This policy refers to briefs/examination papers and marking schemes and will be managed by Programme coordinator.

• A bank of exams for each module and 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 per class will be downloaded and rotated on regular basis 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 exam supervisor
• This attendance sheet will be stored digitally for Twelve (12) months post exam

Learner Portfolio

• Learners portfolios are returned and signed in by the learner and a member of staff for learner assessment
• All portfolios are stored securely in a designated area in the sales office
• Tutor collects portfolios and signs them out witnessed by a member of staff into Tutor Portfolio collection log
• Tutor returns the portfolio within the agreed time frame, and they are resigned by tutor and a member of staff and are then locked away in the designated area before entry on 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 certification and appeals cycle is completed and then securely shredded.

Under NCU Training’s Quality Assuring Assessment, Learners must acknowledge that the assessment work presented by them is their own 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 (see above),
• 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 NCU Training Website (these standards are generated as part of the module validation and approval processes and must be line with QQI module component specification were appropriate and PHECC Training & Education Standards were appropriate )

Guidelines are included in NCU Training Module Briefs these guidelines are supported, e.g. marking Scheme broken down by questions raised

Result Comparison are monitored by the NCU Training 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.

NCU Training 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

Responsibilities of Learners in the Assessment Process

Learners have a number of responsibilities concerning assessment which are described below:

1. Learners are expected to attend all teaching days unless otherwise approved by NCU Training
2. Learners are expected to engage in the assessment activities provided on their programmes actively and to act on feedback provided by their Tutors
3. Learners must ensure that they familiarise themselves with marking schemes, assessment criteria and learning outcomes against which their work will be assessed
4. Learners must ensure that they fully understand assessment guidelines and assessment briefs, and if necessary seek advice and guidance.
5. Learners are expected to submit legible work for assessment as required
6. Learners must ensure that they meet all assessment deadlines or that approval for an extension has been granted in advance of the original deadline
7. Learners must ensure they 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:

Collecting the evidence

Assessors are required to collect evidence that is drawn from a range of sources. The evidence may be collected by the assessor only, or 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 important to ensure that the evidence requirements of the relevant Training Module are met, and this should be monitored in an ongoing way.