Learning Patterns

One of the most common assessment methods involves asking learners to analyse and critique an existing phenomenon. Learners are asked to engage their knowledge and understanding and apply it to a real-world situation in a way that requires them to evaluate information, consider different perspectives and make reasoned judgements. Through the production of an artefact, learners develop skills to evaluate information, form their opinions, and communicate them clearly. Many formats used in this form of assessment (essays, dissertations and reviews) provide a common structure and form that can be applied across disciplines and domains. The analytical components of this form of assessment provide insight into the learner's understanding and ability to process information. Additionally, engaging in critique helps learners learn how to give and receive constructive feedback.

This assessment form captures a learner's ability and skill while demonstrating innovation and originality. Through creative work, learners are asked to apply their knowledge and skills in novel and imaginative ways that allow them to go beyond real-world constraints and situations. Creative work allows learners to engage in problem-solving as they develop their own solutions and showcase their skills by encouraging self-expression and personal connection to their work. This provides opportunities for learners to build confidence and independence as they take ownership of their projects. Creative work is also an opportunity to encourage collaboration and communication and explore possibilities that are all applicable beyond their learning experience. Common examples of creative work include performance, writing of poetry and fiction, visual and moving pictures, sound and music, and communication formats like posters, websites and social media.

This form of assessment focuses on learners capturing aspects of experience, the tangible and perceptible and the internal and reflective aspects of their own experiences. Evidence collection often takes place over time or to mark a specific time and place and includes formats like journals, logbooks, portfolios, and notebooks. It may also include interviews and other forms of data. The collection process is an important aspect of this assessment with the methods used, storage, safety, custodianship and communication all being important opportunities to learn and practice.

An observation asks the learner to view and record what they see and perceive from their experience. This form of assessment often works best when running in real-time in situations that allow the capture of natural behaviour, interactions, and engagement. It is perfect for learners to explore specific circumstances that can't be replicated through resources or materials and instead require engagement with people, spaces, equipment, or environments. It allows learners to engage in authentic activities, real tasks and practices within a context. Formats of assessment could be through logs and reports, clinical assessments, study and site tours.

A key aspect of cooperative, collaborative, and social learning experiences is active participation and contributions that aid the group. Participation is often misconstrued as 'turning up', but it should only be used at times when learners are required to engage and contribute. It can be used to recognise social skills and activities that are required for the group to function, such as organisation, facilitation, inclusion, and communication. In this way, the productive element is their effort towards the group and the shared experience. It can be captured through wiki and forum contributions, workshop involvement, group work facilitation, and through engagement in conversations, collaboration and sharing.

Planning is a crucial element of any productive work, as learners must think critically about how they would approach a task or project. Assessing this process provides insight into how the learner approaches the situation and their ability to set goals, organise themselves and their efforts, anticipate challenges, and solve problems. The developed plan provides a structured framework for future development, so review, feedback, and reflection on their intentions can help guide and refine their future actions. Learners can engage in reflective practice and bring in their previous experiences to help with time management, prioritisation and monitoring of the work involved. Formats for planning include proposals, designs, strategies and storyboards.

Practical demonstrations allow learners to apply concepts and skills in real-world or simulated scenarios. These authentic tasks require learners to solve problems, address challenges in a hands-on manner, and demonstrate crucial skills to experienced practitioners. The process reveals problem-solving abilities, creativity, physical and spatial awareness, and adaptability in practical situations. These situations allow learners to use specific tools, follow procedures and protocols and demonstrate the skills crucial for mastering the discipline. Practical demonstrations can assess competencies beyond theoretical knowledge, including procedural skills, execution accuracy, integration and application of concepts. This holistic evaluation provides a more complete picture of a learner's proficiency and often takes place as a skills test, demonstration, simulation and through work placements.

As an assessment method, presentations are an opportunity to develop, demonstrate, and practice various communication skills to demonstrate a deep understanding and their organisational abilities. A presentation should focus on the learner's ability to synthesise information and make it accessible to their audience. Presentation skills are highly valued in professional settings, so by practising and mastering these skills, learners are better prepared for future career opportunities where effective communication and presentation is paramount. Overcoming the challenges of public speaking by ensuring a safe space and effective feedback helps learners build self-assurance and reduce anxiety about speaking in front of others. Presentations can take various forms, including speeches, debates, lectures, seminars, and specific formats such as pitches, lightning talks, petcha kuchas, and viva voces.

Process documentation, as an assessment, provides insight into a learner's understanding and application through transparency, making their process visible. This assessment can take many different formats that suit different disciplines and practices — from operations manuals to application forms, scope and sequencing of tasks, risk assessments, and how-to guides to process diaries and logs. The defining element is that learners record their actions and decisions so that the process to reach the end is clear and can be assessed. This provides opportunities for learners to reflect on their practice and encourages metacognition as they evaluate their approach to problem-solving and task execution. Process documentation allows for progress tracking from the initial stages to the final outcome and, through their records, shows their development, effort, and the evolution of their understanding and skills. Seeing concrete evidence of work and learning makes the assessment more objective and comprehensive.

This type of assessment involves the learner engaging in professional practices beyond the job and task at hand, but their involvement with the profession itself. Professional practice should include developing industry-specific skills by working on authentic tasks and projects. This experience is invaluable for developing the expertise and confidence needed for professional success. It should also seek to engage in competencies and actions that foster professionalism, such as ethics, responsibility, and teamwork. Professional practice is also an opportunity to support forming a network and industry connections through interactions with industry professionals, mentors, and peers who can provide career advice and potential job prospects. This can occur through on-the-job tasks, formal procedures, network interaction with professional bodies, and conference submissions.

Using reflections as an assessment helps learners deepen their self-awareness and promotes metacognition and personal growth through self-assessment and analysis of their work, decisions and outcomes. Rather than searching for the 'right' answer, reflective practice allows learning to occur through mistakes, errors and responses to challenges. Learners can adapt and improve their future performance by analysing what went wrong and considering alternative approaches. Practices such as auto-ethnography, journaling, blogging, performance reviews, and portfolios allow learners to develop habits that foster a mindset of continuous learning, self-improvement and lifelong learning.

Reports require learners to research, analyse and synthesise information on a specific topic or event. This process demonstrates their understanding of the subject matter and their ability to apply their knowledge in a structured format. To prepare a report, learners must gather and evaluate information from various sources, developing their research skills, data collection, source evaluation, and the ability to integrate and cite information effectively. Reports require a clear structure and logical organisation to ensure information is presented coherently and that analysis is drawn from this information logically. Writing case reviews, business reports, profiles, lab reports, and audits helps develop professional writing and communication skills.

Role play is a powerful tool that enhances the practical application of knowledge and fosters the development of communication skills, empathy, and problem-solving. By immersing learners in simulated real-world scenarios, roleplay allows them to apply theoretical knowledge, understand concepts in context, and prepare for real-life situations. Learners can actively participate in sessions, learn through observation, and engage in debriefing and discussion to enhance their performance and interpersonal dynamics. These experiences not only build confidence but also provide exposure to skills such as negotiation, conflict resolution, and customer service. Engaging in role play equips learners with competencies directly applicable to their future careers.

Summary statements provide opportunities for learners to demonstrate comprehension of important topics, enhance their analytical skills, and improve communication skills by forcing conciseness and clarity. The constraints of the format force learners to identify, distil and convey only the essential information. This practice helps improve their ability to communicate complex ideas in a straightforward and concise manner to different audiences. It provides some transparency into what learners have perceived as the priority information and can help identify misconceptions and misunderstandings. These summaries can utilise various media to engage their audiences and provide creative and engaging outlets for many learners. Some useful examples would be briefing papers, posters, newsletters, flyers, outlines and social media posts.

Tests require learners to perform various tasks within a structured and constrained environment that reflects the learning context. The constraints and structure of the assessments, like exams and quizzes, should support the learning objectives and relate to real-world challenges. For example, if time limits are imposed, they are specifically there to support the learner's ability to perform when time is a constraint and reflect real-world requirements for performance and practice. The same applies to limiting access to resources and equipment, and these are only applied if they match the expected standard in the profession. One of the key benefits of tests is their ability to provide standardised assessments and evaluate all learners on the same criteria. This allows for measuring progress and comparing achievements that can inform decisions about instructional effectiveness and learner's needs.

Learner-developed and facilitated workshops provide an assessment method that facilitates practical application and promotes collaboration and teamwork through active learning. A workshop is an interactive learning environment where learners actively participate in hands-on activities, discussions, and problem-solving. It enables learners to enact their understanding of a topic by developing ways of facilitating activities with their peers that develop their own learning and provide opportunities to engage in their specific and unique perspectives. Workshops can be based on diverse and individualised knowledge areas, skills-based activities, tutorial sessions, professional discussions or creative techniques. They provide a unique way of developing interpersonal skills and allow the shift of perspective from learner to teacher that can demonstrate the relevance of their learning and field of study.