E-commerce qualifications

We've been looking at our e-commerce qualifications recently, with a view to updating them. So, yesterday's E-Commerce Workshop, organised by Scotland IS, was very timely. And since it was held in the Raddison Hotel in Glasgow, it was also very convenient.

The full team attended since our existing e-commerce qualifications span the advanced and non-advanced sectors. It was an excellent event. Around 40 people attended, mostly from Scottish businesses. The event was very practical, the aim being to provide practical advice to permit more businesses to get online.

I learnt a great deal from the event. Some real experts were leading the workshops. I think all three of us (me, Caroline and Hilary) learnt a lot, which will help us to ensure our existing portfolio of e-commerce awards is up-to-date.

We recently developed a new NPA in Doing Business Online, which added to the existing NPA in Website Enterprise, and there are various HN units that relate to this area. We are currently looking at these qualifications to check that they are fit for purpose.

Contact Caroline if you want to know more about our e-commerce awards.

Free online course for teachers of Computer Games

Scotland's Colleges and SQA Academy are working together to support teachers who deliver the NPAs in Computer Games Development.

A short course is available to teachers from 14-28 February. The course is designed to provide support for the delivery and assessment of the NPAs, and is open to any teacher in Scotland (college or school). It's mostly an online course, but one day attendance (on 28 February) is required. The course is free.

The programme begins on 14 February via SQA Academy, when you will have an opportunity to look at a range of online learning materials to support you when teaching these awards. The course tutor is the same person who created the materials, so you will hear it from the horse's mouth. The course concludes with a one day face-to-face event at Scotland's Colleges, in Stirling, on 28 February when you will have an opportunity to meet other participants and undertake a number of interactive activities to help you deliver the qualifications.

You don't have to attend the face-to-face event, if you are unable to get release from your centre, but the course was designed to include online and offline components to make the most from it.

Since the NPAs are component parts of the new National Certificates in Computer Games Development, this course is also suitable for anyone who teaches on those awards.

This course is separate from the support materials for these NPAs being developed as part of the TRANSET project, which are still under development.

If you are interested in attending, you can download the programme and book a place here, or contact Fiona Saxby for more information about the programme. Contact Hilary if you want to know more about the NPA awards.

Royal Society report on Computing in schools

Readers of this blog will be aware of the on-going discussions about Computing in schools. Co-incidentally to the Minister's announcement about the subject, the Royal Society recently produced a report about the issue.

Shut Down or Restart? [PDF] makes 11 recommendations about Computing in schools. Although the report focuses on England, most of the recommendations relate to the entire UK.

It makes interesting reading. Of particular interest is the criticism of "ICT" as a description of the subject, and a recommendation that it is divided into three distinct subject areas: "digital literacy", "Information Technology", and "Computer Science".

The report has potentialy important implications for awarding organisations (such as SQA). For example, one of the recommendations is that every awarding organisation in the UK reviews its portfolio of awards and clearly distinguishes each one using this classification.

SQA is actively considering the recommendations in the report. Look out for more reaction to this report in future blog posts.

NC Computer Games Development

The fourth meeting of the QDT for the new National Certificate (NC) in Computer Games Development was held yesterday afternoon in the SQA offices in Glasgow.

The lead developer, Frank Duffy of Motherwell College, presented a draft framework to the meeting. In fact, Frank presented two frameworks: one for a "technical" NC and one for a "creative" NC. He has spent a lot of time since the last QDT meeting in discussion with various individuals and organisations, such as representatives of universities, and came to the conclusion that a single framework would not meet their needs. He proposed two NC awards at SCQF Level 6:

1. NC Computer Games: Software Development
2. NC Computer Games: Animation.

We liked this, and plan to proceed on this basis. Seperating the areas means that each award can focus on specific skills. For example, the proposed Software Development award will have programming and mathematics as mandatory units.

We also had an interesting discussion about the optional topics in each award, which could include topics such as enterprise, AI, UI design and games theory. We plan to include Highers in the optional sections of each award. For example, the Animation award will include Art at Higher Level; the Software Development award will include Computing and Mathematics at Higher Level.

We also had good discussions around STEM, core skills and Curriculum for Excellence.

We now need to finalise the frameworks and get down to unit writing, before organising a validation event, which I hope will be held sometime in April or May. We will carry out a public consultation on the draft frameworks once they are firmed-up. Watch this space.

Both of these new qualifications will be available to centres from August. Contact Hilary if you want more information about this development or contact Frank if you want to know more about how the qualifications are shaping up.

Sector Panel and Support Teams

We engage with stakeholders in a number of ways, such as the annual Heads of Computing event. But we run two committees that are particularly important in this regard.

The Sector Panel for Computing & IT seeks to get feedback from you in a direct way -- through bi-annual face-to-face meetings. The Sector Panel includes representatives from colleges, schools and industry, including E-Skills UK. The Qualifications Support Teams (there are two - one for non-advanced and one for advanced qualifications) are another channel of communication. The QSTs are responsible for helping us to support centres, and keeping the qualifications up-to-date. They meet once per year and use online communications in-between meetings. The members are drawn from colleges and schools.

The Sector Panel and QSTs are not talk-shops. They make decisions that have a real impact on what we do. For example, in the recent past, the Sector Panel has suggested new qualifications that we have subsequently created. The QSTs suggest support materials to help teachers deliver our qualification, which we then [usually] commission.

Me and my team met yesterday afternoon to discuss the membership of these groups. As a result, we are looking for new members of the Sector Panel and the QSTs. We are particularly interested in representatives of industry to serve on the Sector Panel, and representatives of schools to serve on the QST for non-advanced awards. But we'd be interested to hear from anyone who is willing to give up some of their time to carry out these important roles. I think it's fair to say that the current members all find their membership rewarding. It's not only a great opportunity to have your say but it's also a great way of keeping up-to-date with developments and networking with people with similar interests.

Please contact Caroline for more information about the Sector Panel or the QST for advanced (HN/PDA) awards, or contact Hilary for information about the QST for non-advanced (NC/NPA) awards. Or contact me if you want a more general discussion.

New Internet Safety qualification is coming

I mentioned the review of the Internet Safety unit previously. We've fallen a litte behind our original schedule. I met with the lead developer yesterday (thanks to the wonders of Skype) to get a progress report.

The new unit will be validated in mid-February and available to centres from the end of that month. We will also have online learning materials available from the middle of February, including mobile phone materials that will permit learners to undertake the course via their smartphones. The new unit will be assessed via SOLAR and using a blog.

We plan to launch the new qualification on Safer Internet Day, which will be held on 7 February this year.

It will be safe to assume that all materials (teaching, learning and assessment material) will be available well before the start of the new academic year. So, if you currently deliver the Internet Safety award, you should consider updating to the new version for next session.

Contact Caroline for more information about Internet Safety.

Computing curriculum in Scotland

You may have noticed the on-going debate in England about the ICT curriculum. There have been criticisms about what is taught in English schools, with complaints that it is boring and only focuses on using software rather than creating it.

This morning the Minister for Education, Michael Gove, spoke about the problem at the BETT conference in London. He described the current offerings as "harmful and dull" and pledged to change the curriculum in England.

Some people have claimed that Scotland does it better. While we also have a number of ICT awards that focus on using the technology, we have maintained a strong focus on the technical side of the subject. The National Courses in Computing have retained their technical emphasis, with computer programming an essential component. More recently, we have introduced new awards in computer games [PDF] that combine programming with engaging content, which have been well received.

There are also new courses in the pipeline. The changes to Computing that will come about as a result of the Curriculum for Excellence will emphasise computer (and information) science, the new HNC Computing makes software development a mandatory component (it was previously optional), and there are new awards in mobile technology, which involve the creation of smartphone apps, about to become available to schools and colleges.

I don't mean to sound complacent. There is always room for improvement, and there are challenges facing Scotland too. But, I think, the Scottish curriculum has something for everyone.

Industrial Advisory Board

I was invited to serve on the Industrial Advisory Board (IAB) for the School of Computing at the University of the West of Scotland (UWS). I attended my first meeting yesterday afternoon, held on the Paisley campus.

The Board serves a similar purpose to the SQA Sector Panel in that it seeks feedback and advice from external people. But the IAB is huge. There are 44 members, representing 40 external bodies (now including SQA). There was a good turnout at yesterday's meeting, with around 30-35 people attending.

The agenda was varied, including an update on the HE Academy and the use of e-portfolios in Higher Education. The discussion included a debate about students' use of social media and it was interesting how many of the employers stated that they expected CVs to be presented digitally (LinkedIn was particularly popular) and how they routinely used social networks (such as Facebook) for background checks on candidates. One of the items on the agenda related to BCS accreditation of their degree courses, and that reminded me that I need to pursue BCS accreditation for the new HN awards.

I had planned to review the membership of the SQA Sector Panel but yesterday's meeting brought this into sharp focus because of the high turnout at the Board meeting compared to the much lower attendance at Sector Panel meetings. The University's Board and SQA's Panel operate similarly so that's not the problem, but I need to increase membership and representation, and improve attendance at Sector Panel meetings. That will be one of my resolutions for 2012.

Contact Caroline if you want to know more about the Sector Panel.

SQA , Oracle and a UK First

We are delighted that for the first time an  International Oracle Academy event for school teachers and trainers will be held in Scotland.

We have a strong working partnership with Oracle and it will be great to welcome teachers from across the UK and beyond to Scotland. There are well established links to the Oracle Curriculum from  Higher , Advanced Higher and through to  HNC/D  and vocational qualifications SCQF 6-8

The Oracle Academy provides teachers and lecturers with the skills required to successfully deliver the Oracle Academy curriculum in schools and further education establishments, the EMEA Institute is being held in the UK / Scotland for the first time, it has  previously run in Belgium, Vienna, The Netherlands and the Czech Republic.  

Teachers / lecturers who participate from Scotland will work face-to-face with  people from a variety of teaching  backgrounds from across Europe, and will have access to personal support and tuition.
The Oracle Academy in Edinburgh will focus on two classes as part of our Introduction To Computer Science course:

Database and Programming with SQL
Students analyze business requirements; create entity relationship diagrams and data models while building collaboration and problem solving skills. Later, students learn SQL using the Oracle Application Express tool; they investigate careers, gain interviewing skills and earn Oracle Professional certification opportunities.

Database Programming with PL/SQL
Students develop PL/SQL programming, project management, and application development skills. In addition, students have the opportunity to gain certification as an "Oracle PL/SQL Developer Certified Associate."

 Virtual training Available  (approx. 2 months) April 9 - June 15, 2012
In-class training (5 days) - The Royal High School, Edinburgh, Scotland - July 23 - July 27, 2012    
·         Attend daily training - 5 days    
·         Complete Exit Exam
·         Pass Exit Exam within 60 days of the conclusion of the in-class training.
The course is free but candidates must provide their own accommodation and subsistence
To view course curriculum please visit https://academy.oracle.com/pages/prog_offerings_courses_overviews.htm
To view the Institute schedule online visit https://academy.oracle.com/pages/prog_commit_inst_institute.htm

If you want to know more about what is involved please contact mailto:iris.lanny@oracle.com  You are also  invited to attend a free event in the Teacher Building, Glasgow on Thursday 2nd February, 10am - 12pm to hear more details of the program from existing Oracle Academy members in Scotland at college and Secondary school level.   To confirm your place at this event click here .

Happy New Year

The team returned to work today. We all had a nice, if wet and windy, holiday.

Last year was a good year for the team. The main development was the HN Review, which culminated in the validation event for HNC Computing in December. We worked hard to develop and promote qualifications for markets outside of Scotland, and we hope that this will bear fruit during the coming year. The annual Heads of Computing event, held in early December, was also a success.

We have a lot planned for 2012. We have to complete the HN Review, which will involve the development of five revised or new awards, and a number of existing awards are due to be reviewed this coming year, including PC Passport. Last year we introduced a satisfaction survey, to find out what we were doing right and wrong, and we plan to continue with this again in 2012.

We also intend to continue with our use of social meda to engage with the sector. This blog has established itself as an important commmunication channel, and our Twitter feed is becoming popular (we currently have 330 followers). The final piece in the jigsaw would be a social network, and we plan to look at services  such as Google Plus to see if this can add to our existing communication tools.

We live in interesting times. The vocational education sector in Scotland, and beyond, is going through a period of rapid change. We appreciate that you need up-to-date qualifications for your learners and we are here to provide them -- so let us know if we can help you in any way.

We hope you have a good 2012, and appreciate you reading this blog.

Christmas party

We had our Christmas party yesterday. It began in the customary way, with a secret Santa in the office, before we headed off to the Merchant City for our Christmas lunch. Some of you may recognise Santa as the man who normally organises examinations in English.

There are a few sore heads today, but everyone made it in to the office. We stop this afternoon until Thursday, 5 January.

Thanks for taking the time to read the blog. Our readership has steadily grown over the years, and it is now one of the main channels of communication between SQA and centres. The team wish you a happy Christmas and a peaceful New Year.

Bobby, Caroline & Lois Hilary

NC Computing: Technical Support Arrangements

I noticed that the Arrangements for the new NC Computing: Technical Support are now available on the SQA website [PDF]. This qualification is offered at SCQF Levels 5 and 6.

This new NC award is more technical than existing NC qualifications (such as NC Digital Media Computing) and better suited to progression to the more technical HN awards (such as HNC/D Computer Networking).

This NC was developed by City of Glasgow College, with support from the NQGA team in SQA. Since I was not personally involved in the development, I was able to serve on the validation panel.

You can download the Arrangements for any of our NC or NPA awards here.

Contact Hilary if you want to know more about any of these non-advanced awards, including the new Technical Support qualification.

Operational planning

The team met this morning to discuss our plans for 2012-13. Every year each team in the Qualifications Development Directorate creates an operational plan, which describes the qualifications that we plan to revise or create in the coming year. I know that colleges do something similar, which is why we have the Heads of Computing event around this time of the year to help you create your plans.

A number of awards are due their "quinquenial review". We try to review each qualification every five years. So, next year we will be looking at the National Certificate in Digital Media Computing, PC Passport, and HNC/D IT, among others. We also have some ideas for new qualifications. Of course, me and my team don't just dream up things and then proceed to develop them. Every development goes through a business case process, which ensures that we only spend time and money on qualifications that meet a real need.

We try to listen to what you want throughout the year, but if you have any ideas for new qualifications please contact me directly or leave a comment on this post.

HNC Computing validation

The validation event for the revised HNC Computing was held on Friday. The award was validated with some conditions. The development team was delighted with the outcome.

It was a good event and the new award will benefit from the Validation Panel's ideas. You can find out more about the validation event on the HN Review blog. Or contact Caroline for more information about the HN Review.

Awarding Body Forum

I attended one of the quarterly Awarding Body Forum meetings yesterday, which was held in the OCR offices in Coventry. It wasn't the best day for flying and my return flight into Glasgow featured in the national news. But I survived.

These meetings are attended by awarding bodies from all corners of the UK, such as OCR, EdExcel, and BCS. The meeting is chaired by Chris Morrow of E-Skills UK.

The agenda covered a range of topics such as ITQs in English schools and Modern Apprenticeships (MAs), which are particularly important for Scotland since we are in the process of updating the current IT User and IT Professional MAs. SQA will host a meeting about this in January.

England is a complex qualification sector, so these meetings are a good way for me to keep up to date with what's happening in the rest of the UK.

Contact Hilary if you want to know more about SVQs or Modern Apprenticeships.

NC Computer Games QDT

The third meeting of the QDT for the new NC in Computer Games Development, at SCQF Level 6, took place today. The aim of today's meeting was to brainstorm the contents of the new award. So there was lots of talking about the sort of things we want in the award.

I began the meeting by congratulating Frank Duffy, of Motherwell College, for being elected the Lead Developer for this project.

Of course, we don't have a blank piece of paper. There is a Level 5 award already in existence and, of course, this award should articulate with the HNC in Computer Games Development. But we had interesting debates about what should be in this award, core skills and other areas such as mathematics and business skills.

The team felt it important that the award is suitable for technical and creative students, and the framework should not create barriers to either group... so mandatory maths was out!

It was a good meeting. We finished by asking Frank to take away our ideas and turn them into an actual framework. Once the QDT agrees a framework we will carry out a public consultation. Watch this space for more information.

Contact Hilary if you want to know more about this development.

Microsoft Partners in Learning Camp Scotland #pilgf #msftpil

We've been a partner with Microsoft since 2003 around vocational qualifications but for the last six years  this has included  learning and teaching development opportunities  through the superb programme that is Microsoft Partners in Learning. 

There are now three Microsoft Innovative Schools in Scotland

Calderglen High School in East Kilbride,
Stirling High School in Stirling
Tynecastle High School in Edinburgh.

It should not be a secret that the Microsoft Partners in Learning Programme offers Scottish Teachers the opportunity to network in Scotland , across the UK and internationally. Scottish Teachers do really well in competitions like the annual innovative teachers awards - success at UK level can lead to European and Global events. You can read some reports from the recent Global Forum in Washington DC from three of our delegates here

Ollie Bray  Is writing his usual  full account of proceedings
Ian Stuart  An epic with some great photographs
Tony McDaid  Some nice reflections from a Head Teacher

There are always opportunities to get involved - it is worth following the Partners in Learning Blog http://blogs.msdn.com/b/teachers/

In January you could meet some of the team in Scotland !


In January Calderglen High School is hosting a Microsoft Partners in Learning Teaching Camp

Camp Scotland 

After the great success of the last three Microsoft Partners in Learning Teacher Camps, we are taking the concept on the road (to Scotland) – this is an open invitation to all Teachers in Scotland. So if you want to spend time with other innovative educators, then this is an ideal event for you.

Camp Scotland takes place at Calderglen High School, starting 10:00am on Thursday 26th and finishing 4:00pm Friday 27th January 2012.

What will I be doing at  Camp Scotland?

We will give you training in using free Microsoft software to create teaching and learning resources for the classroom. You will have time to design, create and evaluate those resources and collaborate with others. You will also get the chance to speak to experts at Microsoft about our technology. In addition you will also be learning how to deliver the same training to colleagues in your own schools. These resources will take the form of screen capture videos, which we call Innovids. You can see examples of these on the Partners in Learning YouTube Channel – www.youtube.com/innovativeteach

How do I apply?

We don’t want videos or lengthy biographies from you, to apply for this free event, just email three tweet-esque type statements (140 characters or less) to ofrazer [at] calderglen.s-lanark.sch.uk  before the closing date  Friday 16^th December. These statements should be ideas of how you would, or are using Microsoft technologies to support learning across the curriculum. For example:-

• using conditional formatting in Excel to help visual learners in numeracy
• using PowerPoint to create animated flicker books
• using the Songsmith to create mobile ringtones

Also include details of your school, subject expertise and pupil age range in your application. We will select 25 applicants with the most intriguing and innovative ideas, who will be notified on Friday 13^th January.

I am not an ICT teacher is it worth me applying?

Yes, most definitely, we are looking for classroom innovators in learning, rather than techie whizz kids. This event is targeted at those Teachers in Scotland interested in teaching and learning, and how technology can support that, rather than the technology itself. This event is for teachers in Primary, Secondary and Special school settings.

What will I need to bring?

We expect you to bring some of the tools you are using already:

• a headset with a microphone or Headphones and a Microphone
• a laptop running Windows Vista or Windows 7,
• Office 2007 or 2010 (not essential)
• You need to have installed and have working , Community Clips  -Freely available at http://www.officelabs.com/projects/communityclips/Pages/Default.aspx
• We will send you a list of tools to download and install when we confirm your attendance.

What will I be expected to do?
We hope that you will create two innovid resources. We will collect those resources and post them to our YouTube Channel and GLOW.
In return, we will offer you support if you wish to recreate this course in your school and you will receive a certificate welcoming you as a Partners in Learning Teacher, along with more ideas about how to enhance pupil’s learning through the use of technology.

Heads of Computing event

The Heads of Computing event was held on Friday (2 December) but I've not had the chance to update the blog since then.

These meetings have been taking place, every year, for a long time. I remember attending them when I was a Head of Department in the 1990's. Computing is one of the few subject areas to continue with these events but I think that they still serve a purpose since they, effectively, summarise what's been going on for the last 12 months - and what's coming down the line in the future. So, they're a great way to catch up, for busy people.

There was a good turn out on Friday. Fifty-four people attended, from 34 colleges, which represents very good coverage of the Scottish FE sector.

There are some standing items on the agenda, such as the Senior External Verifier's annual report, and my own presentation was a standing item too -- the qualification update, when me, Caroline and Hilary report on what's been developed over the last year and what we're currently working on.

Heads of computing dec 2011

View more presentations from bobbyelliott.

The agenda was pretty varied with presentations about the teaching of Computer Games qualifications, an update on the online learning material that is available to centres, and a particularly interesting discussion about how colleges can work together. We also took the opportunity to update attendees on the HN Review.

All of the presentations from the day are available from Caroline. If you attended the event, please complete a short event evaluation survey to help us make next year's event better.

Appointment of VMware Cascade Centre

A communication went to all College Principals and Heads of Computing today -
Check with your SQA Coordinator for full  details.

The SQA  and VMware are seeking to appoint a national cascade centre for VMware - to work with SQA and VMware for three years in the first instance.

This is an opportunity to work directly with VMware and play a shaping
role in the development of VMware skills across Scottish Further Education
and the positioning of VMware Certification within the national
qualifications portfolio.

We are delighted to welcome VMware as a DIVA partner.

Second visit to JISC conference

I haven't managed to return to the JISC conference since Tuesday morning, but I caught the final keynote presentation this afternoon, which was given by Ewan McIntosh, whose blog is well known.

Ewan spoke about the eight challenges for educators. These included the use of jargon and how to design the curriculum. It was another wide ranging and interesting talk. I was particularly interested in his comments about our failure to really encourage life long learning (he pointed out that only 1% of adults in the UK have a PhD). He also questioned HE's real desire to change since so much of the present system suits the sector.

The entire conference was delivered through Blackboard. The keynotes were all delivered by video. Blackboard supports a range of tools to permit the audience to interact with the speaker, such as online voting, so there was a lot of interaction -- more interaction than you normally get at a "real" conference. I enjoyed the sessions that I attended every bit as much as I would have if I had been there in person. In fact, being online has advantages in that you can immediately check out things, such as references that a speaker provides.

Online learning has fantastic potential for continued professional development.