1. Centre Standardisation Training
Jan 2017

2. Welcome
Bev O’Donovan Head of Academic Development Africa and Middle East
Managing Malpractice – plagiarism
Marking Standardization using IKM examples

3. Objectives
To understand and apply NCC Education guidance and best practice in centre marking and standardisation
To develop a good understanding of Learning Outcomes, Grade Descriptors and use of the Marking Scheme to improve accuracy of centre marking
To understand, detect and prevent malpractice in candidate work
To put that learning into practice for the IKM unit.
To take back to your centre a model and materials to train others and undertake centre standardisation, for any NCC Education qualification, with confidence

4. Centre Standardisation – your experiences
How Do You Mark at Your Centre?
What is marking? What is moderation?
What procedures do you follow for marking & moderation?
What do you consider to be best practice in marking & moderation? Is this different to what you actually do at work?
What are the strengths and weaknesses of your current marking & moderation practice?
How do you train new members of staff to carry out marking?

5. Understanding the language of marking - Learning
Outcomes, Assessment Criteria and Grade Boundaries
NCC Education’s moderators review the marking completed at centres using four tools:
Mark schemes
Learning Outcomes (LOs)
Assessment Criteria
Grade Descriptors
The Mark Schemes, Learning Outcomes, Assessment Criteria and Grade Descriptors for each qualification unit can be found on our Virtual learning Environment Campus. The Qualification Specification also provides all of these by unit. The Specifications can be found on

6. Definitions Learning Outcome
A description of what a learner will be able to do on successful completion of the unit 
Assessment Criteria
An example of how the Learning Outcome may be demonstrated, giving an indication of the standard a learner is expected to meet.
Grade Descriptor
The grade descriptors Pass, Merit and Distinction are awarded at unit level to successful candidates. Each descriptor has a set of characteristics intended to provide a general indication of assessment performance in relation to each Learning Outcome in the Qualification Specification

7. What is the role of the Marking Scheme?
The mark scheme confirms the LOs being tested
The mark scheme provides acceptable responses for which marks are awarded that demonstrate LOs, Assessment Criteria and Grade Descriptors
The mark scheme makes it possible to differentiate between levels of achievement

8. Objectives of Centre Standardisation
Check reliability, authenticity and accuracy of assessment decisions across tutors/sites/cohorts delivering the unit/qualification
Improve consistency in tutor’s marking judgements
Identify tutor development/training needs – action plans
Share good marking practice
Compare marking quality over time
Vital component of centre’s quality assurance system – must include all tutors
Evidence of centre standardisation should be available for centre monitoring
Ideally happens in every assessment cycle

9. Centre Standardisation Model
First Marking
Second Marking
Standardisation Meeting
Moderation
Agree marks
Tutor development action plans
Records
Sample selection (where relevant)
There should be a standardization meeting after the release of each cycle of results and moderation reports to analyse the results and feedback. This needs to be face to face and have sufficient time set aside for it in the centre timetable.

10. First Marking
First marker marks candidate’s work, second marker checks marking of the first marker.
First marker must make marking decisions clear :
A first marker is responsible for marking the student’s work using the mark scheme. Things to remember:
Use ticks  and comments to show where and why you have awarded marks. Later on in the standardisation process, the second marker can then check this and NCC Education moderators will have evidence to review in order to confirm whether the centre is marking to the standard
Ensure that it is clear how many marks have been awarded for each part of each question.
The overall mark must be recorded on the front page of the student’s work.
Make sure that the marking accurately refers to the Grade Descriptors.

11. Second Marking
Centres should always carry out second marking on a sample of assignments and/or local examination papers.
Second marking checks the accuracy of the first marker. If second marking uncovers a problem, this should be discussed with the first marker and an agreement reached on what is the correct standard referring to the Marking Scheme, Learning Outcomes and Grade Descriptors.
 When the second marker has not agreed with the marking, they should indicate clearly on the page what they disagree with so that NCC Education moderator can understand how the final mark has been reached. The second marker should use a different coloured pen to the first marker.
 Like the first marker, the second marker needs to be familiar with Learning Outcomes and Grade Descriptors to help them apply the Mark Scheme correctly.

12. Standardisation Meeting
Internal standardisation is a collaborative process by which teachers within a centre consider work produced by their own students, using LOS, Grade Descriptors and example, scripts and commentaries where provided, reach a common agreement on standards typical of work at a particular level.
It promotes
 A common understanding and application of marking standards
A common understanding of approaches to assessment in that all teachers engaged in marking judgements are working in comparable ways to the learning outcomes, grade descriptors and standards .

13. Standardisation Meeting
The first and second marker will need to meet to discuss marking. This standardisation meeting is a form of internal moderation, where marks are agreed, notes about the decisions made recorded and where necessary tutor training and development plans agreed
The process is as follows:
First and second markers meet by qualification and level
Review example NCC Education materials where available
Agree marking standards at each Grade Descriptor – i.e. what do you expect to see in the student’s work?
Review a sample of the marking of candidates’ work
Agree and record final marks for the students
Record reasons for these final decisions and any changes and ensure it is clear to NCC Education moderators why marks are awarded.
If you have a very large number of students, for example, more than 50, use a third marker to moderate a sample of the agreed marking
Plagiarism reports (Turnitin) should also be reviewed in arriving at final centre marks.

14. A statement of students having done their own work.
General Guidelines
The following should be included for the final submission to NCC Education:
A Turnitin report.
A statement of students having done their own work.
The documentation of the assignment
Marking Sheet/Scheme with explanations and actions
taken if plagiarism is discovered
Copies of all work sent for moderation should be kept at the centre
Note: There should be another standardisation meeting after the release of each cycle of results to look at your marks compared to the official marks. Analyse the results and feedback.

15. This could be for one of the following reasons:
Results not issued
This could be for one of the following reasons:
Students not registered, enrolled and paid for
Moderators are not happy with marking and centre is requested to remark and if remark not done in time for result release. Remark could be requested for one of the following:
Inconsistent or very lenient marking
Incorrect adding up
Not enough samples sent
Suspected plagiarism, or originality score too high and marker has taken no action
Assessment board halt release of results as have queries on plagiarism, malpractice etc.
Work sent to the incorrect address
Work sent too late

16. Assessing Learning using Learning Outcomes and
Assessment Criteria– IKM example
Assessment criteria
Distinguish knowledge from Information
Critically assess different types of knowledge and Information Systems.
Learning Outcome Examine the role of Information Management within an organisation.
What is Plagiarism?
This information is found in the L7 Diploma in Business Management Qualification Unit Specification document. It is available on the NCC Education website, and a copy of valid sections is supplied today.

17. Learning Outcomes for ‘IKM’ See Qualification Unit Specification for further information on the Assessment Criteria for each Learning Outcome.
Learning Outcomes
Examine the role of Information Management within an organisation.
Critically assess the strategic information systems (IS) strategy and planning.
Critically analyse information systems (IS) tools available to an organisation and sources of strategic advantage.
Critically assess the strategies used in managing people
Critically assess the key aspects of contemporary ICT systems and their application to eCommerce and eBusiness
Assess the value of leveraging knowledge
What is Plagiarism?

18. Grade Descriptors Grade Descriptors.
What are Grade Descriptors? Grade descriptors show how a given level of performance will be reflected in a grade
Pass grade = Demonstrate adequate level of understanding
Merit grade = Demonstrate robust level of understanding
Distinction grade = Demonstrate highly comprehensive level of understanding
These then relate to each of the Unit Learning Outcomes
See Qualification Unit Specification for further information on the grade requirement for each Learning Outcome
What is Plagiarism?

19. Examine the role of Information Management within an organisation
Grade Descriptors - Example from some IKM Learning Outcomes
Learning Outcome
Pass
Merit
Distinction
Examine the role of Information Management within an organisation
Provide examination of the subject with some suitable examples and references.
Provide detailed examination of the subject with adequate use of appropriate references and examples.
Provide consistently critical and detailed examination with innovative use of highly appropriate references.
Critically assess the strategic information systems (IS) strategy and planning
Demonstrate an adequate awareness of issues associated with the subject and make some appropriate judgements; Demonstrate some sound critical skills
Demonstrate a sound awareness of issues associated with the subject and make consistently appropriate judgements; Demonstrate consistently sound critical skills
Demonstrate a detailed awareness of complexity of issues associated with the subject and make highly appropriate judgements; Demonstrate highly developed critical skills
What is Plagiarism?

20. Marking the IKM assignment

21. Marking Activity
This is now your opportunity to practise marking and to reflect on evidence for learning outcomes and grade descriptors – based on actual candidate scripts
Activity to begin where you will be given 4 blank assignments and a blank Mark Sheet for each. You will work in pairs for 15 minutes to decide which is a fail, pass, merit and distinction using Grade descriptors. You can then use the commentaries and annotated Mark Schemes provided to check if your quick review was correct. The commentary provided will advise on what would have been present in the work if it was to have received higher or lower marks.
Mark 2 completed candidate script - then review your marks to compare with that awarded by the NCC Education marker
Discuss the written commentary on why the marker awarded the marks given.
Discuss the marking with a colleague and identify what the candidate would have had to have done to be awarded higher marks.
The QP, Mark Scheme and Qualification Unit Specification are available

22. Marking Summary
Does the answer match the responses in the marking scheme – exactly, with omissions, lacking in clarity or detail?
Does the answer relate to the instruction in the question - Define, Describe, Explain, Demonstrate
How does the answer paper relate to grades:
Pass grade = Demonstrate adequate level of understanding
Merit grade = Demonstrate robust level of understanding
Distinction grade = Demonstrate highly comprehensive level understanding
The Grade Descriptors for the DWEB Learning Outcomes are provided.

23. Coding and Plagiarism
All code that is taken from an online resource is to be fully referenced within the code as a comment, down to the URL from where the code was taken. Provided all code is referenced, this would not represent an instance of academic misconduct although it also would not count as demonstration of achieving Learning Outcomes . No marks will be awarded where Learning Outcomes and Assessment Criteria are met through borrowed external code only, even where it is referenced
With regards to the allocation of marks, code taken from external resources should not simply be implemented ‘as is’ without significant modification for its context. Substantially modified code can be as significant a demonstration of mastery as writing original code, but this must be addressed on a case by case basis.
Another issue that can be problematic within these modules is students working together.

24. Coding and Collusion
Collusion in the use of code occurs where candidates work together, resulting in inappropriate similarities in their code, such as the same data structure/flow of logic, order of classes and objects.
NCC Education accepts that some similarities in software code are inevitable, especially where the same programming language and development tools are employed. However, candidates’ work must always be substantially different from each other’s so that the examiner can be confident that the individual candidate has demonstrated mastery of the learning outcomes.

25. Summary
What have you learned? Reflections and insights from the marking process.
How will your preparation for candidate assessment change?
How will you take your learning back to your centre?
Any questions?

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