Method_of_Assessment

Observation:- Strengths:- it is authentic and reduces disruption to candidates’ workplace It can suit a candidate who would find it difficult to produce written evidence. The main objective of the assessment is met unless the work and competency being assessed is seen in context and measured against the standards. It is a practical situation; it can give a real life picture of the candidate and their performance. It is an ideal opportunity to see if theory is applied in practical situation. It is reliable as the assessor can see the candidate at work independently or working with others as appropriate. Can be used to easily collect evidence of competence across a wide range of routine work activities There is no plagiarism in this method. But there are Limitations:- It can take a lot of the assessor’s time. A drawback would be the time consuming nature of observation and the subsequent need to link the evidence to a witness testimony e.g. written/ witness authentication (proving/ evidence of exemplar)/ witness interview. Questions and Answers: Strengths: This is a powerful means of checking the knowledge and understanding that lies behind performance. It can be used to ensure understanding to gain more from an observation. Examples of questions can be “why did you do that'”, “when will you take the action'”, “why did you not take that action”' Asking questions clarifies the candidate’s reaction or response to things that happened during an observation. Q&A helps to find out how the candidate will deal with difficult situations and unforeseen events. Limitations: The questions too complex or too simple than necessary can be a challenge. Professional Discussion: Professional Discussion is a two way conversation between the Assessors. Its suitability can depend on the level of communication of the assessor and learner and familiarity of this approach with the assessor. It encourages the candidate by actively listening, making eye contact, nodding etc. Limitations: preparing and planning can be time consuming. Reflective accounts: This is a very good method of reviewing what the learner has learnt which is backed up by references to evidences but the question of whether the candidate who writes about how they carryout their job can actually perform those tasks in actual workplace situations. Work Products Examples of work products produced by the candidates are spreadsheets, copies of records or reports from learner’s assessment photographs audio-visual evidence of the candidate performing a role, emails, minutes and agendas. But this method can be time-consuming on the learner and the Assessor if not prepared correctly with clear, well-defined bench-marks for the project at each key stage of the production. Witness testimony: This allows the assessor to get a third party view to support their own assessments. Supervisors or line managers in the work place could write a statement about the candidate. Witness Testimony may be an excellent assessment instrument when confidentiality is an issue. It is also an excellent instrument to record performance over time. It doesn’t always have to be a written account – a taped or filmed interview between the assessor and the witness is another acceptable method. The best Witness Testimony is where the witness provides a statement in their own words which relates closely to the standards. Limitations: the learners can be embarrassed to ask for it.