workbased assessments
Cognisco’s work based assessments are delivered using Cognisco Milestone™ and they ensure a balance between the different purposes of Assessment. Cognisco’s principles of Assessment cover validity, reliability, effectiveness, consistency, equal opportunity, practicability, transparency and authenticity. Cognisco authors develop assessment modules that begin with the identification of the Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs) followed by designing assessment tasks that enable the individuals to demonstrate that they have achieved the outcomes.
The essential three elements of Assessment:
Ensuring the ILOs and assessment tasks for various modules reflect the correct level of consultancy outlined in either the national occupational core competency standards or the organisation’s own competency framework.
Ensuring a suitable mix of assessment methods across the programme to meet the needs of the subject, different types of learners and different types of learning outcomes and also to reduce the opportunities to cheat.
Clarifying where programme wide outcomes (for example key skills, professional skills, professional values) will be assessed.
Assessment has a range of purposes (Gibbs 1999). These include:
Encouraging appropriate student learning.
Certification: providing the means to identify and discriminate between different levels of achievement.
Quality Assurance: providing evidence for others outside the programme (employers, external examiners) to enable them to judge the appropriateness of standards on the programme.
Utilising Cognisco Milestone™ for Assessments provides comprehensive guidance at the beginning of a module including:
Details of the assessment tasks for the module.
The learning outcomes addressed by the different assessment tasks.
The relative weighting of the assessment tasks.
The criteria for marking the assessment.
Details of any arrangements for peer as well as self assessment.
Deadlines for completion of assessments.
Details of feedback.
A reminder for individuals with disabilities or special needs about how and when to request alternative assessment arrangements.
Links to assessments in other modules if applicable.
Key sources of information.
