New-look Record of learning attracts interest

Online interest in possible enhancements to NZQA's Record of Learning and NQF Result Notice has been brisk with broadly positive feedback.

By early September, about 130 submissions had been received on each of the new formats and the web page where they were posted had been viewed over 5300 times. The consultation ran until October.

NZQA Chief Executive Karen Poutasi said there had been ongoing calls for the Record of Learning to be made clearer.

"As well as students' views, for some time we've been concerned that we aren't meeting the needs of employers who find our current Record of Learning confusing," Dr Poutasi said.

The proposed changes include listing a summary of the learner's qualifications at the top of the Record of Learning - these are currently at the end.

This would be entitled 'Qualifications and Other Achievements', allowing the inclusion of New Zealand Scholarship and University Entrance - which aren't technically qualifications.

"We've concluded that we should just tell people what they want to know. Likewise, if a student has gained any national certificates they would be here too."

A new way of grouping records is also being considered. Qualifications Division Deputy Chief Executive Bali Haque explains:

"The big change is we propose to group standards into subjects and levels. The current Record of Learning bunches standards according to other classifications (domains), which are counter-intuitive for most people. We want a reader to be able to quickly see the subjects the learner is strong in."

"We hope that an amended Record of Learning, once finalised, will be more useful, especially when presented to employers by job seekers," Bali says.

It is hoped to have new documents in use next year.

See: www.nzqa.govt.nz/framework/rol for more information