VET assessment fundamentals: How to use this course

Welcome to the webinar about a new resource for VET assessment fundamentals.

The learning goal of today’s session is to know and understand how the VET assessment fundamentals online course can support the development of quality VET assessment and systems.

You will know you are successful if, after the webinar, you know how to confidently use the course to improve competency-based assessment tools and proformas.

Being able to identify how the course will support your understanding will assist you in developing and using competency- based assessment tools and meeting the regulatory requirements of VET proformas, like staff profiles and TAS documents.

Having this understanding can reduce audit stress and assist when preparing and applying for scope changes, because we see the goal posts and understand how to kick goals.

Recognising how the course can be utilised in your RTO will assist with planning PD sessions and assist you in directing staff to the sections they need.

Why have we created this course?

During workshops, feedback and requests through the VET app function Ask the VET team a question, you have requested resources to be created that will assist you in developing quality VET assessment and systems.
To do this effectively, we needed to cover a few key fundamentals that underpin quality VET."

The first three modules covering these fundamentals have now been created. They bring together the existing QCAA VET standardised documents and templates and help to explain how these existing resources complement each other and help you to improve productivity.

The modules draw your attention to the Standards and the examples challenge you to reflect on your practice so that you can comply with the Standards for RTOs 2015.

First of all, go to the VET app in the QCAA Portal. If you don’t have access, you will need to request it through your school’s designated organisation administrator. Once you are on the VET app home page, scroll down and click on School RTO management resources. This will take you to the secure website.

Scroll to the bottom of the page for the VET fundamentals assessment online course links. The course includes three modules and an introductory video.

The three modules are:

• Principles of Assessment and Rules of Evidence
• Developing and checking assessment tools
• Trainer and assessor suitability.

You can access any module in any order — you do not need to complete one to progress to the next one. We developed the course this way to enable you to quickly access any information based on your immediate need.

Let’s have a look at some common features that have been included in each module.

The first feature that is common to each module is they begin with learning goals and success criteria. Every module also includes a menu for you to navigate your way around that module. This may display differently depending on the device you are using. You can access any aspect of a module by navigating through the menu bar.

Throughout the course we have provided and linked all information to the legislated Standards and requirements. Scroll through each section to view content and continue as needed.

Another common feature created in each module is the Terminology sections. These include explanations specific to the module it is found in.

You can access this by clicking on the menu ‘Terminology’.

We all know VET is its own language. Using terms everyone is familiar with levels the ‘understanding’ playing field for VET staff, reducing misunderstandings and time spent explaining terms.

Discussions are more constructive from the ‘get go’ when we understand the meaning of the words and acronyms being used. Using the course to identify the meaning of VET-specific terminology will enhance productivity and communications with other VET practitioners.

To support productivity, QCAA VET documents have been standardised, and they consistently use common terms and explanations. Simply click on the interactive content and close as directed.

The last common feature is ‘Reflection’ opportunities. Each module includes prompts inviting you to pause and reflect on your RTO’s practices or strategies. We encourage you to use these reflections to make notes or list things you want to review or investigate.

Now let’s take a closer look at using the module Principles of Assessment and Rules of Evidence. Nationally, these principles and rules have very specific definitions, which influence the core activities of the RTO.

Auditors, RTO managers, assessment tool developers, trainers and assessors need a common understanding of their practical application.

This module covers the practical application of the both the Principles of Assessment and the Rules of Evidence.

For example, in this table you can see guidance has been given for assessment is flexible when and a section that explains what flexibility looks like in practice.

Some effective times to reference this module would be:

• when adding a qualification to scope and preparing the assessment tools
• while inducting new VET teachers and staff
• during VET team meetings to confirm all staff have a common understanding of competency-based assessment
• when conducting validation sessions
• you could also reference this module to ensure assessments you develop are valid and integrate skill and knowledge with their practical application.

We encourage you to use the course as a reference source to getting a thorough understanding of the Principles of Assessment and Rules of Evidence.

They are a key component in developing assessment tools and activities, delivering training, gathering evidence and conducting meaningful validation activities.

To check your understanding, we have added activities to engage you in a decision-making process, based on what you have recently read in the course. These interactive engagement tools give you time to creatively reflect on the course information and promote staff discussion during PD time.

VET professional development means activities that develop and/or maintain an individual’s skills, knowledge, expertise and other characteristics as a trainer or assessor. So, participation in this course can be entered into Section 5 in your Trainer and Assessor Profile as PD.

Now let’s take a look at using the module Developing and checking assessment tools.

This module supports developing assessment tools, which will be especially useful when you are about to add a new qualification to scope or introduce new electives to an already developed program. Use this module to expand your knowledge and refine your understanding of the core tools and rules of competency- based assessment.

Remember: You can use the menu to navigate to any section of this module when needed.

You can use this module in the following ways:

• When developing a new program — Where do you start? Five steps have been included to assist you with establishing what to do first and how to streamline the development process.
• Reviewing existing assessment tools — Reviewing the information in the module can give confidence that the assessment tools you are already using meet national requirements.
• By RTO managers — Practical application of the course is likely to result in assessment tool design consistency and function across vocational training areas. As an RTO manager, the course can be used to find reference information when assisting other VET staff. This is about using the modules to find information and move a question, task or project forward. Questions come up during VET staff meetings, planning additions to scope, developing assessment tools, and local PD, just to mention a few. How much time and discussion does it save when you know where to find references that will answer questions?
• As professional development — Understanding and then using the VET assessment terminology of the course can improve the quality of team meetings, locally organised PD
  
  events, and when discussing monitoring outcomes with VET staff.

Now let’s take a look at using these features of the module a bit more closely.

You will find that new VET teachers will benefit from getting an understanding of what clustering units really means, preparing a mapping tool, making sure all evidence-gathering tools have valid decision-making rules, applying the three principal evidence- gathering techniques and more.

Reviewing each section will grow your understanding of the function and contribution of the Principle and Rule of your assessment tools.

As previously mentioned, use the reflections to analyse your own completed documents.

One of the responsibilities of an RTO manager is to conduct systematic monitoring. The reflections section can also support you in understanding and implementing this process.

RTO managers could use this module for professional development during VET staff meetings. Professional development sessions can get meaningful results when they have a clear objective in mind.

Find and then use the examples and guidance in a section of the module that addresses your objective. Then, during a VET staff meeting, use that section of the online course. Depending on how your school works, you could then start standardising assessment tools and practices.

Staff can go back to the course and use it as a reference for improving the validity and reliability of the tools they use. At a follow-up meeting, teachers could ‘show and tell’ how they made changes, why, and compare their results with others.

Using the module Trainer and assessor suitability.

Teachers and RTO managers are often concerned about having sufficient relevant information in staff profiles, especially around audit time.

The course explains how different standardised QCAA VET documents work together. For example, the TAS and the staff profile documents.

The module also explains what sort and how much detail needs to be in these documents. This will give you a lot of ‘audit

confidence’.

Use this module as a reference point for understanding the requirements for documenting valid and sufficient evidence of a trainer and assessor’s suitability.

This module can also be used as an induction tool to assist new trainers and assessors to complete their profile for the very first time.
There are six separate short videos that address documenting suitability.
Each video is less than two minutes long and, in simple terms, clarifies how much information needs to be recorded and how often it needs to be updated.

Step 1: Documenting sufficient information — This would be used by everyone. It outlines the level of detail required to ensure the information is verifiable.
Step 2: TAE credentials — Once this is sufficiently and verified, archive a copy of all certificates, records of results, statements of attainment and/or screenshots of the USI transcripts.
Step 3: Professional development — This is required to be current and information must be less than three years old.
Step 4 & 5: Vocational competency and Mapping competency — Step 4 and 5, once established and sufficiently documented, is only updated if you are training and assessing new units or qualifications.
Step 6: Recording industry currency — This section is also required to be current and information must also be less than three years old.

The course can be used as a reference when you are updating an existing profile. It would be unusual to have to update an entire profile. Often, referencing Steps 3, 5 and 6 will give you the information you need.

When it comes to the word 'currency', simply put, no one can take away your qualifications, experience or knowledge. But time can affect the currency of your skills and knowledge. This means you are required to update sections of your profile that involve PD or industry currency. Use the reflections to assess if you have sufficient, valid, current and verifiable evidence recorded in your profile.

QCAA standardised VET documents complement each other and help to improve productivity by streamlining processes. For example, Section 5 and Section 7 of the TAS have also been included in this module to help you see the relationship between the TAS and staff profile. These sections are directly related to content in the trainer and assessor profile.

Completing Section 5.2 in the TAS with extra details can assist in

speeding up the application process when applying to add a new qualification to your scope of registration.

Many of you will be familiar with the resources that are available for school RTOs in the VET app. As you work through the modules, you will see reference to assessment documents, standardised documents and associated RTO management policies and procedures.

As a part of the assessment system in your RTO you will already be engaging with documents so they work in conjunction with each module in the course.

To access the Standardised Policies and Procedures documents with implementation guides and checklists, follow the link from the VET app home page.

Your RTO will have an Assessment, Trainer and assessor, TAS and Industry engagement policy and procedure that include checklists for implementation and systematic monitoring for the RTO.

Following the School RTO management resources link from the home page in the VET app will give you access to the TAS and staff profile templates.

The learning goal of today’s session was to know and understand how the VET assessment fundamentals online course can support the development of quality VET assessment and systems.

Are you now able to confidently use the course?
Can you identify how the course will support your understanding?
And can you recognise how the course could be utilised in your RTO?
Do you feel this new resource will help to reduce audit stress and assist you when preparing and applying for scope changes?

That brings us to the end of today’s webinar.

If you have any further questions relating to the webinar or the VET online assessment course you can contact the VET unit using the Ask a VET question function in the VET application.