October 2000 ISSUE 35

Technology to tame a paper tiger

Education has traditionally been paper-based, both in learning and administration. Over the last decade, computer-based systems and software developed by the Authority have started to provide a welcome alternative.

Gone are the days when three-quarters of NZQA staff were called upon to manually count bundles of exam entry fees in the staff cafeteria. Today, 90% of exam entries are received electronically and old paper systems are handled by specially-developed computer applications. According to Learner Information Manager, Linda Forsyth, this is indicative of the role technology now plays in NZQA administration.

"Technology has made our lives quicker and easier and we can offer candidates a far more professional product. There is an immediacy to our service that was lacking in the past. For example, any changes in marks or personal information can now be made and returned within 24 hours, whereas previously it would have taken days."

Information Technology Manager Tony Dawbin was there in 1990 when the first exam entries were received by the newly-established NZQA.

"Back then there were five of us responsible for delivering the exam system through the database on the GCS (Government Computing Service) mainframe computer. You couldn't link directly to the system and few people could access and change data. A traditional typing pool continued to process entries and results on paper. It was slow and very restrictive."

An Information Systems development plan, commissioned in 1991, allowed NZQA the freedom to establish an independent network and develop its own customised software applications. Today, Authority computers outnumber Authority staff.

"It's been a very dramatic change when you think about it," says Tony. "We've moved on a long way. Look around the NZQA offices and you'll see every employee has a computer on their desk that they rely on for most of their work. Their desktops offer direct access to a wide variety of applications such as word processing, spreadsheeting, email and niche packages."

The NZQA Intranet is the tool that links staff together on-line. A pocket-sized Internet designed specifically for the Authority, the Intranet allows in-house transferral of documents and information.

"Having the Intranet greatly reduces the need for huge manuals and documentation that clog up our offices," Tony explains. "It's all available electronically. If people have a document they would like feedback on, they can post it on the Intranet and receive feedback there also, rather than distributing multiple paper copies of each successive draft."

As the Authority's electronic horizons have expanded, it has developed new resources for schools. One example of this is SADE (Schools Administration by Diskette Exchange), a programme developed in 1995 and sent to secondary schools to minimise errors. Every year, schools receive updated, customised copies on disk.

"Technology has made our relationships with schools more complex but at the same time has increased efficiency dramatically," says programmer Paul Kane, one of a team responsible for developing SADE.

"Programmes such as SADE have been enormously helpful in speeding up tasks and giving us time to develop other areas. We have also developed a programme called FDC (Framework Data Capture) that we use in conjunction with tertiary training institutions to validate unit standards results. Tasks now take about a hundredth of the time they used to before these applications were around."

With changes to the education system imminent, Linda Forsyth believes the development of new technology is a necessity.

"We currently process around 500 000 results a year for school qualifications. With the introduction of NCEA, the amount of data will be six times that - 3 million results. Dealing with this kind of volume means we need to work smarter and fully utilise the potential of computers."

The Authority has already begun researching a number of exciting possibilities, particularly regarding the Internet.

"The greatest benefit new technology offers is speed - speed in accessing information and speed in getting information to others," says Linda. "The Internet is perhaps the best example of this. The NZQA website (www.nzqa.govt.nz) contains information on everything from unit standards to exam dates, links to other relevant sites and email addresses to contact us directly."

"An important recent development is markers sending their results in electronically which makes the results process much more efficient. We are also looking at an Internet trial for candidates to access results later this year. Other developments in areas such as phone technology led to a successful Bursary phone results pilot last year which we will continue to develop and improve."

For both clients and employees of NZQA, technology is going to play an increasingly large part in their association. As someone at the forefront of these developments, Tony Dawbin believes it is a very exciting time.

"If development continues at the rate it has over the last 10 years, who knows what we could see? We all need to keep abreast of changes. Forget the past and embrace new and efficient ways of working - it's the only way to go."

HOME

TOP

NEXT

Copyright © 2000 New Zealand Qualifications Authority