An exploration of assessment approaches in a vocational and education training courses in Australia

Background There is a compelling case for strengthening the strategies for assessment of competencies adopted in vocational and education training programs in Australia. A review of assessment in nationally recognised Vocation and Education Training (VET) courses identified a number of critical issues associated with competency assessment. For example, trainers were identified as having difficulties with interpretation, implementation and assessment of the competencies. Trainers are often viewed as capable of training diverse groups of learners, despite the fact that they may not possess in-depth knowledge of the competencies. Methods These issues gave rise to trialling three assessment strategies: diagnostic, scenario and simulated assessment in a project that investigated the teaching and learning of numeracy in Vocational Education and Training (VET) courses with high Indigenous student enrolments. The study adopted a mixed methods design participatory collaborative action research and community research to develop a series of case studies. Teachers/trainers/teacher aides (N = 39) and students (N = 231) participated in the project. Nine courses and seven sites were the focus of the study. Results The results highlighted the outcomes of using three different assessment approaches to draw inferences about students’ competencies in VET courses. Whilst the CDAT diagnostic assessment did indicate the difficulties that students had in specific areas of maths, it also brought to light some students’ difficulties with reading and comprehension and understanding what the questions were asking. The use of the scenario-based assessment was trialled because of trainers indicating that scenarios were an effective way of assessing students, however this approach proved to a challenge for students. Students who experienced challenges with reading and comprehension found the text scenarios difficult to read and understand, limiting their opportunities to demonstrate their competencies. The simulated assessment allowed for students to demonstrate their understanding of mathematics, for example, surface area, applying what they had learned to a context such as a model. Conclusions The trial of the assessment approaches and their relationship to mathematics learning and training courses proved to be effective for the teachers, trainers and students. In doing so, the trial supports the literature about adopting a holistic approach to assessing competency as it provides a more comprehensive view of students’ capabilities.