Your browser version is outdated. We recommend that you update your browser to the latest version.

7. Quality Assuring the Assessment Process

The quality of teaching and learning lies at the heart of CETB’s Statement of Strategy, and it central to providing learners with the quality of service and outcomes which the deserve and can expect.

CETB has developed and delivers a wide range of programmes leading to QQI Common Awards System (CAS), awards. Programmes may lead to full (major) awards component (minor) awards or special purpose awards under the CAS. In addition, many centres and services deliver programmes leading to awards from other providers/certifying bodies, including City & Guilds, Pearson, CompTIA, ITEC, CIBTAC, CIDESCO, and ATI amongst others.

 

QQI Assessment Processes

Learners are provided with briefs appropriate to the NFQ level, for all assessments they are required to undertake. These include details of the assessment task, marking criteria and marking schemes and assessment submission deadlines where appropriate. It is the learner’s responsibility to complete the assessment task (‘s) and demonstrate their achievement of the learning outcomes for the programme being undertaken. 

All learners are required to sign statements of authenticity with respect to their assessments.

Formative and summative feedback, which occurs during and after assessment tasks, are crucial elements of effective teaching and learning within CETB.

The integrity of assessment processes is monitored through the Internal Verification and External Authentication Processes, and approved by the Results Approval Panel.

Internal verification (IV) procedures check that assessments have been undertaken in a quality assured fashion: that appropriate assessment instruments have been used, learner details and results correctly entered, and for a sample of learners, marks are checked.

The External Authentication (EA) system is a core element of ensuring the quality and integrity of the assessment processes. It is the role of the External Authenticator to review the IV report to ensure that assessment has been undertaken in a quality assured manner, to review the learners’ assessments to ensure that they have been assessed in a fair and consistent manner, and to authenticate that the grades given are in line with the national standards for that level. CETB operates a panel of External Authenticators, selected from the QQI panel of EA’s and supplemented where necessary with locally recruited EA’s who have undergone training delivered by the Further Education Support Service (FESS

The Results Approval Panel (RAP) provides an opportunity for the senior management team within a centre/service to review the results of a given assessment period, and through consideration of  the IV and EA reports, identify issues arising out of the assessment process, and decide on recommendations for future actions to be taken.

These IV/EA and RAP procedures facilitate the fair and consistent assessment of learners, and support academic decision-making which reflects the interests of learners and the maintenance of standards.

 Academic Appeals

Learners have the right to appeal their results for QQI awards, should they not agree with the assessment result received, as confirmed by the IV-EA-RAP processes.

CETB operates an appeals process for QQI certification, which is managed centrally by the CETB’s Appeals Office which operates under the ETB’s Corporate Services Section, in consultation with the Quality assurance Office. Learners who are appealing their results make an appeals application to CETB, and their centre/service is required to submit all assessment material for consideration by an appeals examiner, drawn from a panel highly experienced appeals examiners who are independent of CETB, to CETB’s Appeals Office.

In the event that their appeal is upheld, CETB advises QQI of the amended grade.

Training centres currently manage their own appeals processes under the TQAS.

Non-QQI Assessment Processes

Non-QQI assessments are undertaken in line with the quality assurance requirements of the certifying/awarding body.

Oversight of all assessment processes, regardless of the awarding body, is managed at ETB-level.

Assessment Regulations

CETB is currently developing a set of common assessment policies and regulations, which will be available here when they are ready.  Until that time, learners should refer to the regulations in their chosen centre.

 

Return to Quality Assurance home page

 

 

For more information or queries relating to Quality Assurance,

email quality.assurance@corketb.ie

 

© 2018 Cork Education and Training Board. All rights Reserved.

 

 

 

Cookie Policy

This site uses cookies to store information on your computer.

Do you accept?