Setting up a Course and using the Course Tutor Guide Workshop A Kim Tree

Introduction  What procedure to go through when setting up a course.  What key factors to identify which will make for smooth running of programmes  What resources you will need

The First Step  The first document to review is the Course Tutor Guide  Ensure that all of the Unit specifications are available for the correct Units in the framework.  Ensure that the Assessment Exemplars are available.  What order of delivery will be best?

Framework changes  The topics for each Unit specification should be reviewed to see who best to deliver each of them – who has the experience and/or relevant qualifications to do this?  What materials do you have available to help candidates to learn what is included in the Unit specification?  How are candidates assessed?

Planning  Materials – student materials & tutor materials should be available.  Is there enough content at the correct level?  What do assessments for the topic ask the students to do?  Practice assessments to help them to prepare should be written.

Core Skills  Identify the core skills in each Unit and ensure that the Communications Unit is delivered as one of the first Units to allow candidates to build up skills required in other Units.  Working with others is built into some Units where group work is a key feature across the Course  Numeracy is built into some of the Units and is a key learning area.

Staff  Each centre will have a team who can deliver the Units in the framework.  The staff should be encouraged to review Units and materials and write their own assessment instruments.  Recommend that the assessment instruments are submitted for prior verification.

Preparing  Prepare teaching schedules  Identify when assessments should take place for each subject and prepare a master assessment schedule to ensure no overburdening  Identify topics which feed into the Graded Unit and ensure that candidates know the importance of these and they are delivered in the correct order.

Scheduling  Prepare timetables to suit centre team  Identify topics which usually present difficulties  Build in additional study sessions to address any issues

Up to Date  Is the information in the materials the most up to date available?  Do the staff have knowledge of the most up to date legislation in the UK which will affect the Units contents?  Are there any additional resources available which might help in delivery?

Resources  Materials  Text books  On line resources  UK Government information  Staff

Assessments  Assessments should meet all of the current legislation in any area.  They must be brought up to date if they do not meet the criteria  All Assessment Instruments should be subject to review by the assessors and answers to tasks checked and discussed.  Assessment instruments should be subject to Internal Verification.

Assessment decisions  It is important to ensure that the assessment conditions are met in all cases.  It is important to update the acceptable answers to show all answers from candidates which will be acceptable as meeting the criteria of the Unit Specification.  Details of assessment decisions and feedback must be recorded on student scripts.

Feedback  Feedback is important to all candidates.  Positive feedback where a candidate has done well is as important as guidance on where candidates could improve.  Feedback from Internal Verifiers to Assessors is important.  All of this feedback must be recorded.  Observing assessors giving feedback to candidates is required.

Standardisation  Different assessors for the same Unit should meet to discuss their marking and feedback.  They must agree on what is acceptable and what will not meet the criteria of the Unit.  How do the team reassess the candidates?  What should be remediation and what is a reassessment?

Assessor’s Judgement  This is based on occupational competence and knowledge of the Unit contents.  All assessors should agree on their decisions so that standardised results are made.  Records of these meetings should be kept.

Internal Verification  This must take place following assessment decisions on an on-going basis.  Don't wait until the end of the Unit – make it on- going  IV should review scripts from every group of students and every assessor.  All findings must be recorded

Results  Once the assessment decisions have been subject to verification by the IV they should be made available to the EV.  Results should be verified before being recorded in the SQA system.

Certification  When all results have been verified they can be recorded.  Candidates can they have their individual subject results recorded.  This should lead to certification by SQA.

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