Providing high quality support materials for SQA’s qualifications - Our roadmap for China –

1. BISU, Beijing, Thursday 13 September 2012 Providing high quality support materials for SQA’s qualifications - Our roadmap for China – Update September 2012 Martyn Ware Head of Assessment Development and Delivery

2. Overview • What support materials are • Why they are valuable • SQA’s approach to providing support materials • Update since September 2011 • Discuss our thinking and plans to make sure we will meet your needs

3. What are support materials? ‘….all material which SQA produces to support the delivery, assessment and quality assurance of our qualifications’

4. Why support materials are important • Enhance centre, lecturer and learner experience • Help ensure consistency in delivery and assessment • Strengthen quality assurance • Benefits to centres, SQA and learners

5. Purposes of support materials

6. Types of support materials

7. Our support materials roadmap – from September 2011

8. Our roadmap for China – Stage 1 • Map existing materials to existing HND Business frameworks • Identify other resources that can support delivery e.g. ESoL formative assessments • Identify wider resources to support delivery and QA • Highlight other resources that can be freely used e.g. Mahara e-portfolio • Establish clear understanding of needs and priorities

9. Stage 1- Update • Map existing materials to existing HND Business frameworks • Summarised in spreadsheet on website • Identify other resources that can support delivery • Links from website to e.g. ESoL formative assessments

10. Stage 1- Update • Identify wider resources to support delivery and QA • e.g. SQA Academy courses, SQA guidance documents • Highlight other resources that can be freely used e.g. Mahara e-portfolio • Summary information and links available through the website

12. Stage 1- Update • Establish clear understanding of needs and priorities • Greater focus for SQA over past year and captured in this strategy • Dialogue in May on future approaches e.g. blended learning

13. Stage 2 - Update • Develop new materials and resources based on understanding of needs and priorities • Learner guides being updated: CMEPH update to follow • Build capacity in centre staff to develop materials • SQA Academy package on developing assessments for prior verification • Establish SQA Academy as key source of support • Trial provision of e-learning support for one framework

14. Updating Learner Guides • Not part of SQA’s original plan • Now underway in response to feedback • Learner guides are not a textbook: they need to be used in combination with other resources • The world keeps changing (so impossible to keep LGs completely up to date…..) • Further update on processes and timescales from CMEPH

15. Blended learning trial • Outline SQA’s original thinking and plans • Summarise feedback from May workshops • Propose revised plans in light of this feedback

16. Defining blended learning ‘....the pedagogic methodology that uses a range of learning and teaching resources. These are: • traditional didactic classroom teaching • the use of texts from which students learn • the use of the internet to access learning • the use of online virtual learning environments (VLEs) to host resources that can be used independently by students or in a classroom setting......’

17. Reasons for encouraging use of blended learning • Broaden the range of teaching and learning approaches • Ensure that graduates are as fully prepared as possible for further study outside China • Protect the SQA HND’s reputation as a high quality and forward-thinking international qualification

18. Rationale for the trial • Staff are experienced in delivery of HND and ready for new approaches • Greater use of technology generally in life and learning • Preparation for further study outside China • Greater flexibility in how courses are delivered

19. Purpose of the trial ‘...to build a clearer understanding of the specific challenges associated with the use of blended learning in our Chinese centres and, importantly, help to inform plans for a larger scale roll out of blended learning approaches.’

20. Feedback from May events • General recognition of the need to adopt new approaches • Needs strong driver to encourage and motivate learners • Strong attachment to paper • Practical issues for centres e.g. access to ICT • Staff readiness • Degree of change during 2012

21. Revised approach • Plans reviewed in light of feedback from May • Defer start of trial until Sept 2013 • Allows time to become more familiar with new Business framework • Develop blended learning and assessment together to encourage learners • Offer guidance and support in preparation for the trial

22. Our support materials roadmap

23. Stage 3 • Build on what works from Stages 1 and 2 • Roll out e-learning for Business framework and business units in other frameworks • Develop new approaches based on emerging needs, priorities and models

24. Summary • We remain committed to providing high quality and up to date support materials • Our 2011 strategy remains our framework • Elements of our plan have been delivered: others are in progress • We have sought feedback and revised our plans in response • Our focus remains on enhancing the experience of SQA’s qualifications for centres and learners

25. 谢谢你