Fair & Consistent Assessment of Learners
This guideline should be read with the QQI guidelines on Quality Assuring Assessment and the PHECC Quality Review Framework.
A provider must have adequate and appropriate processes for assessing and retrieving learner achievement and approving assessment results. It must demonstrate that the assessment is fair and consistent, follows national standards and that learners are informed of expected outcomes and progress in achieving them.
As certifying bodies awards are made based on assessments carried out by providers, it is critically crucial that provider assessment is fit for purpose and that results provided to learners are valid, reliable and are the product of a systematic, quality-assured process.
Policy on Assessment of Learners
Assessment of Learners:
In the majority of cases, the tutor has responsibility for the assessment of learner evidence. This means that in addition to teaching/delivering a programme, the tutor will also have responsibility for assessing, marking and grading the learner's evidence.
Glin National College will ensure that our procedures for assessing learners will allow us to serve the needs of learners and fulfil our stated mission to give access to training and employment of marginalised people and be consistent with national best practices.
Glin National College is committed to the dual processes of internal verification and external authentication. The process will involve:
Assessment based on Provision for Assessment in accordance with the module at the design stage during validation and approval
Internal verification of Assessment according to QQI and PHECC Quality Assurance Agreements
External authentication of Assessment by independent (of Glin National College) subject matter experts approved by the appropriate committee (examination committee working group)
The policy on the Assessment of learners will be based on
Provision of Assessment in accordance
Tutor Delivered Information via Tutor Guide
Plagiarism Code of Practice
Internal Verifiers Guide
External Authenticators Guide
Learners Assessment Handbook
Information to Learners
Staff, Tutor & Learner Information Guides
GNC Learner Information Guide
College-Learner Agreement
Certification Process
Coordinating Planning of Assessment
Security of Assessment-Related Processes and Material
This policy refers to briefs/examination papers and marking schemes and will be managed by the Programme coordinator.
A bank of exams for each module and a minimum of three (3) Briefs per assessment will be digitally held and maintained by the programme coordinator.
The above documents will be kept digitally and secured using recognised security protocols.
The required number of Briefs or Assessments per class will be downloaded and rotated regularly from the Module Assessment Folder.
An attendance sheet is used to regulate the examinations and will match the number of exam papers handed to the Exam Supervisor.
The examination sheet is signed by all learners and signed off by the exam supervisor.
This attendance sheet will be stored digitally for Twelve (12) months post-exam.
Learner Portfolio
The learner's portfolios are returned and signed in by the learner and a staff member for learner assessment.
All portfolios are stored securely in a designated area in the sales office.
The tutor collects portfolios and signs them out, witnessed by a staff member, into the Tutor Portfolio collection log.
The tutor returns the portfolios within the agreed time frame, and the tutor and a member of staff re-sign them. They are then locked away in the designated area before entry into the QBS system or the PHECC RI Faculty Management Portal.
Completed and submitted assessment work will be stored in a secure designated area. Portfolios will be kept until the certification and appeals cycle is completed and securely shredded.
Under Glin National College's Quality Assuring Assessment, learners must acknowledge that the assessment work presented by them is their work and is commonly part of the issued brief, which is included with their submitted work.
A Tutor (assessor) may confirm that the assessment evidence is reliable and genuine by the following methods:
Questioning the learner
Authorship statement
Personal statements
These systems are monitored as part of the certification processes, which can be, in the case of QQI certification, a maximum of six (6) Times per year.
Consistency of Marking Between Assessors
The policy to ensure fairness and consistency of marking is managed by the Academic Standards Quality Officer, supported by Tutors and the QQI coordinators/PHECC Instructors, and is based on the following.
Module Marking Criteria to be made available on Glin National College's Website (these standards are generated as part of the module validation and approval processes and must be in line with QQI module component specifications and PHECC Training & Education Standards appropriately)
Guidelines are included in Glin National College's Module Briefs; these guidelines are supported, e.g. marking Scheme broken down by questions raised. Guidelines are included in Glin National College’s Module Briefs. These guidelines are supported, e.g. marking Scheme broken down by questions raised.
Result comparisons are monitored by the Glin National College's learner performance log, which is currently updated in line with the QQI and PHECC certification submission calendar.
Model Answers are provided in the Module Master folder, and they give indicated mark values. Module portfolio feedback shows the reasons for deducted marks.
Glin National College monitors fairness and consistency of marking by using the following three (3) methods.
Internal Verification, which is based on learner achieved grade sample-based (Unsuccessful, Successful, Pass, Merit or Distinction)
External Authentication, which is based on learner achieved grade sample-based (Unsuccessful, Successful, Pass, Merit or Distinction)
Module Learner Performance log is compiled for each submission period by the QQI coordinator and is made available for Internal Verifiers and External Authentications.
Learners Responsibilities in the Assessment Process
Learners have several responsibilities concerning assessment, which are described below:
Unless otherwise approved by Glin National College, learners are expected to attend all teaching days.
Learners are expected to actively engage in the assessment activities provided on their programmes and act on feedback provided by their Tutors.
Learners must ensure that they familiarise themselves with marking schemes, assessment criteria, and learning outcomes against which their work will be assessed
Learners must ensure that they fully understand assessment guidelines and briefs and seek advice and guidance if necessary.
Learners are expected to submit legible work for assessment as required.
Learners must ensure that they meet all assessment deadlines or that approval for an extension has been granted in advance of the original deadline.
Learners must understand what constitutes academic misconduct and plagiarism and ensure they do not commit such offences in preparing for assessment.
Workplace Assessment
Assessment that involves requirements of workplace experience evidence.
Evidence Collection
Assessors are required to collect evidence drawn from a range of sources. The evidence may be collected by the assessor only, the assessor and the candidate, or a third party such as a workplace supervisor or manager. It can be a mix of current and past evidence. The focus should be on gathering quality evidence that is valid, sufficient, current and authentic. The quality evidence is crucial to the assessment process and the judgement made. It is essential to ensure that the evidence requirements of the relevant Training Module are met and monitored in an ongoing way.
Internal Verification
QQI defines internal verification as the process by which the provider’s assessment policies and procedures are checked and monitored on a sampling basis. This would include reviewing and monitoring all aspects of assessment practices, including checking that the provider’s assessment procedures have been applied consistently across assessment activities and verifying the accuracy of assessment results.
Internal verification ensures that students on PHECC-approved courses receive fair and equal support, free from discrimination and administered by unbiased, competent and well-informed faculty members. It also ensures that the standards remain consistent and transparent across the recognised institutions and student population.
External Authentication
QQI defines external authentication as the process of providing independent, authoritative confirmation of fair and consistent assessment of learners according to national standards. External authentication establishes the credibility of the provider’s assessment processes. It ensures that assessment results have been marked validly and reliably and are compliant with the requirement for the award.
PHECC External Verification
A panel of external reviewers appointed by the Council to implement the Quality Review Framework set out in the current Council Rules for Recognition of Institution will take up this role.