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Standardisation

GUIDE FOR SETTING UP AND RUNNING A CENTRE STANDARDISATION EVENT

Standardisation is part of the NOCN quality model. It is the process by which Centres and N/OCN ensure that individual units are being consistently administered, assessed and awarded, and that consistency is in line with the level and value placed on the units at the time of recognition.  The results of this activity are essential to inform the quality improvement cycle operated by the regional and national Open College Network.

Standardisation Planning
The focus of standardisation should generally be units from within an NOCN qualification and which maybe in use across a range of different target groups of learners.

The choice and selection of units to be standardised will be dependant on a number of factors, amongst which might be:

• The level of use and awards and therefore the amount of evidence available for standardisation
• Feedback from tutors or assessors on any problems encountered with units within a qualification
• The introduction of new qualifications 
• The importance of mandatory/core units for greatest spread and impact

Focus of Standardisation Events
It is critical to understand that standardisation is not about re-assessing the samples provided.

Standardisation is about ensuring that tutors, assessors and internal verifiers are making consistent judgements about assessed work, and improving consistency.

The format and focus of standardisation events may vary, but the facilitator needs to draw out from participants the standards they apply when monitoring assessed work. Can participants clearly explain what they expect to see in a particular piece of assessed work, when they consider it to be good enough and when they do not? This over-arching question is equally applicable to all units, regardless of level, credit value or curriculum area. Any samples provided at the events are simply a means of providing examples of those standards for discussion and agreement.

Participants would therefore normally be answering questions such as those below and, importantly, giving reasons for their answers:

• Does the task give the learner the opportunity to meet the assessment criteria?
• Can you determine whether the assessment criteria have been addressed?
• Are the assessment criteria applied consistently across the samples? Please make reference to any examples of inconsistency
• What are the differences in samples at different levels?
• Can you identify examples of good practice/bad practice?
• Are any of the problems identified exacerbated by the unit/criteria/assessment methodology?
• Could the unit be improved? (e.g. more appropriate assessment criteria, assessment methodology, etc)
• Can you tell if the evidence is authentic and current?
• Are tasks inclusive for all learners?

Identify a small sample of evidence to be retained for internal benchmarking and OCN regional standardisation events.

A copy of standardisation reports should be made available to the OCN’s Quality Reviewer, and Centres need to be aware that the OCN will request samples of good practice from time to time to inform regional and national standardisation events. 

Specific issues regarding the fitness for purpose of a qualification and or the units needs to be identified and directed to the OCN for investigation and action if necessary as part of their responsibilities