SQA’s digital ambitions

CIT-eA Workshop One, City of Glasgow College, Friday 5 September 2014

Martyn WareHead of Assessment Development and Delivery

SQA’s strategic commitment

‘We are continuing to develop progressive approaches to qualification development, assessment practice, and service delivery by using innovation and technology.’

From SQA Corporate Plan 2013 – 16http://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/files_ccc/CorporatePlan2013-16.pdf

SQA’s ambitions for assessment

Stronger links between learning and assessment Greater focus on skills Greater flexibility: on-line, on-demand, at-a-

distance Importance of recognition of learning Cost effectiveness and efficiency Relevance for learners

E-assessment is….

• ‘….the use of electronic media within the assessment process.’

• focus in particular on those aspects experienced by learners e.g. on-screen assessments and e-portfolios

Contribution of e-assessment

• Engagement & motivation• Flexibility• Consistency with experience of learning• Linking formative & summative assessment• Learners’ taking more control of own learning• Automatic marking & immediate feedback• Enhanced quality assurance• Opportunities to assess new things

Current e-assessment approaches

On-screen assessment - SOLAR

Formative and summative Available at no extra cost Growing range of qualifications supported Further developments in response to

demand www.sqasolar.org.uk

Other e-assessment approaches

SQA requirements for e-portfolios Social software for assessment Games-based assessment Providing advice and guidance Working collaboratively http://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/68750.html

Social software for assessment - CLASS

• Piloted in 2007 and used every year since• Based on Moodle environment• Wiki - collaborative working,– show each

candidate’s contribution & how group interacts• Learner blogs - reflections on process & outputs

of group as a whole• Designed to be flexible, engaging & relevant to

learners

CLASS – feedback from users

Learner

"I used to make entries on the wiki from home.  This was great for me because I was able to do work on my project after I'd got my kids to bed.  Sometimes I was putting stuff on the wiki after midnight but this suited me.“

Tutor

"This is a great way of working and it is so easy to check what the students are doing and give them encouragement and feedback."

CLASS – Assessors’ views

Assessors

"I was very sceptical about the online project from the beginning.  I was involved in marking the project in 2009 and I was completely won over.  It was so simple to see what each candidate had done.” 

 

"It was so much quicker to mark the students' work using CLASS.  Not only was it quicker, it was also much more accurate and I have total confidence in the marks awarded to individuals."

Colleges’ eAssessment Group

- Aimed at co-ordinating activity and support for colleges

- Two colleges and key agencies including Jisc RSC, CDN, Education Scotland, SDS, Stirling University and NUS and sparqs for learner voice

- e-portfolio sub-group - Outputs to benefit all colleges- Project originated with and supported by CeAG

What’s next…..

Electronic evidence

Evidence increasingly captured electronically by centres

Includes but not restricted to e-portfolios We need to be able to receive and QA also

electronically Can enhance validity of assessment and

streamline processes Move to electronic evidence as default Potential for link with CIT-eA activity

Around the corner….

Hand held devices, wireless and the cloud MOOCs Open Badges Open Educational Resources Big data

Conclusion

SQA has strategic commitment to e-assessment

Our approach is based on working collaboratively with colleges

CIT-eA is a great opportunity to further develop our approaches and understanding

Thank you –

and good luck!