My first EQA experience

I prepared as much as I could, making sure everything was available to the External Quality Assurer (EQA).  So I could do nothing more at this stage.

I produced some documents prior to the EQA visit, just so that they had something developmental from me:

• Produced a SWOT analysis of the course. To show that I had reflected on the course as well as my self.
• Prodcued a Scheme of Work for the next cohort. Just to show them my future plans.

The EQA arrived well before their arrival time.  I had not even opened up the ePortfolios and copied over documents of the learners feedback at this point!

I met the EQA at reception to collect them. Then took them to our training room which I had booked out.  We had an informal chat and got to know each other and plans for the day.  It was nice that we shared our career journeys (but maybe this was so that she could explore who I am as a person).  I learned quite a bit about some of their work and other business.

The EQA told me about how other organisations are delivering and offering the course.  Which I found useful.  Plus, it was a question I was going to ask them anyway.  The EQA asked me some general questions about the course, such as how the course went for me, how it was delivered and assessed.  I also told them about any things that I felt they should know about, in terms of learners work and any assessment decisions.

The EQA then needed to look at some of the learners work.  So I left at this point and was called in a couple of times to clarify some things.

Midway, my Internal Quality Assurer (IQA) went in to meet and chat with the EQA and discussed their IQA process and my work, which was very positive.

In the afternoon, ultimately, all learners had passed!  There was no action plan for me, but an improvement on administration of assessment.  I was also given Direct Claim Status.  In which the EQA said that they wouldn't usually give this to first time people, but they said there were no problems.  I feel a sense of relief and accomplishment.  But surreal!  I have got a smile on my face though.

I'm feeling very proud, but teary as this means so much to me.  Just to go through the entire teaching, assessment and management process to result in this.

The EQA will be coming out to observe me on the next cohort, which I am looking forward to.  Here's to the next one!

A CPD session on feedback

Yesterday I attended the Business and Management department's CPD session on feedback.  The session was about sharing how we give feedback to learners.  We were asked to bring a good and bad example of what we had given to a learner.

I asked to attend it as it would be good for me to see what others do and use, to build confidence in my feedback skills.  Plus, it contributes to building my knowledge and skills for my assessing qualification.

It was a great little session and I really enjoyed participating in it.  We had a little introduction to the session, then we split into groups with people with similar delivery.  I found myself really excited and enthused in talking about what I had done and not done.  I found myself wanting to take over the group conversations and expressing my views.  Especially on my experiences with subjective and objective feedback.  I also discussed my feedback template that encourages giving a positive contribution, improvements and developments.  But the thing that I was most proud of was sharing something that I experimented with at the beginning of my Level 4 Certificate in Technology in Learning Delivery course.  I showed a screenshot I took of me giving feedback on a learner's ePortfolio through a screencast that included a video of me in the corner of it.  The group really liked that idea and started to talk about ways they could do it.

I like to drop seeds of inspiration wherever I go!

First EV visit

I'm approaching my first ever External Verifier (EV) visit for the Level 4 Certificate in Technology in Learning Delivery course I have been delivering, assessing and managing.

What can I say?!  I am really nervous and I feel sick at the thought of it!  As mentioned briefly in my video A Course Of Reflection, I have been going through a range of feelings and emotions.  These questions keep going around in my head:

• The quality of the learning and teaching.
• The quality of learners work.
• Have the learners done enough work for the required level (the Internal Verifier (IV) process has not been done yet, but they will determine this).
• Have my assessment processes been consistently strong and fair (at the time of designing, I thought what I did with the assignments were great, but throughout the course I found that they weren't that great.  But I couldnt change them too much as learners would be confused.
• How I have managed the course.

But ultimately, the whole course has been run by me and it's my first time doing so.  So I am accountable for pretty much what is about to come of it all.  Although some things have been out of my control, I still feel highly responsible for everything.  Probably more than I should.  But that's me being a perfectionist as well.  But I don't want anything to reflect badly on myself, as I feel I have done a great job of it all, given the circumstances I have experienced.

The worst that could happen, is that learners would have to do more work.  Which would be heartbreaking as I have made the assessment decision that their work has been sufficient.  Or, learners won't pass the course at all.  But this is one of the main reasons I am doing my assessors qualification.

All I can do is take it as it comes, evidence and discuss everything I have done and be preprared to back up anything that is questioned.

But I am looking forward to feedback and the action plan to see what improvements will be suggested to work on.  And hopefully from this, another cohort can start in January with a fully revised and standardised course!  Plus, removing the mistakes from this experience.  I know the errors done by person through reflection.  But I am going to do a SWOT analysis on the course itself to identify any other issues.