MODULE III

Validation within EU

The importance to Europe of skilled and knowledgeable citizens extends beyond formal education to learning acquired in non-formal or informal ways. Citizens must be able to demonstrate what they have learned to use this learning in their career and for further education and training. Countries need to establish systems that allow individuals to identify, document, assess and certify (=validate) all forms of learning to use this learning for advancing their career and for further education and training. The 2012 Council Recommendation on validation encourages Member States to put in place national arrangements for validation by 2018. These arrangements will enable individuals to increase the visibility and value of their knowledge, skills and competences acquired outside formal education and training: at work, at home or in voluntary activities.

The validation is a process of confirmation by a competent/authorized body that learning outcomes (knowledge, skills and/or competences) acquired by an individual in a formal, non-formal or informal setting have been assessed against predefined criteria and are compliant with the requirements of a validation standard. Validation typically leads to certification.

There are several common European tools and principles for validation which ensure the recognition of learning outcomes, and make non-formal and informal learning visible:

• European qualifications framework (EQF). The EQF allows national general, vocational education and training, higher education to be compared with each other and between other countries.
• European credit system for VET (ECVET). The aim of the (ECVET) is to increase the employability, promote geographical and professional mobility, increase the compatibility between the different VET systems.
• Europass. Europass is a collection of five documents aiming to increase transparency of qualification and mobility of citizens in Europe and to present and individual knowledge, skills and competences in a clear and understandable way. The 5 documents are the Curriculum Vitae, Language Passport, Europass Mobility, Certificate Supplement, and Diploma Supplement.
• European quality assurance framework for VET (EQAVET).  EQAVET includes quality assurance and improvement procedure based on quality criteria and significative descriptors.
• National qualifications framework (NQF). The existence of national frameworks help to make qualifications easier to understand and compare at global level. They can also encourage countries to rethink and reform national policy and practice on education, training and lifelong learning. National qualifications frameworks (NQFs) classify qualifications by level, based on learning outcomes. NQF allows people to move more easily between education and training institutions and sectors.

There is a huge learning sector in Europe, both private and public, with qualifications often awarded outside formal national qualifications systems. In recent years, European countries have started opening up their frameworks to non-formal and private sector qualifications. The objective is for frameworks to provide a more complete overview of existing certificates and diplomas, making possible for better selection and combination of initial and continuing education and training.

As learning outcomes increase the transparency of national systems and clarify the relationships between qualifications, frameworks are increasingly aiding validation of learning acquired outside formal education and training; for example at work and during leisure time.

The  labour  market  within the EU  has  increasing  requirements  on  the characteristics  of  the  workforce  as  its  quality  has  a  key  role  in increasing the competitiveness of the companies. In addition, big part of the  registered  unemployed  youth in the member countries do  not  have  a  profession  or  qualification  certified  by  official  documents  or  certificates, although all of them have knowledge and skills gained from non-formal or informal experience. Therefore, the task for the Union is to build a strong system for validating (assessing, recognizing) the knowledge and skills acquired through non-formal and informal learning.

The main ambition of the EU, set by Europe 2020 strategy, is to achieve smart, sustainable and inclusive growth. This ambition couldn’t be achieved without emphasizing on the validation of knowledge, skills and competences acquired in non-formal and informal settings. The validation and certification can make a significant difference   in   better   matching   skills   and   labour   demand, promoting transferability of skills between companies and sectors and supporting mobility across the European labour market. It can also contribute to fighting social exclusion by providing a way for early school leavers, the unemployed and others at risk, particularly low-skilled youths and adults, to improve their employability.

Assessment

Source of picture: Pixabay

In education, the term assessment refers to the process during which teachers, trainers and educators use wide variety of methods or tools to identify, gather, evaluate, measure, and document the academic achievements and knowledge, learning progress, skill acquisition, or educational needs of students. The primary aim of assessment is to support student learning and improve teachers’ teaching.

The main purposes of assessment are^[1]:

• Judging proficiency of essential skills and knowledge
• Measuring improvements over different amounts of time
• Ranking and grading students
• Diagnosing student difficulties or struggles
• Evaluating the teaching methods
• Evaluating the effectiveness of the course
• Motivating students to study and help them to improve
• Promoting an understanding of goals and criteria

The term assessment is very general and it is used to describe all the activities the educators use to support their students during the whole learning process. Many of the tools and methods used for assessing non-formal and informal learning are based on, or similar to, those used in formal education and training.

^[1] Newble D, Cannon R. A Handbook for Medical Teachers, 1994

Distinction between the most common different types of assessment

• Formative and summative assessment

The main aim of the formative assessment is to support both teaching and learning activities and to receive learners’ feedback on the educational process. It is used for improvement, not grading purposes. The formative assessment helps the trainers to plan better their teaching activities by recognizing at which areas the learners are struggling and need more attention. It also helps students to realize their strengths and weaknesses and also to determine the spheres where they have to work harder in order to gain new knowledge and skills. The most commonly used formative assessment tools are diagnostic tests, quizzes, oral/written QA sessions, draft works, etc.

The summative assessment is generally carried out at the end of a course/unit/learning module/project. Contrary to formative, summative assessment’s purpose is mainly to evaluate and grade learners’ theoretical and/or practical knowledge in certain sphere comparing it against some standard or benchmark. This assessment is used to measure what the learners have learnt and how they put that into practice. The most well-known forms of summative assessment are final tests and exams, project assignments, thesis, etc.

Source of picture: Pixabay

• Diagnostic assessment

Like formative assessment, diagnostic assessment is intended to improve the learner’s experience and their level of achievement. However, diagnostic assessment looks backwards rather than forwards. It assesses what the learner already knows and/or the nature of difficulties that the learner might have, which, if undiagnosed, might limit their engagement in new learning. It is often used before teaching or when a problem arises. The main aim of the diagnostic assessment is to evaluate the effectiveness of a course and improve its quality.

• Objective and subjective assessment

The objective assessment is the form of questioning with one predetermined correct answer. Typical question types are true or false questions; multiple choice; tests; short answers; multiple-response and matching questions. Objective assessment is well suited to the increasingly popular computerized or online assessment format.

Subjective test items are commonly referred to as constructed response items. No single wording or set of responses is the correct answer. There are two variations – restricted response items and extended response items. Restricted responses require brief answers, no more than a few words or sentences. Extended responses need lengthy responses which focus on major concepts of the content and demand higher level thinking. Typical tools are essays; short-answers; direct observations; oral examinations, etc.

Both types have their pros and cons. The biggest strengths of objective assessment are: the answers are very quick and easy to score by anyone; it enables wide sampling of subject content; the answers are unambiguous; writing, speaking skills and spelling are not a factor for students; it has higher validity. On the other hand, the objective assessment promotes guessing; needs lots of questions; the creativity and expression of the learners are limited and it doesn’t reveal how the thinking and logical processes go.

The subjective assessment totally eliminates guessing; it gives the chance the learners to demonstrate their abilities to develop their own answer or argument; it gives the trainer an overview how the learners understand the material; need a lot fewer question variations and combinations. However, due to its subjectivity this type of assessment has low validity and reliability; requires lots of time for evaluating and scoring; it is limited in scope and does not cover much content; learners with poor language skills usually tend to fail.

• According to the basis of comparison

The Criterion-referenced method measures a learner’s performance against a goal, specific objective or a standard. Criterion-referenced assessment is often, but not always, used to establish a person’s competence (whether s/he can do something). The most classic example is a driving test.

The Norm-referenced test compares the learner’s performance against national or other “norm” group – with other words it compares learners. The best examples are placement tests; entrance tests and IQ tests.

• Informal and formal assessment

Formal assessment usually implies a written summative assessment: quizzes, tests, periodical exams, papers. A formal assessment is given a numerical score or grade based on student performance, whereas an informal assessment does not contribute to a student’s final grade. An informal assessment usually occurs in a more casual manner in form of formative assessment and may include observation, inventories, checklists, rating scales, rubrics, performance and portfolio assessments, participation, peer and self-evaluation, and discussion. Assessing students is not monopolized by just doing it formally (e.g. giving out tests, quizzes, summative exams, etc.), but rather depends on the other informal assessments (e.g. coaching sessions, reflective logs, fly-by-question and answers, etc.) that reinforce formal ones.

Common assessment methods

• Test

The test is the most common and traditional tool for assessment used in formal, non-formal and informal education. Its main aim is to measure learner’s level of knowledge on certain training material or theme. The most classic types are single choice and multiple choice tests.

The test is useful tool for all kind of learning environments and is mostly used when working with groups of individuals. It has many advantages and disadvantages. It is objective; take little time to be completed and checked; have high reliability, validity and manageability. Nevertheless the trainer should bear in mind that when using this tool there is a huge possibility of guessing the correct answer. The test also cannot test oral or written skills; it can test only the theories.

• Essay

An Essay is a traditional form of assessment that requires an answer in a sentence, paragraph, or short/long composition. It takes the form of a piece of writing specially composed by the student to address a question or topic set by the teacher, usually within a set word-limit. It is extremely flexible and easy to set: unfortunately this also leads to many obstacles that could affect the evaluation of the learners’ skills and knowledge (they are very subjective and time consuming).The main advantages of the essays are that they have the ability to assess all levels of learning objectives and they encourage original and creative thinking amongst learners.

This method of assessment couldn’t be used for evaluating group progress; it should be performed only individually. The subject of assessment almost every time is knowledge, but it could also be adapted to evaluate practical skills and competences.

• Debates and discussions

The debate is a formal contest of argumentation between two teams or individuals. It involves learners into researching and analysing a controversial topic based on series of oral presentation of standpoints and arguments by the two opposite teams (sometimes may involve interaction with the audience). Generally, the participants in a debate consist of three groups: a team which stands for the debate topic (‘The affirmative team’), a team stands against the debate topic (‘The negative team’), and a group of audiences. Teachers also play an important role in running debates. They may have to be the hosts of the debate, and ensure the debate is running at an appropriate pace. They also need to assess the performance of the students during the debate, and provide feedback to enhance their learning afterwards.

The debate is good method for improving critical thinking and creativity of the learners. It has to be applied in groups and could serve for assessment tool of both skills and knowledge. The trainer should have in-depth knowledge of the tool in order to use it accurately and gather all the information needed for evaluating learners’ achievements.

• Interview

Interviewing involves the interaction in which an interviewer collects information from learners with the help of questions and listens for answers. This kind of interaction can be a rich source of information to inform the educator about how the learner understands concepts and uses procedures they learned from the course, and provides valuable information and directions for the trainer in modifying the course for improvements.

The main advantage of this method is that it provides very in-depth information about the level of learner’s understanding of particular material. The main disadvantages are that it is really time consuming and subjective. The latter could lead to distortion and misinterpretation of the gained information.

The tool has to be used with individuals and most often it assesses theoretical knowledge. However it could be used for evaluation of practical skills if the questions are related to hypothetical situations where the knowledge is put in practice.

• Observation

The observation is used for practical subjects and is the most obvious form of assessment: watch someone doing something to see if they can do it properly. The observation is a method which evaluates practical skills and competences, which can be demonstrated by performance. It could be used for assessing group or individual achievements, but it works best when evaluating individual’s work.

When applying this method a trainer should bear in mind that there is absolutely obligatory need to establish clear assessment criteria: reliability is only assured when everyone engaged in the assessment process is perfectly clear about what is being looked for, and what evidence is required to determine competence. Developing observation protocols is not a trivial activity, but a must.

• Peer assessment

Peer assessment involves students taking responsibility for assessing the work of their peers against preliminary set by the trainer assessment criteria. It is perfect tool for aiding the students to develop judgment skills, critiquing abilities and self-awareness. Peer assessment could be used for assessing both individual efforts and contributions to group work with the help of a wide variety of activities. It can be done openly, encouraging comparison and discussion, or anonymously depending on the assessment task and context.

There are several reasons making this tool is very useful – Learners get the chance to find out more about the assessment as method for evaluation of their skills and knowledge; Learning is enhanced when learners have contributed to their marking criteria; It encourages and fosters “deep learning” Learners can study the successes and mistakes of their peers.

This tool could be used in all kinds of learning environments and with almost all group sizes. Depending on the context peer assessment could be equally used for evaluating and measuring skills and competences and also knowledge.

• Self-assessment

Self-assessment is a process where learners reflect on their own work and judge how well they have performed in certain area. Developing reflective skills provides learners with the ability to consider their own performance and to identify their strengths, weaknesses, and areas that require improvement. Self-assessment can provide insight into students’ true comprehension of the learning material and can help to identify gaps in students’ knowledge. It can be extremely valuable in helping students develop self-reflection, critique and judgment. Self-assessments are more often used as part of a formative assessment process, rather than a summative one.

Self-assessment could take many forms – questionnaires; tests; diaries; presentations, etc. It is often used together with peer assessment. Applicable to groups or individuals this is great tool for evaluation of skills and knowledge.

As every method self-assessment has negative sides, the main one is that it could be subjective because learners may not be sincere and may over or under-evaluate their own performance. It could also be very time consuming for the learners and the results may not be accurate if they are not familiar with the assessment criteria or don’t fully understand them.

Knowledge portfolio

Portfolio definition: from portare (carry) and foglio (sheet of paper). “A purposeful collection of learner work that exhibits the learner’s efforts, progress and achievements in one or more areas. The collection must include learner participation in selecting contents, the criteria for selection, the criteria for judging merit and evidence of student self-reflection.” (Paulson, Paulson, Meyer 1991)

Portfolios include documents that learners have collected in order to reveal individual skills acquired in various ways. A portfolio takes into account a collection of materials that verify skills and knowledge acquired through previous experience in non-formal and informal learning. A portfolio includes references from employers and supervisors; it may include a performance appraisal, CV and other documents. By using a portfolio the assessor analyses a range of information that learners have provided. Learners may require help and advice when preparing their portfolios.

The portfolio contains samples of the learner’s work that has been selected and organized to show student learning progress and growth over time or to show samples of learners best work. An important keyword is reflection: By reflection on their own work, learners begin to identify the strengths and weaknesses of their own work (self-assessment). The weaknesses then become improvement goals. In portfolio assessment it is the quality that counts, not the quantity. Another keyword is learning objectives. Each portfolio entry needs to be assessed with reference to its specific learning objectives or goals.

Portfolios can be developed to help disadvantaged people to get into employment by considering their specific characteristics. Building a portfolio is a time-consuming exercise from the point of view of the applicant, but is nevertheless a popular method as candidates have the possibility to show their competences in a flexible and authentic way. Portfolio assessment is often dependent on good written documentation of the individual’s skills. Undocumented or tacit knowledge is harder to identify through this method, a fact to be considered when deciding on the mix of tools to be applied in a validation process. The portfolio method can prove difficult for some and should be supported by relevant information and guidance.

SELF-E tools for validation of the Competences “Sense of initiative and entrepreneurship”

Self-E project suggests two on-line self-assessment tools:

• for evaluation of the competence of youth worker’s to become mentor on LSE and to run the training course for disadvantaged youth-learners
• for evaluation of entrepreneurship competence of young people’s with fewer opportunities, including NEETs.

The on-line self-assessment tool for youth workers is developed on purpose to evaluate their competencies developed on the Modules’ (I-III). This test is to be taken twice: at the beginning and at the end of the training course. By performing the test at the beginning of the training helps to determine the level of youth worker‘s knowledge and competences regarding the training material. At the end of the course, the self-assessment test is to be retaken in order to evaluate their progress in learning.

In the pre-assessment and final assessment, 3 aspects are evaluated:

• Knowledge of mentoring process;
• Knowledge on lifestyle entrepreneurship;
• Knowledge of validating the competence “Sense of initiative and entrepreneurship”.

The test consists of 25 questions. There are 10 questions related with evaluation of knowledge of mentoring, 10 questions related with evaluation of knowledge on lifestyle entrepreneurship and 5 questions related with evaluation of knowledge on validation of competence “Sense of initiative and entrepreneurship”, in total 25 closed questions. This assessment tool is programmed and is available on-line free of charge. There are given two choices for an answer: “Yes” or “No”. After completion of each question an explanation is provided. After completing the test, the system will provide with the total score (percentage). The test could be found here.

In order to raise the awareness of young people-learners on possibility to validate their skills, knowledge and competence, the learners guide „Why validation is important for me” is used. This guide is a part of assessment tool for validation of young people learners’ competence “Sense of initiative and entrepreneurship” and helps to motivate young people-learners to learn and validate. The Learners guide could be found here.

The second part of the assessment tool for evaluation of entrepreneurship competence of young people-learners is the on-line self-assessment test. The aim of this test is to evaluate young people-learners’ competencies developed via non formal training course material in order to validate competence Sense of lifestyle entrepreneurship. The test consists of 30 multiple-choice questions with comprehensive answers. It is to be taken twice: at the beginning and at the end of the training course. The test could be found here.

Using the on-line assessment tool and other methods the youth worker facilitates young people evaluate themselves and motivates to develop the business idea and to start working on an individual action plan in order to become life style entrepreneur.

More info will be added regarding:

• the set of skills and knowledge which are included in the test for youth learners “Sense of initiative and entrepreneurship”;
• the learners guide „Why validation is important for me“

Source of picture: Pixabay

• Briefing note – Qualifications frameworks in Europe 2017 developments.
• Assessment-in-Education. Characteristics of an Effective Portfolio. Retrieved from: https://assessment-in-education.wikispaces.com/**Characteristics+of+an+Effective+Portfolio
• Principles of assessment. Retrieved from: https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/polopoly_fs/1.209653!/file/Principles_of_Assessment.pdf