Standard for submission of digital coursework evidence and marks

© 2008 TAG Learning Ltd.

Standard for submission of digital coursework evidence

and marks

Karim DerrickDevelopment Director

TAG Learning Ltd.


An Overview of TAG Learning: Founded in 1988 by two former educators;

Widely recognised, leading value-added distributor of a carefully selected range of best of breed creative products to schools;

Winner of numerous company and product awards, including BECTA’s Educational Supplier of the Year award in 2003;

Highly skilled in-house development team:

Since 1997 have been focused on providing e-Portfolio based solutions to help evidence the capability and support teaching and learning in all subject areas;

Specifying and developing bespoke e-assessment management systems to awarding bodies since 2004;

Providing consultancy services for online community based systems and e-Portfolio to support Assessment for Learning solutions.


Developing e-Assessment and e-Portfolio Management

Systems for Awarding Bodies

Working with OCR since 2004 – piloted with range of GCSEs and A-levels in 2004, MAPS now supports CLAiT and iMedia end to end, as well as the centres for the OCR Nationals (ICT Levels 2);

Working with SQA since 2005 – MAPS supports the management and submission of the PC Passport qualification and TAG successfully tendered to be included on the e-Assessment Framework for development and consultancy work for SQA; and

Working with AQA since 2007 – TAG has developed an ePortfolio Handling System for AQA that is system agnostic, that allows for AQA to receive and moderate coursework submitted electronically from any centre VLE, Learning Platform or e-Portfolio.


1. Paper method• Lots and lots of print outs and paper

• Lots of repetition

• Lots of scope for error or loss of coursework

As it stands (in schools)Submission of Coursework data

2. Use of wide range of ePortfolios in the market• Schools have to train on multiple systems

• Awarding bodies have to train on multiple systems

3. Use of closed Awarding Body specified systems• Schools constrained to use a single system – when their data is

stored on many different systems

Result = stalemate


1. Schools want to use their own VLE/LP, ePortfolio or even just their network to manage student coursework.

Challenges in Evidence-based Assessment

2. Awarding Bodies need to validate which school is submitting what coursework and then to ensure that it is transferred safely and securely for them to moderate/verify.

3. Awarding Bodies do not want to have to access school VLE/LP, ePortfolio or networks to manage, moderate and assess coursework.


Meanwhile web 2.0…


Realisation:

Our approach had necessitated a web service….

We’ve tested it over 4 years and a range of contexts/ quals….

Why not open our doors and offer the service as an Open Standard!?


Open Standard for Exam Coursework Submissions

TAG’s Solution:

XML schema for describing the relationship between components, options and exam specifications; and

An ‘API’ (Application Programming Interface) that acts as a ‘universal translator’ for the transfer of assessment data between centres and awarding body systems;

It is built on tried and tested technology that we have been using to share data between MAPS and other systems since 2004; and

It is currently being considered by the British Standards Institute;

The Benefits:

Allows centres complete choice over the system they wish to use to manage coursework – e-Portfolio, Learning Platform, VLE, or own network;

Bi-directional data transfer – candidate and mark scheme data from ABs to centres, and submissions from centres to ABs;

Means ABs could have a single and uniform interface for their moderation and standardisation should they choose to develop this.


Data object hierarchy

Mandatory units, codes

Mandatory options, codes

Total marks, upper marks, lower marks. type


Exam Data Submission API

Examples of methods available to schools:

– Supply list of students who have been registered;– Supply components the centre has registered for;– Supply components that the students are registered to do;– Supply the status of each submission; and– Supply time/date of when the coursework submission

window opens and closes.

Standard has nothing to say about authentication or how the student is

identified.


Submission Cycle


Next Steps

• This would provide an open standard by which all VLE/LP/ePortfolio providers could integrate with Awarding Bodies;

• Working with BSI to create standard around the schema and API;

• Once accepted by BSI working group to be established to take forwards;

• Glad to hear from all those wishing to take part.


Contact Information:

Karim Derrick Development [email protected]

Tel: 07765 252545

http://www.mapsassessment.comhttp://www.taglearning.com

Standard for submission of digital coursework evidence and marks

Education

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