Observational assessments: some learning resources
Posted by Julie Delazyn
Observational assessments, in which an observer assesses a participant and rates his or her performance, make it possible to evaluate skills or abilities that are difficult to measure using “traditional” assessments. The ability to deliver observational assessments using mobile devices is opening up new possibilities in many different settings:
- Certifications: Observational assessment is often a key component of the certification process – in some cases required by regulatory authorities. For an example of this, see our recent case study, Covidien Delivers Product Knowledge Tests and Observational Assessments on the Apple iPad.
- Medical and dental schools – for examinations such as the Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE).
- Equipment operation – for recording and rating operators’ skills, abilities, safety practices and adherence to required procedures.
- Customer service: Workplace assessments are used to evaluate the performance of retail sales and customer service staff and to determine where additional training is required.
- Driving tests: Examiners observe and rate license applicants on parking, observation, awareness and adherence to rules of the road.
- Performance or Level 3 assessment: Observing and monitoring behavioral changes in the workplace before and after training helps learning organizations evaluate how well participants apply what they have learned during training after they are back on the job.
If you would like to learn more about Observational Assessments, check out this Questionmark presentation on SlideShare.
You should have a look of our OSCE exams which we’ve been running on digital devices for the past 10 years and have been using iPads since they were released.
The goal here was to digitise the following assessment sheets: http://www.phecit.ie/DesktopDefault.aspx?tabindex=0&tabid=1206
You can get a flavour of the exams from the students and examiners perspective from these videos:
Examiner – http://vimeo.com/23041738
Student – http://vimeo.com/23041349
And here is an overivew of the systems development and screen shots: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/10356507/Electronic%20Marking%20of%20skill%20stations.pdf
[…] Click here for examples of how different types of organizations capture performance data and measure competencies using observational assessments. […]