OCN definition
“An effective Internal Verification system ensures assessment practices and decisions are regularly reviewed and evaluated to ensure the validity of the award of credit.”
Role of Internal Verifier
There are three aspects of the Internal Verification role:
- Verifying assessment which consists of:
1.1 sampling assessments
1.2 monitoring assessment practice
1.3 standardising assessment judgements
- Developing and supporting assessors
- Managing the quality of OCN unit delivery
1. Verifying Assessment
1.1 Sampling Assessments
Sampling assessments will include reviewing the quality of Assessors’ judgements at the interim stage (during the delivery of the unit) and the summative stage (at the end of delivery of the unit).
The Internal Verifier must ensure that the process is not “end-loaded”.
Interim Sampling:
The Internal Verifier will:
- review assignments to ensure that learners do have the opportunity to meet all the assessment criteria
- review the assessment schedule
- review some candidate work before decisions have been made on any unit
- review the feedback given to candidates by Assessors
- review the assessment of activities (which may not be repeated), such as a performance, a group discussion, a practical task, an exhibition, role play, question and answer
- review portfolios with one or two completed units
- review the effectiveness of assessment planning
- identify any training needs of Assessors
- identify good practice.
Summative Sampling:
Involves reviewing the quality of the assessment decision by evaluating how the Assessor has reached that decision.
The Internal Verifier must be able to follow an audit trail which clearly demonstrates that the Assessor has checked that the evidence presented meets the “rules of evidence”.
Evidence must have been confirmed by the Assessor as:
- valid – relevant to the standards for which competence is claimed
- authentic – produced by the candidate or witness
- reliable – accurately reflects the level of performance which has been consistently demonstrated by the candidate
- current – sufficiently recent to be confident the same level of skill / understanding / knowledge exists at the time of the claim
- sufficient – meets in full all the requirements of the standards
Internal Verifiers must not make assumptions about any aspect of the “rules of evidence”. Recording of questioning of the candidate by the Assessor and checking the authenticity of witness testimonies by the Assessor should be expected.
Sampling Strategy
The sample must include all assessment sites/locations, all candidate cohorts, all units.
The full range of assessment methods used for any one unit must be sampled.
Assessment decisions of all Assessors must be sampled, with more decisions of inexperienced Assessors sampled for the first 12 months.
The Internal Verifier should also take into account the relative assessment workload of individual Assessors and sample proportionately.
The sampling strategy must take into account the following:
- The size of sample needed to ensure reliability
- The various assessment methods used
- The number, experience, workload and location of assessors
- The range of assessment sites
- The candidate cohorts (full-time, part-time, different start dates)
- Unit levels and credit values
- New or revised units
- All units – and particularly any problematic units
- Reasonable adjustments
- Issues arising from previous verification
The sample size should be sufficient to ensure that the issues in the list immediately above have been considered in producing a sampling strategy. The strategy should not be decided by a rule of thumb, such as 10% or square root.
Problem units, which include competences difficult to assess eg. for confidentiality reasons, safety considerations, materials used, infrequent occurrence, should be sampled. Internal Verifiers must ensure that issues such as these are discussed fully with the assessment team and difficulties resolved at an early stage.
1.2 Monitoring Assessment
The Internal Verifier should aim to monitor all Assessors each academic or calendar year either by observation of assessment of candidate performance, by professional discussion or by review of the quality of assessment records.
1.3 Standardising Assessment Judgements
The Internal Verifier must conduct a standardisation review involving all Assessors in the team. Notes of standardisation meetings, documenting the methodology and outcomes of the process, must be placed in the course file.
2. Developing and Supporting Assessors
The Internal Verifier should ensure that all the Assessors have copies of recording documentation, are aware of the Internal Verification process and understand their role in it. The Internal Verifier will provide assistance and advice to assessors about candidates with special assessment needs.
It is the responsibility of the Internal Verifier to ensure that new Assessors receive an appropriate level of induction and to alert the appropriate line manager to the development needs, including professional and vocational updating, of the Assessors.
3. Managing the Quality of Delivery
The Internal Verifier provides a quality assurance role within the organisation by ensuring that assessment and internal verification documents are completed correctly, according to the procedures, and are filed in the course file.
All candidate assessment records, records of internal verification activity (including records of meetings) and records of certificates claimed, must be retained for three years and made available to the regulatory authorities upon request.
Samples (copies) of learners work must be retained for the current year.
The Internal Verifier provides a link between the team of Assessors, the External Verifier, and the Awarding body.
Policy on Assessment Malpractice
Malpractice consists of those acts which undermine the integrity and validity of assessment, the certification of qualifications and the authority of those responsible for conducting assessment and certification.
The School of Babywearing™ does not tolerate actions (or attempted actions) of malpractice by learners or by staff, in connection with any of our qualifications.
Awarding bodies may impose penalties and/or sanctions on learners or centres where incidents (or attempted incidents) of malpractice have been proven.
Learner malpractice may include:
- Plagiarism by copying and passing off, as the learner’s own, all or part of another person’s work, of any kind and, in particular, items from a website, without the originator’s permission and without appropriately acknowledging the source.
- Collusion by working collaboratively with other learners to produce work that is submitted as individual learner work. Teamwork is valuable and an essential key skill in many sectors and must be evidenced appropriately.
- Impersonation, by pretending to be someone else.
- Failing to abide by the instructions or advice of an assessor or awarding body regulations.
- Misuse of assessment material.
- The alteration of any results document, including certificates.
Centre staff malpractice may include:
- Alteration of the awarding body’s assessment and grading criteria.
- Allowing evidence, which is known by the staff member not to be the learner’s own, to be included in a learner’s portfolio.
- Producing falsified witness statements, for example for evidence the learner has not generated.
- Misusing the conditions for Reasonable Adjustments or Special Considerations such that the support has the potential to influence the outcome of the assessment.
- Failing to keep learner computer files secure.
- Falsifying records/certificates, for example by alteration, substitution or fraud.
- Fraudulent certificate claims, by claiming for a certificate prior to the learner completing all the requirements of assessment.
- Maladministration, by failing to keep the required records and documents and failing to adhere to awarding body administrative procedures.
Learner malpractice discovered by the School of Babywearing™
Malpractice discovered by the School of Babywearing™ will be investigated by the Internal Verifier. If malpractice is found to have occurred, a report will be made to the Board of Directors and a decision taken as to whether the malpractice necessitates one of the following actions:
- Repetition of one or more assessments (possibly via a different assessment method).
- Expulsion of the learner.
Staff malpractice discovered by the School of Babywearing™
Malpractice discovered by the School of Babywearing™ will be investigated by an appropriate member of staff or the Board of Directors. Disciplinary action will be taken in accordance with the staff Disciplinary policy if appropriate.
Malpractice discovered by the Awarding Body
The School of Babywearing™ Board of Directors and all relevant staff will provide the required support for the awarding body investigation.
Last updated: 20th August 2011
