Assessors of Trainers and Training Programs - Assignment Example

Plumbing and Heating College - Quality Assessment Plan Assessors of Trainers and Training Programs Head of Department of Training Methods and Assessment Copy: Head of Training Establishment Area Education Board, Quality and Inspection PART 1 : Introduction As Head of the Department of Training Methods and Assessment, I am pleased to announce a new Quality Assessment Plan to be used with trainers of this establishment to ensure that courses are meeting objectives and expectations. The assessors in this department have contributed a lot of time and effort to making this plan. This plan will ensure that our trainers know where they stand, how they are doing and what actions they can put in place. Overview of the plan Our mission is to rate our trainers' performance in the methods used to achieve the main objective of this establishment - to get young people employed. We set out a methodology of assessment within a plan that also includes documentation of where our trainers are meeting the standards, and where this is not happening. This gives us information on how we might improve our trainers' performance, after which we would refine the assessment method and repeat the process. Training context (when how and to whom) Although we expect our trainers to contribute to creating new courses and curricula, in this assessment plan we want to know if they provide effective training. Our trainers deal with a particular cross-section of people here in the establishment. Students are adult, even if they are mostly still young and, for the most part, they learn like adults. That means that they have bigger egos, are less willing to take risks and have some clear expectations. For our trainers, typically well up on their technical subjects, the challenge is on how they teach, not what they teach. We need to see our trainers deal positively with things like bad prior experiences in traditional education or mixed feelings about authority. We need to see them make optimal use of class learning through group discussions, open-ended questions and positive exchange of feedback. Trainers' learning objectives To start the process for defining learning objectives for the trainers themselves, assessors from this department recently made a needs analysis concerning the trainers. From this needs analysis, it became clear once again that our trainers need to manage a class to produce students that have good chances of getting employment. In particular, we list the following learning objectives for our trainers together with required standards of outcome: Trainers working with young people to train them in the installation and maintenance of plumbing and heating systems have ten learning objectives themselves: Trainer's objective Measured by standard creation of a motivating learning environment student attendance rate over and above the statutory minimum for drawing unemployment benefit 1 extra hour per day focusing student attention on the objective of getting a job the number of job interviews generated from course Average of 2 interviews per student increase of student retention of information Written test for students 90% of students do better than the minimum pass-rate learn how to ensure progress is being made Continuing assessment of students See separate rating sheet handle possible conflicts Rapidity of resolution No more than 2 minutes how to manage different learning speeds among students Coursework accomplished for class in general Finish 90% or more of coursework for all students how to manage different learning aptitudes / styles among students Coursework accomplished for course in general Finish 90% or more of coursework for all students maintaining the right level of class discipline Speed, pace of progress Daily coursework accomplished to 95% or more facilitating class discussion Give and take feedback 3 valid feedbacks given and 3 received per day encouraging student participation How much students contribute Each student to contribute to three discussions a day What does this plan do and who is involved With regard to these learning objective for the trainers, it provides a quality assessment method so that you, assessors, can grade trainers on their training competence. You are concerned as assessors. The trainers are also concerned as the representatives of this establishment to the students and also to employers and the community as a whole. Why is this important Our training establishment is rated and funded according to the success rate of students gaining employment after training. Students come to the training either from other further education, or from a period of unemployment. Some of them have special needs and trainers also have to take this into account. With our role in training young people in the technical aspects of plumbing and heating systems, a quality assessment of our trainers is a vital part of our plan for success. How does the assessment plan work We want to see the match between objectives, learning and results. For this we use an assessment matrix (in APPENDIX A) that covers the trainer learning objectives and uses a variety of assessment methods to check if these objectives have been obtained. The assessment plan has been designed with certain criteria in mind: it must cover all of the trainer development course objectives different combinations of assessment techniques on different objectives we must minimize or eliminate any risk of bias in any sense it should include direct assessment to rate levels of performance and indirect assessment to answer why these levels are what they are For these reasons we have selected two separate direct assessments and further indirect assessment methods that will alternate between interview and discussion according to trainer availability. In the direct assessments we seek to find out how much knowledge a trainer has retained concerning different training methods, how apt the trainer is in applying the knowledge to different possible situations and how well they put this into practice with classes of students. How we make the assessment Direct /Essay Competency assessment Indirect (interview, group discussion) Motivating environment Yes Yes Focusing student attention Yes Yes Increasing student info retention. Yes Yes Ensure progress is made to employability Yes Yes Class discipline Yes Yes Yes Handle conflict Yes Yes Manage different learning speeds Yes Yes Manage different learning aptitudes Yes Class discussion Yes Yes Student participation Yes Yes When and where is the assessment plan to be applied For the direct assessment part, we will apply the assessment plan at the end of each training that is destined for the trainers themselves and also on a continuing basis for their first year of doing training and on an selective basis after that. The indirect assessment will take place at scheduled dates and times, typically one a month for each trainer. What is the sequence of events for this assessment plan Using the assessment plan depends on when the trainers will receive their own training. The assessment plan will be applied at the end of each training session, either by assessors or by their designated representatives. Our plan is simple and effective enough not to require a specialist intervention when the trainers are being assessed. This also carries through to the competency training and the indirect assessment. In both these cases, assessor instructions have been documented and are simple to follow and apply consistently. Following the results of the assessments, either as a one-time exercise per trainer or on a periodic basis, we then document the results and give feedback to the trainers. This feedback may be done individually for the direct assessment methods or collectively for the indirect assessment methods. The final part concerns the improvement of the training program of the trainers themselves thanks to the insights from the assessment. At the same time, we refine the assessment procedures as necessary and apply them to the revised training program to continue the process indefinitely. PART 2 - Rationale The trainers have a direct responsibility for improving the chances of students of getting a job in the plumbing and heating sector. Their learning objectives and their effectiveness has a high practical component. They are also dealing with adult education, where a number of characteristics come into play as described by Ron and Susan Zemke in their explanation of the demands that this places on trainers (Zemke, 1984). Traditional forms of assessment are a part of the plan but by no means all of it. In traditional assessment, parts of the program are included in tests or exams at the end of a course and trainers either pass or fail according to marking criteria and defined scales. Within the assessment framework, there is no room for questions and the assessment is also done within a limited period of time. Note that for knowledge retention and application de different scenarios, we chose essay type questions at the end of training courses for the trainers themselves. We deliberately eliminated the possibility of multiple choice questions on the grounds that a teaching class seldom offers a set choice of alternatives, but in fact more a continuum of possibilities, better captured in essay type questions. We seek to complement this approach and to go further by means of a competency assessment that also features in the assessment plan. This is a process with a number of defined stages to collect evidence on how the trainer performs, and what knowledge is used. This information is compared to the learning objectives already stated for the trainers in order for the assessors to form an opinion as to the level of aptitude of the trainer. An important aspect of this assessment plan is its quality. Quality is related not only to how we assess the trainers but also to the usefulness of this assessment in improving the trainers' performance and ultimately in contributing to more students getting jobs. So feedback becomes an important component between assessor and trainer to discuss what is good and what needs to be fixed. The competency assessment allows more applicable feedback than the essay questions. Even more so, the indirect assessment in the form of interviews and group discussions takes the possibilities of feedback to yet another level and answers the importance question of why trainer performance is what it is (Banta 2004). Having identified the underlying principles of the assessment plan to be put in place, we can then answer a number of questions concerning its formulation and the way it should form a loop, continually improving the whole of the training program overall (Zelna, 2008). Is the assessment plan valid The plan is valid because it links directly to the learning objectives and covers all these objectives without undue duplication. Is the plan reliable It is reliable because the written part is always the same and has been developed to be clear and unambiguous. Competency assessment and indirect assessment is done according to a scorecard produced by the assessors as a tool that can be applied simply and easily by following the instructions. Therefore, whether the assessors are there or not when the assessment is in fact being done, the plan has been designed to be reliable. What about flexibility Competency assessment can be done at any time when the trainer is training. Written assessment should be done as the final part of the trainers' course. Indirect assessment in group discussion depends on the availability of different trainers. However, the backup solution is then interviews with individual trainers. The fairness of the plan The written part is fair because it is entirely objective. The in-class competency part is assessed using a scorecard designed by assessors who trained to be fair. The trainer also has the chance to discuss particular grades given, with the assessors. This is an important part of the assessment process. The indirect assessment does not attribute a score to trainers. How is this assessment plan compatible with the trainers' needs The trainers need to be competent and they need to know they are competent in order to display confidence in front of the class. The assessment allows them to know if they are competent or not, what their strong points are and any weaknesses to be corrected. Appropriateness to employer and wider community needs Assessment methods and tools are appropriate to employer / wider community needs because trainers are assessed on their ability to increase student knowledge retention and application, important for finding employment. In particular, trainers have a learning objective of focusing student attention on getting job, with a standard of performance expressed as the number of job interviews per student as a result of practical job-hunting exercises in the course. Trainers are then assessed in both written form and by competency assessment. The written essay form allows the assessor and the trainer to explore some hypothetical situations or situations that might arise in the future. The competency assessment shows here and now how the trainer works with the class to meet the objective. Conclusion To give a final demonstration that we put together a quality assessment plan, we remind you of the following points: takes into account needs of the people being assessed (trainers) supports the objectives of our establishment in terms of training standard and results was put together in discussion with you the assessors answers the wider needs of employers and the community has been approved by the area board of education allows the following improvement of the training program in general. Appendix A : Here are sample essay questions for the two learning objectives for the trainers : insure progress is being made (1) (1) Write a short essay on ways in which you can ensure that students on the course are making progress. State any assumptions that you make and any measures that you might define. Indicate by examples what solutions might be used in the case of the class as a whole not making satisfactory progress. (40 minutes) increase student retention of info (2) (2) Explain how you can find out if students are retaining the information that you are communicating to them in the course. Compare different possibilities and briefly mention any advantages or disadvantages. Appendix B - instructions for assessments For the written assessment: Give the trainers in the class the question paper and confirm the time available to them. Do not allow the use of any textbook or other printed or written information. Do not allow trainers to collaborate. At the end of the allotted time, collect the papers. Compare the trainer's answer with the model answer in the assessor's handbook. Give one mark for each point mentioned by the trainer. For the competency assessment: Advise the trainer that you will be attending the class that the trainer will be giving. If possible, sit at the back and/or out of the way of the students. Compare the trainer's actions in the class with the scorecard that has been provided to you as an assessor. Give a grade on the scale printed beside each point, using the printed notes to compare the trainer's performance to one of the levels identified in the notes. Write any further comments in the box at the bottom of the page. For indirect assessment: (Interview) Explain to the trainer that this assessment is not graded. Ask the trainer the questions on the sheet that has been provided to you. Note the key points of the answers given in the boxes alongside the questions. Note any further comments in the box at the bottom of the page. References Banta, T.W. (2004). Introduction: What are some hallmarks of effective practice in assessment. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Zelna, C. (2008), Basic Assessment Plan Development. Downloaded April 4th, 2008, http://www.ncsu.edu/assessment/presentations/assess_process/basic_plan_devt.pdf Zemke, R., & Zemke, S. (1984). 30 things we know for sure about adult learning, Innovation Abstracts Vol VI, No 8. Read More