Piloting ‘Enhancements’ to
Higher National Qualifications
College Coordinator Conference
Tuesday 26 August 2014
James Morgan
Project Manager,
Policy, Assessment, Statistics and Standards
What are we hoping to achieve?
• The project aims to identify, develop and pilot ‘enhancements’
to our product specification, product support and supporting
guidance in relation to our Higher National Qualifications
• The ‘enhancements’ should assist learners’ and/or Colleges’
preparation for articulation opportunities
• Business, computing, social sciences, electrical engineering
Categories of ‘Enhancement’
•
•
•
•
Assessment
Content
Structure
Guidance
Assessment
Principles
•
•
•
•
Valid
Reliable
Practical
Equitable and Fair
Assessment Load – a simple equation?
Form of Assessment x Incidence of Assessment
But what metric? Time? Word Count?
Assessment Load – Other Variables
•
•
•
•
•
•
Writing assessments
Administering assessments
Marking assessments
Learner feedback
Re-mediation
Verification
Assessment Load – Existing Tools
• Sampling
• ‘Holistic’
- one assessment per Unit
• ‘Integrated’ - exploring opportunities to assess
across more than one Unit
Perspectives on Assessment
Colleges
Reduce assessment load more generally and the requirement to meet all
the evidence requirements in a Unit without any tolerance for errors or
omissions.
Articulation Hubs
General focus on the lack of academic competences i.e., preparation for
university learning and assessment approaches – referencing, planning,
self-directed learning.
Alternative Assessment Approaches
• Increased use of sampling
• Standard 50% cut-off score
• Seek to replicate, as far as possible, a university-style
assessment approach
• Requirement for learner feedback
• Lecturers and learners online feedback survey
Alternative Assessment Approaches
Reduced Assessment offers the opportunity to reduce the
assessment load (incidence and/or time) in an existing Higher
National Unit through the use of sampling and allows the
opportunity for an alternative assessment approach.
Combined Assessment offer the opportunity to reduce the
assessment load through a sample of content in two or more
Higher National Units through an investigation, research-based,
coursework or examination based assessment
Why Use the Alternative Assessment
Approaches?
•
•
•
•
Learners gain experience of a different assessment model
More time for teaching and learning
Less time marking or re-mediating assessments
Opportunity to assist SQA in evaluating different assessment
model
Academic Competences
A viewpoint, which perhaps provides a platform for views in
relation to articulation issues more generally, is that our Higher
National Qualifications may not prepare learners for subsequent
university teaching and assessment.
Academic Competences Framework
• Improving self-awareness, learning & performance
• Academic writing
• Research skills
• Study skills
• Active reading
• Exam preparation
Academic Competences (next steps)
• Development of contextualised Academic Competences
guidance to support Personal Development Planning (DE3R 34)
• Consideration of the development of an Academic Competence
Unit
Participating in the Pilot
• All colleges may participate – but must tell us first !
• Help us with ongoing feedback and evaluation
• ‘Pick and Mix’ approach – use whichever ‘enhancements’ you
wish.
More Information
hnenhancementpilot@sqa.org.uk
or
james.morgan@sqa.org.uk
Any Questions ?