Friday 5th December

Hi,

Yes it is some time since I updated the blog! Recently I've been creating presentations for events. The first one was for the SQA HN Development Day held on the 18th of November in Jury's Inn. The day proved to be very useful and I hope to get a summary of it, with presentations attached, up on practitioners plus soon. The second presentation is for the event next week at Cardonald College, which I'm sharing with Care and Hairdressing, Complimentary Therapies and Beauty. I've tried to make the presentation relevant to all three subject areas.

I've also been 'keeping in touch' with people, which takes quite a bit of time and I'm puting stuff together for the workshop part of the event. In addition over the last few weeks I've represented FE through Scotland's Colleges at a Curriculum for excellence meeting- gosh I learned a lot at that.

I'm helping out at the Scotland's Colleges' Social Sciences' Best Practice event next Wednesday. I hope to see many well known faces and hopefully some new ones there.

Janet

Friday 5th September

Hi all,

Another busy day. I can't believe how much time it takes to go through e-mails and contact people in reply to them. I also spent some time trying to arrange some meetings in connection with the HN Social Sciences Assessment Bank, which is finally looking like it might become a reality. I'll be so chuffed if it does work out. I mean this sincerely because I spent another, what seemed, interminable time writing another new assessment for economics this week. I also spent time today organising and tidying up assessments for the bank (time consuming too but shouldn't have to be repeated).

I've also arranged to meet with the CP3 administrator for my college with a view to setting up some SOLAR tests for my students. I thought that I'd take it for a test run and if that works then maybe I would feel more confident in trying to get other practitioners to use it- maybe use one of the 'events spots' at the SFEU for rolling it out.

Have a good weekend.

Janet

Hi all,

Started back at work this week- joy of joys. I swear that the holidays go by faster each year, but it's probably just because I'm getting older. Subject mentorwise I've been busy writing letters to principals of colleges that I'm sure offer HN Social Sciences asking for their permission for their staff to get involved in the summative assessment bank project, which I've finally made some headway with. I've also been forwarding negotiations with respect to the project with the SQA.

I'm also trying to continue work on the SOLAR formative assessment bank and will be doing more on that next week- technical problems this week.

The weekend calls. Hoping that PTFC keep up the good work and win again this weekend.

Bye
Janet

Sunday 11th May

Hi,

This week I attended the Qualifications Support Team meeting for social sciences. A number of issues were raised and a summary of the meeting can be accessed on the social sciences practitioners plus webpage. The meeting generated a couple of things for me to do so I've been doing them.

I also updated some of the gateway information for economics (well got the info together and asked the very kind Murray to post it for me).

Added to that I finalised a meeting with Graeme from SOLAR and the writers who've been helping out on the social sciences project. So things are moving along.

Friday 2nd May

Hi,

Conquered my technological problems - well one of them at least.

I was able to get CP3 running so that enabled me to spend a jolly 4-5 hours inputting questions to the system. It is time consuming but hopefully it will be worth it when social scientists all over the country start to make use of the system. I'm trying to set up a meeting with Graeme at SOLAR to try to get the project well and truly up and running in time for College People's Week.

On that note, my thanks to my colleague Bob for composing 'the message' and saving me some work. I don't usually plagiarize but I did on this occasion. The message was concerning the SFEU's College People's Week. The social sciences day is Tuesday the 3rd of June - please come along.

I've downloaded the papers for a social sciences Qualifications Support Team meeting next week (any social scientists out there who might be reading this, please feel free to feed your ideas/concerns regarding social sciences courses/delivery into the QST via me) . Just got to read the papers now:-( but

it's bank holiday weekend - hoorah. Hope everyone has a good one.

Janet

Friday 25th April

Hi,

Well technology has got the best of me this week.

I successfully downloaded the updates and software needed to run the new CP3 for the SOLAR project, but when I opened it, I no longer have access to the social sciences project!! I e-mailed Graeme for some assistance but, as yet, he's not been back in touch. I gather he's busy elsewhere so I'll just have to be patient. So I've written some more questions for the system in the old fachioned way again with paper and pen. I now have about 50 waiting to be put into the CP3 system. When the system is up and running again that should keep me out of mischief (well something has to) for hours and hours.

The other thing I thought I'd do this week was to check over a series of economics' lectures, which I put together using basic power point (folk can then'tart them up' as they wish), with a view to getting them onto the resources in the social sciences PP- but technology got me again! My computer isn't recognising its USB input. Aaarg.

Looking forward to College People's week. I hope lots of social scientists will attend and I also hope that I have access to the social sciences SOLAR project again well before then as that's what the focus of my session is:-D

Right, off to check my e-mails and CP3 again to see if I can get on with submitting these questions to the system.

cheers

Janet

Friday 18th April

Holiday is just about over (bah humbug). I thought that as I was at home I might add some more economics questions to the SOLAR project, but it turns out that the system has been getting upgraded and new downloads are needed. It is due to be upgraded again over the next few days which will necessitate more new downloads so I'll have to wait until then (especially as I'll possibly need some technical assistance). So, in the meantime, I'm just plugging away at wrting some questions in the old fashioned way with a pen and paper and then I'll transfer them onto the system next week.

The OU has been in touch and the programme for social sciences that we've been working on has been delayed until some official OU 'things' are sorted out, but these (once sorted) will only act to enhance the partnership.

Right, I'm off to write a few more questions and then to enjoy the last wee bit of my holiday.

Friday 4th April

Hi,

Finally sent off my article for Broadcast. I hope it's OK.

This week I've spent many, many (happy?) hours writing and putting economics questions into SOLAR. I want to try to build up the resource as much as possible before college people's week where I hope to do a session on it. The more I have to offer on the system the more likely practitioners are to use it.

Other than that I've been doing the usual contacts stuff though folk seem to have been winding down for the hols. Speaking of which - hooray- two weeks. I'm well looking forward to it. Hope all of you get lots of time off and are doing nice things.

Friday 27th March

Hi,

Got the article for broadcast done. Just waiting for some confirmation regarding some factual information in it before sending it to Glen.

Followed up e-mails and contacts as usual and also corresponded with Graeme of SOLAR with a view to meeting to set up tests and get a bit more training. This is very welcome as I hope to demonstrate the system and give a wee hands-on workshop on the social sciences SOLAR resource at College People week. Another positive point is that Graeme has agreed that I can expand the project a bit, so I'll start working on some economics for it.

Hoping to get some more things on PP social sciences shortly and still plugging away preparing for the Summative assessment bank, which I've not given up on.

One more week then Easter hols. Looking forward to them. Was in Dublin for the Easter Weekend which was grand. Much guiness was consumed:-)

Off to formulate some economics questions for SOLAR.

cheers

Janet

Sunday, 16th March

Hi,

This week I've still been trying to tie up the SOLAR project so that only the psychology is left to be done. I made better progress with this this week than I did last week, but it took time. It is important, especially as I'm writing an article on it for Broadcast.

On that note I started thinking about the article. 600 words isn't a lot, especially for wafflers like me ( I always go over wordcounts for essays and have to spend ages cutting them down to meet the requirements). I'm going to have a look at previous articles in Broadcast to get a 'flavour' of the sort of styles that tend to be included as I'm only used to writing academically, so this is a new challenge for me.

With respect to PP demonstrations, Anniesland seem quite keen so I'm hoping we can get a mutual time agreed for that. I'm keeping a correspondence going there. They are also interested in the HN Assessment bank and Nautical have also expressed more interest so I'm keen to chat with them.

I replied to various enquiries from practitioners that my post has generated and I tried to find out how the SQA was progressing with the idea of an HN Assessment Bank. It would appear fairly slowly but it is progressing and I appreciate that there are quite a lot of issues involved.

Finally, putting together information for Colin for Anne and John allowed me to reflect on what I had done and what I really still want to do. Sometimes, I get a bit frustrated at how long anything takes and the 'bittiness' of it, but ce la vie.

thinking of Peggy

Hi,

I'm thinking of Peggy and hoping that her event is going well. This week I've been trying to follow up leads on good, kind folks who might contribute bits and pieces to the social sciences PP section. I'm also trying to keep people on board for the assessment bank and seeking some SMT approvals, though it is not moving altogether as fast as I'd hoped - ah lumbering bureaucracy.

I've been checking up on resources and hopefully not creating too much work for Murray. After chatting to Claire at last week's meeting at Telford, given that her meeting at Langside to show off PP went so well, I thought that I'd start touting for business along those lines too. So I've made a few suggestions of visits to various colleges - I'll see if there are any takers.

I've also been following up on matters arising from the QST (qualifications support team) meeting that I attended last Wednesday and I'm still trying to follow up on Uni contacts.

Jings: lots of following up.

I'm about to head out to a meeting to try to get most of the SOLAR project I've been working on completed. Soon it should just be the psychology element to be finished and those involved are due to have a meeting with Graeme Clarke of SOLAR to 'generate tests'. Sounds a bit scary but I don't think there will be any medical experimentation involved.

That's it for now I think.

Oops, I realise it's some time since I updated!! I was going to last week but the server was down and on that note, I've been trying to get the formative assessment project completed but both myself and my colleagues who are taking part in the project have experienced difficulties in accessing the package due to server problems. We're persevering and it's coming along.

I finally made some progress with the summative assessment bank with the SQA sitting up and taking a very positive interest, so things are finally moving on that project but a number of hurdles to overcome yet. I'm keeping in touch with practitioners who've expressed an interest and I'm trying to keep them on board.

I met with Alison Harold regarding sector skills. From an intitially unsure start we had a positive meeting, which certainly let me know a bit more about the sector skills councils and has got me thinking about that part of my sfeu remit.

What else have I been up to? A number of universities got back to me about information links on Practitioners Plus and I hope to 'action' this with the help of Murray this week.

That's all for now I think

Week ending 18th January

HMItis has broken out at Langside and it's made it difficult for me to dip in and out of my e-mail and PP for sfeu so I've felt a bit out of touch this week. I'm recitifying this today though.

Last week I tried to get in touch with all of Scotland's universities, trying to get a named contact for FE liason for each of them. The point of this was connected to a meeting I had with the OU before Christmas where I agreed to work with them to promote FE links to the OU in social sciences. Not wishing to be seen to favour any one institution I thought it might be useful for all FE practitioners to have information regarding named contacts for FE in the universities and for the universities to be able to let FE practitioners know about open days (esp. particularly ones designed for particular curricular areas and/or FE students) and any other infromation they thought would be useful for FE. I thought that there could be a section on the main page of PP such as 'University News' that could be regularly updated and that could 'hold' the contact names and details.

I've had a good response to my e-mails from last week so I'm about to collate these and get in touch with the people named. As well as having the general item on the home page of PP, I'm proposing to give the uni contacts a list of the mentors and the subjects they are mentors for so that specific info from the unis could be sent to individual mentors to put on their PP pages.

I hope this is OK with everyone. I did talk to Colin about it. I think that making more links with HE is useful for us. It certainly is in social sciences.

So that's what I'm up to (along with trying to move along the summative and formative assessment banks). Being this busy keeps mischief at bay - well maybe!!

Hi, I'm a bit unsure about what I'm doing but giving it a go. I love the photo Annamarie put in as I am a cat lover myself. I have three who have been helping me (?) with my SFEU work all day today. I updated my profile because I thought that's what I was supposed to be doing so now you can all see some of my favourite things. Maybe you share them.