Principle 5 Assessments

Assessments will vary depending on the presentation that you are delivering, during this video, we will give you an overview of the assessment options that you can consider incorporating. When selecting assessments you will need to consider what works best for you and for your group.

Before delivering your presentation, if you are incorporating assessments, then you need to inform the group of the assessment process. You need to treat every person equally but also cater for any learning needs.

At the start of the session tell the group what assessments will be completed and inform the group that anyone wishes to discuss any learning needs this can be done in private during the breaks. Do not embarrass individuals by asking them to announce this in front of the group, they may choose to do this but you should never ask.

Make sure you have plans to ‘work around’ any learning needs. Consider things like; can tests be verbalised? Can you allow more time? Can this be completed separately away from the rest of the group?

Initial assessments are often used prior to the session. This allows you to gain a good insight into the current skill set of the individual and by using this information we are then able to ensure that their needs are met. Initial assessments include things like pre-course questionnaires.

Progress should be continuously monitored against the session outcomes. Ask open questions. This encourages participation and is a useful way to ensure that the key concepts have been understood. There are a number of additional methods of ongoing assessment which include;

Questioning - Questions are an excellent informal way to assess learning and also helps to make the learning process become more inclusive.

Case studies - these can be used for discussion and research, the findings then can be formally or informally discussed in the form of assessment.

Observed practical task - Practical tasks are usually informal and they are a good assessment tool to see if the key learning outcomes have been met.

Written work - this can be anything from a workbook to an assignment.

And finally, tests - Tests are a very effective way of assessing learning, however, make sure these cater for learning needs.

Another important factor in assessments is your criteria for a pass or refer. The word refer is very important, do not use the word fail. Fail is a negative word which is feared by all participants attending a course.

The word refer essentially means the same thing but in a positive way. Where an individual doesn’t pass the assessments for the course, you will need to decide what they can do later in order to pass. For example, can they re-sit the course or the assessment again later?