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Last week I posted about the visual arts grade award meeting that occurred at the end of June.
Of course, many things were discussed, but one item in particular received a lot of attention: the pilot form of the change of the CRB, from a paper booklet that was sent to the examiner (and a duplicate sent to the IA moderator) into a digital upload.
At the Grade Award meeting, this change to electronic submission primarily meant that senior examiners had less paper CRBs to look through, and more time was spent looking at work on-screen. Given some slow download times and the need to switch from image to image, it was a little more time-consuming than simply looking at the paper booklet, but still a comparable process. Senior examiners might confer by carrying a laptop over to a colleague whereas previously they might be carrying the booklet.
But for many teachers the process of the pilot was not exactly smooth sailing: the pilot has generated a lot of feedback, and those at the IB responsible for the technological aspects have listened and are working on ironing out the glitches so that next April things will run more smoothly.
Most teachers want (among other things) an easy, quick and user-friendly interface so that the upload process is as painless as possible; the upload time is largely out of the control of the IB, but large file sizes are not needed, since screen resolution is only 70 dpi
Also, next year the responsibility for the upload process should shift away from the teachers and onto the candidates, much as they are responsible for uploading other IBDP examination digital submissions.
Will it work? Certainly a lot is riding on it, but for the moment the lessons of the pilot are being digested, and what exactly will happen is still being worked out. New information and instructions will be forthcoming as soon as possible, sent to the DP Coordinator for dissemination and also posted on the OCC.
Photos taken in Cardiff during Grade Award.
