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Edition: 25 November 2000
6. SCOPE OF THE CREDIT VALUE FILE
6.1 General principles
Each record in the Credit
Value File depicts credit values
relating to a Collection Year, for a
particular course when undertaken in the
context of a particular qualification. There will be records in the file or all the course/qualifications
which are referred to in records in the though Element
001 (Qualification code) concatenated with Element
030 (Course code).
6.2 Number of records in the Credit Value
File
The number of records in
the Credit Value File will be equal to or greater than the number of
unduplicated qualification/course combinations that are reported in records in
the Course Registrations File through Element 001 (Qualification code) concatenated
with Element 030 (Course code).
While the value for Element 001 (Qualification
code) and the value for Element 030 (Course code) may appear in more than one
record in the Credit Value File, there must be only one record with a
particular qualification/course combination (i.e. with a particular value for
Element 001 (Qualification code) concatenated with Element 030 (Course code).
If the institution wishes to do so the Credit
Value File may contain records for qualification/course combinations which do
not appear in any record in the Course Registrations
File.
6.3 Elements to be reported in the Credit
Value File
The elements for which data
are to be reported in the Credit Value File are listed in the section
describing the structure of the flat
ASCII files to be prepared by institutions.
Of particular importance is Element 036 (Course credit value). This element reports the credit value for each course undertaken in the context of a particular
qualification.
The credit value for some courses can vary
depending on what qualification is being undertaken. In such a situation, there will be different
credit values reported in the records in the Credit Value File for the one
course. However, the credit value for
some courses can be identical irrespective of the qualification being
undertaken. In such a situation, there
will still be multiple records in the Credit Value File for the course, but
with each record having an identical value for Element 036 (Course credit
value).
Where the work in a course extends over a
number of years (as occurs with some courses undertaken in postgraduate
research qualifications) the work for such courses is to be split into
components and reported in separate collection years. The value reported in Element 036 (Course
credit value) is therefore the credit value relating to the collection year
only, not to all years of the course.
Courses which are commenced late in the
collection year may extend into the following collection year. Providing that was an effective registration in such a
course made within the collection year, and the census date for the course was between 1
January and 31 December of the Collection Year, the credit value for that part
of the work which extends into the following year is to be included within the
value reported for Element 036 (Course credit value). This convention provides a means of
accounting for the credit value for courses undertaken in "summer schools".
For courses undertaken for postgraduate research
qualifications, the total credit value over all years of the course is also to
be reported. This is done through the
value to be reported in Element 050
(Completed research course credit value).
6.4 Links to other files
The data in records in the
Credit Value File will be linked in the National database to data in records in
the Course Registrations File through elements Element
001 (Qualification code) concatenated with Element
030 (Course code). This relationship
is described in section 2.4 of the description
of the scope of the Course Registrations File.
Data in records in the Credit Value File will
also be linked in the National database to data in records in the Qualification
File through Element 001 (Qualification code).
This relationship is described in section
3.4 of the description of the scope of the Qualification File.
Data in records in the will also be linked in the National
database to data in records in the Course File through Element 030 (Course
code). This relationship is described in
section 5.4 of the description of the
scope of the Course File.
6.5 Submissions of the Credit Value File
There will be at least two, and possibly three submissions of the Credit Value
File. The number of submissions will be
the same as the number of submissions for the Student
File.
The dates for the submissions will be the same
as the dates on which the Student File submissions are made.
The first submission file will report data for
all elements in the Credit Value File.
The second submission file will be a copy of
the records in the first submission file, with the following changes:
(a) Inclusion of additional records which were inadvertently
omitted from the first submission file.
(b) Deletion of any records which should not have been included
in the first submission file.
(c) Updating of any incorrect information for elements reported
in the first submission file.
(d) Inclusion of records for any courses for which effective course registrations
were made in the period 16 September to 31 December of the Collection Year, but for which there
were no related records in the first submission of the file.
The third submission file will only need to be
provided if there is a third submission Student File. In that case this file will be a copy of the
records in the second submission file, with the following changes:
(a) Inclusion of additional records which were inadvertently
omitted from the second submission file.
(b) Deletion of any records which should not have been included
in the first submission file.
(c) Updating of any incorrect information for elements reported
in the first submission file.