1  2  3  4  5 

Steps in the moderation process

Moderation of outcomes-based assessments is best conducted by the book. Erna van der Nest takes us step by step through the process and provides a blueprint for all eventualities.

by Erna van der Nest

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Erna van der Nest is owner and Manager of HRD Training and Consulting. HRD Training and Consulting offers various ETD-related learning programmes and ETD-related consulting service such as learning programme design and accreditation-support services. Erna can be contacted at (012) 809 2873 or at erna@hrdcon.co.za . For more information on HRD Training and Consulting, visit http://www.hrdcon.co.za/ .

Moderators moderate outcomes-based assessments in order to ensure the quality of assessment activities and decisions. To ensure that the process is effective, moderators have to implement the following steps.

Identify what should be moderated
During this step, the moderator has to identify what should be moderated by studying organisational policies and procedures as well as Education and Training Quality Assurance Bodies (ETQA) requirements. These documents may for example specify that assessment guides, assessments conducted and the conduct of assessors are to be moderated.

Identify the quality criteria for the aspects to be moderated
Quality criteria specify what the aspects to be moderated (e.g. assessment guides) should look like for them to be of a good quality. Again, the moderator has to study organisational policies and procedures as well as ETQA requirements in order to identify the appropriate quality criteria. The moderator can also contact other training providers or colleagues for inputs or obtain moderation-type checklists used by other training providers. The moderator should discuss and agree the selected quality criteria with the training provider as these will become the standard for assessment practices in the organisation. The following are examples of quality criteria identified by a moderator:

• Quality criteria for assessment guides
  All assessment guide documents should indicate page numbers, the revision number of the document (e.g. rev01) and if applicable, the date on which the specific revision was created. The types of assessment tools should be appropriate to the assessment activities selected.

• Quality criteria for assessments conducted
  Assessment-related documents must be completed correctly (as per organisational procedures). Proof of Evidence learner files (POEs) should include:
  • An index page;
  • Signed assessment plans;
  • Copies of the unit standard(s) or qualification assessed;
  • Identity Document of learner; and
  • Evidence e.g. question papers and answer sheets, observation checklists.
    
• Quality criteria for the conduct of assessors
  • Evidence that the assessor was prepared, understood what evidence was sought and what assessment tools were to be used to judge the evidence.
  • Evidence that the assessor followed the instructions to assessors provided in the assessment guide.

1  2  3  4  5