Qualifications Update: Higher Administration and IT Thursday 14 November 2013

1. Qualifications Update: Higher Administration and IT Thursday 14 November 2013 Hampden Park Stadium

2. Developing qualifications - drivers • Progression • More open and flexible requirements • Assessment which supports learning • Refreshed and relevant contexts for learning • Personalisation and choice • Robust and credible

3. Key points – Higher Administration and IT • Skills based Units provide flexibility and choice • Provides opportunities to apply practical skills that focus on administration in the workplace • Combines the best aspects of current Higher Courses • Added Value is assessed by an assignment with the focus on: Breadth, Challenge and Application. Offers opportunities for personalisation and choice

4. Purpose and aims of the Course Purpose Develop learners advanced administrative and IT skills Aims Develop knowledge and understanding of administration Develop a range of advanced IT skills Develop a range of skills to communicate complex information Acquire skills in managing the organisation of events

5. Unit Structure

6. Conditions of the Award • Unit Assessment • Assessed on a pass/fail basis within Centres • Verified by SQA to ensure that assessment judgements are consistent and meet national standards Course Assessment • Assignment - 70 marks • Question Paper - 30 marks

7. Assessment Support Schedule 2013/14

8. Administration and IT HigherUnit Assessment at Higher Adam Stephenson Qualification Development Consultant

9. Unit assessment - recap • Flexible and open Assessment Standards and Evidence Requirements in Units • Greater range of techniques and methodologies for assessment encouraged • Assessments can be designed to provide evidence across more than one outcome or Unit – combined assessments • More opportunities to gather naturally occurring evidence – assessment as part of learning and teaching

10. Unit Assessment Support purpose As at National 5, Assessment Support will be provided which you can use to: • Assess your candidates • Adapt for your own assessment programmes • Help you develop your own assessments

11. Unit Assessment Support at Higher – key features • Valid from August 2014 • Complements and supports learning and teaching • Designed to encourage professional judgement • Show range of approaches to generating assessment evidence

13. Unit assessment support packages at Higher - approaches Package 1 • Unit by Unit approach Package 2 • Portfolio approach Package 3 • Combined approach

14. Assessment Support Package Example Administrative Theory and Practice • Time and task management • Teams • Workplace legislation • Impact of it on working practices • Customer care IT Solutions for Administrators • Spreadsheets • Databases • Word Processing Communication in Administration • Methods of communication • Adjustments to remove barriers to communication • Managing information and keeping it secure

15. Administration and ITHigher Course Assessment Adam Stephenson Qualification Development Consultant

16. Course Assessment at Higher • Course Assessment at National 5, Higher and Advanced Higher assesses Added Value • Courses at Higher are normally assessed by one or two Components • Courses at Higher are graded A – D, as at present • Controlled Assessment of setting, conducting and marking • For Administration and IT there are 2 Components – Question Paper and Assignment

17. Higher – Assignment • Set and marked by SQA. • 70 marks. • 2 hours to complete. • Assignment will be in the context of an event covering: • Preparation and follow-up tasks • Problem solving • Spreadsheet • Database • Word processing • Communication

18. Higher – Question Paper • Set and marked by SQA. • 30 marks. • 1 hour to complete. • Case study with questions that will require candidates to apply their knowledge and understanding to. • Mixture of short and extended response questions • Topics sampled from Administrative Theory and Practice and Communication in Administration.