Qualification Development Team meeting for HN-Next Gen
I’ve been meaning to post an update about the recent Qualification Development Team (QDT) meeting for HN-NG awards in Computing, which took place on 29 January. The attendance (16 people) was exceptional given that it was held late Friday afternoon.
Regular readers will know that we’re developing two qualifications as part of the first phase of HN-NG.
- HNC Computing
- HND Data Science.
The meeting focussed on grading. Grading is one (of the many) changes that HN-NG will introduce. The proposal from QDT is that we adopt a Pass/Merit/Distinction system so that, for example, learners would gain “HND Data Science with Distinction”. We’re also proposing that units are graded (A/B/C) and that this grading contributes to the overall award grade. The final component in grading would be a portfolio, showcasing the learner’s best work, which would also contribute to the overall award grade. The final decision about grades would be made by course teams within centres (subject to SQA validation). None of this has been decided yet and we’re still working on the details but this approach has the broad support of QDT.
It’s important to emphasise that HN-NG awards are prototypes, and the qualifications will be piloted in a limited number of centres (next session) so that we can test these ideas in practice.
Please contact Helen for more information about grading or any other aspect of this development.
