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In the past decade there has been increasing interest in assessment as a social practice. There is a growing recognition that assessment, particularly of complex tasks, is a judgment which is socially-situated and thus contingent on a variety of factors which constitute the assessment event. Drawing on the hermeneutical tradition, this article explores the interpretive processes of essay markers in two Health Science courses at the University of Cape Town, with a particular focus on markers’ judgements about language. The analysis exposes multiple ‘circles’ of influence on markers’ professional judgements, including the texts (both the written product and the student writer), the marker’s interpretive framework, the interpretive community and the wider institutional discourses. The article contributes to a better understanding of the crucial role of the interpretive community in the validation of assessment interpretations.

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The Framework for Excellence (the Framework) is a comprehensive performance assessment framework for the Further Education (FE) system. The main aims of the Framework are to provide a single, unified framework for assessing and reporting achievement in all key areas of performance. The Framework is being developed by the Learning and Skills Council (LSC), in partnership with the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS), Ofsted [Office for Standards in Education] and the Quality Improvement Agency (QIA). This brief report share the national headline results for the Framework in 2008/09, its first year of implementation. The assessment was applied to 1,218 colleges and private training providers and comprised the following performance aspects: learner and qualification success; learner views; learner destinations; responsiveness to employers; financial health and management; and use of resources. The outcomes show high levels of quality in many areas across the sector.

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An overview of the Framework is indexed at TD/TNC 87.507. Show less

The uptake of [computer-assisted assessment] CAA in UK higher education (HE) on a large scale lags behind the expectations of CAA specialists. A research project was undertaken with the aim of discovering and addressing the underlying reasons for this. The research was conducted according to Strauss and Corbin’s (1998) prescription for grounded theory (GT) research. During three years a 200,000 word dataset was compiled from a national survey by questionnaire and interview with tutors, learning technologists, managers and [quality assurance] QA staff. This article describes a dual-path theory of CAA uptake that emerged from an analysis of the dataset, as given by Warburton in 2006. Tutors’ motivations and perceptions of risk were found to influence the way they use CAA and this is significant in credit-bearing applications where poor outcomes have long lasting effects on uptake. Institutions can benefit from using project risk management techniques to manage these risks. Ways in which this dual-path theory might be used to understand and improve CAA uptake are proposed.

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The 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy (NAAL) assessed the English literacy skills of a nationally representative sample of 18,500 U.S. adults (age 16 and older) residing in private households. NAAL is the first national assessment of adult literacy since the 1992 National Adult Literacy Survey (NALS). The NAAL and NALS produced direct estimates of Prose, Document, and Quantitative literacy, each reported on a 0 to 500 scale and on four performance levels: Below Basic, Basic, Intermediate, and Proficient based on this scale. This report describes the statistical methodology used to produce the model-dependent - indirect - estimates of the percentages of adults at the lowest literacy level for individual states and counties for 1992 and 2003. The county and state indirect estimates themselves are provided at the NAAL website (the state indirect estimates are also provided in appendices to this report). The measure chosen for the indirect estimation is the percentage of adults lacking Basic prose literacy skills (BPLS). The literacy of adults who lack BPLS ranges from being unable to read and understand any written information in English to being able to locate easily identifiable information in short, commonplace prose text, but nothing more advanced. It should be noted that adults who were not able to take the assessment because they were not able to communicate in English or Spanish (i.e. language barrier cases) are included in the indirect estimates and classified as lacking BPLS because they can be considered to be at the lowest level of English literacy.

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Quality training and assessment is an important topic in the current discussion about vocational education and training (VET). Service Skills Australia (SSA) is responsible for the development of training packages for service industries. In this role, SSA consults and engages with industry, training organisations, government and other stakeholders to develop and support the implementation of nationally recognised training products that respond to industry skill needs. This paper will give an overview about key activities and policy reviews in the VET sector and will then summarise trends and major issues in feedback data from industry from over a decade of training package review and development. This highlights gaps in the current discussions like the development of comprehensive evaluation framework, a re-evaluation of the way VET implements recognition of prior learning (RPL) and the implementation of a truly nationally consistent training and education system that responds to the needs of industry. The paper will combine this with further research SSA has undertaken with industry to develop the Service Industries 2009 Environmental Scan (indexed at TD/TNC 95.679) and through its continuous improvement projects. Furthermore, the paper will look towards the design and implementation of 'next generation' training packages, and provide some thoughts on what these products could/should look like. Show less

The objective of this paper is to share the learning derived from an action research pilot project on the monitoring of work-integrated learning. The South African higher education imperatives are outlined and perspectives on both defined competencies and/or outcomes of assessment are reviewed, as well as the more 'artistic' ability derived from unexpected experiences and problem-centered/based learning. Views on developing reflective ability are presented. The research method entails an outline of the preparation phase, an exposition of the monitoring guidelines and instrument, as well as an explanation of action research. The launch, progression and review phases are then outlined. The findings comprise a synopsis of the qualitative data derived from the monitoring reports submitted, a summary of a focus group discussion held with regional learning facilitation staff, and the reflective perspectives of the central coordinating office staff. The article is concluded with a discussion of key lessons taken from the experience and procedural proposals.

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This paper reports on the development, implementation and qualitative evaluation of an innovative and authentic learning environment in a higher education setting. The changeover of a course of study from internal students only to include both internal and external mode has many ramifications, not least the necessary redesign of a group project and presentation assessment task. Analysis of the student demographics, the learning environment and the pedagogical underpinnings, together with the requirements of the task led to a redesign to enable virtual collaboration between group members culminating in the creation of a set of communal resources in a wiki. The researchers were particularly interested in the student perception of an innovative application of collaborative software (a wiki) in an authentic learning and assessment task with diversity of outcomes. The wiki is considered to be one of the emerging technologies with a real-world relevance and will have a major impact on teaching and learning yet is one least used amongst students. Concerns about the digital divide between digital natives and second wave adopters were shown to be unfounded. Student comments are interspersed throughout the paper to reflect their lived experience relating to the process which seamlessly integrated learning with the task. Descriptions by them show how they became embedded in a collaborative social practice. They were empowered to examine information from a variety of perspectives as they articulated, reflected upon and shaped content in an iterative manner. Implications and recommendations for improvement in future practice are made.

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Uninterrupted access to quality education is critical for children and youth displaced by natural and man-made disasters and is now increasingly recognized by humanitarian and development actors, including donors. A critical challenge for education authorities and service providers is to ensure the recognition, validation and certification of their learning attainments. Learners need acceptable proof of their studies and results to continue their studies or to access labour opportunities. However, in situations of displacement, it may not be possible for students to sit the official examinations of either home or host system. This study is one of the first critical, global analyses of certification issues for refugee and displaced students and is the result of a unique research partnership between IIEP-UNESCO, the University of Amsterdam, IRC [International Rescue Committee] and the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It presents a broad conceptual framework in which to consider issues of certification, illustrated by in depth case studies from around the world.

Published summary from UNESCO IIEP website. Show less

This is the third review of joint work to modernise vocational education and training (VET) conducted by European countries, the European Commission (EC) and European social partners. Since 2006, work on common principles, guidelines and tools has significantly progressed. European and national agendas for VET are aligning. Countries have worked on quality, attractiveness and good governance to make VET more equitable and more relevant to labour market needs. This analysis is based on country self-assessment reports, other research findings and statistical data. Show less

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to separate the leadership skills that get success from those that are inconsequential or harmful. Design/methodology/approach - More than 150,000 managers were studied through the online assessment of their skill in more than 30 competency areas against self-reported, and company-reported job performance. Findings - People may join companies, but they will leave bosses. No one influences an employee's morale and productivity more than his or her supervisor. It is that simple. Yet, as common as this knowledge may seem, it clearly has not been enough to change the way that managers and organizations treat people. Originality/value - The paper looks at the issue of seagull managers - and discusses the notion that every single manager is a seagull manager sometimes, in some situations, and with some people. The real challenge lies in understanding where seagull tendencies predominate, so that managers can fly higher and eradicate the negative influences of seagull behavior.

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