Mike asks: “So are level 3 qualifications awarded by universities and other degree-awarding providers actually higher education?”
This was exactly the question I posed to the HEA last year when assessing the situation of one of our lecturers who taught ONLY on one of our Foundation Years. I was told very clearly
that, at least in the UKPSF definition of HE, Foundation Years were level 3, and any teaching on level 3 qualifications was not eligible for professional recognition against UKPSF.
I, and the lecturer concerned, would have been much happier with Mike’s answer: “Level 3 qualifications are higher education when awarded by a university or other degree-awarding institution,
but not if they are awarded by any other awarding body.”
Peter
Peter Hughes, NTF
Senior Lecturer in Curriculum Development
Centre for Educational Development
University of Bradford
BD7 1DP
From: Online forum for SEDA, the Staff & Educational Development Association
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Mike Farmer
Sent: 10 October 2014 12:25
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Foundation year benchmarking
Dear all
The interesting question for me is to consider why there is so much uncertainty about level 3 – assuming that Peter’s question refers to foundation
year (level 3) rather than foundation degree.(level 5) I think there may be two separate but related issues to consider here:
·
Threshold standards at level 3 – which I think mean level descriptors
·
Subject benchmark statements at level 3
Level 3 descriptors
I did some work for a university just over a year ago related to their level 3 foundation programmes (leading to an award of the university), and as part of that work I investigated
the range of level 3 descriptors that are available in the UK. There are several, including NQF, QCF, NICATS, SEEC, SCQF, but not, of course FHEQ! Some of these have already been referred to in other posts. SEEC are the most detailed and worth looking at,
but they may not exactly suit the circumstances to an individual university. For this reason, some universities have developed their own descriptors based on one or more of those mentioned above, as one of the posts says. There is (I think) less of a problem
in Scotland since the SCQF includes level 3 descriptors. One more anomaly between Scotland and the rest of the UK.
However, there is a further subtle but important complication. Some of the Frameworks have
level descriptors, while others, such as the FHEQ and the FQHEIS, have
qualification descriptors at various levels. Qualification descriptors in the FHEQ and FQHEIS start at level 4 (or the Scottish equivalent), not level 3.
So are level 3 qualifications awarded by universities and other degree-awarding providers actually higher education? (Discuss) Personally I think there is a significant uncertainty
about this which is why finding the appropriate descriptors is so problematic. Interestingly, QAA is itself faced with this issue in two areas of its operation, ECREO and Access to HE, and it has adopted different solutions in each case.
·
In the case of ECREO QAA confusingly locates these in the NQF, but says that reviewers will use the NICATS Level 3 descriptors, when they review provision at this level, and even more interestingly
it refers to these as ‘Level 3 qualification descriptors’ – see Annex K of the ECREO Handbook
https://www.tvlicensing.co.uk/cs/update/your-licence/index.app
·
In the case of the Access to HE Diploma, QAA previously also used the NICATS Level 3 descriptors for the Access to HE Diploma, but it now uses the QCF Level 3 Descriptors. To be fair, Access to
HE is specifically not higher education, and with the impending demise of the QCF a re-think is probably on the cards.
So I think the answer to my own question is ‘Level 3 qualifications are higher education when awarded by a university or other degree-awarding institution, but not if they are awarded
by any other awarding body’.
So I think the answer to Peter’s first question is ‘take your pick’ – everyone else does!
Subject benchmark statements at level 3
I am not sure I can be of much help here, since this is not an area where I have much expertise. I do a little about the position for the (level 3) Access to HE Diploma. Some years
ago a major review of the Access Scheme was undertaken (see
http://www.accesstohe.ac.uk/AboutUs/Publications/Documents/AHE-development-project-04.pdf ) and one of the recommendation was the development of subject benchmarks for the main subjects offered as Access to HE Diplomas (i.e. at level 3). Starting that
work has taken a long time to start, and I understand that they are currently working on a subject benchmark for Nursing. So far as I am aware there are still no comparable subject benchmark statements at level 3 for use for the Access to HE Diploma. The
prospect of one for Fashion seems to be rather unlikely.
I hope that helps the debate, even if it sheds more dark than light on the topic.
Best Wishes,
Mike Farmer
8 Church Road
St Mark’s
Cheltenham
GL51 7AH
01242 700646
07967 666610
From: Online forum for SEDA, the Staff & Educational Development Association [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
On Behalf Of Peter Gossman
Sent: 09 October 2014 13:38
To: [log in to unmask];
[log in to unmask]
Subject: Foundation year benchmarking
Dear All
I have just been asked about subject benchmark / threshold standards for foundation year fashion.
Any ideas as to where I might find such stuff please?
Thanks
Regards
Peter
Peter Gossman
1st Floor, All Saints
Manchester Metropolitan University
Manchester M15 6BG
+44 (0) 161 247 4659
"Before acting on this email or opening any attachments you should read the Manchester Metropolitan University email disclaimer available on its website
http://www.mmu.ac.uk/emaildisclaimer "