QQI White Paper - Modification to Sectoral Convention 3
QQI is inviting feedback from stakeholders on Modification to Sectoral Convention 3 on Repeating for Honours in QQI’s ‘Assessment and Standards’ Assessment and Standards 2013 was originally developed in 2009 by HETAC, one of QQI’s antecedents: The Sectoral Conventions for Assessment comprise a set of regulations and benchmarks which, in the interest of fairness and consistency, are agreed at the sectoral level by QQI and all associated providers. The ‘associated providers’ referenced are providers of higher education programmes that QQI had validated and providers to whom QQI had delegated award-making authority. The classifications available for QQI awards are set down in Sectoral Convention 1 of Assessment and Standards Revised 2013). Sectoral Convention 3 sets down some constraints on how those classifications may be determined.
Green Paper on the Qualifications System
Green Paper on the Qualifications System
Technical Paper on the Qualifications System
We are publishing these papers now for two purposes:
· to air qualifications system issues as we currently see them for consideration by stakeholders and · to provide a starting point for discussion of the issues with stakeholders.
The papers were written before the Covid-19 crisis but the issues they raise are at least as important after the crisis as they were before it.
However, we recognise that dealing with the Covid-19 crisis has imposed an unprecedented burden on organisations that were already stretched and that for many, questions about qualifications and the qualifications system may have to wait for more immediate issues to be addressed. We do not expect providers and other stakeholders to have the capacity to engage with the Green Paper at this times. For that reason, we will keep the consultation open for as long as necessary to give stakeholders time to contribute to the discussions. We expect it will run well into 2021. We hope to launch a more prominent consultation process when stakeholders have settled into the new academic year in Autumn.
We are aware that discussions about the future of higher and further education continue and we consider it important that the qualifications system perspective is given due consideration in those discussions. What do we want stakeholders to do?
We would like people to read the two papers at their convenience and reflect on the issues raised. At this stage we are not expecting stakeholders to respond although we would be happy to receive any responses they may wish to make.
As these papers cover a broad range of issues, some in detail, not all parts may be relevant to any given organisation. When considering the papers we would expect people to focus on the parts that are most important to them.
We will explore, through bilateral meetings with key stakeholders, how best to progress and pace discussions and in due course will publish a plan for the consultation process - this plan will not be published until later in the year.
We reiterate that the consultation process will remain open for as long as necessary to give stakeholders time to contribute to the discussions and we expect it will run well into 2021.
Update:
Consultation on New Standards for Early Learning and Care Awards
In 2019, QQI conducted a
five-month consultation on new awards standards for Early Learning and
Care. As part of this process, an event was held to explain the new standards and
their implications for potential programme developers, programme coordinators,
quality assurance staff and others involved in ELC. This consultation
closed on 30 September 2019. QQI received a
range of responses from across the sector, which can be read here. A summary of the
issues raised has been prepared, and can be accessed here. A note
of the post-consultation meeting held by the ELC Standards Advisory Group is available to read here. Finally, the Professional Award-Type Descriptors at NFQ Levels 5-8: Annotated for QQI Early Learning and Care (ELC) Awards is available for download here.
Update: Consultation on the Green Paper on Assessment
QQI’s Green Paper on Assessment sets out a framework and context for discussing assessment issues. It is aimed at a number of sectors, including the FET, HET and ELE sectors.
Using the Green Paper as a basis, created focussed opportunities for discussion of the issues through workshops and focus groups before collecting written feedback on the issues from stakeholders. These took place during autumn 2018. To read an analysis of our stakeholder feedback, click here. To read individual responses, click here.
This consultation closed on 7 December 2018.
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