how to develop a new qualification denise edens edens education ltd ©edens education ltd 2015slide...

How to develop a new qualification

Denise EdensEdens Education Ltd

©Edens Education Ltd 2015 Slide 1 of 25

Are you completely new to qualification development?

Yes I’m newI’ve got some experienceI don’t work directly in qualification development


Ofqual qualification framework transition• QCF (Qualifications and Credit Framework) in process of being replaced by RQF

(Regulated Qualifications Framework) • RQF only tells us the level and size of a qualification and is a storage system• QCF is also about design, structure and assessment and is a unit sharing system• QCF is still open, can upload new units• Awarding organisations can design RQF quals as they wish: no need for units, or

unit template containing Learning Outcomes (LOs) and Assessment Criteria (ACs)• RQF lists Total Qualification Time (TQT) for a learner to complete the qualification.

TQT = supervised hours (taught and assessed Guided Learning Hours GLH) + unsupervised hours. Use your organisation’s policy on how to calculate TQT.


Ofqual requirementsYour Head of Qualification Development will have set up processes to ensure your awarding organisation meets these requirements.• Ofqual General Conditions of Recognition September 2015, plus new

Supporting Guidance, to support move to RQF• Your Awarding Organisation must have a robust process for

qualification development to ensure compliance with Ofqual General Conditions of Recognition - see Section E Design and development of qualifications

• Your AO must have a validity strategy. Validity = a valid form of assessment measures what it is supposed to measure. Important to build in validity at design stage

• Decide upfront how you will store development records to show regulator that you are using your AO’s processes


Decide if there is a need• Is there enough stakeholder support for it? e.g. centres who want it• Develop a robust business case (may be done by business development

team): will it sell? does it fit your portfolio? does it boost your AO’s reputation? can centres/learners afford to pay the fee? will your AO gain a return on investment? can you commit resources to development and ongoing delivery? will you be able to run it once it goes live?

• See if your AO or competitors already offer a similar qualification, via websites and Ofqual Register of Regulated Qualifications

• Decide if it needs to be an Ofqual regulated qualification• Decide if it should be a pilot, e.g. for limited centres and time• Gain senior management agreement to the development, including use of

people’s time and budget


Set up a project group

Explain what people’s roles are in the project Gain buy-in from people’s managers to use their timeSome project group members may not need to be involved at all stages

©Edens Education Ltd 2015

Role Likely job title

Project manager Qualification Development Leader

Internal user Assessment Leader: represents team which will run the qualification

End user Product Development Manager, Marketing Manager, represents customer. Can also include carefully selected range of customers/employers/SSC

Developers Writers, Reviewers, Scrutineers: often freelance subject experts

Any other relevant expertise Subject Advisor, Assessment Design, Online Assessment Systems Developer

Slide 6 of 25

Produce an overview plan

Plan stages of development, using your AO’s system or a tool such as MS Excel or Project.Your organisation may have its own set process for qualification development. Stages are likely to overlap.Get senior management agreement to these delivery dates.Regularly update the % done to help you manage development. Estimate the percentage completed e.g. 5%, 60% and check if you are still on target to meet the end date.

Stage Start date End date Done

Research 04.01.16 29.01.16 0%

Develop 01.02.16 30.06.16 0%

Market 01.03.16 30.11.16 0%

First delivery 01.09.16 30.11.16 0%

Review 03.12.16 23.12.16 0%


Plan each stage in detailTask Sub-

taskStage 1: Research Start End Lead

personDone

1. Establish a business case

1.1 Ask existing customers if interested 01.12.15 04.12.15 NC 50%

1.2 Ask potential new customers if interested 03.12.15 04.12.15 JF 100%1.3 Research competitors for similar qualifications 07.12.15 08.12.15 NC 100%

1.4 Review internal environment 09.12.15 16.12.15 AK 25%

1.5 Review external environment 09.12.15 18.12.15 AK 0%

Project Manager creates this plan and updates it regularly.


Section of the Development stageTask Sub-

taskStage 2: Develop Start End Lead

personDone

5. Outline the qualification

5.1 Decide on working title 04.01.16 14.01.16 NC 0%

5.2 Decide on size 04.01.16 14.01.16 NC 0%5.3 Decide on level 04.01.16 14.01.16 NC 0%

5.4 Decide if having units: if so, number of units 04.01.16 14.01.16 NC 0%

5.5 Decide on grading 04.01.16 14.01.16 NC 0%5.6 Decide on purpose of qualification 04.01.16 14.01.16 NC 0%5.7 Outline profile of likely learners 04.01.16 14.01.16 NC 0%


Free adaptable project plan

Outline the qualificationTitle, Size, LevelNumber of units (if using units)GradingMarks/weighting per unit if neededPurpose e.g. employment, occupational competence, personal growthProfile of likely learners e.g. age range, in work/at college, UK/ international, employees of a range of employersLikely funding of learners i.e. private (self-funded or company) or public


Outline the assessmentAssessed/quality assured by computer, examiner, moderator or verifier Evidence, model assignment, or examinationOnline, paper, recorded, witnessedOn demand, examination date or window Exam question types: long or short open response, multiple choiceMultiple Choice Questions: number of distractors

Ask stakeholders: which type of assessment is most valid for this qualification? Document the reasons for each of these decisions.


Agree the outputs in writingSample assessment materials/ model assignments with mark schemes

Specification including units and indicative content

Assessment Strategy

Support materials

Brochure, web content, presentations

Review of development

Get senior management agreement to the outputs.

During the project, check you haven’t added outputs: scope creep can derail your project.


Plan the budget• Calculate funds needed to research, develop, launch and

review the qualification• Build in contingency funds• Establish how you will manage and report on the budget• Agree the budget with senior management


Start developing• Involve your customers and potential customers: opinions, focus

groups, writing and reviewing units and sample assessment materials, testing and trialling in their centres

• Select and train your developers• Sign contract with developers• Provide clear written brief to developers which can include detailed

setters’ guidelines• Can provide templates to developers• Decide the extent to which you might use National Occupational

Standards or new Apprenticeship Standards


Manage writers and reviewers• Set writers realistic deadlines • Let writers know expectations for frequency and date of redrafts • Give clear written instructions e.g. setter’s guidelines• Can set initial small task first • Ask a reviewer to review the drafts, then can hold review meeting with

writers and reviewers. You may wish to review the drafts too• Give honest, constructive, timely feedback to writers and reviewers• Give writer time to reflect on feedback and consider what to accept or reject

and how to amend the next draft• Writer writes next draft(s) – iterative process• Allow for changes of mind • Pay developers


Manage project• Monitor budget• Manage timelines• Manage quality of work• Feed in updates from customers and industry e.g. via

customer focus groups• Manage internal and external project team members• Report to senior management on progress, key risks and

issues• Be prepared to recommend stopping the project


Coping with googlies• Project stress points: Quality, Time, Resources: which of

these can give?• Actively identify risks (problems that may happen) and

mitigate against them• Actively manage issues (problems that are already happening)• Keep a log of risks and issues• Report key risks and issues to senior management,

recommending resolutions• Be flexible to change• Make decisions and put them into action without delay


Check the validity of the assessment

The assessment tool measures the knowledge, understanding and/or skills we need to measure

The assessment will maintain standards over timeThe assessment will be reliable year on yearThe assessment is fairThe test content and mark scheme is appropriate


Finalising the qualification• Ask a fresh pair of eyes (scrutineer) to sit the model

assignments/exams as a learner would, and give feedback • Edit your documents• Proof-read your documents• Add any design• Sign off final documents (project manager, senior management)• Get supporting letters from stakeholdersIn some AOs, the project manager does the editing, proof-reading and design. In other AOs they are done by dedicated teams or outsourced.


Marketing• Contribute to the marketing plan• Give regular, sufficient, timely, information about qualification

to marketing team• Check draft marketing materials for accuracy• Give marketing team the details of customers who could help to

market e.g. via testimonials, presentations, social media, articles, events

• Let marketing team know about any specialist websites, conferences which could be used to market the qualification

• Keep customers updated on development progress e.g. via newsletters


Submitting to OfqualRITS = Regulatory IT System (changing to Portal spring 2016)• Find or become a designated RITS qualification submitter in your

organisation • Find out what information you’ll need to submit e.g. target age

groups, sector area code, letters of approval and collate all information

• Submit units first, then structures, then qualification to RITS https://www.gov.uk/guidance/how-to-use-ofquals-regulatory-it-system-rits


https://www.gov.uk/guidance/how-to-use-ofquals-regulatory-it-system-rits



Applying for public funding• When you submit the qualification to Ofqual via RITS, tick the public

funds you believe are applicable • For adult learners, the Skills Funding Agency fund learners on

further education qualifications. They automatically approve some categories of qualification for funding; for others you apply via a form and supporting letters from employers/training organisations. The SFA runs the approval process every three months

• For learners aged pre-16 to 18+, the Department of Education (DfE) takes information from RITS and assesses the suitability of the qualification to be delivered to pre-16,16 to 18 or 18+ learners. The Education Funding Agency (EFA) then completes a funding validity process for quals for ages pre-16, 16-18, 18+ and some 18-24. Allow up to 7 weeks


First run of qualification

• Pass qualification information to the team who’ll run the live qualification

• Be on hand to support first run• Gain feedback from internal and external users on first run


Review

• Conduct a review of development (what went well, what we’d do better next time)

• Share review findings with project team, senior management, colleagues who may run similar projects

• Make any tweaks necessary e.g. withdraw an assignment which is not working; amend a question in the item bank

• Celebrate!

©Edens Education Ltd 2015

Slide 24 of 25With thanks for image from Pixabay.com

Further support

• Free adaptable qualification development plan • Qualification development consultancy

Email [email protected](m) 07789064767 (o) 01525 229440


mailto:[email protected]

how to develop a new qualification denise edens edens education ltd ©edens education ltd 2015slide...

Documents

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similar qualification

development records

budget edens education

business development

ofqual requirements

total qualification

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