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Glossary

Glossary of Terms

A | C | E | F | G | H | I | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | U | Acronyms

A

Accreditation
The certification, usually for a particular period of time, of a person, a body or an institution as having the capacity to fulfil a particular function within the quality assurance system set up by SAQA

Achievement
Recognition granted to a learner when all required learning outcomes have been successfully demonstrated

Assessment
The process of collecting evidence of learners’ work to measure and make judgments about the achievement or non-achievement of specified National Qualifications Framework standards or qualifications

- Formative Assessment
Refers to assessment that takes place during the process of learning and teaching.

- Summative Assessment
Is assessment for making a judgement about achievement. This is carriedout when a learner is ready to be assessed at the end of a programm oflearning.

Assessor
A person who is registered by the relevant ETQA body to measure the achievement of specified National Qualifications Framework standards or qualifications

Applied competence
The ability to put into practice in the relevant context the learning outcomes acquired in obtaining a qualification

Audit
The process undertaken to measure the quality of products or services that have already been made or delivered

C

Candidate
A person whose performance is being assessed by the assessor

Conditional registration
The registration of a private higher education institution as specified in the Higher Education Act, (No. 101 of 1997)

Constituent
Belonging to the defined or delegated constituency of an organisation or body referred to in the NSB and ETQA regulations

Core learning
That compulsory learning required in situations contextually relevant to the particular qualifications

Credit
That value assigned by the Authority to ten (10) notional hours of learning

Critical Cross-Field Outcomes
Critical Cross-Field Outcomes refer to those generic outcomes that inform all teaching and learning. For example CCFOs may include working effectively with others as a member of a team, and/or collecting, analysing, organising and critically evaluating information

E

Education and Training Quality Assurance Body
Body accredited in terms of section 5 (1)(a)(ii) of the SAQA Act, responsible for monitoring and auditing achievements in terms of national standards or qualifications, and to which specific functions relating to the monitoring and auditing of national standards or qualifications have been assigned in terms of section 5 (1)(b)(i) of the Act

Elective unit standard
A selection of additional credits at the (level of the National Qualifications Framework specified), from which a choice may be made to ensure that the purpose of the qualification is achieved

External customer
An external person, body or structure that is a beneficiary of the services or product of a particular organisation.

Exit Level Outcomes
The outcomes to be achieved by a qualifying learner at the point at which he or she leaves the programme leading to a qualification and achievement of which entitles the learner to a qualification

F

Facilitator of learning and assessment or Formative Assessment
An individual who facilitates learning processes and activities and manages and administers assessment: educator, teacher, trainer, mentor etc.

Field of learning
A particular area of learning used as an organising mechanism for the NQF.

Fundamental learning
That learning which forms the grounding or basis needed to undertake the education, training or further learning required in the obtaining of a qualification and ‘fundamental’ has a corresponding meaning

G

Grade 12
The highest grade in which education is provided by a school as defined in the South African Schools Act, 1996

H

Higher Education and training
All learning programmes leading to qualifications higher than grade 12 or its equivalent in terms of the NQF, including tertiary education

I

Internal Customer
An internal person, body or structure that is a beneficiary of the service and/or products of a particular organisation

Integrated assessment
That form of assessment which permits the learner to demonstrate applied competence and which uses a range of formative and summative assessment methods

L

Learner
Any person receiving education and training (in terms of the ABET Act of 2000)

Learnership
Refers to a learning programme where the learner spends some time learning theory and some time learning practical skills in a workplace. It leads to a qualification registered on the NQF

Learning Programme
A structured set of learning offerings and related assessment and attainment requirements

Level Descriptor
That statement describing a particular level of the eight levels of the National Qualifications Framework

M

Moderating Body
A body specifically appointed by the Authority for the purpose of moderation

Moderation
The process which ensures that assessment of the outcomes described in the NQF standards and qualifications is fair, reliable and valid

N

National Learners’ Records Database (NLRD)
An electronic information system that assists the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) to manage the National Qualifications Framework

National Standards Body (NSB)
A body registered in terms of the SAQA Act, responsible for establishing education and training standards and qualifications, and to which specific functions relating to the registration of national standards and qualifications have been assigned

National Qualifications Framework Level
See Level Descriptor

Notional hours of learning
Means the learning time that it is conceived it would take an average learner to meet the outcomes defined, and includes concepts such as contact time, time spent in structured learning in the workplace and individual learning

O

Outcome
Contextually demonstrated end product of the learning process

P

Professional body
A statutory body registered as such in terms of the legislation applicable to such bodies, or voluntary body performing the functions contemplated in the legislation for such bodies but not registered as such.

Primary focus
The activity or objective within the sector upon which an organisation or body concentrates its efforts

Provider
An education and training body (institution/organization, company, centre, collaborative partnership, or consultancy) which delivers learning programmes that culminate in specified NQF standards or qualifications and manages the assessment thereof

Q

Qualification
The formal recognition of the achievement of the required number and range of credits and other requirements at specific levels of the NQF determined by the relevant bodies registered by SAQA

Quality Assurance
The process of ensuring that the degree of excellence specified is achieved

Quality Audit
The process of examining the indicators which show the degree of excellence achieved

Quality Management Systems
Means the combination of processes used to ensure that the degree of excellence specified is achieved

R

Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL)
The comparison of the previous learning and experience of a learner, howsoever obtained, against the learning outcomes required for a specified qualification, and the acceptance for purposes of qualification of that which meets the requirements

Registered
Officially registered (recorded) in terms of the National Qualifications Framework

Registration of standards and qualifications
Standards or qualification registered on the National Qualifications Framework.

S

Standards Generating Body (SGB)
A body registered in terms of the SAQA Act, responsible for establishing education and training standards or qualifications, and to which specific functions relating to the establishment of national standards and qualifications have been assigned

Sector
A defined portion of social, commercial or educational activities used to prescribe the boundaries of an Education and Training Quality Assurance body (ETQA)

Sector Education and Training Authority (SETA)
A body responsible for the organisation of education and training programmes within a specific sector

Service contract/ Memorandum of Understanding
Contractual working agreement between an ETQA and its customers and/or agencies

South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA)
The body responsible for overseeing the development and implementation of the National Qualifications Framework, established in terms of the SAQA Act no. 58 of 1995

Specialised learning
That specialised theoretical knowledge which underpins application in the area of specialisation

Specific outcomes
Knowledge, skills and values (demonstrated in context) which support one or more critical outcomes

Standard
The registered statements of desired education and training outcomes and their associated assessment criteria

U

Unit standard
Registered statement of desired education and training outcomes and its associated assessment criteria together with administrative and other information as specified in the regulations

ACRONYMS

NQF: The National Qualifications Framework
SAQA: The South African Qualifications Authority
ETQA: Education and Training Quality Assurance body
NLRD: National Learners' Records Database
SETA: Sector Education and Training Authority

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