The validation process
Validating the assessment events you've conducted, the decisions you've made and the tools you're using is like carrying out a quality control check. This process helps to ensure that you're using sound practices and making accurate and consistent decisions. It is also a requirement under the Standards for RTOs.
Validation methods
Feedback from candidates
At the end of each course, you should give the participants an evaluation form to complete. This allows them to rate various aspects of the training and assessment activities, and provide feedback on what they believed the good and bad points were.
Feedback from participants is very valuable, because it gives you an insight into how people respond to your presentation style and the activities you give them to do.
Personal reflection
Reflecting back over an assessment event you have conducted is another excellent way of reviewing your processes. Ask yourself which parts went well, and which parts didn't. Then ask yourself whether the procedure was fair on the candidate throughout the event. Once you've identified any weaknesses in the way you ran the assessment event, you can make changes to the way you carry it out next time.
Feedback from work colleagues
Work colleagues are an important source of feedback on your techniques and processes. For example, you can talk to the participants' supervisors or managers, to get their view on the relevance and accuracy of the assessment methods you use.
Moderation sessions with other assessors
Moderation sessions are meetings you hold with other assessors, where you compare assessment tools and decisions with each other.
These sessions are sometimes called validation sessions, because they help you to verify that the techniques and tools you're using are giving 'valid' results.
Some people make a distinction between 'moderation' and 'validation', as follows:
Moderation is a more informal process, allowing assessors to share their views, discuss problems and suggest changes to improve the 'reliability' of the assessment processes and tools - that is, working to ensure that all assessors would come to the same decision using these tools.
Validation is a formal process, like an audit, where assessment processes and tools are evaluated against set benchmarks to determine their effectiveness and 'validity'.
FAQs
Validation processes and activities include:
- gathering sufficient sample of completed assessment tools.
- testing how the tools and the systems in place, including assessment instructions and resources, impact the assessment findings.
- check whether assessments were conducted as intended.
Validity is defined as the level to which assessments are accurately measured depending on what they intend to measure. A real-life example would be weighing a person on a scale; the scale is expected to estimate the person's weight accurately.
What is the validity of assessment tools? ›
The validity of an assessment tool is the extent to which it measures what it was designed to measure, without contamination from other characteristics. For example, a test of reading comprehension should not require mathematical ability.
What are the three components of an assessment tool that may be validated? ›
An assessment tool includes the following components—context and conditions of assessment, tasks to be administered to the student, an outline of the evidence to be gathered from the candidate and evidence criteria used to judge the quality of performance (i.e. the assessment decision-making rules).
What is the tool validation process? ›
Tool validation
Each and every tool must be validated before it's used on an actual case. A validation process clearly demonstrates that the tool is working properly, is reliable, and yields accurate results. We can't simply accept the manufacturer's word for it; assumptions aren't permitted.
What is an example of a validation process? ›
An example of a process that would require validation is sealing of a sterile barrier as the strength of each seal may only be determined by destructive testing. As destructive testing of each package is not possible, the sealing process must be validated.
What are the 4 types of validation? ›
We commonly classify process validation based on the timing of its execution relative to the production schedule. According to this description, there are four distinct types of process validation: prospective validation, retrospective validation, concurrent validation, and revalidation.
What is validation examples? ›
Examples of validating statements. I can see that you are very (upset, sad, frightened, scared). I guess that must have been hard for you. I can see you are making an effort.
What is a validation check example? ›
For example, when signing up for a user account on a website, the validation might include: presence check - a username must be entered. length check - a password must be at least eight characters long. range check - age restrictions may require the user's date of birth to be before a certain date.
How to make sure an assessment is valid? ›
How can you make your assessment methods more reliable?
- Align your assessment with your learning outcomes.
- Use clear and consistent criteria and rubrics. Be the first to add your personal experience.
- Vary your assessment methods and sources.
- Review and revise your assessment methods regularly. ...
- Here's what else to consider.
A good assessment should be reliable, valid, and free of bias. First, reliability refers to the consistency of students' scores; that is, an assessment is reliable when it produces stable and consistent results. Reliability can come in two major forms: (1) stability and (2) alternate form reliability.
Why is validation important in an assessment? ›
Validation, in the context of assessments, refers to the process of establishing their reliability and validity, ensuring that they offer accurate and valuable information. This process is not merely a checkbox to tick but a cornerstone of responsible leadership and strategic decision-making.
What is the most commonly used assessment tool? ›
The employment interview is probably the most commonly used assessment tool. The interview can range from being totally unplanned, that is, unstructured, to carefully designed beforehand, that is, completely structured.
What is the main assessment tool? ›
Assessment tools include assessment instruments.
Instruments include tests, surveys, interviews, checklists, tasks, and observations. The terms assessment tools and assessment instruments are often used interchangeably. This is because both are used to achieve similar outcomes – gather evidence.
Why is it important to use validated tools? ›
Validation of these assessment tools is essential to ensure that they are valid and reliable. Validity refers to whether any measuring instrument measures what it is intended to measure.
How do I make sure my assessment is valid? ›
How can you make your assessment methods more reliable?
- Align your assessment with your learning outcomes.
- Use clear and consistent criteria and rubrics. Be the first to add your personal experience.
- Vary your assessment methods and sources.
- Review and revise your assessment methods regularly. ...
- Here's what else to consider.
Validity refers to the extent to which an instrument measures what it was intended to measure. Therefore, an instrument is considered "valid" if it measured what it set out to measure. Validity is associated with quantitative data collection, and requires various statistical techniques and concepts to establish.
How to validate a clinical tool? ›
Validation of an assessment tool requires several studies to ensure that it is valid for all individuals with whom it is to be used. It is therefore necessary to employ a continual process, where other users such as students and preceptors should also be involved.
How to validate a risk assessment tool? ›
The validation process includes four basic steps: reviewing the current risk assessment system and setting goals, conducting a detailed analysis of the risk assessment, developing an implementation plan for the new or revised system, and documenting the validation effort.
