AAA CST networking day presentation

1. Embracing the Diploma
A Diabetic Screener Assessors experience
Richard Cragg
Programme Manager – Derbyshire Diabetic Eye
Screening Programme

2. NVQ Qualification – My initial feelings,
reservations, plans & actions
Confused, overwhelmed
Didn’t know where to start,
or what was my goal, no
plan
Resistant to change – why
change?
Acceptance that the
qualification was here to
stay
Had to channel my energy
from resisting to meeting
goals
Made plan, spoke to
people, developed tools,
engaged with candidates

3. Mindset
Concern – Matters
outside of you control or
influence.
Influence – Matters that
you cannot directly
control, but can
somewhat influence
Control – Matters that
you can directly control
and change

4. Energy and Resources
Concern – Will absorb
large amounts of energy
and resources with no
change
Influence – Will require a
moderate amount of
energy and resources to
change
Control – Will require little
energy and resources to
make large change

5. Your mindset at present?
Using the control
influence concern
principle, answer the
following questions:
1)Which ring do you see
yourself in at present
with the qualification?
2) How much energy
are you putting into the
qualification and in what
direction?

6. Battery – Charging and draining
 The Battery – The
finite amount of
energy you have
 The Plug – The
people and things in
your life that charge
your battery
 The light bulb –
The positive actions
and goals achieved
 The Resistor – The
actions and goals
that are not achieved
no matter what
energy you put in

7. Kubler Ross Grief cycle

8. Hurdles to overcome

9. Hurdles to overcome
Managing the change from the current status quo
Understanding what is required of the assessor and
learner
Understand what success looks like
Understand how this will be recorded
Asking the right questions from supporters
Establish the correct tools for the job and using them
Setting timeframes and allocating time out
Meet, assess, reference and submit regularly

10. Managing change
Diabetic Screening had an established City & guilds
qualification.
Change came in three forms: more learner work,
more assessor work, and different concept to
gathering evidence and assessing.
Allocated time was required, and if required
resources found
Changing the assessors and learners mind set
Encouraging positive action towards starting the
qualification

11. Understand
The assessor needed to understand their role and
not overlap with the learner - Provide support,
instruction, timeframes, and objectives
The learner needed to understand what was
expected of them – what, when, how, and why –
competency based on evidence.
The meaning of evidence based competency – By
observation, written reflection, professional
discussion, or expert witness testomony

12. Understand what success looks like
The Assessor must help the learner understand
what material will constitute acceptable competency
evidence, and what form that will take for which unit.
The competency evidence must be complete without
obvious gaps.
The assessor must help the learner understand the
difference between providing just documentation and
proving competency.
Once correct competency evidence is provided once
by the learner, the learning curve becomes less
steep.

13. Recording evidence
Discuss with the learner what would be the best method
for recording their competency – all learners differ.
Professional discussion: Pros – allows for follow on
questions to prove competency, and cross referenced
evidence. Cons – Assessor work for this can be more
intensive than other forms.
Written evidence: Pros – less assessor intensive,
evidence easily submitted. Can be marked and referred
easily. Cons – Open to ‘Cut & Paste’, the process can be
slow if the original is missing a lot.

14. Recording evidence
Expert witness: Pros - less assessor intensive,
evidence easily submitted. Cons – Assessor needs
to be confident in the expert witness. The Assessor
still needs to sign this evidence off even though not
witnessed themselves.
Observation: Pros – The Assessor take first hand
evidence. Holistic assessing is possible, therefore
saving time. Cons – Time consuming for the
Assessor

15. Asking the right questions from your
supporters
Your supporters are: The awarding centres, line
managers, commissioners, Programme board.
Question to line manager: Can I have protected time
and if so how much?
Question to commissioners: I have to protect study
time, is that there backfill funding for this?
Question to educational bodies: Are there other
peers that could assist me that are further ahead
than me?

16. Using the correct tools for the Job
Forms already created for collecting evidence
Create you own documents for completing tasks
Gathering competency evidence will depend on
what you are assessing. Guide the learner to use the
most efficient method eg, Professional discussion for
practical assessment is very inefficient, holistic
observation is ideal.
Negate the need for assessment altogether through
prior learning

17. Assessment plan – Stock or Bespoke

18. Setting time frames and allocating
time out
Agreeing timeframes is really important to prevent
‘slippage’
Timeframes and ‘slippage’ prevention is entirely
dependent of allocated rota time

19. Meet, Assess, Reference & Submit
Meet regularly to provide guidance and prevent
slippage
Assess all work done no matter how small.
Reference as you go along.
Submit and sign off whenever possible
More commitment to meetings in the beginning will
be required to drive momentum
These can become less frequent (monthly) with
experience.

20. Owning the Monkey!

21. Owning the Monkey
This is the learners qualification
The Assessor guides and records evidence but does not
provide the evidence themselves
The Learner must provide the competency evidence
within timeframes set
Challenge learners that require answers from the
Assessor as this can indicate lack of competency
The Assessor confirms competency and is not an
educational resource
Ensure the Learner is aware of the roles of the Assessor
and Learner, and where they begin and end.

22. Control Circles
Have you moved to a
different circle?
What will be your first
step to success when
you get back to work?
Where is the sticking
point to achieving
success for you the
Assessor and your
Learners?

23. Thank you for listening