Work-based Assessments
A work-based assessment, follows a period of work-based learning.
Work-based learning involves learning through work, learning for work or learning at work.
It consists of authentic structured opportunities for learning which are achieved in a workplace setting or are designed to meet an identified workplace need.
This type of learning typically has a dual function of being designed to meet the learning needs of the employees, developing their knowledge, skills and professional behaviours, and also meeting the workforce development needs of the organisation.
By drawing on the sound traditions of apprenticeship and making the most of the opportunities to learn that arise in our day-to-day practice, we can ensure that trainees learn how to do the job by doing the job.
The value of this resource can be obtained by matching with your context as you may be thinking about assessing placements / internships, recognising and accrediting prior experiential learning [APEL], developing professional Masters or Doctoral degrees, offering short industry / commerce related courses, or reviewing the assessment strategy for a sandwich degree.
These assessment types all have common threads which means that we need to ensure that students will know:
- what learning is (learning implies change)
- how to do it best (the style, approach, fitness for purpose)
- when they have learnt (description of and reflection about the learning)
- what their learning is informed by (its validity; how it stands up to scrutiny against outside evidence)
- what they need to learn (future learning)
- what they have learnt, know more about, become more able at doing (analysis and evaluation of the learning).
And this will impact both how we prepare learners and how we assess them.