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 Business Computing Qualifications - Regulations
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04
Programme Reviews and changes |
4.1 National Reviews | All programmes contained in this publication will be reviewed at least once every two years. These reviews will be undertaken by the National Advisory Committee on Computing Qualifications (NACCQ) and will seek the opinion of both industry and sector affiliates offering the programme.
The process of such reviews will, where possible, be as follows:
4.1.1 The NACCQ will advise Local Advisory Committees of sector affiliates currently offering the programmes that a review is imminent (approximately early February).
4.1.2The NACCQ will request a submission from each Local Advisory Committee of suggested changes. The Advisory Committee should agree to these changes after seeking feedback from local industry, about current industry requirements and available jobs, and tutors (submissions to be forwarded approximately late March).
4.1.3The NACCQ will also consider recommendations by moderators for changes to prescriptions and will then collate these recommendations and submissions, together with any feedback it may have sought directly from industry, and will produce a document of suggested changes. (This should be sent to Advisory Committees for discussion, by late April, and for any final feedback, required approximately late May).
4.1.4The proposed changes will be discussed at the NACCQ Forum Annual Conference in June/July and final agreement reached. In the event that agreement cannot be reached the NACCQ executive will make the final decision.
The NACCQ will then be responsible for:
> Updating the module/course prescriptions in the New Zealand Polytechnic Qualifications in Information and Communications Technology publication (Blue Book).
> Submitting it for NZQA approval.
> Printing an updated version.
> Updating the web version.
> Distributing the Blue Book in printed and electronic form.
> Notifying sector affiliates when NZQA approval has been received.
These activities take time and are subject to delays by outside agencies over which NACCQ has no control. However, it is expected that the new and revised course prescriptions will be available no later than November 1st.
In view of possible delays the NACCQ will prepare a final list of actual changes and send this to each Programme Controller by mid September.
It is the responsibility of the Programme Controller to ensure that all tutors involved in the delivery of the programme modules are informed of changes.
A major concern is that tutors must not continue to teach out-of-date prescriptions simply because they do not know that a change has occurred. For this reason every prescription carries an expiry date.
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4.2 Local Changes top | 4.2.1In recognition of the fact that there are variations in the ICT requirements, on a local basis, for ICT skills, each sector affiliate may elect to offer local variations of the national programme prescriptions.
4.2.2Sector affiliates may vary the content of any individual module by up to a maximum of 10% without requiring it to be re-approved, provided that the:
> Local Advisory Committee or the appropriate body agrees to the new prescription.
> The new prescription is published for the students.
4.2.3Sector affiliates may also wish to change more than 10% of the specified content of a given module by creating a new module. The process for doing this is as follows:
> The Sector affiliate obtains the agreement in principle of the appropriate body (e.g. Local Advisory Committee) to prepare a new prescription.
> The new prescription is prepared, according to the standard layout (i.e. as for other prescriptions).
> The prescription is discussed by the appropriate body and agreed to in terms of relevance of content and standard.
> It is strongly recommended that at this point the prescription is submitted to an external body for ratification of its educational standard and how it fits within the programme. The external body could be staff of another Sector Affiliate, members of a regional tutor’s meeting or the NACCQ.
> The sector affiliate who prepared the prescription may wish to copyright it.
4.2.4When an individual sector affiliate has produced such a new prescription it is deemed to be "owned" by them. They may choose to give or sell the prescription to others if they wish.
4.2.5If, after developing a new prescription, the sector affiliate wishes it to be included in the New Zealand Polytechnic Qualifications in Information and Communications Technology publication, they may submit it to the NACCQ. In doing so they must agree to the copyright being transferred to the NACCQ (it would then come under the copyright for the whole set of prescriptions). In return the NACCQ undertake to:
> make the prescription available to all offering the programme.
> arrange that the prescription be approved.
> maintain the updating of the prescription in future to keep it in line with industry and programme developments.
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4.3 Maximum Variation in a Programme of Study top | 4.3.1It should be stressed that a great deal of value is seen in maintaining these national programme prescriptions, to avoid fragmentation of programmes and standards.
4.3.2In order to ensure that these qualifications do maintain that national flavour, while still allowing some local variations, there is a limit of:
> 10 placed on the number of credits from prescriptions not contained in this publication, that a student might count towards the NACCQ CIC qualification.
> 21 placed on the number of credits from prescriptions not contained in this publication, that a student might count towards any one NACCQ diploma qualification.
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