The development
of National Curriculum and the National Qualifications Framework
Everybody knows
about the National Curriculum which has become the central plank of government
policy towards compulsory education since the late 1980s. The National
Qualifications Framework (NQF) is far less well-known, yet it is the equivalent
to National Curriculum for education and training provision post 14.
The process began with the development of GNVQ, which was the first attempt to devise a new qualification based on standards set by government. The introduction of GNVQ was driven by a political will to 'sort out' vocational education just as the National Curriculum was 'sorting out' what was taught in schools. (NVQs had been introduced earlier to 'sort out' work-based training and education.)
GNVQ did not achieve all the desired changes in the vocational education environment. Most significantly it did not replace all the existing qualifications, such as BTEC National Diplomas, as was expected. However, it did allow the introduction of a model of centrally controlled curriculum development which has eventually encompassed all qualifications post 14, except for those designated as under the jurisdiction of the university sector (although for degree level work, QCA is working with QAA on future plans).
The June 2000 submission of proposals for new GCSEs in 2003 completes the basic NQF. The NQF lays out the relationship between three kinds of qualifications: 'general', 'vocationally related' and 'occupational'.
The chart shows clearly the 'level' of each qualification and thereby its 'equivalence value' as a 'currency of exchange'. If this becomes accepted (it hasn't yet), it should make easier attempts to allow students to choose a 'portfolio' of qualifications - a 'mix and match', especially of 'general' and 'vocationally related' qualifications.
Standards and
regulation
Above all, the NQF
is about 'standards' and regulation. 'Standards' is a confusing term, too
easily mistaken for the idea of a description of the level of excellence
of student work, as in the cry that "standards are falling". In NQF terms,
standards are agreed descriptions of what is to be learned and what might
be expected to be covered by candidates satisfying various assessment criteria.
The purpose of standards is to ensure that all candidates on all courses
have the same learning objectives and are being assessed according to standard
criteria. This egalitarian notion of access to learning and assessment
is the key to the general acceptance of current curriculum development.
It does, of course, also mean that there is little scope for 'alternative'
fields of study or assessment criteria.
In order to ensure
that all qualifications adhere to the standards, government has established
various regulatory bodies. The Qualifications and Curriculum Authority
(QCA) is the regulator for all qualifications outside the university sector
in England. The Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) deals with the university
sector. The Welsh regulator is ACCAC and in Northern Ireland, CCEA.
Regulators work with the appropriate government department and directly with education institutions, but their main influence is via the regulation of awarding bodies (the preferred term for what teachers often call 'exam boards'). The various 'academic' and 'vocational' awarding bodies have been encouraged to make alliances or merge so that for England there are now three major awarding bodies: AQA, Edexcel and OCR.
The obvious analogy here is to the ITC and the way in which regulation of television has worked. QCA does not construct new qualifications nor outlaw old ones, it simply uses the submission process to 'mould' the development of the curriculum. A good example of this in media qualifications is the acceptance of the assessment of work in exams on 'unseen' texts.
The power of the
market
Despite its seeming
power, QCA must still take some note of the market for education. It is
not possible to introduce new qualifications by diktat. GNVQ, despite positive
reactions in many quarters as well as much negative coverage (not all justified),
has not been as broad a success as expected. This is particularly so in
the broad vocational areas in which there is a tradition of 'technician'
education. BTEC National Diplomas were supposed to be replaced by equivalent
GNVQs, but in several instances, colleges refused to give up their NDs
and eventually they were allowed to remain. Such was the case with Media.
The 1999 figures for candidates for A Level Media and Film (14,000) are
far in excess of those for GNVQ Media: Communication and Production (2,300)
or the 'vocationally relevant' qualifications from BTEC and City &
Guilds (estimated at 4,000).
For several years, QCA (and its predecessor, NCVQ) have shied away from making definitive statements about what will happen to BTEC and City & Guilds courses and what their place in the NQF might be. Neither are shown in the table above as either 'vocationally relevant' or 'occupational' (since all NVQs in media occupations are closely controlled by industry bodies - see below). Since both the BTEC National Diploma and the City & Guilds Certificates have been recently 'revised' in line with QCA requirements we must assume that they will be around for some time to come.
The media qualifications at each level:
'Entry' and Level
1
There has been a
surprising lack of interest in developing NQF qualifications at Entry and
Level 1. There have been a number of media related qualifications from
City & Guilds and RSA designed for students at this level (i.e. general
education qualifications which include media education activities). There
are also more specific qualifications from regional agencies and Open College
networks. In all cases, these qualifications are likely to be outside the
NQF and also competing for timetable space in KS4.
The only 'approved' qualification at this level is GCSE Media Studies at Foundation. Despite several attempts by QCA to get one off the ground, there is no Foundation GNVQ in Media. This in turn means that there is little chance in the immediate future of a 'Part One' GNVQ in Media being offered by schools in KS4 (although the Part One is a separate qualification, it depends on both Foundation and Intermediate GNVQ standards being developed for the vocational area). It would seem that lack of interest from centres is the main reason why Foundation Media has not been developed. It's a shame that some students are being denied access to media experience at this level.
Level 2
Because it is not
a National Curriculum subject, Media Studies GCSE struggles to find space
on the timetable in KS4 (it also means that there are no dedicated PGCE
courses for Media Studies). The number of candidates for GCSE Media (estimated
at over 20,000) is a testament to those teachers who have struggled to
make it happen. A proportion of those candidates take the course in one
year, post-16, where it has sometimes served a useful function as a feeder
for Level 3 courses.
GCSE Media Studies is offered by AQA, OCR and WJEC. There are important differences between the three specs and teachers do tend to make clear choices based on how the spec will influence course construction, but all offer a two part assessment structure with 50% coursework and all cover the same key concepts. There are different requirements for covering 'set' topics for the exam or responding to a set brief for coursework.
The 'vocationally relevant' qualification at this level is Intermediate GNVQ Media and Communication offered by all three awarding bodies, which in currency terms is equivalent to four GCSE Grades A-C. Intermediate is a six unit qualification with this structure from September 2000:
Mandatory Units
1. Investigating
Media Industries (Externally assessed)
2. Skills Development
3. Exploring Media
Products
4. Working to a
Brief (Externally assessed)
plus two Optional
Units selected from a list which is slightly different for each awarding
body. Four units depend on portfolio assessment which is externally moderated.
Because it is only offered post-16, Intermediate GNVQ does not recruit enough suitable candidates (the temptation is to take on students who would fare better on a Foundation Level course). It is a demanding course which would provide a challenge for many able students at KS4 but they will not be recruited - the 'currency' argument is thus debased. In 1999 only 1,900 candidates attempted Intermediate GNVQ Media (and only 54% got the full award). The candidates who get most from the course are those who perhaps just missed recruitment to a Level 3 course and who will be motivated by the production opportunities. This is a section of the age group cohort who might be (ill-advisedly?) recruited to AS as a one-year qualification.
Level 3
'Advanced Level'
qualifications create most controversy and most competition for bodies.
It is therefore worth laying out in some detail what exactly is on offer.
AS/A2 Media Studies is being offered by AQA, OCR and WJEC. The different units on offer with their assessment modes are as follows:
AQA
AS
1. Reading the Media
(30% Exam)
2. Textual Topics
in Contemporary Media (30% Exam)
3. Practical Production
(40% Coursework)
A2
4. Texts and Contexts
in the Media (30% Exam)
5. Independent Study
(40% Coursework)
6. Comparative Critical
Analysis (30% Exam)
OCR
AS
1. Foundation Production
(40% Coursework)
2. Textual Analysis
(30% Exam)
3. Case Study: Audiences
and Institutions (30% Exam)
A2
4. Advanced Production
(40% Coursework)
5. Critical Research
Study (30% Exam)
6. Media Issues
and Debates (30% Exam)
WJEC
AS
1. Modern Media
Forms (30% Exam)
2. Media Representations
and Reception (30% Exam)
3. Making Media
Texts (40% Coursework)
A2
4. Investigating
Modern Media Texts (40% Coursework)
5. Changing Media
Industries (30% Exam)
6. Text and Context
(30% Exam)
A quick glance at this structure will support the general observation that awarding bodies are following guidelines. All three specs have the same basic assessment structure that maintains 40% coursework. AS includes an introductory unit exploring key concepts, a production unit and a textual analysis unit. At A2 the specs do divide. All three have some form of Case Study or Research Unit and a final 'synoptic exam' but OCR goes for a second production unit and the other two for a more analytical unit. AQA and WJEC are also different in the extent to which they concentrate on texts and audience/institution. AQA seems the most concerned with textual analysis.
The WJEC spec is least likely to prescribe film as an object of study (both the other two have film topics as options in specific units) and this is not surprising since WJEC is also offering Film Studies at AS/A2:
Film AS
1. Making Meaning
1 (40% Coursework)
2. Producers and
Audiences: Hollywood and British Cinema (30% Exam)
3. Messages and
Values: British and Irish Cinema (30% Exam)
A2
4. Making Meaning
2 (40% Coursework)
5. Studies in World
Cinema (30% Exam)
3. Critical studies
(30% Exam)
Film Studies AS/A2 is distinguished by a consistent prescription of film titles as 'focus films' for Units 3 and 5.
AVCE (GNVQ) Media:
Communication and Production
The new title of
this qualification points to the need to stress the equivalency of 'general'
and 'vocationally relevant' qualifications. The old GNVQ has been revised
in three important ways:
The twelve unit AVCE includes all six units above plus six option units chosen from groups of medium specific or industry function units (e.g. Audience Research or Writing for the Media). Option units differ between awarding bodies. At least one of these units must be externally assessed. All other units are internally assessed with external moderation.
BTEC National
Diploma in Media Production
The new ND from
Edexcel, offered for the first time from September 2000 is a sixteen unit
award, but these units are not comparable with AS/A2 or AVCE. Overall,
the ND has a 'points value' of 120 or the equivalent of 2 full A Levels.
There are a number
of different programme combinations in 'Audio', 'Moving Image' and 'Information
Design'. Each programme requires eight core units and eight option units.
Six of the eight core units are common to each programme:
Core Units
1. Understanding
the Media
2. Research Techniques
3. Experimental
Media Workshop
4. Interview &
Presentation Techniques
5. Managing a Production
6. Professional
Practice in the Media
plus two medium
specific core units.
Eight option units can be chosen from medium specific lists of up to 16 units. All assessment is internal with external moderation.
City & Guilds
Certificates in Media Techniques
Two awards roughly
each the equivalent in size to a single AS/A2, the 7700 Certificate in
TV & Video and the 7790 Certificate in Radio and Print Journalism,
were revised in 1999 with this structure:
7700
Unit 031. Television,
Video, Media Law and Critical Reading. Externally assessed.
Unit 32. Researching
and Recording Information. Portfolio assessment.
Unit 33. Television
Reporting and Production. Portfolio assessment.
Unit 34. Researching
and Recording Information. Portfolio assessment.
7790
Unit 041. Journalism,
radio, law and public administration. Externally assessed.
Unit 042. Research
and Recording Information. Portfolio assessment.
Unit 043. Print
Reporting and Production. Portfolio assessment.
Unit 044. Radio
reporting and Production. Portfolio assessment.
Production units are relatively tightly prescribed with requirements for specific formats and programme lengths.
NVQs
There are 'occupational
qualifications' in all aspects of the media industries. These are offered
by a variety of National Training Organisations who have formed 'joint
awarding bodies' with RSA, City & Guilds etc.
The most important of these bodies for media teachers is Skillset, NTO for Broadcast, Film, Video and Multimedia and partner with the Open University in offering NVQs.
Skillset takes a very hard line on qualifications, only allowing candidates already working on approved professional productions to be assessed. As a result very few qualifications have been awarded since 1994 when the first awards were validated by NCVQ - less than 10 for most Level 3 or 4 NVQs, slightly more at Level 2.
Three years ago, Skillset responded to government initiatives to explore college-based qualifications which would relate to NVQs. So far, these look like being available only in higher education.
Other qualifications
Although English
is taken by all students, it is worth noting that only NEAB Spec B requires
media objectives to be covered in coursework. Other specs require media
to be examined - effectively restricting it to work on print texts supplied
as stimulus material.
At Level 3 there are a number of possible linked qualifications, including Photography as part of Art and Design at AS/A2 and in AVCE and various aspects of Desktop Publishing and Digital Media as part of ICT qualifications.
Mixing, matching
and broadening
One of the main
aims of Curriculum 2000 is to broaden choice for students and encourage
greater breadth of study post-16. All of the qualifications outlined above
should be available for combining in a variety of ways. Roll on the masala
curriculum!
Roy Stafford
itp 39 Summer 2000
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