Belfast Metropolitan College. Higher Education Assessment Verification Policy and Procedure

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1 Belfast Metropolitan College Higher Education Assessment Verification Policy and Procedure Introduction All students are entitled to assessment that meets the required standard. This overarching policy on verification of assessment design and assessment decisions to ensure fitness for purpose and accuracy has been designed to ensure that it is aligned to the requirements of the HE Quality Code and the College s University and Awarding organisation partners. The College will ensure that assessment standards are maintained and that assessment regulations are followed: Quality assurance and verification procedures must meet the requirements of the College s Awarding Bodies and Organisations including Ulster University, Queen s University Belfast, Pearson, City and Guilds, The Open University and the College s professional and technical awarding body organisations including CIPD, CIPS and CIM. This document should be used in conjunction with awarding body and organisation documents and the College s Standard Operating Procedure. Records will be retained securely and for the required periods. Internal quality assurance documentation, along with the assessment records, will be retained after certification for three years or whatever is required by the awarding body/organisation. The internal quality assurance process is monitored in the college, by Curriculum Area Managers and the Curriculum Quality Assurance team (including the Pearson Quality Nominee and HE Co-ordinator for Ulster programmes). All assessors and internal verifiers are appropriately qualified, and their roles and responsibilities are clear. This policy relates to planning assessment and quality assurance processes, assessment design, checking of assessment decisions and feedback to students and does not include examination boards, academic appeals, complaints and extenuating circumstances as these are covered in other policies. Definitions/Terminology Internal Quality Assurance: IQA is a quality assurance process which assures assessment decisions against unit/module specifications and that those assignments are fit for purpose. It is also referred to as internal verification and internal moderation. External Quality Assurance: EQA is an external process used to check centre assignments and assessment against national standards, and internal verification processes. This process includes the use of independent personnel appointed by awarding bodies and organisations referred to as External Examiners, External Verifiers and External Moderators.

2 Purpose/Scope of Internal Quality Assurance (IQA) The purpose of internal quality assurance (also referred to as internal verification or moderation) is to ensure the quality assurance and enhancement of curriculum assessment and verification within the College. This policy includes the development of assessment methods and instruments; the standardisation and verification of evidence; and the recording process to meet the criteria set by all awarding bodies with whom the College works. This policy and set of procedures should be read in conjunction with the College s Standard Operating Procedure for Internal Quality Assurance and the college s templates available on the Intranet The scope of Internal Quality Assurance including internal verification/moderation is to: ensure that assessment is accurate, consistent, current, timely, valid, authentic and to relevant awarding body/organisation standards using internal verification/moderation processes plan annual IQA schedules linked to assessment plans ensure that the assessment instruments are fit for purpose ensuring that standards and specifications are implemented assure the assessment of all College programmes through consistency, transparency, reliability and validity of assessment processes ensuring that standards and specifications achieved be part of an audit trail of learner/student achievement records provide feedback to inform centre quality improvement. IQA is critical in assuring and enhancing the standard of provision across the College and beyond the basic principle of ensuring that the development of assessment instruments and the marking/grading of assessments meets the basic standards established by an awarding body/organisation. Internal verification/moderation is also part of the professional support and development arrangements in place across the College, and internal verification/moderators should be seen as a professional support resource and source of good practice committed to ensuring and enhancing the academic quality and standards of the College for the benefit of students. IQA requirements differ across the College s awarding bodies/organisations and this policy is designed to establish clear guidelines on the minimum approach to be adopted across the College. Where an awarding body/organisation has a verification/moderation process, condition or requirement that is in excess of this policy and procedures, then those requirements must be followed and the appropriate verification records updated to highlight this. Aim of this policy: To ensure that Internal Quality Assurance is on-going, robust, valid and reliable; IV/IQA procedures are open, fair and free from bias and that assessors adhere to the Awarding Body assessment specification in the judgement of evidence; To ensure there is an internal verification/moderation process and appropriate personnel in place for each programme To ensure that internal verification is valid, reliable and covers all assessors and programme activity. To ensure that the internal verification procedure is open, fair and free from bias. To ensure that there is accurate and detailed recording of internal verification decisions.

3 In order to do this, Belfast Met will ensure that: an internal verifier/moderator for each unit/module is identified and that where required that a lead internal quality assurance role is also in place. each internal verifier/moderator oversees an effective internal verification system staff are briefed and trained in the requirements for current IQA procedures effective internal verification roles are defined, maintained and supported internal verification is promoted as a developmental process between staff standardised internal verification documentation is provided and used all centre assessment instruments are verified as fit for purpose an annual internal verification schedule, linked to assessment plans, is in place an appropriately structured sample of assessment from all programmes, sites and teams is internally verified, to ensure centre programmes conform to national standards and to relevant awarding body/organisation standards and requirements secure records of all internal verification activity are maintained the outcome of internal verification is used to enhance future assessment practice. Discussion and confirmation with external moderators/examiners during their visit(s) that Belfast Met s IQA practice remains appropriate. Key Roles and Responsibilities in Internal Quality Assurance: The Assessor Assessors will: Identify and design suitable assessment activities ensuring coverage of performance criteria and learning outcomes/principal objectives set out in the unit/module specifications; Advise and support candidates to identify prior achievement where applicable; Agree and review assessment plans with students; Ensure that students fully understand assessment criteria, requirements and deadlines; Assess student submitted assignments or other evidence that allows the student, the Assessor and the Internal and External Examiner/Verifiers to cross-reference and locate evidence; The Internal Verifier: The nominated Internal Verifier checks the quality of assignments before distribution to students; and verifies the quality of assessment decisions to ensure they meet national standards Curriculum Quality Assurance Team: The Curriculum Quality Assurance team in the Centre for Excellence will: Review and update the College s IQA templates; Review and update the College IV/IQA Policy; Promote good practice at the College; Support staff to ensure that Internal Quality Assurance is effective on all programmes; Ensure that there is a registered Lead Internal Verifier in place for each BTEC Principal Subject Area; Undertake IV/IQA Quality Audits as per the College Quality Calendar Act as the main point of contact for awarding bodies and organisations

4 Monitor awarding body/organisation reports and ensure that any remedial action is planned and monitored through audits and reviews as part of the annual Quality Calendar. Report risks and good practice to the Senior Leadership Team. External Examiner/Verifier/Moderator: This role is appointed by the awarding body/organisation and samples the quality of assignments, assessment decisions and effectiveness of assessment design and assessment decisions and the rigor and robustness of the internal verification/moderation process. Process Internal verification is a three-stage process. 1. Stage one draw up an assignment and verification schedule. This document records the identity of the assessor, the identity of the internal verifier, the assessment date/point of the assignment/unit and the date that internal verification took place. The assessors and internal verifiers for each unit should be recorded, either: on an internal verification schedule at the start of the year; or as each assessment takes place and is internally verified. The sample should be constructed in a way that ensures that it checks the entire assessment process rigorously. During the course of the programme, the verification schedule should therefore ensure that a sample is taken from: each assessor; each assessed unit; and every assignment. 2. Stage 2: Internal verification of assignment briefs Assignment briefs must be checked i.e. internally verified after development by the assessor and before being issued to students. The objectives of this stage of verification are to ensure: the tasks within the assessment briefs and evidence requirements specified by the assessor will allow the student to address the targeted criteria; the brief is written in clear and accessible language; students roles and tasks are appropriate to the level of qualification; and, equal opportunities are incorporated. If any issues are identified by the Internal Verifier as not meeting the requirements above, they must be addressed by the Assessor prior to issue. Checks must be undertaken using the unit/module specification to ensure that briefs meet the needs of the Learning Outcome(s) and assessment criteria. This checking aligned to the specification will ensure that the brief is fit for purpose. The College s templates for undertaking internal verification of assignment briefs are available to teams on the College Intranet. Pearson offers a free assignment checking service for teams to use once assessments have been through internal verification Pearson External Examiners are also authorised to review 2 assessment briefs per year as part of a pre-visit review process to support teams.

5 Qualifications validated by the College s University partners require all assessments to be approved by the External Examiner prior to issuing to students. 3. Stage 3: Internal verification of assessment decisions The process of summative assessment requires internal quality assurance through the use of internal verification to ensure that assessment decisions have been reached accurately, consistently and fairly in accordance with assessment criteria requirements. Internal verification must be carried out in a timely manner across the year. Assessment decisions should be internally verified as soon as possible after assessment. It should take place before assessment feedback work to students to allow for any remedial actions to take place. The College s templates for undertaking internal verification of assessment decisions are available to teams on the College Intranet. The Internal Verifier is responsible for undertaking checks aligned to the requirements detailed in the templates. These include: The Internal Verifier must review student work against assessment criteria and judge whether it has been assessed accurately, and if the evidence is sufficient to warrant the assessment decision The Internal Verifier must check that feedback from the Assessor to the student is accurate and linked to the assessment criteria, provides advice as to how to improve and builds confidence. If any remedial actions are identified by the Internal Verifier, these must be undertaken by the Assessor before results are made available to students. If any issues are identified by the Internal Verifier, these should also be checked and remedied across the whole cohort, not just those students who have been sampled. If the Internal Verifier judges that the work is inaccurately assessed, appropriate action must be identified on the internal verification form. If inaccuracies are identified, the Assessor must re-assess the learner work in the light of the Internal Verifier s comments and it should be checked again by the Internal Verifier, signed and dated. In the event where the assessor and internal verifier do not agree, the assessed work will need to be assessed by a second alternative assessor. Determining the Size of the Internal Verification sample The sample should be constructed in a way that assures the entire assessment process rigorously and uses a risk management based approach. Where there is no requirement specified by an awarding body or organisation the following apply. Where are there are 10 or less students taking a unit/module, then the sample should generally consist of the whole group. The sample must cover the full range of assessment decisions made: for example work meeting distinction criteria, merit criteria, pass criteria, and no criteria, should all be included in the sample or work across a range of marking bands including 70+ and fail should be included. New or inexperienced Assessors should have more work internally verified than an experienced Assessor When a unit/module or programme is first introduced, the sample size should be increased

6 Where issues have been identified by previous internal or external quality assurance processes the sample size should be increased.