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L6 - Digital and Technology Solutions Professional

Site: QMplus - The Online Learning Environment of Queen Mary University of London
Module: Independent External Assessors at Queen Mary
Book: L6 - Digital and Technology Solutions Professional
Printed by: Guest user
Date: Tuesday, 27 August 2024, 2:16 PM

Description

This programme has two assessment methods: 

- synoptic project 

- project presentation

Table of contents

1. Overview

The Digital and Technology Solutions Professional is an apprenticeship that typically will take 3 years or more to complete. It leads to a BSc Honours degree qualification that is contextualised for workplace occupational competency as a Digital & Technology Solutions Professional who can operate in one of the following roles:

  Software Engineer
  IT Consultant
  Business Analyst
  Data Analyst
  Cyber Security Analyst
  Network Engineer

This new route to recruitment of young talent for employers will produce competent technology solutions professionals to complement their graduate recruitment and apprenticeship programmes. This apprenticeship will develop the technical, business, project, interpersonal and behavioural skills and knowledge to operate effectively in the digital economy.

What distinguishes this apprenticeship is the blend of employer defined skills, knowledge and behaviour outcomes that are integrated and assessed as part of the degree. The achievement of the degree ensures that the standard has been met. This is a closed degree for this occupation and the degree also acts as assessment verification that the standard has been met by the apprentice.

The delivery of the apprenticeship by the university provides an integrated approach to developing and assessing skills and knowledge across the range of modules in the degree programme. Each university will develop its own degree programme and will map the individual modules to the outcomes in the standard. Individual modules will contribute formative assessment to the skills, knowledge and behaviour outcomes en-route to the final synoptic project and presentation. 

The final synoptic project is a substantial piece of work, typically taking around 6 months to undertake alongside the apprentices normal duties to their employer. The end point assessment integrates the project outcomes and presentation into the overall synoptic project assessment. 

It is this end point assessment which will be judged against the standard, and test the skills, knowledge and behaviours together as applied through the project.


2. Synoptic Project

The synoptic project is a work based project that broadly represents the skills, knowledge and behaviours in the standard. The project will provide substantive evidence from a business-related project to demonstrate the application of skills and knowledge.  

The end point assessment integrates the project outcomes and presentation into the overall synoptic project assessment. It will take place over a period of around 6 months, near the end of the programme. It is designed to assess apprentices in a consistent way, irrespective of their particular workplace and university. Because of the significance of the project the employer and university should work together with the apprentice to agree a project that is achievable within the employer’s business constraints and that meets the requirements of the standard. 

The project should be conducted as part of the apprentice’s normal work. Employers should make suitable allowance for the project to be undertaken, both in terms of time and resources. However, there are some elements such as the writing of the report, particularly in its reflective aspects that may be undertaken outside of normal work. This should be agreed between apprentice, employer and university such that apprentices are not disadvantaged in any way from performing their job and meeting the requirements of the project.

Any issues with confidentiality and/or security will also be addressed between the university, employer and apprentice allowing for projects of business value to be undertaken using real data.

The assessment of the synoptic project should include the employer’s assessment against the common criteria for the project. Every project assessment is required to incorporate employer contribution in addition to normal university project assessment. This needs to be consistent for all projects.

The project should relate to one of the specialisms in the standard. High-level descriptors of typical projects are given below for each of the specialisms in the standard.

Software Engineer - This could be a project to design and develop a significant piece of software or a new software product prototype to achieve defined business objectives, for a defined user group or customer group, to meet the business need and applying appropriate levels of security. It will include significant project planning including estimations of both time and cost to proposed solutions, include technical and commercial aspects of the proposed solution.

IT Consultant - This could be a project to undertake an IT consultancy project to formulate and evaluate technical alternatives to meet businesses requirements. This will likely include issues of integration with existing technology and procedures, maintenance and expansion and the consideration of both proprietary and open source solutions as appropriate. It will include significant project planning including estimations of both time and cost to proposed solutions, include technical and commercial aspects of the proposed solution.

Business Analyst - This could be a Business Analysis study to analyse, and model a problem-specific domain and to develop a solution approach based upon the analysis. It will include significant project planning including estimations of both time and cost to proposed solutions, include technical and commercial aspects of the proposed solution.

Cyber Security Analyst - This could be an analysis of a given domain and evaluation of security threats and vulnerabilities to planned and installed information systems or services with a robust cyber security solution. It will include significant project planning including estimations of both time and cost to proposed solutions, include technical and commercial aspects of the proposed solution.

Data Analyst - This could be a project to analyse, devise and deploy data analytics solutions for a real-world problem domain. In particular, applying data analysis techniques, processes and tools to perform analytics for a significant data-driven business scenario. It will include significant project planning including estimations of both time and cost to proposed solutions, include technical and commercial aspects of the proposed solution.

Network Engineer - This could be a project to plan and configure a network to meet a defined specification, to satisfy security requirements, using one or more of the defined tools, to meet specified criteria and performance levels. It will include significant project planning including estimations of both time and cost to proposed solutions, include technical and commercial aspects of the proposed solution.

Generic Content 

Each project must enable the following to be demonstrated:

  • the application of the core and specialism knowledge and skills to meet the outcomes in the standard;

  • the approach to planning and completion of the project; 

  • the application of behaviours from the standard.

The project will cover all of the specialism skills, knowledge and behaviours as defined in the standard. 

The project will cover the specialism skills, knowledge and behaviours from the standard using the occupational domain to select the project as follows:
Software Engineer: Show competence in software development processes, including the knowledge, skills, and professional competences necessary to practice as a software engineer in a business environment.
IT Consultant: Perform technical, organisational, and process improvement tasks in a range of environments to solve business problems.
Business Analyst: Apply structured processes for identifying, defining and analysing unstructured business problems, their root cause and impact.
Cyber Security Analyst: Analyse and evaluate security threats and vulnerabilities to planned and installed information systems or services and identify how these can be mitigated against.
Data Analyst: Use a range of analytical techniques such as data mining, time series forecasting and modelling techniques to identify and predict trends and patterns in data.
Network Engineer: Plan, design, build and test a simple network to a requirement specification that includes hubs, switches, routers and wireless user devices applying appropriate security products and processes.

2.1. Project outcomes


The list of project outcomes can be found here

3. Presentation

The presentation is a structured discussion between the apprentice and their university lecturers and employer, focusing on the outcomes of the synoptic project. It covers both what the apprentice has done, the standard of their work, and also how they have done it. Typically this is the approach taken in university individual projects. This enables the assessment to include the assessment of skills, knowledge and behaviours as required by the standard. 
The purpose of the presentation is to review: 
   what the apprentice set out to achieve; 
   what they have actually produced in the project;
  the standard of their work;
  how they have approached the work and dealt with any issues arising;
  clarify any questions the university/employer has from their assessment of the project;
  explore aspects of the project work, including how it was carried out, in more detail;
  confirm the demonstration of appropriate interpersonal and behavioural skills.

The presentation will be assessed as part of the overall project assessment. The university will provide guidance on the nature of the presentation and the assessment criteria used. This will ensure that consistent approaches are taken and that all key areas are appropriately explored. 

The initial and primary focus for the presentation is on the work presented in the project. However, the presentation assessors can explore the apprentice’ broader experience from the workplace, to demonstrate that the skills and knowledge defined in the standard have been met.

4. Assessing KSBs


The information about assessing the KSBs can be found here.

5. Final Assessment and Grading


All apprentices will be studying for a BSc Honours degree in Digital & Technology Solutions. It is the achievement of the Honours degree that demonstrates that the standard has been met and which provides the grading. The grading of the degree award is significantly made up of the synoptic project assessment together with module assessments. The Honours degree award and classification is based on a weighted average mark of the assessed work the apprentice has completed. The synoptic project contributes greatly to the final year marks. The final year overall contributes to the grading typically in the ratio of 3 – 5 times that of second year modules (based on a three year model). The synoptic project must be passed in all cases to achieve the degree award.

Apprentices will be graded using Honours degree classifications for English universities. All UK universities must follow the QAA (Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education) Code of practice for the assurance of academic quality and standards in higher education. This ensures continued consistency across universities.

The national degree award outcomes are shown below with apprenticeship grading equivalence. These typically are as follows:



6. Assessment Responsibilities


The information about Assessment Responsibilities can be found here

7. Occupational Standard

The Occupational Standards can be found here