BCS Learning & Development IT User Operational ...

1 Copyright BCS 2017 Page 1 of 58 IT User Operational Requirements Manual - - March 2018anual September 2017 BCS Learning & Development IT User Operational Requirements Manual March 2018 Version CONTENTS 1. Introduction .. 6 How to Use This Manual .. 6 2. BCS Contact Details .. 8 Customer Service Statement .. 8 Contacting BCS .. 8 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) .. 9 3. Approved Centre Forum .. 10 Who Needs ACF Access? .. 10 How to Access the ACF .. 10 Selecting a username and password .. 11 4. Legal Obligations .. 12 Regulators .. 12 Trademark and Logos .. 12 Approved Materials .. 12 Data Protection.

2 13 Learning Records Service .. 13 Equalities .. 13 Safeguarding .. 13 Complaints .. 13 Financial Obligations .. 13 Insurance .. 14 Policies .. 14 What constitutes a good policy?.. 15 Health and Safety .. 15 Disabled Access .. 15 5. Staff Roles and Responsibilities .. 16 How to Register Staff with 16 Who s Who in The Assessment Process .. 16 Centre Manager .. 17 Centre Manager responsibilities .. 17 Invigilator .. 18 Marker .. 18 Assessor .. 19 Internal Verifier .. 19 Administrator .. 20 Teacher .. 20 6. Conflict of Interest .. 21 7. Staff Testing .. 22 8. Approved Centre Training .. 23 Training Format.

3 23 Who Must Complete Centre Training? .. 23 On-Site Training .. 23 9. Record 24 Central Recording System .. 24 Data Backups .. 25 Retention of Work .. 25 Out of Hours Testing and Assessment .. 25 What does out of hours mean? .. 26 Guided Learning Hours .. 26 10. Assessments in Alternative Sites .. 28 Satellites .. 28 Off-site .. 28 11. What You Must Request Advance Authorisation For .. 29 12. Reporting To BCS .. 30 Breaches in Test Security .. 30 Change of Centre Manager .. 30 Change of Centre Address .. 31 Change to Invoicing Details .. 31 Centre Withdrawal or Closure .. 31 13. Malpractice and Maladministration .. 32 14. Orders and Registrations .. 33 Orders .. 33 Does BCS offer refunds? .. 33 Registrations.

4 33 What information is needed to register Learners? .. 33 Learner identification .. 34 How to register Learners .. 35 Amendments to a Learner registration .. 35 RQF Credit Transfer Process .. 35 15. Reasonable Adjustments and Special Considerations .. 36 Reasonable Adjustment Request .. 36 Special Consideration Request .. 37 Supporting Evidence .. 37 Confidentiality .. 37 16. Test Security .. 38 17. Automated Testing .. 39 Passwords .. 39 18. Manual Testing .. 40 Manual Test Bank .. 40 19. Test Regulations .. 41 Test Environment .. 41 Test Preparation .. 42 Learner requirements .. 42 Manual tests: additional requirements.

5 42 Automated tests: additional requirements .. 42 Spacing of computers .. 42 What does a good test room look like? .. 43 Learner Briefing .. 43 During Test Sessions .. 43 Test requirements .. 43 Test 44 Serious Incidents .. 45 Post Test 45 Manual tests: additional requirements .. 45 Resits of Live Tests .. 46 20. Marking .. 47 21. Evidence Based Assessment .. 48 Assessments .. 48 Quality Assurance .. 48 External Verification .. 48 22. Quality Assurance .. 49 Observations of Invigilation .. 49 What feedback may be appropriate for the Invigilator? .. 49 Internal Verification: Manual Tests .. 50 Second marking.

6 50 Routine 10% sampling .. 50 Internal Verification: Evidence Based Assessments .. 50 Centre Management Controls .. 51 Audit .. 51 23. Results, Enquiries and Appeals .. 52 Results and Feedback to Learners .. 52 Uploading Results .. 52 Enquiries About Results .. 53 Appeals .. 53 Centre appeals .. 53 Learner appeals .. 54 24. Certification .. 55 Certificate Distribution .. 55 Return of Certificates to BCS .. 55 Replacement of Lost or Damaged Certificates .. 55 25. Invalidation of Results .. 56 26. External Verification .. 57 27. Audit .. 58 Organising an Audit .. 58 Preparing for Audit .. 58 Who Should be Present at an Audit? .. 59 What Might be Asked at an Audit? .. 59 What Happens Next? .. 59 28. Non-compliance and Sanctions.

7 60 29. Glossary .. 61 30. Appendices .. 63 Copyright BCS 2018 Page 6 of 72 IT User Operational Requirements Manual - - March 2018 March 2018 1. Introduction The purpose of this manual is to explain the Operational requirements our Approved Centres must follow to deliver BCS and ECDL Foundation qualifications. The Centre Manager is responsible for ensuring the Centre is compliant with the requirements of this manual. It is essential that Centres meet the requirements set out in this document as failure to do so may impact on Learner results, or lead to sanctions being applied to the Centre. Please refer to section 28 Non-Compliance and Sanctions. All registered staff involved in managing, administering and assessing our qualifications must read this manual before commencing activities.

8 Specific information relating to our qualifications are detailed in the relevant Qualification Specification document on our website, and on our Approved Centre Forum (ACF) which is only accessible to Approved Centre staff. For details about the (ACF) please refer to section 3 Approved Centre Forum. Any updates to this manual will be notified to Approved Centres by email to the Centre Manager and will also be uploaded to the Approved Centre Forum. If there are any concerns or queries do get in touch with us, so we can provide support in delivering BCS qualifications. See section Contacting BCS for our contact details. How to Use This Manual This manual explains BCS requirements, so that we, and our Centres, remain compliant with our regulators.

9 The manual initially describes the Approved Centre s journey as a BCS Centre, explaining points such as legal requirements and what the Centre must have in place. It moves on to describe a Learner s journey through their registration, assessment, quality assurance and certification. All requirements in the manual are further explained and demonstrated in the BCS training available on our website , see section 8 Approved Centre Training for further information about the available training. There is sign-posting throughout the manual to highlight wherever a document is available for Approved Centres to use, to indicate where additional information is in another section in the manual, or to explain where user guides are available on the ACF.

10 There is additional *help, in some sections, to provide examples of what we consider to be good practice. The green sign below refers to a mandatory document or BCS policies available on the ACF. ACF: News, Information & Support > Document Library Document Name Copyright BCS 2018 Page 7 of 72 IT User Operational Requirements Manual - - March 2018 March 2018 The blue sign below refers to good practice documents, or to user guides or other websites. All documents are available on the ACF. ACF: News, Information & Support > Document Library Document Name Copyright BCS 2018 Page 8 of 72 IT User Operational Requirements Manual - - March 2018 March 2018 2. BCS Contact Details This section explains the different ways in which Centre staff can contact our teams.