Level 3 Diploma in Games, Animation and VFX Skills

AIM Awards

Level 3 Diploma in Games, Animation and VFX Skills

Assessment Pack

Learner Name:
Unique Learner Number:
Course:
Tutor/Assessor:
Learner Signature:
Date Started:
Date Completed:

Contents

How this qualification is assessed

Assessment Regulations

Games Jam Activity

Assignment Brief

Record of Learner Achievement – Games Jam Assessment

Reflective Blog 1

Assignment Brief

Record of Learner Achievement – Reflective Blog 1

Written Assignment: Art Theory in Context

Assignment Brief

Record of Learner Achievement – Written Assignment: Art Theory in Context

Asset Development Portfolio

Assignment Brief

Record of Learner Achievement – Asset Development Portfolio

Learner Grade Record

Referral Claim Form

How this qualification is assessed

This qualification consists of mandatory components all of which must be achieved in order to achieve the qualification. A grid showing an overview of the assessments for the qualification is shown below. Each assessment must be passed in order to achieve the qualification and each assessment is graded. Overall grades for the qualification are calculated once each assessment has been passed (as a minimum). Please refer to Section 3 of the Qualification Specification for further assessment guidance.

Mandatory Components – Learners must achieve all of the components below by completing the required assignments.

Mandatory Components / Level / Guided Learning Hours
The Games, Animation and VFX Industries / 3 / 30 Hours
Maths and Logic Fundamentals for the Games, Animation and VFX Industries / 3 / 60 Hours
Fundamental Product Programming Skills / 3 / 60 Hours
Art Fundamentals for the Games, Animation and VFX Industries / 3 / 80 Hours
Fundamental Animation Skills for the Games, Animation and VFX Industries / 3 / 100 Hours
VFX Fundamentals for the Games, Animation and VFX Industries / 3 / 100 Hours
3D Tools: Principles and Practice / 3 / 80 Hours
Core Principles of Game Design / 3 / 30 Hours

The Tutor/Assessor will go through the assignments with the learner to ensure they understand how to complete them. It is essential that assignments are completed on time and that they meet the Learning Outcomes at the correct level.

All written assignments have a word count, which must be adhered to. Learners should state the word count at the end of the tasks.

Assessment Task / External or Internal Assessment / % of Qualification Grade / Deadline (to be inserted by centre)
Games Jam Activity / External / 30% / During the assessment period of 1st February to 1st May
Reflective Blog 1 / Internal / 20%
Written Assignment / Internal / 10%
Asset Development Portfolio / Internal / 40%

Marking and Grading Learner Work

Each assessment task will identify the Learning Outcomes that it covers. Submissions must evidence the achievement of the Learning Outcomes and Assessors must mark work against them. For each component, there is a Record of Learner Achievement where Assessors must identify whether the Learning Outcomes have been met and sign to confirm the assessment has been achieved. Summative feedback to learners should be provided with feed-forward guidance for how to complete future submissions. The completed Records of Learner Achievement must be presented alongside the learner marked work for internal and external verification. If opportunities for Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) have been identified, then the evidence to support the claim for RPL must be submitted along with a completed RPL and Credit Transfer Form to the External Verifier. This is available on the AIM Awards website.

Each assessment task is graded Pass, Merit or Distinction. In order to achieve a Pass, all of the Learning Outcomes for the assessment task must be met at the level described by the Pass criteria. Merit or Distinction grades are awarded according to the Merit and Distinction criteria specified for each assessment task.

Each assessment task carries a weighting towards the qualification grade and some tasks are worth more than others. For each assessment task, a number of points are allocated to Pass, Merit and Distinction grades, for example 27, 30 and 33. Once all tasks are achieved, these points must be totalled to arrive at the overall qualification grade, according to the table below. A template for recording these grades is provided at the back of this pack.

Qualification grade bands: / Pass / Merit / Distinction
Minimum points / 180 / 194 / 207
Maximum points / 193 / 206 / 220

Assessment Regulations

Deadlines

Deadlines for internally marked tasks may be set by the centre and must be clearly communicated to learners on the assessment tasks. Deadlines for the Games Jam (Part A and B) must be set by the centre, within the period 1st February to 1st May and must be clearly communicated to learners. Due to the nature of this assessment, late submissions are not allowed.

Late Submissions(for Internally Set Tasks only)

A late submission is capped at a Pass unless an extension was agreed as outlined below. All first submissions must be made before the end of the course.

Extensions(for Internally Set Tasks only)

Component Tutors may agree an extension period of up to two weeks by negotiation and where genuine reasons can be evidenced. In exceptional circumstances, the learner may be granted longer than two weeks to submit, however that would need to be supported by the personal Tutor/Course Leader. The personal Tutor will be notified of extensions and will monitor these in order to ensure that the learner is coping with the demands of their qualification.

Resubmission(for Internally Set Tasks)

A first submission that fails to meet the Learning Outcomes is returned to the learner (with feedback) for resubmission. Feedback must relate to the Learning Outcomes but may not make reference to the subject marking descriptors. Resubmission should be within a few days (no longer than a week) and be proportionate to the degree of non-achievement. A timely resubmission that meets all the Learning Outcomes is considered for further grading.

Referral(for Internally Set Tasks)

A learner whose resubmission (Submission 2) fails to meet all the Learning Outcomes may request a referral i.e. the opportunity to make a second resubmission (Submission 3). The request is made of the Assessor and Internal Verifier (IV) who collate evidence and subsequently convey the request to the External Verifier (EV). Even if the Assessor and IV believe the situation doesn't warrant a referral, it should still be referred to the EV for confirmation or challenge. The EV informs the IV and the Assessor of the decision. If approved, conditions of referral are set by the EV and conveyed to the centre. Decisions about referrals made by the EV must include:

•whether or not a second resubmission opportunity should be offered

•the nature and extent of the requirements for second resubmission

•compliance with the relevant requirements for first resubmissions

Referrals undergo assessment by the Tutor, internal verification and external verification. If all Learning Outcomes are met, achievement is capped at a Pass. If all Learning Outcomes are not met, the result is a Fail.

Resits of externally set Games Jam activity

A first submission of the internally assessed Part A, that fails to meet the brief should be returned to the learner (with feedback) for resubmission. Feedback must relate to the brief. Resubmission should be within a few days (no longer than a week) and be proportionate to the degree of non-achievement.

If the resubmission (Submission 2) fails to meet the Part A brief, the learners will receive the result of Fail and would have to retake the two components and externally set assessment in the next series.

Learners who do not achieve a pass in Part A are not eligible to undertake Part Band will therefore not achieve. Learners may be re-entered for the assessment in the following series (next academic year).

Learners who do not achieve a pass in Part B are eligible to take a re-sit. Centres must request the re-sit externally set assessment from AIM Awards. Learners who do not achieve a pass in the re-sit will receive the result of fail and would have to retake the two components and externally set assessment in the next series.

1

Assessment Mapping – Year 1

Assessment Task: / Games Jam Activity / Reflective Blog 1 / Written Assignment / Asset Development Portfolio
External or Internal Assessment: / Externally set / Internal / Internal / Internal
Component: / Learning Outcome: / Weighting: / 30% / 20% / 10% / 40%
The Games, Animation and VFX Industries / 1. Understand job roles, career structures and business models across the games, animation and VFX industries / /
2.Know the regulatory, ethical and legal requirements applicable to the games, animation and VFX industries / /
Maths and Logic Fundamentals for the Games, Animation and VFX Industries / 1. Understand numbers and number systems / /
2. Be able to employ basic mathematical problem solving skills / /
3. Understand basic mathematical concepts which are useful for problem solving and simulation / /
4. Be able to use probability, statistics and random numbers / /
Fundamental Product Programming Skills / 1. Understand how to design, develop, test and debug computer programs / /
2. Understand different programming paradigms / /
3. Understand how to read input from the user and output a result / /
4. Be able to use control systems to design algorithms / /
5. Be able to use different types of variables to design data structures / /
6. Understand the importance of readable and maintainable code / /
Art Fundamentals for the Games, Animation and VFX Industries / 1.Understand artistic concepts including light, colour, composition, perspective and volume / /
2.Understand how traditional processes have been developed and integrated into digital art software systems and processes for games, animation and VFX / /
3.Be able to demonstrate foundation skills in drawing for different purposes / /
Fundamental Animation Skills for the Games, Animation and VFX
Industries / 1. Be able to use industry standard animation packages / /
2.Be able to design and produce an animation sequence / /
VFX Fundamentals for the Games, Animation and VFX Industries / 1. Be able to plan, design and implement a shoot to acquire elements for a visual effect / /
2. Be able to convert acquired elements from camera in preparation for compositing phase / /
3. Be able to use compositing tools and techniques to create a sequence that blends live footage with computer generated elements / /
4. Demonstrate an appropriate critical eye for detail and good aesthetic judgement / /
5. Know how to organise post production pipeline and scheduling / /
3D Tools: Principles and Practice / 1. Understand the basic components of a 3D Model / /
2. Understand the function of different types of textures / /
3. Know how to use a 3D Modelling package / /
4. Understand the benefit of good workflows and efficient techniques for creating 3D models / /
1. Know about the core principles of game design / / / /
Core Principles of Game Design / 2.Understand the significance of games platforms and technologies on the development of game design / /
3. Understand the significance of age, gender and culture on game design / /
4.Be able to critically analyse a range of games from a game play perspective / /

1

Types of Assessment

Games Jam Activity / Externally set task / Internally marked
Guidance:
The games jam activity is split into 2 parts. For Part A, learners will be expected to create a computer game according to the set brief. The development of the game is expected to be carried out over 24 hours. Centres are free to arrange the supervised assessment period however they wish, provided that the 2 hours to complete the analysis (Part B) are under the level of supervision specified in the Invigilation Guidance specified by AIM Awards.
Part A is to be internally assessed by the centre, using the internal verification tracking document provided by AIM Awards. Part B is to be internally assessed by the centre, using the internal verification tracking document provided by AIM Awards.
Reflective Blogs / Internally set task / Internally assessed
Guidance:
The reflective blog is an important part of the learner’s learning and assessment process for this qualification as both a document recording what has been learned from teaching sessions and an introduction to reflective practice. The reflective blog is monitored throughout the lifetime of these components and where specific entries are required as part of the assessment, they are internally assessed by the Tutor, internally verified in the organisation where learning takes place and externally verified by AIM Awards.
The requirement of writing word-limited reflective blog entries after every course session is good practice and will prepare learners for further study and for work where it is common practice. For the purpose of assessment, the reflective blog provides permanent and reliable records of the learner’s progress and achievement throughout the learning programme. It is, therefore, an ideal means of both formative and summative assessment.
When the blogs are assessed, the Tutor will compare what has been written on the subject with what was actually taught, and the learners have demonstrated achievement of the Learning Outcomes. In addition, personal reflection supports the development of critical thinking which have been identified by employers across the Games, Animation and VFX Industries as essential but commonly lacking in new entrants to their industries.
The Tutor/Assessor will be looking for responses that are sufficiently detailed and high quality to demonstrate Level 3 learning. They will provide guidance on this, but the level descriptors in the back of the Qualification Specification along with the Pass/Merit/Distinction descriptors for the reflective blog task can also help to understand what this means.
Learners will need to learn both the techniques and the discipline of writing reflectively in addition to learning the subject matter in order to be successful in the Games, Animation and VFX Industries. For this reason at the beginning of the course, the reflective blogs will be marked at regular intervals to ensure learners are keeping up with this requirement. Learners should continue to make entries over the lifetime of the course.
Written Assignment / Internally set task / Internally assessed
Guidance:
The written assignment tasks are set according to the assignment briefs within this document and are internally assessed by the Tutor, internally verified in the organisation where learning takes place and externally verified by AIM Awards.
The written assignments must be written in a formal style appropriate to the brief with:

• an introduction
• the main body of text which includes discussion, analysis, illustration where indicated and some evaluation of the information used as references
• a conclusion
• a list of references (the Harvard referencing system is suggested)

Learners must ensure that the Learning Outcomes referred to in the assignment brief are covered by the submission.
Tutors/Assessors will provide learners with constructive useful feedback on the finished submission and this must be recorded on the Record of Learner Achievement for the component along with identification of the Learning Outcomes evidenced.
It is good practice for Tutors/Assessors to look at any draft written assignments and provide learners with formative feedback about the work in progress.
A suggested written assignment approach to follow is to:

• Prepare
• Research
• Plan the content and argument
• Find suitable quotations to support the argument
• Write the main body
• Write the conclusion and introduction
• Complete the reference list

Asset Development Portfolio (Year 1) / Internally set task / Internally assessed
Guidance:
The portfolio of work here is the means by which learners show the development of their technical skills and provide evidence of how they have met the technical Learning Outcomes identified in the fundamental and core principles components. This suite of components have been identified by employers across the Games, Animation and VFX Industries as containing Learning Outcomes which represent the essential and fundamental skills required by new entrants to their industries without which it would be difficult for the employee to progress their careers. This suite of components enables learners to create a bank of assets that they can then use to support their achievement of the Learning Outcomes in later components of this qualification which are assessed by synoptic project.
The portfolio content should be identified by a contents list that clearly references the location of evidence for each assessed task that relates to each Learning Outcome. It is important to note that this portfolio will contain evidence of how learners have met Learning Outcomes from across a number of components.
The portfolio can also act as a showcase for learner work and it is expected, therefore, that Tutor/Assessors will support learners to produce the best evidence that they can before submitting their evidence to their portfolio.

Games Jam Activity

Assignment Brief

Qualification: / AIM Awards Level 3 Diploma in Games, Animation and VFX Skills
Component(s) covered: /

• Maths and Logic Fundamentals for the Games, Animation and VFX Industries
• Fundamental Product Programming Skills

Assessor:
Assignment Title: / Games Jam Activity / Weighting: / 30%
Deadline: / (within the assessment window: 1st Februaryto 1st May)

Guidance for assessment

• You will be issued with a brief setting out the tasks that must be completed
• Tutor/Assessors should mark completed work according to the marking scheme provided with the brief
• Part A must be completed and passed before Part B can be attempted

Record of Learner Achievement – Games Jam Assessment

Component / Learning Outcome No. / Learning Outcome / Date of achievement / Evidence location
Part A / Core Principles of Game Design / CPGD1 / Know about the core principles of game design
Part B / Maths and Logic Fundamentals for the Games, Animation and VFX Industries / MLF1 / Understand numbers and number systems
MLF2 / Be able to employ basic mathematical problem solving skills
MLF3 / Understand basic mathematical concepts which are useful for problem solving and simulation
MLF4 / Be able to use probability, statistics and random numbers
Fundamental Product Programming Skills / FPS1 / Understand how to design, develop, test and debug computer programs
FPS2 / Understand different programming paradigms
FPS3 / Understand how to read input from the user and output a result
FPS4 / Be able to use control systems to design algorithms
FPS5 / Be able to use different types of variables to design data structures
FPS6 / Understand the importance of readable and maintainable code
Overall grade awarded for the assignment (circle): / Pass / Merit / Distinction
Points awarded: / 54 / 60 / 66

Reflective Blog 1