Gold - Unit 4 - Systems Management Project
Relevant LINKS
Handbook home page
Overview
Assessor's guide to interpreting the criteria
General Information
QCF general description for Level 2 qualifications.
- Achievement at QCF level 2 (EQF Level 3) reflects the ability to select and use relevant knowledge, ideas, skills and procedures to complete well- defined tasks and address straightforward problems. It includes taking responsibility for completing tasks and procedures and exercising autonomy and judgement subject to overall direction or guidance.
- Use understanding of facts, procedures and ideas to complete well-defined tasks and address straightforward problems. Interpret relevant information and ideas. Be aware of the types of information that are relevant to the area of study or work.
Requirements
- Standards must be confirmed by a trained Level 2 assessor or higher
- Assessors must at a minimum record assessment judgements as entries in the online mark book on the INGOTs.org certification site.
- Routine evidence of work used for judging assessment outcomes in the candidates' records of their day to day work will be available from their e- portfolios and online work. Assessors should ensure that relevant web pages are available to their Account Manager on request by supply of the URL.
- When the candidate provides evidence of matching all the criteria to the specification subject to the guidance below, the assessor can request the award using the link on the certification site. The Account Manager will request a random sample of evidence from candidates' work that verifies the assessor's judgement.
- This unit should take an average level 2 learner 40 guided hours of work to complete.
- Once the candidate has satisfied all the criteria by demonstrating practical competence in realistic contexts they achieve the unit certificate.
- When the Account Manager is satisfied that the evidence is sufficient to safely make an award, the candidate's success will be confirmed and the unit certificate will be printable from the web site. Open Systems IT Management
Assessment Method
Assessors can score each of the criteria N, L, S or H. N indicates no evidence and it is the default setting. L indicates some capability but some help still required to meet the standard. S indicates that the candidate can match the criterion to its required specification in keeping with the overall level descriptor. H indicates performance that goes beyond the expected in at least some aspects. Candidates are required to achieve at least S on all the criteria to achieve the full unit award.
Expansion of the assessment criteria
1. Plan systems management projects
1.1 I can make a project proposal and justify it
Candidates should use interests and experience generated on the course to propose a project that will take 50 hours including taught time and guidance to complete.
Evidence: Portfolios and assessor observations
Additional information and guidance
The project can be anything as long as it is focused on systems management and has potential to draw on learning from across the assessment criteria. It could be research into systems management methods or it could be something very practical such as setting up a RaspberryPI network. Assessors should ensure that there is scope for 50 hours work and that the proposal is realistic and likely to reinforce personal management skills as well as learning across all the criteria.
1.2 I can carry out a risk assessment for a project
Candidates should analyse the risks before setting out on their project and use these as part of the evidence to justify their project.
Evidence: from assessor observations, documentation in portfolios.
Additional information and guidance
Candidates should be familiar with the concept of risk assessment and cover at least health and safety issues and risks of running out of time or hitting difficult obstacles. Some background lessons in risk, target setting and time management are likely to be necessary.
1.3 I can produce a project plan
Candidates should produce a plan explaining the sequence of tasks, the approximate time scales and any resources needed.
Evidence: from assessor observation and portfolios.
Additional information and guidance
The plan should be realistic and clearly structured. The method of putting it together is optional but we recommend using web pages and dynamic links for referencing. They can use the Learning site Blogging and evidence management facilities for this but it is not mandatory. If plans go wrong it is perfectly reasonable to modify them and document the events. Explanations can be written but we also encourage the use of screencasts e.g. with GTKrecordmydesktop audio and other media for both planing explanations and ultimately presentation of the plan. If the plans do not look sufficient to justify 50 hours of work the candidate should be informed (If in doubt consult your account manager at TLM) because failure to complete a project to a level 2 standard will make them ineligible to take the grading examination.
2. Apply practical skills and knowledge in a synoptic context
2.1 I can set up hardware and software to meet needs
Candidates should demonstrate practical competence in setting up any hardware and software related to their project.
Evidence: Portfolios and assessor observations
Additional information and guidance
Even if it is a research project there should be applied practical elements even if it is to check that in practice something found out actually works as expected. Candidates should draw on their learning from the course and extend it where relevant through their project. They might for example research ways of automating routine tasks and build a set of scripts to support this. That would require them to use the related scripting language e.g. bash. A synoptic context means that the project should cut across each of the other assessment units at least to some extent.
2.2 I can record process and procedures
Candidates should record the processes and procedures they carry out for their project.
Evidence: Blogs or similar records
Additional information and guidance
It is recommended that candidates produce a series of blog entries describing their actions on a day to day basis. Assessors should explain to them that if they are in employment and they can't justify the time they are spending on productive work they are likely to lose their job. Here they need to justify their work in order to be eligible to take the grading examination.
Candidates should produce an evaluation report of the process they went through.
Evidence: from assessor observation and portfolios.
Additional information and guidance
The evaluation should classify strengths and weaknesses related to their day to day working and what they found to work well and what did not work as expected. Finding difficulties and overcoming them might or might not be a result of a weakness in a method. They are encouraged to use social networking groups focussed on technical issues to get feedback on process and methods that enable them to make improvements. This is widely used in the Open Source world to learn from others in the community.
2.4 I can make improvements based on evaluation
Candidates should provide evidence of improvements that they have made to their work based on evaluation.
Evidence: from assessor observation and portfolios.
Additional information and guidance
There should be clear evidence of changes made to improve their work. This could be using different tools, using different or newly learnt techniques with tools or changes to procedures, times, order of doing things, who to ask and where. We want them to understand that all the answers are out there, it's knowing how to get them quickly and be sure they are valid that matters.
3. Present results effectively
3.1 I can organise results into a logical structure
Candidates should demonstrate practical competence in structuring the presentation of their results.
Evidence: Portfolios and assessor observations
Additional information and guidance
Results should be presented by starting with an initial abstract or project summary and then providing the outcomes in a logical sequence or set of linked objects eg in a web book. There should be some specific conclusions or personal judgements about the content beyond generalisations such as it went well or I think my project was good. Assessors should expect to be provided with reasons.
3.2 I can media to enable updates for a wider audience
Candidates should use internet based media with appropriate permissions so that updating their presentation will provide the updates immediately to the entire audience.
Evidence: Web based presentation
Additional information and guidance
The INGOT community Learning Site provides the tools to do this but its use is not mandatory, any web based environment will enable sharing presentations and their updates widely. Using Powerpoint or OpenOffice Impress on a desktop will not do this so it should be discouraged unless they have a strategy eg incorporating the distribution with a cloud based repository such as Dropbox. It could be useful to consider using free on-line publishing sites such as Lulu.com to produce a professional book that is distributed on the web. Updating the book would then enable wider distribution.
3.3 I can make a presentation to a critical audience
Candidates should present their work to a knowledgeable audience
Evidence: from assessor observation and portfolios
Additional information and guidance
This might be an opportunity to involve employers/professionals in the field. The candidates should be given at least 20 minutes to make their presentation and answer questions on it.
3.4 I can receive feedback and act upon it
Candidates should receive feedback graciously and show evidence of making some change as a result.
Evidence: from assessor observation.
Additional information and guidance
The assessor should observe the behaviour of the candidate on receiving feedback and they should check that there has been some positive action as a result.
Moderation/verification
The assessor should keep a record of assessment judgements made for each candidate and make notes of any significant issues for any candidate. They must be prepared to enter into dialog with their Account Manager and provide their assessment records to the Account Manager through the on-line mark book. They should be prepared to provide evidence as a basis for their judgements through reference to candidate e-portfolios and through signed witness statements associated with the criteria matching marks in the on-line markbook. Before authorizing certification, the Account Manager must be satisfied that the assessors judgements are sound.
