HN Toolkit

History of changes to HN Toolkit

Part A: Introduction and overview

• Introduction
• Types of HN developments
• Overview of the development or revision process for an HNC or HND

Part B: Guidance for qualification design teams

• Deciding whether to develop or revise a qualification
• Identifying potential qualifications for development
• Notifying SQA of proposals to develop or revise a Group Award and HN Units
• Initial review - setting up a Qualification Design Team
• Establishing the need for the qualification by consulting stakeholders
• Evaluating stakeholder responses
• Gaining internal college approval
• Determining the scope of the project

Development or revision of the Group Award and Units

• Planning the writing and/or revision of HN Units
• Writing HN Units
• SCQF level and credit points
• Core Skills
• Other transferable skills
• Validating Units
• Graded Units

Part C: Guidance on validating a Group Award

• Group award validation

Organising the validation meeting

• Reminder: centres with devolved authority
• Appointing the Validation Panel - centre-hosted meeting
• Appointing the Validation Panel - SQA hosted meetings
• Composition of the Validation Panel
• Roles of the members
• Training
• Preparing for validation - dress rehearsal

The Validation Meeting

• Before the meeting
• Format of the meeting
• First private meeting
• First meeting with the Qualification Design Team
• Second private meeting - reaching a decision
• The second/final meeting with the Qualification Design Team
• The validation report
• Validation conditions
• Appeals against validation decisions

Producing the validated document

• The validated document

Part D: Implementing and maintaining the qualification

• Inclusion on SQA's System
• SQA coding of qualification and all new Units and informing SAAS
• The approval process
• Maintenance of the Group Award
• Maintenance of HN Unit Catalogue

Appendix 1: Design principles for developing HNCs and HNDs
Appendix 2: General guidance on SCQF levels
Appendix 3: SQA’s quality elements
Glossary

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HN Toolkit download section:

• Download section

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