Last updated: 16 Jun 2009

QCA provides information, guidance and support for centres and consortia involved in Diploma administration. For further information please click here.

Agreements

Information for centres delivering Diplomas from September 2009

Before your centre can start to use the Diploma aggregation service it is very important that your Head of Centre signs the following two agreements:

1.Diploma aggregation service (DAS) Head of Centre Agreement

2. Managing Information Across Partners (MIAP) organisation agreement

Your centre will only be able to gain access to the Diploma aggregation service and the MIAP Learner registration service if these agreements are completed and signed.

The agreements ensure that access to both of these systems is safe and secure, and that the interests of Diploma learners are protected.

Arrangements for obtaining and returning agreement forms

DAS Head of Centre Agreement

The final deadline for centres to complete and return the Head of Centre Agreement to QCA is Friday 19 June, 2009.

This deadline has been set to allow time for log-in details to be sent out to centres before the end of the summer term.

If you do not think your centre has been sent a link to the agreement and you wish to submit an agreement after this date, please contact the DAS helpdesk for advice by telephone on 0300 100 0100 or by email at das.helpdesk@qca.org.uk.

Thank you

Thank you to all those heads of centres who have returned the DAS Head of Centre Agreement. Thanks also to those exams officers who  helped to facilitate this. Your co-operation is very much appreciated.

Deferred centres

If your centre was intending to participate in the Diploma from September 2009 but has now decided to defer until September 2010 or later, and you do not wish to be contacted about the DAS Head of Centre Agreement at this stage, then please inform your local QCA centre support officer (CSO).

If you are not sure who the CSO is for your area, you can find out at www.qca.org.uk/cso.

MIAP organisation agreement

Your centre also has to complete a MIAP organisation agreement and nominate a 'super user' for the Learner registration service using the MIAP organisation registration form.

The LRS is the system your centre will use to obtain unique learner numbers (ULNs) for each of your Diploma students. The ULN is a key piece of information which you will use to create individual learner accounts in the Diploma aggregation service.

The DAS learner account is the place where results are recorded for all the constituent qualifications and elements that the student needs to complete to achieve their Diploma award.

MIAP has its own arrangements for how your centre should return their organisation agreement and organisation registration form.

DAS login details

In early July 2009, QCA will send out usernames and passwords to nominated local administrators in your centre so that they can log into DAS.

Usernames will be sent out by first-class post. Passwords will be sent out at the same time but, for security reasons, these will go out separately by special delivery.

Training events

Training in how to use the Diploma aggregation service and the Learner registration service will be provided by QCA during a series of Administering the Diploma events which will be held in regional locations in early July and in September and October 2009. Details of the dates and venues for these events are available at www.qca.org.uk/diplomaeo

Further information

For more information about how DAS works, see our Diploma aggregation service factsheet in the 'Related documents' section on the right-hand side of this page.

For more information about how the Learner registration service works, visit www.miap.gov.uk/products/lrs/

Release 3 batch file templates

If you have data in electronic format, for example from your management information system, you may wish to use batch files to create or amend DAS learner accounts as an alternative to managing single or multiple learners through your web browser.

The example templates below are available to help DAS learner administrators to manage learner accounts via a file upload when using Release 3.

Each .csv file follows a specific format. Columns and data must be in the correct format so that you can upload files successfully.

Templates for Learner Data Maintainers:

csv template to create new learner accounts and add a Diploma

Note: Where batch files require a learner's date of birth, this must be provided in the format ccyy-mm-dd, for example, 1994-01-31. You can see from the example batch file above that Excel converts the date format and removes leading zeros when you reopen a saved .csv file. If you are editing an existing .csv file, you may need to re-enter dates before saving.

csv template to amend Diploma details on existing learner accounts

.csv template to add new Diplomas to existing learner accounts

Templates for PLTS and Work Experience Recorders:

.csv template to record or withdraw completion of personal, learning and thinking skills (PLTS)

.csv template to record or withdraw completion of work experience

Templates for Learner Diploma awarding body Relationship Managers:

.csv template to register or deregister Diplomas with a Diploma awarding body (DAB)

.cvs template to set or withdraw an intention to claim (ITC) for Diplomas with a DAB

.cvs template to initiate or withdraw a claim for Diplomas from a DAB