Higher National Project-based Graded Unit Specification General information This graded unit has been validated as part of the HNC in Practical Journalism without Shorthand. Centres are required to develop a project-based assessment in accordance with this validated specification. Graded unit code: J12B 34 Type of project: Practical assignment Publication date: December 2018 Source: Scottish Qualifications Authority Version: 03 Graded unit purpose This graded unit is designed to provide evidence that the learner has achieved the following principal aims of the HNC in Practical Journalism without Shorthand: to develop the learner s knowledge and skills in the English language and in journalistic writing conventions to prepare the learner for employment in the modern journalism industry to foster an awareness of the structure and operational practices within modern journalism to prepare the learner for further study Credit points and level 1 Higher National Unit credit at SCQF level 7 (8 SCQF credit points at SCQF level 7) J12B 34, 1
Higher National Project-based Graded Unit Specification: General information (cont) Recommended entry to the graded unit It is recommended that the learner should have completed or be in the process of completing the following units relating to the above principal aims prior to undertaking this graded unit: Journalism: News Writing Journalism: Feature Writing Journalism: Research and Interview Skills Journalism: Sub Editing Journalism: Scots Law 1 Core Skills Achievement of this Unit gives automatic certification of the following: Complete Core Skill Problem Solving at SCQF level 6 Opportunities to develop aspects of Core Skills are highlighted in the Support Notes for this Unit specification. Assessment support pack The assessment support pack for this unit provides assessment and marking guidelines that exemplify the national standard for achievement. It is a valid, reliable and practicable instrument of assessment. Centres wishing to develop their own assessments should refer to the assessment support pack to ensure a comparable standard. Assessment support packs are available on SQA s secure website. Equality and inclusion This graded unit has been designed to ensure that there are no unnecessary barriers to learning or assessment. The individual needs of learners should be taken into account when planning learning experiences, selecting assessment methods or considering alternative evidence. Further advice can be found on our website: www.sqa.org.uk/assessmentarrangements J12B 34, 2
Higher National Project-based Graded Unit Specification: Designing the project and assessing learners Assessment This graded unit will be assessed by the use of a project-based practical assignment developed by centres. The project should provide the learner with the opportunity to produce evidence that demonstrates they have met the aims of this graded unit. The project undertaken by the learner must be a complex task which involves: variables which are complex or unfamiliar relationships which need to be clarified a context which may be unfamiliar to the learner The project will require the learner to: analyse the task and decide on a course of action for undertaking the project plan and organise work and carry it through to completion reflect on what has been done and draw conclusions for the future produce evidence of meeting the aims which this graded unit has been designed to cover The learner will be asked to source a news or feature article of 1,500 2,000 words, a broadcast piece of 3 6 minutes or a digital package which should include a 300 word story and a video piece of 1 2 minutes. The brief will require the learner to: analyse the needs of the target publication/broadcast audience make a pitch of an acceptable standard undertake research and interview a minimum of two appropriate persons create the article/broadcast piece/digital package evaluate the process from start to finish The digital package should include at least: a 300 word story a video piece of 1 2 minutes, to include a clip of up to 15 seconds appropriate social media a minimum of one still photograph The learner s response to the brief will show knowledge of the relevant media industry and the client s needs. The response will be in a format appropriate to the target audience and should show evidence of: interpretation of the brief planning the assignment research appropriate to the brief the ability to integrate research into a coherent format the ability to make a pitch evaluation of the project J12B 34, 3
Higher National Project-based Graded Unit Specification: Designing the project and assessing learners (cont) Conditions of assessment The learner should be given a date for completion of the project. However, the instructions for the project should be distributed to allow the learner sufficient time to assimilate the details and carry out the project. During the time between the distribution of the project instructions and the completion date, assessors may answer questions, provide clarification, guidance and reasonable assistance. Reasonable assistance Reasonable assistance is the term used by SQA to describe the difference between providing learners with some direction to generate the evidence for assessment and providing too much support, which would compromise the integrity of the assessment. Reasonable assistance is part of all learning and teaching processes. In relation to the project, assessors may provide advice, clarification and guidance during the time between the distribution of the project instructions and the completion date, ie at each stage of the project. Remediation Remediation allows an assessor to clarify learner responses, either by requiring a written amendment or by oral questioning, where there is a minor shortfall or omission in evidence requirements. In either case, such instances must be formally noted by the assessor, either in writing or recording and be made available to the internal and external verifier. Learners must be given the opportunity for remediation at each stage of the project. Evidence requirements for this graded unit The project undertaken by learners will consist of three stages: planning, developing and evaluating. The following table specifies the minimum evidence required to pass each stage. The learner must achieve all of the minimum evidence specified below for each stage of the project in order to pass the graded unit. The learner is required to: make an oral and written pitch of an acceptable standard the written pitch will probably be done by email submit the article/broadcast piece/digital package to deadline evaluate the process from start to finish, in a report that is a minimum of 500 words J12B 34, 4
Higher National Project-based Graded Unit Specification: Designing the project and assessing learners (cont) The following table specifies the minimum evidence required to pass each stage: Project stage Minimum evidence requirements % mark allocation Stage 1 Planning The learner must provide evidence of a plan which will enable them to carry out the brief in a logical and organised way, making acceptable use of time and resources. The planning stage will include: an analysis of the brief consideration of a variety of possible ideas identification of appropriate primary and secondary research identification of appropriate media outlet identification of appropriate audience and its needs the pitch structure and delivery details/timeline of how the project can be completed to deadline Evidence of the above may be presented in any format acceptable to the assessor and may be supplemented by oral, video or audio evidence. If oral evidence is used, notes or a tape covering the points discussed should be retained. 20% (10% for plan and 10% for pitch) The learner must achieve all of the minimum evidence specified above to pass the planning stage and should achieve a minimum of 10 marks out of the 20 allocated. J12B 34, 5
Higher National Project-based Graded Unit Specification: Designing the project and assessing learners (cont) Project stage Minimum evidence requirements % mark allocation Stage 2 Developing Project stage Stage 3 Evaluating The learner must provide evidence of: coherent integration of relevant research sources primary and secondary research record of interview(s) acceptable communication skills acceptable structure in all components understanding of the needs of media outlets understanding of target audience meeting deadlines The learner must achieve all of the minimum evidence specified above in order to pass the developing stage and should achieve a minimum of 25 marks for the final product and a minimum of 10 marks for the supporting evidence. Minimum evidence requirements The learner will provide an evaluation of the effectiveness of the approach adopted for each stage of the activity from start to finish. The evaluation should include: an overview of how the learner s knowledge and skills developed compared to what they were at the start an understanding of how effective the learner s original plan was research methods (strengths and weaknesses) an analysis of how well the learner dealt with any problems strengths and weaknesses of the completed task and an explanation of how and why the learner would do things differently if they had to do a similar project again 70% (50% final product; 20% supporting evidence) Supporting evidence should include transcripts of interviews, contact details, etc. % mark allocation 10% The learner must achieve all of the minimum evidence specified above in order to pass the evaluation stage and should achieve a minimum of 5 marks. J12B 34, 6
Higher National Project-based Graded Unit Specification: Designing the project and assessing learners (cont) Assessing and grading learners The overall project will be marked out of 100. Only whole marks should be used. The percentage of marks allocated to each stage of the project is outlined in the evidence requirements. It is a requirement that learners must meet the minimum evidence requirements for the planning stage before progressing to the developing stage before progressing to the evaluating stage. Learners may produce evidence over and above that specified in the minimum evidence requirements and deserve more than half the available marks for that stage. Assessors should use the grade related criteria outlined below to judge learner performance. Learners are required to work independently to meet the evidence requirements of the graded unit. At the same time, learners need appropriate support. SQA uses the term reasonable assistance to describe the balance between supporting learners in their project and not providing too much assistance. At the end of each stage there should be opportunities for remediation and re-assessment of learners for that particular stage. This includes the final evaluation stage. Any re-assessment should be carried out in line with the centre s own assessment policy. Learners who meet the minimum evidence requirements will have their achievement graded as C competent, or A highly competent, or B somewhere between A and C. The grade-related criteria to be used to judge learner performance for this graded unit is specified in the following table. J12B 34, 7
Higher National Project-based Graded Unit Specification: Designing the project and assessing learners (cont) Grade Related Criteria Grade A Is a seamless, coherent piece of work which: Grade C Is a co-ordinated piece of work which: has the minimum of input and guidance from the tutor has sufficient evidence for the three essential phases of the project, is produced to a high standard, and is quite clearly inter-related demonstrates an accurate and insightful interpretation of the project brief is highly focused and relevant to the tasks associated with the project brief meets all set deadlines is clear and well-structured throughout and language used is of a high standard in terms of level, accuracy and technical content effectively consolidates and integrates required knowledge and skills demonstrates the learner s ability to work autonomously requires a high level of input from the tutor has sufficient evidence of the three essential phases of the project and is produced to an adequate standard demonstrates a basic but satisfactory interpretation of the project brief is focused and relevant to the tasks associated with the project brief but detail is insubstantial meets the majority of deadlines set is satisfactorily structured and language used is adequate in terms of level, accuracy and technical content consolidates and integrates knowledge and skills but this may lack some continuity and consistency demonstrates independent learning with minimum support and revision during project The marks allocated to each stage will then be aggregated to arrive at an overall mark for the project. Assessors will then assign an overall grade to the learner for this graded unit based on the following grade boundaries. A = 70% 100% B = 60% 69% C = 50% 59% These grade boundaries are fixed and should not be amended. J12B 34, 8
Higher National Project-based Graded Unit Specification: Designing the project and assessing learners (cont) Re-assessment The evidence for a project is generated over time and involves three distinct stages, each of which has to be achieved before the next is undertaken. This means that any re-assessment of stages must be undertaken before proceeding to the next stage. The overall grade is derived from the total number of marks across all sections, and should reflect the ability of the learner to work autonomously and the amount of support required. In relation to project-based graded units, learners who have failed any stage of the project and have been unable to provide the necessary evidence through remediation must be given the opportunity for re-assessment of that stage. Any learner who has failed their graded unit or wishes to upgrade their award must be given a re-assessment opportunity, or in exceptional circumstances, two re-assessment opportunities. In the case of project-based graded units, this must be done using a substantially different project. Final candidate grade The final grading given must reflect the quality of the learner s evidence at the time of the completion of the graded unit. Learners must be awarded the highest grade achieved whether through first submission or through any re-assessment, remediation and/or reasonable assistance provided. J12B 34, 9
Higher National Project-based Graded Unit Support Notes Guidance on approaches to delivery and assessment of this graded unit From the outset, the learner should be given sufficient information and time to ensure they fully understand the scope of the task. Assessors must be satisfied that responses are the work of each individual learner. The pitch should be made at the planning stage and, in the case of the oral version, should be delivered to a minimum of two people to allow appropriate interaction. The evaluation should include an analysis of the panel s reaction to the pitch, as well as the learner s assessment of the whole process. The learner is to respond to a brief from a client. Although this brief will be set by the lecturer delivering the graded unit, it should be as true to life as possible. The brief will require the learner to analyse the client s needs, produce a piece to professional standards, then draw appropriate conclusions. The learner will need to provide evidence in response to the brief that displays knowledge of the media industries and the elements that govern them. The learner s pitch should be in two parts written and oral in a format appropriate for selling an idea to a client. As a suggestion, the initial idea should be pitched to the lecturer by email, and if approved, expanded on in an oral pitch delivered to a panel of at least two people. There should be an opportunity at this stage for the learner to discuss the idea in greater detail and answer any questions that arise. If the pitch is successful, the learner should go on to produce the piece as agreed before making an evaluation of the whole process. This unit should be started approximately half way through the learner s studies, with an increasing amount of time spent on it towards the end of the course. It should not be seen as a repeat of any previous unit assessments, meaning the topic used should be new and completely original to the learner. No new knowledge and skills are taught during the delivery of this unit, with the lecturer s time spent discussing each individual learner s work. Some less capable learners will require more support than others but lecturers must not give undue assistance. Time management is a crucial part of planning, developing and evaluating and lecturers should consider setting up individual progress reviews from the start of the unit delivery time. Lecturers might consider issuing a planning logbook or diary to each learner, which could include a progress review sheet to record learner/lecturer discussions. J12B 34, 10
Higher National Project-based Graded Unit Support Notes (cont) Lecturers and learners should keep detailed notes on the ongoing process of each learner, including the date of each meeting. Drafts of work may also be signed by the lecturer and kept by the learner as evidence of the authenticity of their work. The planning log could also address the following: the purpose of the project why the learner chose this topic (interest, availability of information, contacts, special skills, etc) an analysis of the topic that includes achievable objectives for the project and explains how these will be achieved in an appropriate timescale the wide range of resources required to undertake the project, including sources of information, people and equipment potential difficulties the learner might have in achieving their objectives The planning log could then be extended into a development log, showing how the learner: researched and selected useful information prepared and conducted each research task kept a careful record of each task in the diary assessed the value of the information obtained put together the article/broadcast piece/digital package The final grade achieved by the learner depends on both the work completed and the amount of assistance given, which is why it is crucial that all lecturer/learner discussions are carefully logged and kept by both parties. Access to PCs is essential throughout this unit, for research purposes but also for contacting primary sources by email, for writing the pieces and for laying out the final project in an appropriate DTP package. In assessment for the graded unit, the learner is required to: make an oral and written pitch of an acceptable standard the written pitch will be done by email submit the article/broadcast piece/digital package (1,500 2,000 words/3 6 minutes) to deadline evaluate the process from start to finish The evaluation should be a minimum of 500 words and will be written under open-book conditions to a deadline set by the lecturer. Examples of the type of article/broadcast piece/digital package that could be produced: an in-depth investigative feature article for broadcast a specialist article for a newspaper or magazine a complex digital package for an online publication or website J12B 34, 11
Higher National Project-based Graded Unit Support Notes (cont) Opportunities for developing Core and other essential skills The Core Skills of Communication and Information and Communication Technology (ICT) at SCQF level 6 can be developed, as can Working with Others at SCQF level 5. Learners will demonstrate their oral communication skills in their pitches and their written skills in their article/broadcast piece/digital package, while IT skills are evident in the final word processed version of the project. Working with Others is evidenced by discussions with the lecturer. This unit is designed to encourage independent working, raise awareness of professional practice and enhance employability skills including: Communication Digital competence Working independently/autonomously/self-management Using initiative/being proactive Research and investigation Critically analysing and evaluating Planning and organising Setting goals and making action plans Time management Working effectively to meet deadlines This Unit has the Core Skill of Problem Solving SCQF level 6 is embedded in this unit. When a learner achieves the unit, their Core Skills profile will also be updated to include this Core Skill. J12B 34, 12
History of changes to graded unit Version Description of change Date 02 Update of Conditions of Assessment 14/09/18 03 Core Skill Problem Solving at SCQF level 6 embedded. 17/12/18 Scottish Qualifications Authority 2018 This publication may be reproduced in whole or in part for educational purposes provided that no profit is derived from reproduction and that, if reproduced in part, the source is acknowledged. SQA acknowledges the valuable contribution that Scotland s colleges have made to the development of Higher National qualifications. FURTHER INFORMATION: Call SQA s Customer Contact Centre on 0345 279 1000. J12B 34, 13
General information for learners About halfway through your HNC, you will start your graded unit. The purpose of this unit is to bring together many of the different skills you have learned throughout your course. It is the only unit in your HNC year for which you will be given a mark (out of 100) and a grade (A, B or C). You will already have studied, or be in the process of studying the following units: Journalism: News Writing Journalism: Feature Writing Journalism: Research and Interview Skills Journalism: Sub Editing Journalism: Scots Law You will be asked to apply some of the knowledge and skills you have learned in these units to a practical assignment. As part of this unit, you will be asked to demonstrate your journalistic skills but will also have to show how you planned your assignment, how you developed your ideas and how you evaluated what you produced. At the start of the unit, you will be given a client brief and will be asked to plan and develop a response to this, just as you would for a client. At the end of the process, you will analyse your own performance, reflecting on what you did, how you did it and whether or not you would do anything differently if you had to do it, or something similar, again. This graded unit reflects the main aims of the award. These are: To develop the learner s knowledge and skills in the English language and in journalistic writing conventions To prepare the learner for employment in the modern journalism industry To foster an awareness of the structure and operational practices within modern journalism To prepare the learner for further study The assignment will be in three parts and will be marked out of 100 and you must pass each part of it to achieve the unit. The marks you get for each part will be added up and you will be given a grade based on the following: A = 70% 100% B = 60% 69% C = 50% 59% You will develop the Core Skills of Communication and Working with Others through discussions with your lecturer and communicating your ideas. Your Information and Communication Technology (ICT) skills will also be developed through using PCs and the internet for research and through typing up your finished project. There may be opportunities to develop other essential skills, such as time management and flexibility. Throughout the unit, you will meet with your lecturer, who will advise you and make sure you are on the right track to achieve the unit within the given timescale. J12B 34, 14
General information for learners This Unit has the Core Skill of Problem Solving SCQF level 6 is embedded in this unit. When a learner achieves the unit, their Core Skills profile will also be updated to include this Core Skill. J12B 34, 15