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Bangladesh is pledge bound to ensure the rights of persons with disabilities in the country. To support this commitment, the government has made the inclusion of persons with disabilities in skills training and employment a key priority and set a five per cent admission quota for students with disabilities in all technical and vocational training institutes. To help principals and teachers of technical and vocational training institutes overcome challenges towards becoming disability inclusive the Department of Technical Education has partnered with the International Labour Organization, Bangladesh - Skills for Employment and Productivity (B-SEP) Project, funded by the Government of Canada, to develop a guideline on disability inclusion. This guideline has been prepared based on pilot projects in this field and is meant to assist training institutions in their effort to promote equitable access to training opportunities for persons with disabilities. This is a practical guideline for [technical and vocational education and training] TVET principals and teachers that provides basic concepts of disability inclusion, what to consider when planning for inclusion, how to handle learning disabilities and provide reasonable accommodation and also the underpinning social aspects of inclusion.

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This paper discusses findings that have arisen from the project ‘Transnational methods and models for self-evaluation of personal competencies’ which aimed to facilitate the awareness of adult learners/employees of their own personal competences and tacit skills through the introduction of various self-evaluation methods and approaches in their college or workplace settings. Show less

This issue of ‘Centerfocus’ focuses on the need for schools to develop ways of translating students’ academic achievement into a measure of their workplace readiness and, ultimately, their ability to succeed in their chosen career. The author argues that the generic and specific skills and knowledge required in workplaces must be integrated with ongoing assessment practices in schools. In this way, students can be given specific feedback on how well they are prepared for the workplace. The paper looks at how schools can identify methods of assessing workplace readiness, both generally and for specific occupations, referring to some national taxonomies that identify generic workplace readiness skills and knowledge. Types of assessment are then outlined, such as selected and constructed responses tests, performance-based assessments, and portfolios, with a final comment on the importance of matching assessments with purposes. Show less

This paper seeks to advance research and practice related to the role of employers in all stages of the assessment process of work-based learning (WBL) within a tripartite relationship of higher education institution (HEI), student and employer. It proposes a research-informed quality enhancement framework to develop good practice in engaging employers as partners in assessment. The Enhancement Framework comprises three dimensions, each of which includes elements and questions generated by the experiences of WBL students, HEI staff and employers. The three dimensions of the Enhancement Framework are: (1) ‘premises of assessment’, encompassing issues of learning, inclusion, standards and value; (2) ‘practice’, encompassing stages of assessment made up of course design, assessment task, responsibilities, support, grading and feedback; and (3) ‘communication of assessment’, with the emphasis on role clarity, language and pathways. With its prompt questions the Enhancement Framework may be used as a capacity-building tool for promoting, sustaining, benchmarking and evaluating productive dialogue and critical reflection about assessment between WBL partners. The paper concludes by emphasising the need for professional development as well as policy and research development, so that assessment in WBL can more closely correspond to the potentially transformative nature of the learning experience.

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Essay-based examinations form a cornerstone of the public assessment system in the UK, but comparatively little research has been conducted into the processes involved in designing, answering and appraising essay-based questions/responses. This study explores the idea of examination validity through a qualitative review of these processes, based on materials sourced from the June 2002 [Oxford Cambridge and RSA Examinations] OCR Politics AS/A2 module 2596 (Politics of the UK). Through a detailed analysis of question papers and candidate scripts (informed by mark schemes, curricula and examiner reports), a model of current processes is advanced. Issues related to question design are highlighted, and a methodology for future quality assurance in essay-based examinations is derived from philosophical considerations such as 'fairness' and 'validity'. This paper resulted from research conducted as part of the University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate's ongoing work to develop a system of procedural guidelines and example questions to facilitate robust question design.

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Recent developments in OER and MOOCs (open educational resources and massive open online courses) have raised questions as to how learners engaging with these courses and components might be assessed or credentialed. This descriptive and exploratory paper examines PLAR (prior learning assessment and recognition) as a possible answer to these questions. It highlights three possible connections between PLAR and open education which hold the greatest promise for credentialing open learning experiences: (1) PLAR may be used to assess and credential open educational activities through the use of exam banks such as CLEP (College Level Examination Program); (2) learning occurring in MOOCs (MOOCs based on already credentialed courses) and in other open contexts resembling 'courses' may be assessed in PLAR through course-based portfolios; and (3) PLAR may also be enabled through the specification of 'gap learning' facilitated through OER of many different kinds. After describing these options, the paper concludes that although the connections leading from open educational contexts to PLAR credentialing are currently disparate and ad hoc, they may become more widespread and also more readily recognised in the PLAR and OER communities.

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This paper discusses Svetovid, cross-platform software that helps instructors to assess the amount of effort put into practical exercises and exams in courses related to computer programming. The software was developed as an attempt at solving problems associated with practical exercises and exams. This paper discusses the design and use of Svetovid system along with the advantages it brings to both students and instructors.

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This report looks at social, economic and cultural mechanisms that discriminate against disadvantaged children, youth and adults, keeping them out of education or marginalized in it. Released at the start of the decade of action to 2030, and in the middle of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) crisis, which has exacerbated underlying inequalities, the report argues that resistance to addressing every learner's needs is a real threat to achieving global education targets. It identified the practices in governance and finance; curricula, textbooks and assessments; teacher education; school infrastructure; and relations with students, parents and communities that can unlock the process to inclusion. The report also provides policy recommendations to make learner diversity a strength to be celebrated, a force for social cohesion.

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This paper discusses the impact of the [Coronavirus Disease 2019] COVID-19 pandemic on the learning experience of students at a VET (Vocational Educational Training) Higher Education Institution in tourism education, namely the Institute of Tourism Studies (ITS) in Malta (EU). A sample of students who attended ITS between March 2020 and January 2022 generated the primary data. This revealed the students' experience in terms of their academic performance (both theoretical knowledge and practical skills), their personal well-being, and their perceived evaluation of the educational institution during the emergency caused by COVID-19. There is particular emphasis on e-learning / remote learning and the challenges of conducting school-related practical work, going on work placement or work in the tourism industry (both part-time and full-time) apart from their studies.

The data analysis revealed that the student experience at ITS was, in many aspects, similar to international trends. This was seen in terms of the impact of the pandemic's restrictions on face-to-face learning and the sudden shift to pure e-learning in all courses. Students confirmed that since ITS had, in previous years, invested in the e-learning infrastructure, e-learning systems in place proved extremely effective when they were needed most. However, not all subjects were considered suitable for delivering online. In fact, students stated that most practical subjects and certain theoretical subjects are better delivered face-to-face. The way forward recommended by students is a blended system where the courses have both a face-to-face component and an online component. The latter not only provides more flexibility in learning, which is especially sought by mature and part-time students, but also reduces time wasted in travel to and from campus.

Although research on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on education is widely available, little research focused on VET and Higher Education in Tourism, especially through the experience of learners. For this reason, this paper seeks to address this gap in knowledge. The major limitation of this research is that it was conducted in a volatile situation with ever-changing COVID-19 conditions, restrictions and challenges that had a direct impact on education.

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Work-integrated learning (WIL) is a signature feature of study in many higher education institutions. In business degrees, industry feedback is recognized as an integral part of the assessment of WIL, yet the role played by industry in appraising student performance in the workplace has not been clearly defined. Based on interviews with industry supervisors and academic mentors, this paper addresses the integration of academic and industry supervisor assessment practices designed to maximize student learning outcomes and capture the depth of the learning experiences during a work placement. A model of industry feedback was developed to incorporate planned assessment practices that achieve the learning outcomes agreed to at the start of the placement by all stakeholders: the student, the academic mentor and the industry supervisor.

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