1. What is QED?
QED is short for Quality Enhancement and Development. It emphasises learndirect scotland’s commitment to continuous quality improvement. It also stands for ‘that which must be demonstrated’ i.e. commitment to the Pledge for Learners, and to quality improvement.
2. What is self evaluation?
Self evaluation is the process of you reviewing, assessing and evaluating rather than someone externally evaluating your organisation. It is often used in different ways now in many quality systems, and is being used by learndirect scotland.
In addition to self evaluation, there will also be spot checks and other types of evaluation activities carried out by learndirect scotland.
3. What if staff in the centre change? Do I have to inform learndirect scotland?
Yes, it is very important to let learndirect scotland know of any changes to staff in the centre, to ensure that effective communication can be made across the network.
4. What is a Centre Profile?
A Centre Profile is a physical description of the Branded Learning Centre, which should include photographs. The Profile will be uploaded on the learndirect scotland helpline with the purpose of providing as much information as possible to learners to enable them to make effective choices.
5. What are Operational Groups?
The Operational Groups are meetings of staff from Branded Learning Centres to exchange good practice and share ideas and information and will operate regionally.
6. What are the main types of support that I can get?
A wide range of support is available to you if you have Branded Learning Centre status. For QED there is a Blended Support i.e. a mix of personal support through LDOs and materials support, as well as regular Operational Group meetings.
7. Who is my main contact?
Each Branded Learning Centre has an identified Learning Development Officer and individual contact details are available here.
8. What is the Pledge to Learners?
The Pledge to Learners is a 10 point commitment to learners. It focuses on the learner and offers:
• Widening learning opportunities
• Easy access
• Offering information, advice, and guidance
• Signposting to other relevant organisations
9. What is the Pledge Toolkit?
The Pledge Toolkit is a resource designed to provide information and guidance on the Pledge to Learners and how centres meet the Pledge. It includes the 10 points of the Pledge, gives examples, descriptions and types of evidence you should have in your centre and quotes from existing staff from Branded Learning Centres.
10. What is the National Learning Opportunities Database (NLOD)?
The National Learning Opportunities Database (NLOD) is at the core of the information and advice given to callers to the learndirect scotland helpline and made available on lds websites. Centres need to register on this national learning database and provide information on courses that they provide.
11. Why do I have to provide statistics to learndirect scotland?
Statistical information is absolutely essential to provide feedback to the Scottish Executive on the work of Branded Learning Centres and the learndirect scotland network, and the progress of learners in Scotland.
12. What is the Mystery Shopper?
The Mystery Shopper is used in many ‘service’ industries. Over the past four years, learndirect scotland has carried out these external market research exercises to get feedback on the quality of customer service offered by the Branded Learning Centre network.
13. How will the information gathered through the Mystery Shopper approach be used?
Information gathered through the Mystery Shopper activities will be used to give feedback to Branded Learning Centres as well as general reports on findings publicised on the learndirect scotland website. It is designed to ensure that feedback from a learner’s perspective is fed back in the system.
14. When do Mystery Shopper activities take place and what kinds of feedback will it provide?
Phase 2 of the QED will have a particular emphasis on The Mystery Shopper approach on an on-going basis. There are no set dates for these.
15. What about Learners’ Surveys – why are they being used?
Capturing information from the most important people in the process i.e. the learner, is essential. Surveys of learners is one way of doing this – there are of course other ways e.g. Focus Groups, etc where valuable information and feedback can be provide for you and for learndirect scotland. Results of Learners’ Surveys will be provided to centres and also generally reported on the lds website..
16. Is there anything else I should know about QED?
Updated information on the Quality Enhancement and Development Project and its different phases will be provided on the website. learndirect scotland is committed to ‘doing the right things’ and ‘doing things right’ for learners and for staff in Branded Learning Centres, who provide such important support for learners. The QED project is about learndirect scotland’s commitment to continuous quality improvement for the benefit of learners and the provision of learning opportunities in Scotland.