OCN Northern Ireland
October E-Zine
Welcome to OCNNIs New Look Monthly Ezine
OCN NI is delighted to introduce our new look monthly ezine. We hope you like the new format and find the information both useful and informative. We would also like to take this opportunity to welcome a new member of staff to the corporate services team. Matthew McCormick has joined us as our Website and Digital Communications Officer. He will be responsible for the “new-look” E-Zine on a monthly basis, as well as undertaking an extensive review of our current website. If you have any comments or suggestions regarding either the ezine or website, please do inform us by emailing Matthew at mmccormick@ocnni.org.uk We look forward to hearing from you.
Quartz Reminder for all Centres
It will be mandatory for all OCN centres to start using the new system from January 2012. If you have not already done so please register for one of our training dates (Click Here).
Alternatively, contact Joanne McCone or Nicola Robinson to arrange a convenient time for an online remote demonstration of QUARTZ. Please forward this article to all relevant members of staff in your organisation. The training sessions are suitable for those who work as an examinations officer or administrator in one of our recognised centres. If you have any queries please call our registration and awards team on (028) 90463990.
QuartzWeb is Open College Network NI’s new online learner registration and awards administration service. It allows OCN NI recognised centres to perform a range of day to day functions quickly and efficiently via a secure online system. The eRegistration and eAward facilities enable organisations to move from manual to largely automated processes with significant time savings for both the awarding organisation and for the centre.
Key benefits are
- Faster turnaround of course notification
- Faster turnaround of learner registrations and awards
- Removal of paper-based processes
- Less requirement to handle queries about submissions
- Significant staff time savings
- Better quality data – no typos
- Fewer duplicate registrations
- No manual paper-filling for customers
- Customers are fully informed of progress at all times
- Customer friendly secure facility – 24 hours a day / 7 days a week
Self Assessment Review
The Self-Assessment exercise for 2010-2011 has now been completed and I would like to take this opportunity to thank-you for your participation in this annual event.
As you are aware, the annual Self-Assessment Report (SAR) is a necessary part of our Quality Assurance arrangements here at OCN NI. As a nationally regulated Awarding Organisation we have a duty of care to ensure the right and appropriate standard of quality across our recognised Centres. Key to this risk based quality assurance models is regular review and evaluation of Centre quality. This is not only essential for our purposes at OCN NI but also benefits centres in improving their QA processes and of course ultimately ensuing learners gain access to the quality learning they need.
To summarise this year’s response. Due to the volume of centres involved and the varying degree of responses from individual centres, we opted to risk assess the Centres using two methods. Centres were initially assessed on strength of response in relation to the time taken to respond. Centres were then assessed using a second method which took the form of a checklist and addressed each section of the review questionnaire in turn. A final combined risk rating was deducted from these two evaluation methods.
The resultant analysis of Centre responses brought to our attention a number of methodological problems in the current review format and the decision was therefore taken to overhaul the current system and introduce a new and improved Centre Self-Assessment process for the year 2011-2012.
I am pleased to inform you that we are in the final stages of designing a new more customer focused process and we will be sending you details soon of the new direction the Self Assessment exercise will take in the 2011-2012 review.
Centres can obtain relevant guidance on Self Assessment procedures from OCN NI. Contact Melanie: mmcneill@ocnni.org.uk .
Telephone: (028) 90463990
New Qualifications
At OCN-NI we are constantly adding to the qualifications we have available. Our desire is that we become recognised and respected as the leading credit based learning and development body in Ireland, promoting social inclusion, wider participation and community transformation. Contact us for further information on
Telephone: (028) 90463990
Email: info@ocnni.org.uk
Level 1 Award in Creative Hair Studies
Level 1 Certificate in Creative Hair Studies
Level 1 Award & Certificate in Employability
Level 2 Award in Introductory Work in the Outdoors
Level 2 Diploma in Developing Skills for the Creative and Cultural Industries
Our Vision Statement
To be recognised and respected as the leading credit based learning and development body in Ireland, promoting social inclusion, wider participation and community transformation.
