Orbit - NCC Education
Transcription
Orbit - NCC Education
Orbit NCC Education Newsletter October 2014 Guaranteed university progression now secured News from NCC Education Educational Developments Success Stories Centre spotlight | event highlights | and more ... Welcome: educational news catch-up lessons in English and Maths in 72 state schools in two regions of Ghana. You can read more about this on page 03. September marks the start of the new academic year in many countries. School curricula the world over are evolving in order to keep pace with the world’s best education systems. The aim of the UK Government’s approach to the new curriculum for state schools in England, launched in September, was to combine best international practices – including from the school systems in Hong Kong, Singapore and Alberta, Canada – with best practices from schools in England so that pupils leave school with the knowledge and skills they need to succeed in the real world. Meanwhile the government in South Korea has announced that middle school students will learn software development skills from next year. Software education will also be included in the curriculum for elementary schools in 2017 and for high schools from 2018. No doubt other countries will soon be placing equal importance on the introduction of similar subjects for school children and will see the benefit of our suite of Digi-Qualifications. Dawn Postans Managing Director In Computing, pupils aged 5-7 years are now expected to “understand what algorithms are” and to “create and debug simple programmes”. By 11 years pupils have to “design, use and evaluate computational abstracts that model the state and behaviour of real-world problems and physical systems”. At NCC Education we are continuing to support the development of skills necessary for all people to be active participants in the digital world. I am delighted to announce the launch of our new Ofqual regulated NCC Education Level 2 Award in Computing (VRQ), suitable for students at Key Stage 4 (see page 04). Globally, with each month that passes, new centres and new countries are joining the NCC Education community including Armenia and Sierra Leone. New UK Secretary of State for Education Acting as a pilot project MGCubed will run until 2016 in 72 schools and will look to improve access to education for mainly young girls from deprived communities. It is hoped that MGCubed will help to raise self-esteem, empower young girls and ultimately enable them to catch up on lost learning and convince them to stay in school. Nicky Morgan, the Minister for Women and Equalities and former Financial Secretary to the Treasury, will now also be undertaking the role of the Secretary of State for Education. Having been elected to parliament in 2010 as the MP for Loughborough, Nicky Morgan first served as the Conservative member of the Business, Innovation and Skills Committee, but was soon promoted to the Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Universities and Science Minister. In 2013 she was appointed as the Economic Secretary to the Treasury and in 2014 she became the Minister for Women and Equalities. Nicky Morgan will now be responsible for educational policy across the United Kingdom. Preceded by Michael Gove, whose reforms included the introduction of the New National Computing Curriculum, Nicky Morgan will continue to address the ongoing requirement for UK schools and colleges to provide relevant, ‘employer-centric’ qualifications and skills. Ghana’s dedication to improving infrastructure and commitment to enabling girls and boys from the more deprived communities to enter, continue and progress their education, acts as a commendable example for the region. Recently, Liberian president Ellen Johnson Sirleaf argued that providing girls with, at the very least, a primary level education would help boost the sub-Saharan African agricultural market by 25%, aid in reducing child mortality and help to quell the number of child marriages. In addition, she stated that the length of education is not necessarily of utmost importance, and that the commitment to providing children with basic knowledge such as: reading, writing, critical thinking and problem solving is of chief importance. She went on to mention that resource needs to be spent wisely on the skills relevant to enabling children and young people to progress and become productive citizens. Ghana’s use of technology must once again be commended, as they look to spend resource on technology to guarantee young people will be receiving a high quality education, from a well-trained teaching practitioner. Ghana responds to growing demand for education To support our increasing range of centres we continue to roll out our programme of teacher seminars and have recently hosted events in Kenya, Myanmar and China. The response from centres and teachers has been universally positive and we are now investigating how to make this support available to even more centres. It is hoped that with these new initiatives and improved infrastructure, many young people from across Ghana will be able to receive a better level of education than previously offered, helping to foster a more prosperous future than previously possible and acting as a compelling example for the wider region. Recent plans outlined by the Ghanaian government highlight their continuing commitment to improving the standards and accessibility of education, as it looks to spend around £90 million on new initiatives and infrastructure. There has been much international attention on the lack of school places in sub-Saharan Africa with more than 30m without access to primary school. The project funded by the UK government’s Department for International Development “Making Ghanaian Girls Great” is a pilot project testing daily The Ghanaian government, backed by the International Development Association, has set aside roughly £58 million for the construction of 23 new Senior High Schools (SHS) and upgrading 75 existing SHS. Part of the budget will also be allocated to a further 50 SHS to allow them to increase capacity and absorb more students. The project is expected to be implemented over five years, commencing in October 2014 and running until November 2019. Contents 03 Educational Developments 08 Centre Spotlight 04 Product Development News 09 Student Success 05 Academic News and Events 10 Out and About 06 Guaranteed university progression 11 Digi Launch Event Orbit October 2014 Educational Developments 02 The new initiatives will provide in the region of £9 million worth of scholarships to children from low income families, aiding them in financing anything from rulers to school uniforms. The initiatives will look to provide scholarships to 10,400 students with an emphasis on making it easier for girls from low income families to pursue senior higher education. Promoting female education across the continent is of prime importance to the “Africa rising” initiative as statistically this has been highlighted as being one of the core factors in driving people out of poverty. To complement this commitment Ghana recently rolled out its first interactive distance learning project – ‘Making Ghanaian Girls Great’ (MGCubed). Working with the British Department for International Development, the Ghanaian government has pledged its commitment to providing young people with the opportunity to have a good quality education. To combat challenges such as teacher quality, teacher absenteeism and poor student learning, the Ghanaian government are implementing the scheme across Prampram (the greater Accra region) and will equip two classrooms with solar powered computers and projectors, allowing for real time, interactive distance learning to take place. The goal of this project will be to use technology to achieve simple educational goals, attracting both girls and boys to the classroom where they will be exposed to engaging and relevant material guided by a well-trained teacher from a television studio in Accra. 03 www.nccedu.com academic news and events Product Development News NCC Education Award Level 2 Award in Computing (VRQ) colleges looking to provide relevant and respected Computing qualifications anywhere in the world. Centres are invited to apply to become approved to deliver this qualification and the wider Digi-Qualifications suite by filling in a simple Centre Approval application form found on the NCC Education website here: www.nccedu.com/become-a-centre Following the successful launch of NCC Education’s Key Stage 1-3 computing qualifications, the DigiQualifications suite will be expanded to include a new Vocationally Related Qualification (VRQ). The NCC Education Level 2 Award in Computing (VRQ) is mapped directly to the English Computing Curriculum and can be studied directly or as a progression from the Key Stage 1-3 qualifications. Digi Award Key Stage 4 Main Topics The syllabus contains key topics which are broken down into specific sections in order to cover the following key learning objectives: The NCC Education Level 2 Award in Computing (VRQ) is divided into a series of syllabus sections designed to cover a range of key Computing areas. The selection of topics include challenging coding and programming units designed to extend students’ skill levels and demand the necessary capabilities to further study or gain employment within the Computing industry. 1. Understand the components of a computer system and its input devices 2. Use principles of computational thinking to solve problems 3. Be able to collaborate and communicate online 4. Know how to minimise risk to privacy and security when using the Internet The qualification’s Ofqual regulated assessment structure consists of examinations and controlled assignments based on a minimum of 60 guided learning hours. NCC Education’s new Level 2 Award in Computing (VRQ) is mapped directly to the Computing curriculum at Key Stage 4 and following completion of the qualification students should be in a position to engage in higher level study or achieve vocational progression using their skills in the workplace. 5. Be able to structure, manipulate and represent data 6. Be able to develop, test and debug program code Key features Centres running this qualification will be provided with a comprehensive Teacher Guide outlining learning objectives, key concepts, suggested activities and directions to an array of free resources to supplement lessons for each topic. Teachers will also benefit from sections guiding them through the curriculum, giving them the confidence to teach more advanced elements of coding and digital citizenship. Syllabus Section: National Curriculum Learning Descriptors translated into key topics Full support is offered to centres running any of NCC Education’s qualifications including access to our dedicated Connect Web Portal. With flexible assessment times and certification provided to successful candidates, the NCC Education Level 2 Award in Computing (VRQ) provides a universal solution to schools and Flexible resources: Suggested resources are widely available for free allowing teachers a choice of tried and tested freeware to deliver activities Orbit October 2014 Key Terminology: To guide teachers through the syllabus Warm-up Activities: Designed to provide teachers with engaging ways to kick-start learning Core Activities: Specifically mapped to each learning outcome 04 • Bev O’Donovan, Senior Academic Support Manager, with the attendees Teacher Standardisation Event Anniversary Plaques Following the first successful Teacher Standardisation event held last December in London, NCC Education has expanded this training initiative to include key regional areas. The Kenyan capital city of Nairobi played host to the most recent event on 15 August. NCC Education awards anniversary plaques to centres upon each five year anniversary. In the past year the following centres have each received a plaque to commemorate a key milestone in their ongoing partnership with us. Held at the Panafric hotel in Nairobi, the one day event drew a number of delegates from across the region. Comprising of tutors from the Computer Pride Training Centre, Multimedia University College of Kenya and Timeless College, all based in Nairobi, as well as delegates from the National College of IT Skills Centre in Malawi, the attendees were invited to engage in workshop sessions covering a range of teaching and marking practices. 5 Year Anniversary • Gateway Graduate School, Sri Lanka • Media Marketing Services, Saudi Arabia • Jiangyin No 1 Middle School, China The event covered marking standardisation, managing malpractice and plagiarism, the specific marking of Introduction to Programming assignments and the Dynamic Websites and Designing and Developing Object-Oriented Computer Programs units. • Guangzhou Institute of Technology, China The event aims to ensure a standardised approach is present throughout NCC Education centres globally, with centres and tutors employing the same marking practices across regions and qualifications. • IPMC – Takoradi, Ghana • Zhejiang Strong International Training School, China • IPMC – Tema, Ghana 10 Year Anniversary • Institute of Advanced Technology, Kenya Through several 90 minute sessions attendees were provided with useful information and resources designed to aid the universal application of NCC Education standards globally. Markers were directed in the practical methods of marking, accounting for the factors of Learning Objectives, Grade Descriptors as well as the Marking Scheme, while the session covering malpractice and plagiarism covered the interpretation of Originality Scores and the appropriate actions to take. • New Zealand Institute of Science and Technology, New Zealand • School of Accounting and Management (SAM), Trinidad/Tobago • Ma’had Al-Zaytun, Indonesia • BTEC, United Arab Emirates • Kemuda Institute, Brunei The workshop also provided a chance for delegates to network and share best practice during the refreshment breaks. Further teacher standardisation events took place in China on 20 August and Myanmar on 15 September. 15 Year Anniversary • Myanmar Computer Company (MCC), Malaysia 05 www.nccedu.com Guaranteed university progression now secured New agreements secured by NCC Education will allow degree pathways to British universities from September, providing guaranteed university places for international students. “ With guaranteed progression routes students have peace of mind that their place at a UK university is assured ” Students that complete NCC Education’s International Foundation Year (IFY) qualification internationally at their local centre or within the UK are guaranteed entry to a selection of university courses at Birmingham City University or University Centre Croydon, validated by the University of Sussex. The International Foundation Year (IFY) qualification covers English, Culture Studies, Mathematics and optional units in either Business or Computing. Upon successful completion those students meeting the entry requirements can gain access to courses including Business, Finance, Computing, Games Design, Engineering, Law and Filmmaking. About Birmingham City University About University Centre Croydon Housing over 22,000 of Birmingham’s student population, Birmingham City University is a large, diverse and increasingly popular place to study. With an enviable reputation for providing quality, student-focused education, Birmingham City University annually produces some of the country’s most employable graduates. University Centre Croydon is one of the largest providers of Higher Education between London and Brighton. The centre has a strategic partnership with the University of Sussex, which is ranked as one of the top universities in the UK. It offers students a number of high quality courses and fosters a dynamic and challenging learning environment. Spread across multiple campuses and locations, Birmingham City University has excellent learning resources and facilities. The Doug Ellis Sports Centre offers students a variety of sporting facilities, while the Kendrick Library provides students with a 24-hour Open Access IT Suite. The University Centre Croydon offers students excellent facilities and learning resources. The library is open for student’s 24-hours a day, while the campus also provides students with access to state-of-the-art IT facilities. Benefitting from its proximity to London, University Centre Croydon offers students the chance to live and study in the capital city of England. London is home to all the best restaurants, museums and leisure activities, offering students an unrivalled shopping experience. The UK’s second city after London, Birmingham is an exciting place to live and study offering students an array of leisure, sporting, shopping and restaurant choices. The Bullring provides students with an excellent shopping experience, while the city’s sporting and leisure facilities accommodate for all interests. NCC Education’s Managing Director, Dawn Postans, believes the agreement will allow international students to plan more securely for their university future: “With guaranteed progression routes students have peace of mind that their place at a UK university is assured.” Why choose Birmingham City University Why choose University Centre Croydon • Secure a guaranteed place at Birmingham City University • Secure a guaranteed place at University Centre Croydon Recent market research has highlighted the demand, particularly in Asia, for qualifications with guaranteed university progression routes. The agreements with Birmingham City and Croydon come as part of a set of agreements NCC Education has with over 40 universities worldwide. University destinations include established institutions in Australia, Canada and The United States which recognise a number of our Level 4 and Level 5 Diplomas in Business and IT as well as the International Foundation Year. • Peace of mind with direct entry on to a degree programme at a British University • Working in partnership with the University of Sussex, a world leading research university • Decide on your chosen qualification with a wide range of degree programmes available • Peace of mind with direct entry on to a degree programme at a British University • Join a very popular student community; Birmingham attracts over 65,000 students every year • Decide on your chosen qualification with a wide range of degree programmes available In addition to the guaranteed entry agreements with Birmingham City and Croydon, NCC Education’s progression routes extend to a large network of institutions which recognise these qualifications. Students can enter directly on to the second and final years of undergraduate study and where eligible can apply for Master’s study with Birmingham City University. • Birmingham City University graduates hold a strong employment record helping you to secure a career easily • Dedicated Employability Hub, helping students prepare for their future career • Winner of the 2010 Times Higher Education award for ‘Outstanding Student Support’ • On the outskirts of England’s capital city London, where you can find the best restaurants, museums, shopping and leisure activities Orbit October 2014 06 07 www.nccedu.com centre spotlight: Hua Luogeng Middle School SUCCESS STORIES: Dineema HAPUTHANTHRI Quality assured by First-Class student Dineema Haputhanthri is one of her school’s first graduates of the University of Central Lancashire accredited BSC (Hons) Business Computing and Information Systems degree. Studying at the Gateway Graduate School in Sri Lanka, Dineema completed her studies solely within Sri Lanka, securing a first class honours degree from an established British university. New Centre: Hua Luogeng Middle School into another region and making productive new relationships, it was really good to hear the questions from parents so that we can be sure, first-hand, that their concerns are being addressed. Many companies can become detached from the people they are trying to provide for so it is right to engage with those students and their families whose futures we are hoping to improve”. NCC Education was proud to assist in the launch of a new partner centre in Huizhou, China. The event took place at Hua Luogeng Middle School on 26 June and attracted numerous parents and students, as well as teaching staff and senior school leaders. Allowing the centre to outline the benefits of studying the NCC Education International Foundation Year programme (IFY) the event also provided parents, students and teaching staff the opportunity to engage in a question and answer session. Following her graduation Dineema now works as an Associate Quality Assurance Engineer. Using skills learnt through studying her degree online, Dineema ensures that important software products meet client requirements and are of a high standard. Dineema explains how “deploying quality assurance processes over these products involves system testing in order to ensure that they are defect free and meet the client’s specifications”. Although all her study was completed within her home country Dineema now works for a company operating globally, with offices in the United States, India, Singapore and Sri Lanka. Working at the reputed software development company hSenid Business Solutions, Dineema is continuing to learn and develop. Building on the solid foundations of degree level study, she is now benefitting from onthe-job training and gaining further experience in the process. Obtaining more than just the knowledge and skills that come from studying a degree, Dineema feels that she has gained a great amount on a personal level, “My NCC Education study was a memorable experience throughout, which not only meant I achieved a first-class honours degree but also made some great friends with whom it was an enjoyable journey rather than just another study experience”. Support was also offered in clarifying the university application process for students wishing to study at an overseas university and the progression routes available through NCC Education on the completion of their studies at the centre. Accessing study materials and engaging in forums and chats online, Dineema is thankful to both the UK based lecturers and those in her native centre who combined to provide her with the resources to achieve an overall First Class mark and a Roll of Honour Award for her first and second years also. The centre is a joint venture with the Dahua Training Centre, which provides English education to students from a wide range of age groups, while Hua Luogeng Middle School is regarded within Huizhou as offering a high standard of education. It is situated around two hours from the major city of Shenzhen in the southern province of Guangdong and is located in the city of Huizhou on the Dong River. “ My NCC Education study was a memorable experience throughout, which not only meant I achieved a first class honours degree but also made some great friends with whom it was an enjoyable journey rather than just another study experience “I am grateful not only the wonderful lecture panel with whom I worked in the final year but also the dedicated lecturers at my partner centre had been a great help throughout the entire three year journey, without whom my achievements would not have been a possibility. The centre, named after the famous Chinese mathematician Hua Luogeng, boasts excellent, brand new facilities and residential space for its majority of boarding students. NCC Education’s Academic Support Manager, Anthony Allen was full of praise for the environment created by the centre, “the school really does create an atmosphere where students can live and learn together”. “It was not easy, but the encouragement I received from my family was tremendous and their support held me up in the tiring but rewarding study times”. Accredited to run NCC Education’s IFY programme over a two-year cycle, the centre will teach the IFY programme modules alongside the conventional lessons expected of Chinese students attending the latter years of high school education. Students will graduate with both their high school leaver’s certificate and International Foundation Year certificate at the same time. Huizhou Dineema has set her sights high for the future, “I am planning on embarking on further studies. Perhaps getting into the study of Bio Informatics and doing a Master’s within that field. My ambition is to do research on software and advanced micro systems and become a next generation inventor”. ” The launch event’s multiple successes were outlined by Anthony Allen, “Besides the obvious benefits in promoting our programmes Orbit October 2014 08 09 www.nccedu.com EVENT HIGHLIGHTS Out and About Digi Jakarta Launch NCC Education launches first Digi Centre in Asia NCC Education can confirm the resounding success of the AoC International 2014 Conference which took place on 11 June at London’s International Inmarsat Conference Centre. The NCC Education sponsored event proved extremely productive as delegates and key note speakers explored International Education issues and key overseas markets. NCC Education travelled to Indonesia to continue the global roll-out of the Digi-Qualifications suite. Hosted at The Kempinski Hotel, Jakarta on 28 August the event drew an audience of delegates from across the country. The break out session on Latin America run by Ayesha Williams, International Charter and Policy Officer at AoC, and Sue Sharkey, Director of International and Teacher Training at Bournemouth and Poole College drew unanimous praise for its refreshingly hands-on approach to market research, establishing contacts, trade missions, cost sharing and student recruitment. NCC Education Product Manager, Martin Buck delivered a presentation with Beelee Chua, Business Development Manager for Asia and conducted a subsequent question and answer session. Attendees were keen to find out more about the existing DigiQualification suite and showed a particular interest in the upcoming Key Stage 4, NCC Education Level 2 Award in Computing. NCC Education’s Regional Manager for the UK, Europe and South America, Steve Smith, attended the event and noted the useful platform it provided in “offering content relevant to NCC Education as a business”. The event also offered excellent networking opportunities, Steve Smith continued, “As a business we feel strongly that we can work with colleges in developing their portfolio to attract international students”. Martin Buck described the success of the event, “The event in Jakarta was a great opportunity to introduce our new suite of Computing qualifications to the Indonesian market and as always it was a pleasure to speak with representatives from the many different types of organisations interested in our new Digi-Qualifications”. “We are really looking forward to building strong partnerships with many of the educationalists who attended the event and indeed bringing the significant benefits and value of our new Digi-Qualifications to this part of Asia”. Business Development Project Consultant at Belfast Metropolitan College, Glen McMahon described the day as a “great networking event, useful for identifying new opportunities and learning about new products and services, particularly with the helpful and informative NCC Education team”. NCC Education’s aim is to extend the reach of the Digi-Qualifications across Indonesia to include the areas of Bali, Surabaya, Balikpapan, Batam and Sulawesi. NCC Education also attended the international student recruitment event StudyWorld 2014 in September. ICT 2014 conference NCC Education was proud to exhibit at the Education ICT 2014 conference on 10 June. • Sanjeev Ganeshan, Business Development Manager, South Asia, with the attendees In addition to the informative elements of the event there was a host of engaging activities organised for the students in attendance. An interactive session with a Digi lecturer gave students a flavour of what to expect if they were to enrol on a Digi-Qualification, while a mini cinema provided entertainment with face painting, basketball, skittles, and a remote-controlled car track also proving popular. An eye clinic from Sri Lanka Vision Care was also on hand to provide free eye testing. NCC Education has launched its first Digi Centre in Asia. The Lifeway Center for Computing in Nuwara Eliya, Sri Lanka, becomes the first institution in the region to be approved to run NCC Education’s Digi-Qualifications. Located in Nuwara Eliya, a city in the hill country of the Central Province, the launch event took place on 10 May and was attended by students, parents, teachers and local community leaders. Attendees were provided with the opportunity to witness first-hand the innovative features of the new Computing and Digital Literacy programme. “ I am delighted to be introducing the DigiQualifications to Sri Lanka and the region as a whole ” NCC Education’s Business Development Manager for South Asia, Sanjeev Ganeshan, presented on the features of the qualifications and the importance of digital literacy in global education. While a presentation on Child Rights was also given by Mr.Subramaniyam Ravindran, Partnership Facilitator of the Sri Lankan NGO Compassion International Lanka. active producers and ambassadors for fresh and innovative software and programming, and being able to spread knowledge and awareness of Computer Science, even in the first years of primary school”. In its second year, the Education ICT event at London’s QEII Conference Centre brought together key members from education and the private sector to consider the key themes in ICT education provision. A selection of keynote speakers provided different perspectives around computing in education, including co-author of the crucial Next Gen report Ian Livingstone and Digital Leadership champion Dawn Hallybone. NCC Education Product Manager, Martin Buck attended the informative seminar sessions, “The Digital Leaders projects specifically proved inspirational and chimed with the spirit underpinning NCC Education’s own Digi-Qualifications; that is inspiring students to be Orbit October 2014 event highlights Mr.Thisara Dhammika, Director of the Lifeway Center, speaking to the attendees, praised the high quality of the qualifications, saying that he was “confident that the Digi-Qualifications will become the leading assessments in Sri Lanka”. Of further interest was the seminar session by Mike Gunn on BYOD (bring your own devices) which provided an insight into how schools are now using this new approach to teaching and learning. Martin Buck continued: “BYOD will be key in the changing face of the classroom and the way in which teaching materials are delivered and designed. As an Awarding Organisation of IT and, in particular, Digi-Qualifications, it is important that we are aware of and embrace the latest trends and advances in education and technology”. Sanjeev Ganeshan spoke after the event of the significance of bringing digital literacy qualifications to the region, “I am delighted to be introducing the Digi-Qualifications to Sri Lanka and the region as a whole. The qualifications are perfect for the requirements of an emerging region with a growing IT sector. We are ensuring that students and education providers are able to work with our qualifications to develop the next generation of computer savvy individuals for the future”. The event was also attended by Managing Director, Dawn Postans, Marketing Manager, Lucy Nixon and Regional Manager for the UK, Europe and South America, Steve Smith. 10 11 www.nccedu.com Shaping the future of Computing Award Explorers Navigators Trailblazers Award Award For more information contact us today We are here to help For more information contact us today NCC Education The Towers Towers Business Park Didsbury Manchester M20 2EZ T: +44 (0) 161 438 6200 E:[email protected] facebook.com/NCCEducation @ncceducation www.nccedu.com