QDT meeting

The ninth meeting of the QDT took place yesterday afternoon, in the SQA offices in Glasgow. This is the first formal meeting of the group since the HNC validation event in December. So we had a lot to talk about.

The focus of the meeting was the new HNDs. These had been put on hold until the HNC was put to bed, which it, mostly, has.

It seemed a logical time to review membership of the group. I was particularly pleased to welcome Marion McNab, of Glasgow City College, to the group, who will represent the HN Collaboration Forum. The core and extended QDT has pretty extensive representation on it, with 22 colleges represented in some capacity, which is more than half of the colleges in Scotland.

The review embraces five new awards (the HNC plus four HNDs) and although we still have to validate the HNDs, I pointed out that most of the work had been done since we had draft frameworks for the HNDs and most of the component units were now validated. But we still had work to do -- the most pressing of which was finalising the HND frameworks.

There will be four new HNDs:

1. HND Computing (generic)
2. HND Computing: Networking
3. HND Computing: Software Development
4. HND Computing: Technical Support

Most of the hard work had been done but we still need to tie down the structures. This is going to be taken forward by the Qualification Leaders, who are:

1. HND Computing (Derek Summers)
2. HND Computing: Networking (Chris Deegan)
3. HND Computing: Software Development (Pete Ainsworth)
4. HND Computing: Technical Support (Shaun Miller).

I am the convenor of the QDT and my presentation includes the key points from the meeting.

HN Computing QDT meeting April 2012

View more presentations from bobbyelliott.

One of the criticisms of the HNC validation panel was our engagement with employers, so we have to work on this for the HNDs.

We hope to have the HND frameworks finalised by the end of May, and carry out the validation event in August, so that the new awards are available to centres from January 2013.

Contact Caroline if you want more information about this development.