NCEA

National Moderator's Reports

February 2023

Download PDF: Technology National Moderator's Report 2023 (PDF, 166KB)

The following report gives feedback to assist assessors with general issues and trends that have been identified during external moderation of the internally assessed standards in 2022. It also provides further insights from moderation material viewed throughout the year and outlines the Assessor Support available for Technology.

Insights

91608: Undertake brief development to address an issue within a determined context

This standard requires students to develop a brief from the investigation of an authentic issue and the related context considerations. Integral to this standard is frequent and meaningful feedback (gathered from a range of stakeholders with a vested interest in the brief) being used to inform and develop each iteration of the brief. For example, attributes being investigated to develop justified and measurable specifications.

The standard was able to be met when evidence included the purposeful selection of key stakeholders and wider stakeholders (at least two of each) who offered relevant perspectives and feedback (on the context, identified issue and the ensuing measurable specifications). Documentation is required that includes an initial, revised, and final brief, ensuring each iteration is reflective of the views of the stakeholders (as evidence of the influence of ongoing feedback). The use of open-ended questions for stakeholders allows students to better inform the development of the brief.

Communicating the final brief with comprehensive specifications that reflect the needs of the unique social and physical environment is required to meet the standard. Students were most successful when they had generated a range of relevant attributes for the outcome and used stakeholder feedback to develop those attributes into detailed measurable specifications (e.g. physical, functional, and manufacturing specifications). Students who gained Merit and Excellence were able to demonstrate and justify how the specifications allowed the judgement of fitness for purpose in the broadest sense in each iteration of the brief.

Large volumes of evidence are not required for this standard, and students are encouraged to succinctly summarise the most important findings from research and stakeholder interactions and show how these have informed the iterations of the brief.

Evidence from 91610 of the development of a conceptual design could be used in combination with this standard.

91610: Develop a conceptual design considering fitness for purpose in the broadest sense

This standard requires students to develop original designs (more than one unique idea which is not a modification of the original idea) and select a conceptual design that has the potential to address the brief. The use of evidence from research and functional modelling is integral to this standard. A

focus on gaining feedback from a range of relevant stakeholders using open-ended questions allows students to gain relevant and in-depth information to confirm or inform developing ideas. Evidence gathered via these sources will validate assumptions about the design and guide refinement of the idea.

The standard was able to be met when students selected an authentic issue that allowed scope to generate and evaluate a range of original ideas, therefore preventing replication of existing ideas. Successful evidence used targeted research, functional modelling and feedback from relevant sources to inform the development of a conceptual design which could eventually be evaluated as fit for purpose in the broadest sense.

Limiting an evaluation of fitness for purpose to a judgement on how the conceptual design would look and function in the intended environment demonstrated insufficient understanding of the standard. Evidence of fitness for purpose in the broadest sense is required throughout the documentation and evidence which triangulates the ongoing research, fitness for purpose in the broadest sense and stakeholder feedback. This provides a better opportunity to demonstrate Excellence.

Large volumes of research are not required for this standard, and students are encouraged to summarise succinctly the findings from research, stakeholder feedback and functional modelling and show how these have informed the development of the conceptual design.

91611: Develop a prototype considering fitness for purpose in the broadest sense

This standard requires students to develop a prototype to be trialled in a chosen social and physical environment to gain evidence of fitness for purpose. Integral to this standard is purposefully selecting materials and/or components, practical techniques and processes.

A focus on gaining feedback from a range of relevant stakeholders using open-ended questions allows students to be more knowledgeable and conversant during the development of the prototype. All evidence gathered (including results from testing and stakeholder feedback) should validate assumptions about the effectiveness of the potential prototype.

The standard was able to be met when students considered the influence of the wider social and physical environment when determining the suitability of materials and/or components, practical techniques and processes. Successful evidence used functional modelling and feedback from a range of sources to inform the development of a prototype which could eventually be explained as fit for purpose in the broadest sense.

For Merit, an evaluation is required which communicates how materials and/or components, practical techniques and processes are combined effectively to create a refined prototype.

Evidence of fitness for purpose in the broadest sense is required throughout the documentation (not just in the final evaluation), and evidence which triangulates the ongoing testing, fitness for purpose in the broadest sense and stakeholder feedback provides better opportunities to demonstrate Excellence.

91620: Implement complex procedures to integrate parts using resistant materials to make a specified product

This standard requires students to use trialling and feedback to inform the selection of complex procedures to be used when constructing a product that incorporates two or more assembled parts to be integrated.

A given schedule for construction does not allow students to meet the requirements for this standard. A student generated production sequence (scheduling) which includes both the complex techniques and testing to assure precise integration is integral to this standard. Specifications for the product and evidence of compliance with health and safety regulations are required.

The standard was able to be met when students trialled and used feedback to inform the selection of more than one complex procedure. This included trialling different techniques for at least two procedures.

Evidence needs to show how the product meets specifications rather than focussing primarily on the process of manufacturing. Projects for this standard need to allow for the precise integration of parts, and evidence should show the preparation of the parts and the integration environment. Testing against reference points (as in Explanatory Note 7) is also required. Students who pre-planned an order of construction that included preparing the parts for integration and the environment where the integration took place were most successful.

Moderators are seeing a lack of evidence for Merit and Excellence grades. For Merit, a judgement of independence and accuracy must be made. For Excellence, a judgement of economising the three areas of time, effort and materials is required. This should be a succinct statement from the assessor evidencing what was observed or heard.

Students who make projects where products are similar may be disadvantaged in their ability to make an informed selection from the trialling of techniques.

Evidence from 91611 of the trialling of techniques and procedures could be used (prototyping) in combination with this standard.

Large volumes of evidence are not required for this standard, and students are encouraged to present their evidence succinctly. The production sequence (schedule) could be annotated (including images) to show the trialling, precise integration and preparation of the parts and the integration environment.

Assessor Support

Online

NZQA’s learning management system (Pūtake) offers 150+ easy to access courses, materials and products. These are designed to support teachers as assessors to improve their assessment of NCEA standards.

Online, subject-specific, bite-sized learning modules and short courses are now available to complement the traditional face-to-face workshops that NZQA offers. These online courses can be accessed using your Education Sector Logon. Courses available for Technology include:

Brief Development
Modelling in Technology Practice
Planning for Practice
The Final Brief

Online Making Assessor Judgements workshops are also available throughout the year. These workshops are structured to guide teachers to improve their understanding of each grade level by examining several full samples of student work. The following standards are available for enrolment in 2023:

Making Assessor Judgements – Generic (91608, 91610)
Making Assessor Judgements – CMT (91621, 91623)

Feedback from teachers for these workshops indicates that more than 90% of participants agreed or strongly agreed that the content in the module was beneficial:

“This would be a really good department exercise to do in a meeting before marking the standard.”

“I found reading and analysing the extracts for evidence against Level 8 in the curriculum very useful.”

In 2023, Technology teacher-assessors will have the opportunity to participate in the Phase Two pilot for the Assessor Practice Tool, which enables assessors to practice making judgements on up to ten samples of student evidence per standard. Once assessors have assigned a grade, they will receive immediate feedback from a moderation panel on their judgement.

NZQA are piloting the Assessor Practice Tool with the following standards for Technology:

91610: Develop a conceptual design considering fitness for purpose in the broadest sense
91611: Develop a prototype considering fitness for purpose in the broadest sense

The Assessor Practice Tool will be used to provide assessors with support for the new NCEA standards from 2024 onwards. Schools will receive further information about Phase Two of the Assessor Practice Tool in early 2023.

NZQA will continue to offer several non-subject-specific modules and workshops, designed to improve general assessment practice. The following modules and workshops will be available in 2023:

Assessment Approaches, an online workshop exploring different methods of assessment
Culturally Responsive Assessment
Assessment Guidance – Reviewing Your Practice
Tāku reo, tāku mahi – My voice, my work, a guide to managing authenticity
Why Less is More, a guide to reducing volumes of student evidence.

We will also continue to run the Transforming Assessment Praxis programme, an online workshop relevant to all subjects which helps assessors learn about re-contextualising assessment resources and collecting evidence in different ways, in order to better meet the needs of students.

Check the NCEA subject pages on the NZQA website regularly, as more online modules, workshops and courses will be added throughout 2023.

Live and Face-to-face

The Best Practice Workshops (online and face-to-face) offered by Assessment and Moderation continue to be viewed by the sector as significantly contributing to improved assessor practice:

“The workshop helped to review my own knowledge, and great to share ideas."

“It was great having time to challenge my thinking in assessment."

Workshops, webinars or presentation slots can be requested to provide targeted support to local, regional or national audiences. National Moderators are available to present at conferences, local or national hui or via live webinars. These services are available on request and subject to availability.

Contact NZQA

More detailed information, including how to request or register for a workshop or online course, can be found on our Assessor Support pages or by emailing workshops@nzqa.govt.nz.

To give feedback on this report click on this link.