Determining Which Assessment Strategy To Adopt

The planned combination of learning outcomes which has a defined purpose and which is intended to provide qualifying learners with applied competence and a basis for further learning.

Value added to the qualifying learner in terms of enrichment of the person through the provision of status, recognition, credentials and licensing; enhancement of marketability and employability and opening up access routes to additional education and training.

Benefits to society and the economy through enhancing citizenship, increasing social and economic productivity, providing specifically skilled people as well as transforming and redressing legalities of inequity.

Compliance with the objectives of the NQF.

Inclusion of both, specific and critical, cross-field outcomes that promote lifelong learning.

International comparability.

Integrated assessment appropriately incorporated to ensure that the purpose of the qualification is achieved.

A range of assessment methods and instruments such as portfolios, simulations, workplace observations, written and oral examination in both formative and summative assessments are selected.

Indication whether the qualification may be achieved in whole or part through the recognition of prior learning that may have been achieved through formal, non-formal and informal learning and work experience.

In addition to these, the design of assessment should also take the following about learners into account:

• Skills
• Status
• Recognition
• Credentials
• Marketability
• Employability
• Access to further learning.
• The equivalence of skills, status, recognition, etc. with learners elsewhere who have acquired the same or similar qualifications.
• Formative and summative assessments.
• The range of assessment methods and instruments.
• The integration of roles, actions, skills behaviours, etc. as specified in the learning outcomes, and whether the integration of these is evidence of understanding the purpose of the applied competence.
• Where applicable, recognition of learning already in place and the method(s) of ascertaining that such learning is in place.