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RTO Info

Apr 03
0

Collection of assessment evidence by a workplace supervisor

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Assessment collection

Collection of assessment evidence by a third party workplace supervisor, how do we achieve? 

Collection of evidence by a workplace supervsior

To inform a judgement about whether a learner has achieved competency, a registered training organisation (RTO) must gather a range of evidence of the learner’s competence. In some cases, an assessor from The RTO cannot directly gather all the required evidence that supports a competency judgement. In these cases, the evidence may be gathered or reported by other people. This type of evidence is categorised as supplementary/supporting evidence gathered and provided by a supervisor in the learners workplace.

This can be an onerous responsibility from a workplace supervisors point of view, therefore the RTO should take effective measures to ensure the third party affecting this process is aware of their roles and responsibilities in the process.

We can talk to you about the rules of evidence and the principles of assessment until the cows come home but really what is it that you require to consider when establishing evidence gathering from another party, workplace supervisor or such.  The following provides a guide to follow to ensure you may have a more reliable approach to your evidence gathering requirements from another party.

What to consider when using evidence collected by other parties

  • Firstly your RTO should first determine that it is appropriate to involve another party in the collection of evidence.
  • Selecting the best person to collect the evidence. The appropriate person to observe or report on the performance of the learner is someone who is in a position to make a valid comment on the learner’s performance, for example, a workplace supervisor/manager. An effective face to face screening process may be considered at this point. (Work on a minimum of 3 years industry experience).
  • Verifying the other party’s industry skills, vocational competence and qualifications. This can be completed via the face to face screening process.
  • Providing quality materials for the collection of evidence. Develop an extensive assessment instrument that includes a judgement tool and bench marking requirements.
  • Providing the other party with a comprehensive agreement outlining the roles and responsibilities in the evidence gathering process. This includes providing clear guidance and instructions on who, what, where, when and how the evidence should be collected. eg A structured supervisor report and observation checklist.
  • Providing the other party with the appropriate training package information. Units of competency and modules describe work outcomes. Each of these units/modules describes, a specific work activity, the conditions under which this work activity is conducted, and the evidence that may/must be gathered in order to determine whether the activity is being performed in a competent manner. This is a vital component for the other party to understand as Training package information is written to guide assessors and the language is sometimes complex. Therefore, the behaviours and/or knowledge that the other party is being asked to collect evidence in must be ‘interpreted’.
  • Setting authenticity requirements. The other party should be advised that the setting of requirements for assessors to confirm that evidence is the candidate’s own work. Where another party is involved in the collection of evidence, there should be instructions for assessors on how to verify this evidence to ensure it is a true and accurate reflection of the candidate’s skills.
  • Confirming the other party understands their role in the process. This should be confirmed when, and only when, the RTO is assured the other party has the relevant experience, skills, competence and attitude to collect the evidence.

Remember, if an agreement has been reached with another party to collect evidence to complement other evidence gathered by the assessor, it is still the role of the assessor (The RTO) responsible to make the judgement about whether competency has been achieved.

 

Notes for all RTOs ,if the use of supplementary evidence is your only and primary source of evidence your RTO may wish to review your processes and practices.

Further information on the creation and development of other party and third party agreements can be discussed with one of our team. Email us at admin@impactworkforce.com.au  for more information.

Dec 19
0

Rules of Evidence

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Rules of Evidence

So what are the rules of evidence anyway!

It’s really not good enough to just collect any old evidence. Just as the way we collect evidence is guided by the principles of assessment, the way we collect evidence is guided by the rules of evidence.

Rule Evidence must…
Valid – Address the elements and performance criteria
– Reflect the skills, knowledge and context described in the competency standard
– Demonstrate the skills and knowledge are applied in real or simulated workplace situations
Current – Demonstrate the candidate’s current skills and knowledge
– Comply with current standards
Sufficient – Demonstrate competence over a period of time
– Demonstrate competence that is able to be repeated
– Comply with language, literacy and numeracy levels which match
– those required by the work task (not beyond)
Authentic – Be the work of the candidate
– Be able to be verified as genuine

To better understand how these rules affect the way that we assess, let’s have a look at each one in more detail.

Validity

The assessor is assured that the learner has the skills, knowledge and attributes as described in the module or unit of competency and associated assessment requirements.  Validity is assured when the performance required matches the performance described in a competency standard.

Currency

The assessor is assured that the assessment evidence demonstrates current competency. This requires the assessment evidence to be from the present or the very recent past.  Currency means evidence needs to be checked to ensure it shows recent performance.

Sufficiency

The assessor is assured that the quality, quantity and relevance of the assessment evidence enables a judgement to be made of a learner’s competency.

A judgement has to be made concerning how much evidence to call for. How much is required for the assessor to accept the performance as competent? Too little evidence risks the assessment not being reliable; too much leads to waste of time and effort.

Authenticity

The assessor is assured that the evidence presented for assessment is the learner’s own work.

Authenticity means evidence needs to be checked to ensure it actually relates to the performance of the person being assessed, and not that of another person. Checking for authenticity is important when some supplementary sources of evidence are used in assessment.

Supplying the Evidence

It is very easy to get too much evidence. It is also very easy to get too much evidence that doesn’t really help us to make good decisions. Because of this, it is in everyone’s interests to guide our learners through the selection, organisation and submission of evidence.

The first thing we need to do, however, is work out what makes quality evidence. The answer to this is quite simple. It is evidence that lets us make decisions about whether someone can do what it is that they are meant to be able to do, ie, it will help us to recognise competency.

Specifically, quality evidence addresses the rules of evidence as described above and:

  • reflects the skills, knowledge and attributes defined in the relevant unit of competency
  • shows application of the skills in the context described in the range statement in the unit of competency
  • demonstrates competence over a period of time
  • demonstrates repeatable competence
  • is the work of the candidate
  • can be verified
  • demonstrates the candidate’s current skills and knowledge
  • does not require language, literacy and numeracy levels beyond those needed for the performance of the competency.

The Portfolio Approach

Just as one size does not fit all with learning styles, neither will a single assessment method always provide the evidence that we need to make a decision about performance across all elements within a competency standard, or across several units of competency.

For this reason, it is common to prepare a range of types of evidence. This is called a portfolio. While we will need to target the contents of each portfolio to the specific context and purpose of the assessment, each will usually include the following:

  • contact details
  • a declaration that the evidence is the candidate’s own work
  • experience gained (work-based experiences)
  • units claimed
  • unit applications (including self-assessment form, cover page for evidence, assessor report form).

The Co-Assessing Approach

We are often better off to involve other people in the assessment event. These might be people who have a better understanding of the work-based knowledge and skills that we are seeking to recognise in our assessment. People who work closer to the “coal-face” are often able to help us see opportunities to assess several competencies in an integrated way.

Commonly, the people who will know the job the best are:

  • the learner themselves
  • supervisors and managers
  • technical and industry specialists
  • other assessors with experience in the area

From our conversations with these people, we might identify opportunities to better integrate the assessment activities. Doing this is a good idea, and for a number of reasons:

  • it gets rid of repetition across assessment activities
  • it tailors assessment so that it is more like what really happens at work
  • it saves everyone’s time

 

Dec 06
0

What Happens Following An RTO Audit?

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Help with rectification of a formal audit

What happens following an RTO audit?

What will happen following an RTO audit?

On completion of any RTO audit, your auditor will provide you with an exit interview. This will determine the level of non-compliance identified within the RTO.  The auditor will then prepare a formal audit report based on the findings of the site audit, this report will then be submitted to the governing body.

You will receive the formal audit report NLT 10 working days after the site audit. But, don’t wait for the formal audit report to arrive! If there were  non-compliance issues identified it is best to fix the issues immediately. Whilst you are not legally allowed to record the site audits, it is a good practice to have someone scribe during the process to get down all the relevant issues that require attention.

You will be provided with 20 working days to demonstrate how you have rectified the non-compliance found on the day of audit. There is no set way to administer this process but there is an easy way to do it. Its a matter of following the formal audit report and referencing the non-compliance areas from the report, and how you rectified the issue. This must be backed up with the relevant document, policy or resources.