2.5 What constitutes “leading” assessment practices?

having properties or characteristics of emergence that arise from the interplay of social, organisational and cultural factors.  Assessment needs to be situated in work defined as “being” , as part of human life and the human condition.  Assessment needs to consider the formation of “purpose” that emerges in the processes of work and learning, exemplified in, for example, the making of judgement calls.

In practical terms, this emphasis on purpose, being, and the complexity and dynamism of work, means we need to pay attention to the following in the making of assessment judgements:

 clarity of standards and outcomes as discussed in the section on stakeholder engagement (Bennett, 1999);

 writing learning outcomes in ways that allow and encourage “unexpected” learning outcomes (McEwen et al., 2010);

 using multiple sources of evidence, including self-assessment (Bennett, 1999; Boud, 2000;

Boud & Soler, 2016);

 using evidence from a range of sources/roles (e.g. learner, peers, educators, work supervisors, etc.) (ibid);

 design assessment to address multiple outcomes and aspects (ibid).

We also need to accept that there will be variation in judgements, but address issues of validity in relation to such variation through:

 transparency of criteria against which judgements are made;

 agreed understanding with assessors of the interpretation of the criteria, including the learners (Winter, 2001);

 including processes of moderation where appropriate (ibid).

 develop learner’s ability to make realistic judgements about their own performance (Boud, 2000;

Boud & Soler, 2016).

For an explanation of criteria, performance standards and rubrics, see Appendix A.

2.5 What constitutes “leading” assessment practices?

Assessment practices are far more than assessment techniques and assessment plans. Rather, as discussed in section 2.2.1, assessment practices are a “constellation of different people’s activities” in relation to assessment, including their “dispersed nexus of doings and sayings” (Schatzki, 2012, pp. 13–14). Given that activities are driven by beliefs and mediated by the context in which they take place, this means that when we consider assessment practices, we must also consider:

 stakeholders’ individual beliefs about learning and about assessment;  stakeholders’ experience and exposure to different kinds of assessment practices;

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 their role, contribution and power in making decisions and influencing practice;  historical practices of the institutions involved (e.g. IHL, training provider, employer, professional body, licencing body, etc.).

As indicated in section 2.5, different stakeholders in a collaborative “partnership” will have different roles in different settings and differing expectations. Thus a first principal, as highlighted in section 2.5, is to manage and engage stakeholders in ways that meet the intent of the learning and assessment. In terms of workplace-based learning, who the instigating stakeholder is and what their purpose is will strongly mediate their assessment practices, influencing their engagement of other stakeholders. It is important that each stakeholder make visible their own assessment and learning beliefs, practices, rules of engagement (as in their power to make decisions, their commitment of resources and capabilities, etc.) and of course what they value and want from the engagement. Agreed purposes of assessment, assessment activities, reporting processes and formats are important components of stakeholder engagement. Another important aspect of collaborative “partnerships” is clarity of roles and the capabilities and tools to undertake these roles. If, for example, workplace supervisors have a role in assessment, then it is important they are given the opportunity to develop the necessary capabilities to undertake such a role. All these processes may apply within a single institution/organisation or across institutions/organisations.

Assessment practices for the changing nature of work will seek to address the following:

 assessment practices that engage learners in learning (Boud, 2010);  developing learners’ capability to face new challenges and unknown future situations (beyond the course);  that feedback from all involved is built into the design of learning and assessment in a cyclical, ongoing process (Fenwick, 2014; Boud & Soler, 2016);  assessment that is authentic (including summative assessment activities);  holistic development of learning outcomes and assessment activities;  alignment between learning outcomes, learning activities and assessment activities (Biggs, 2003; Yorke & Knight, 2009);  design of assessment activities that are varied (Fenwick, 2014), requiring multiple forms of evidence from multiple sources over time (Tigelaar & van der Vleuten, 2014).

The following identifies specific aspects of assessment highlighted in various ways in the literature.

Authentic assessment reflects the demands of real practice, where the design of assessment activities draw on real work practices. Such assessment activities do not necessarily need to be situated in or at a workplace. However, there needs to be purposeful engagement with the context (Trede & Smith, 2012) of work/professional/vocational practice.

Holistic assessment moves well beyond assessment of knowledge and skills to what Bound et al. (2015) call “integrated practice”. By integrated practice, these authors mean that craft/vocational/professional capabilities are integrated with learning-to-learn, meta-cognitive capabilities and, in the case of non-permanent workers in their study, entrepreneurial capabilities. However, this latter can be thought of as the soft or generic capabilities, including ethical practices as they are enacted in a profession or vocation. Tigelaar & van der Vleuten (2014) point to aspects of the same idea in their observation that “competencies are multidimensional inclusive of situational awareness, not just cognitive skills and knowledge”. Holistic assessment not only contributes to the development of the learner as a professional; it also plays a role in socialising the learner into a community of practice. In this regard, assessment is “not for knowledge but for practice knowledge, not for individual achievement but for relational inter-professional capabilities, not for being competent within practice norms but for actively contributing towards the social common good” (Trede & Smith, 2012, p. 196).

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