales. I recently met with the Lead Developer and we felt it was a good time for the QDT to meet again. The QDT is proposing new titles for the awards: HNC Digital Design & Web Development HND Web Development HND Digital Development. This development has…
I noticed, this morning, that we’ve reached 700 followers on Twitter. I’m delighted about reaching that milestone. We started using Twitter six years ago so it has taken a few years to build that following. Thank you, if you’re one of our followers. If you’re not, please consider following the team. We promise not to drown you in updates (we only post a few each week), we only post relevant information (such as new qualifications, opportunities to work for SQA, support materials etc.)…
I made my first visit to CodeClan yesterday. CodeClan has recently became an SQA centre and is offering the new PDA in Software Development to its students. It’s the first centre of this type in the world (there are similar ones in cities across the world) to offer a national qualifications to learners. I was asked along to participate in a press day and also to provide advice about assessment. I was impressed with the facilities and the dedication of…
I’ve received a few enquiries about the review of PC Passport so I thought that it would be a good time to provide an update. PC Passport was originally introduced in 2004 and first reviewed in 2007. We commenced the second review in 2013. This second review was “parked” for a while since it was decided to split the development into two: one to develop a new suite of qualifications entitled “Digital Passport” and one to update PC Passport. Digital…
The subject page for the Professional Development Award in Software Development (SCQF Levels 7, 8 and 9) was made live this morning. You can find out more about this new qualification on that page, such as its structure and how it is assessed. There is also a link to the Group Award Specification. I’m pleased about how this suite of qualifications has turned out. They have a simple structure, they’re short (240 hours), sharply focussed (on coding), and flexible (you can…
I attended a meeting this morning about the selection of External Verifiers (EVs) for 2016/17. Qualifications Managers (QMs) were reminded that we are responsible for maintaining an adequate team of EVs to ensure that national standards are maintained across Scotland (and internationally). I’ve posted before about the EV role and how it is a fantastic CPD opportunity for practising teachers and lecturers. EVs visit centres (colleges, schools and training centres) to ensure that they are carrying out assessments to national…
I attended a presentation by Simon Hewitt, of Dundee & Angus College, yesterday morning about his college’s new programming initiative. The meeting was held in the Scottish Government offices. Simon explained that the Code Academy has taken over two years to turn from an idea into a reality. He attributed the initial concept to a keynote talk at a Heads of Computing event. The Academy officially launched a few weeks ago. It’s a collective effort by the college, the local…
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…
We’re currently looking for volunteers to write and/or vet a number of Assessment Support Packs (ASPs). These ASPs are for Units that are part of the new PDA in Software Development and the revised PC Passport awards. If you’re interested in writing or vetting (or both) then please add your name to the Writer or Vetter columns as appropriate.There is a list for Software Development and a list for PC Passport. You can volunteer for as many (or few) as you…
I attended the Scottish Government’s Cyber Security 2016 Conference yesterday, which held in Dynamic Earth. The event was attended by experts in cyber security from across Scotland, the UK, and the rest of the world. The agenda sounded interesting, and the presentations were as good as the agenda implied. The speakers were fascinating and included the Director of Cyber Security for the Scottish Government and the Head of Cyber Security for KPMG. My talk was about what education is doing to teach…
Today is Safer Internet Day. The Safer Internet Centre is launching a number of initiatives in support of the day. SQA is supporting the day too with a webpage explaining the qualifications that are available to protect learners from online threats. SQA was the first awarding body in the UK to offer a national qualification in online safety (in 2007) and we’re the first qualification authority in Europe to offer cyber security qualifications to school-age learners. The Award in Internet…
The Units within the recently validated PDA in Software Development have now been published on the SQA website. There are nine new Units in total. These are: Software Development: Analysis & Design (SCQF Level 7) Software Development: Analysis & Design (SCQF Level 8) Software Development: Analysis & Design (SCQF Level 9) Software Development: Implementation & Testing (SCQF Level 7) Software Development: Implementation & Testing (SCQF Level 8) Software Development: Implementation & Testing (SCQF Level 9) Software Development: Project (SCQF Level…
One of the conditions from the recent validation event for PC Passport was to consider different structures for the qualification. The QDT presented their preferred structure but the Validation Panel suggested possible alternatives, and asked the QDT to get feedback on a number of possible options. So, to that end, I have created a short survey, suggesting three possible options. I would appreciate if you would take a few minutes (it should take no more than five) to complete the questionnaire…
The World Economic Forum (in Davos) looked at future skills and employment trends over the period 2016-2020. The full report can be found here [PDF] and an Executive Summary here [PDF]. It predicts a global reduction in employment (mostly in “routine manual” and “routine cognitive” jobs) but an increase in technology related jobs, particularly data analysts. Technology will pervade all employment by 2020. Cloud computing, mobile technology and the Internet of Things will begin to have significant impact on jobs.…
I am delighted to announce that the PDA in Software Development has now been validated. I got the good news today. The validation took place in December and resulted in a few conditions for the QDT to address, the main one of which was to validate all of the component Units. All of the conditions have now been addressed. This development commenced in June, so today’s news brings to an end a project that has taken six months and produced three new qualifications: GL15…
