Understanding the Principles and Practice of Assessment Question and Answer 4

Understanding the Principles and Practice of Assessment Question and Answer  4 4.1 Explain the importance of involving the learner and...

Understanding the Principles and Practice of Assessment Question and Answer  4

4.1 Explain the importance of involving the learner and others in the assessment process

Involving learner in the assessment process makes the whole process fair and transparent, it makes the learner feels that he's been carried along and helps him have a good understanding of what is expected of him and also makes him feels that his opinion matters; this will earn the Assessor more respect and makes the assessment task easy.

It also makes learners to be more independent and take full responsibility of their assessment. When learners are involved, they also get more motivated, as they will have an incentive to get the work done and complete quicker.

Involving the learner's supervisor or manager makes it easy to get witness statement and other documentation that the learner might require to provide as evidence.
Involving the centre administrator or manager will help to easily access learners details, get registration done with the awarding body and also helps with the quality assurance process.
4.2 Summarise types of information that should be made available to learners and others involved in the

assessment process
The followings are the types of information that should be made available to learners and others involved in the assessment process

·         Induction pack

·         Qualification specification

·         Methods of assessment

·         Feedback

·         Course criteria to those to provide a witness statement

·         Managers will need regular updates

4.3 Explain how peer and self-assessment can be used effectively to promote learner involvement and personal responsibility in the assessment of learning

Self-assessment encourages learners to be more involved in their assessment and also promotes responsibility. By assessing their own performance, learners will be able to learn from their prior mistakes, identify their strengths and weaknesses and therefore are able to target their learning accordingly to address specific areas.

Peer assessment is when learners in a group assess each other’s work. This can take various form, learners can exchange assignments and give feedback to each other about their work and give their peers tips on how to improve. This process encourages learners to communicate with each other and help them to gain more confidence in their assessment.

4.4 Explain how assessment arrangements can be adapted to meet the needs of individual learners

Assessment should always be planned to meet the needs of the learner.

For learners with special needs such as learners who are dyslexic, they might not be comfortable with written questions. For such, alternative method of questioning should be explored such oral questioning.

The work shift pattern of the learner should be considered when planning assessment to make sure that the site visit is scheduled for a time that is within the learner's shift hours.

Language requirement should also be considered; for candidates whose first language is not English; provision should be made to ensure that they understand clearly the assessment process if need be get them an interpreter or refer them for an English lesson.

Cultural and religious consideration is also very important, for example, if you have a Muslim as learner, you will need to be considerate when planning assessment on a Friday, as they have specific times when they need to be praying.

For learners with physical disabilities, therefore when planning assessment or training sessions, the assessor should ensure that whatever training venue that is chosen is easy to access for such learners and the venue itself is convenient and can accommodate learners in wheelchairs.