Piloting ‘Enhancements’ to Higher National Qualifications to Achieve Articulation

How did this project come about?  Meeting in March 2012 with the lead articulation universities, colleges, SQA, Scottish Funding Council, Education Scotland and Scottish Government.  Project approved by HN KPG in April  SFC funded / SQA led and managed.

Why are we doing it?  SQA’s Corporate Plan goal to ‘Develop, deliver and maintain a portfolio of qualifications and services to support the needs and aspirations of Scotland, its people and its economy’  Scottish Government’s post-16 reforms in relation to improved articulation and full recognition for prior learning.

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 HN Qualifications.  The ‘enhancements’ should assist learners’ and/or Colleges’ preparation for articulation opportunities.

What is the scope of the project?  The ‘enhancements’ will be introduced through restricted pilot activity in the following areas: –business –social sciences –engineering –computing  Pilot delivery

How is the project managed?  Project Steering Group  Qualifications Review Team

What are enhancements?  Four categories: –Content –Assessment –Structural –Guidance

Assessment  Implementation of alternative assessment (evidence) approaches to existing HN Units  Development of integrated Assessment Support Packs across named HN Units  Exploration of opportunities for joint college/HEI assessment activities  Consideration of the relationship between existing Graded Units and any new integrative assessment approaches.

Content  Development of generic study skills Units (Business, Computing, Social Science)  Development of a professional Skills for Engineering Unit  Further exploration of requirements for Mathematics in Engineering and Computing  Development of an approach to Work Based Learning (including possible Unit development)  Exploration of mapping content to intermediate standards (eg QAA, professional standards) and production of supporting skills profile at the level of the HN framework.

Guidance  The need for supporting guidance will be identified and developed in the project as required.

Structural  Further exploration of the use of SQA and/or non-SQA provision as an ‘enhancement’ to the current 96 SCQF credit point HNC.

How are we going to do it?  The Qualifications Review Teams bring together the delivery experience of colleges, the articulation hubs’ experience of receiving articulating students and the development experience of SQA.  Development of the ‘enhancements’ will be an iterative process and will be discussed regularly with the QRTs to capture their subject- specific expertise and institutional experiences of articulation as they are developed.