Its all flapdoodle, panic and oh dear, the sky appears to be falling in ...

Watching panic on two different educational fronts in the last fortnight, I have not come to any solid conclusions about the cause, but I have some interesting ideas.

In an educational process, where change is inevitable, you would expect that the educators have become used to this. Qualifications have a validated lifespan, after which they must be (ahem), revalidated. Normally when revalidation takes place, improvements are made, old material is removed, new material added.

THIS IS NORMAL.

Yet, with this September coming and the fact everyone has been made aware that the new qualification and credit framework has been on the horizon for at least three years (as far as I recall), you would think that they are prepared.

Some are, others not.

I tend not to get queries from those who are prepared, they have read the information, approached the situation in a calm manner and taken the time to consider their options.

Then there are those who have left it to the last minute, either because of the pressure of their working culture or through a personal (or corporate) mindset.

Then they panic ....

There are changes to the qualification, with some being structural
Some changes to the units
Changes to the quality assurance rules
Changes to the funding regime

So, suddenly they are faced with a problem, they cannot stay with what has been, they have to move to what will become, but my, do they complain during the process.

What adds to the entertainment, is when the experienced professionals involved with the structural process chip in. When you look at each concern, bother to boil it down, it is seldom a problem with the process or product (one must be fair, there has been some, that have been subsequently resolved). It is more often lack of understanding, or frankly, individuals not taking the time to read the information provided.

Ho hum ....

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