Aaron Francis

T2 assignment

1. First I will break the question into 3 subsections to explain it better starting with ways I would judge if evidence was current. - You would judge if evidence was current by reviewing if the evidence is recent up to 6months old. You would also check if the evidence was up to date with current legislation and policy and finally you would check and review if the current working practices were being met. Moving onto whether evidence is sufficient; - You would review whether the evidence was sufficient by testing the competency of it over a period time, asking questions to test whether the requirements are being met that are needed for the relevant roles. Finally to judge whether evidence is authentic; You would review whether the work presented was the candidates own or was it completed for them or plagiarised. You would also want to check whether the performance of the candidate was in reasonable relation to the presented work, having clear personal evidence to back up that decision. 2. When carrying out an assessment there could be various health and safety risks involved. It is important for assessors to minimise these risks in their area of expertise. Another precaution is to check whether these regulations are in fact up to date and accurate and an assessor would be wise to fully discuss these matters with the learner, checking that he/she understands what the correct procedure is for their environment. Another risk is when only using a single method of assessment. For example if only an observation was used there would be a risk of things been missed while taking notes. That is why a Holistic approach is always recommended when performing assessment on a learner. Finally issues with statement from witnesses can be an issue and an assessor would want to take all precautions necessary to ensure that all statements are valid. 3. These risks can be minimised by performing a risk assessment on the site or location of the assessment. A holistic approach to the planning of the assessment will also help minimise the risks involved not only to the assessor but the learner to. It is the responsibility of the assessor to make sure all safety equipment is worn at all times during the assessment. An assessor should also make sure that the learner is ready and aware of the methods an assessor is using during an assessment. Learners needs also need to be taken into consideration, this includes all special needs a learner may have. 4. The 8 stages of assessment are - Candidate induction this involves an overview of the award, identity and special needs or assessment requirements, initial assessment, an explanation of the assessors role and candidate and an explanation of the qualification. -

Assessment Planning learner needs and current achievements will be addressed, plan how to meet and assess knowledge, identify specific activities where the candidate can be assessed to cover a range of units and use the most appropriate method of gathering. - Assessment undertaken by the assessor in accordance with the assessment plan using evidence presented by the candidate. Manage assessments to meet assessment requirements. - Make assessment decisions and analyse learner achievement The assessor has to judge the evidence presented for assessment against the performance and knowledge laid out in the units being assessed to ensure it is fair, valid, and reliable. - Recording assessment decision records their assessment clearly on records, with the achieved qualification criteria clearly indicated. Making assessment information available to authorised colleagues while maintaining confidentiality. - Give constructive feedback Must be given to the candidate after the assessment decision has been made. Informing the learner how they performed and what they have achieved. - Planning the next stage planning how to move onto the next step of the assignment and planning a revisit. Identify any further implications for learning, assessment and progression. Confirm achievement. - Maintain legal and good practice requirements Follow policies and procedures, ensure equality and diversity during assessment, evaluate own work and maintain currency of own expertise. 5. By following all the stages one can maintain a quality assured assessment that is standardised for all learners. By not doing so the assessment itself will be inconsistent for learners creating a ripple effect on the quality assurance process. This is the meaning of a holistic approach to assessing and should be performed in a systematic way for all learners being assessed. 6. There are some fundamental regulation requirements relevant to assessing Customer Service and I.T these are; Health and safety at work act (1974), The management of health and safety at work regulations (1999), risk assessment, Data protection, Duty of care, Equal opportunities legislation, Disciplinary policies and sanctions, Dress codes, Professional Teaching standards, Code of practice, Child protection guidelines, Disability Discrimination Act (1995 and onwards) and Copyright guidelines. Of these fundamental requirements that need to followed Data protection is particularly important to I.T. This act requires that any data on individuals, electronic or otherwise, for more than two months, to register as a data user. It restricts the sharing of data. Dress codes is also very important for the area of Customer service. This area requires that learners are to wear a particular outfit or garment to meet the professional standards required or protective clothing and equipment where necessary. 7. The best learning methods for learners with special needs are ones that cater to balance out their disability making learning easier and more enjoyable. An assessor needs to find out whether the learner responds best to Visual, Aural, Written or Kinaesthetic learning methods. Then an investigation into what technology is available to assist the learner should be performed and incorporated into the assessment. Once these steps have been completed, the 8 stages of assessment should then be followed along with related regulations and requirements.

8. The strengths of the Questions assessment method are the flexibility of the answer length ranging from short answers to essay long essays. Another strength is a question bank can be devised, which could be used multiple times. The weaknesses of Questions however are the risk of plagiarism or work copying and the time needed to create them. Another method is Witness testimony. The strength of this style is witnesses can confirm competence or achievements for unusual situations or circumstances. However a weakness if that the assessor has to confirm whether the witness is suitable and trusted. Another method is Assignments. The strength an assignment has is the ability to consolidate learning but a weakness is that everything has to be learned before the assignment is given. Finally Case studies method is strong because an assessor can make topics more realistic, enhancing and motivating. However a weakness is that the outcome of a case study must be clear which can be difficult to define, along with time consuming to. Workers with less life or work experience may find them difficult. 9. CPD (Continuing professional Development) and reflective practise are valuable because within most industries, things are continually changing and growing. CPD allows an assessor to be up to date with the latest practices, legislations and trends within chosen sector. By being up to date on skills and practices along with learning new skills from colleagues etc. an assessor can provide a continually increasing standard of service to the learner. 10. By involving the learner in the assessment process an assessor can increase the learners motivation, maximise the learners range of learning and understanding and make use of witnesses to collect evidence. An example of this is if an assessor was to involve the learner in the assessment method process, concentrating on the assignment method. The learner could help choose the activities included from a list of lets say 10 options if only 5 were to make up the assignment. This would maximise the users enjoyment and motivation. While allowing the Assessor to maintain control of the exercise as a whole. 11. An assessor needs to provide those involved in the assessment including the learner with the policies, procedures, documentation and the skills analysis outcome information. 12. To guarantee evidence is Valid an assessor needs to work closely against the qualification criteria specified ensuring the correct assessment method was used for the situation. The evidence would also need to be Reliable meaning that the same decision would be made regardless of the assessors. Finally the evidence needs to be fair, so an assessor should ensure that all special needs were met during assessments and that equality and diversity was applied throughout. 13. Evidence must be judged against the agreed criteria (the qualification). All assessment decisions must also meet that criteria and also be valid fair and reliable. The criteria also need to be checked as to whether it is up to date with current legislation and that it meets the current working practices. Evidence must also demonstrate that it is competent over time to and an assessor needs to make a reliable and standardised assessment decision to. 14. Quality assurance is a process comprised of an internal verification by internal party followed by an external verification by the awarding body and finally standardisation check which is usually completed by the centre staff. This process is important because it is the guarantee to each learner that they will receive the service promised to the agreed standard from the assessor. The 3 tier verification assures that the process is both fair and thorough. Internal verification and External verification processes are used to maximise the quality of the assessment given.

15. Every centre must have a candidate appeals and complaints procedure which enables a learner to appeal an assessment decision if they disagree with it or challenge unfair practice. Once a complaint is received, they are recorded and passed onto the customer service manager who will deal with the case accordingly. Once an investigation has been passed on a written response will be forwarded to the learner. If the learner is still dissatisfied with the outcome the complaint will then be passed on to an Operations Director for further review. They will also respond in writing. After the Operations Directors decision has been made which is final the case will be closed as resolved.