MySpace, MyExams

Students in the UK can expect to get their examination results over the next couple of weeks through secure online services and even MySpace.

Today, about 35,000 connected Scottish students will receive their high school exam results before their paper-based peers in a new, if slightly slow, online exam service from the SQA. The romance of the brown envelope falling through the letterbox, the nervous opening of the package in front of the parents (or the TV cameras for a few unfortunate but always, it seems, A+ candidates), all of this has been lost, but that might not be such a bad thing.

(It's also really strange sitting here in the school holidays seeing kids from my former school 'doing their exams' for the cameras every half hour on 24-hour news.)

Students in England will also be receiving their results soon, with the option to get them over MySpace. Another first, this means that, wherever they are in the world for your holidays or gap year, students can log on to find out for themselves what their futures might hold. I have to say that I really like EdExcel's effort to meet young people where they are and coax them through, instead of just pushing students initially to use an 'official' (read: boring) website. Thanks to Jim for the tip off.

Comments

[Terinea Weblog]

Although nothing beats that nervous feeling walking up to School in the summer to get your results.

[Joe Wilson]

I groaned a bit when I read this. SQA led last year on delivering results by mobile phone and we have led on developing results on line.

The SQA service is web based and allows candidates to pick up their results anywhere in the world.

I think the bit that could be perceived as missing is the MySpace group. In this case it only serves as a portal to a service very similar to SQA one - and every bit as official. http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=175516504&blogID=264828161 reliant on examination officers in schools passing on paper slips to candidiates.

I will pass the message around as it is certainly important that we see ourselves as others see us. We make quite extensive use of social networking where we think it is appropriate - not all candidates will have access to myspace but I read in this message that we are not getting our innovations across well.

[John Johnston]

My daughter is refusing to check her results online!
She does not know why, just a feeling.
It is not as if she is not a digital native, she started blogging years ago (now given up) and is sitting beside me selling on ebay as I type.
Probably just doing it to annoy me.

[Ewan McIntosh]

@Joe: Your point is absolutely correct and the SQA have always led the pack in terms of tech use. Like you say, there's an interesting PR/Press game to be played by using the kids' spaces as portals into other, more 'serious' services. It doesn't cost a penny, barely costs anyone the time yet creates a vibe that the press find hard to let go of.

The real innovation would be providing some post-examination support through these spaces, esp Bebo, rather than MySpace, in the UK. Something for next year, maybe? I'd be up for working together on something.

[Quyen]

"effort to meet young people where they are and coax them through, instead of just pushing students"...We should make this a universal mantra for education!

Our young participative culture needs this kind of insight. The push culture permeates so much of education, right down to where we expect students to get their information and data. However successful this becomes, kudos for the "innovation."