Assessment

EDUCATIONAL STANDARDS

BLC management will ensure that adequate resources are available and that the environment supports ease of learning.

The College will provide an environment that is conducive to an effective learning process. All training will be delivered with a professional and positive attitude, regardless of course content.

Training will always be carried out to the highest recognized and accredited industry standards, and comply with the requirements of the VET Quality Framework.

The Learner and trainer will work together to identify specific needs. The learning process will include training components and personal guidance that address identified needs and enable participants to achieve their vocational goals.

ATTENDANCE AND HOMEWORK REQUIREMENTS

You are required to attend the classes on campus for your training on a regular basis as scheduled.

Class schedules are available from the College and will be provided at your induction. Student Services Officers will contact you to confirm your class schedule. You can also get in touch with them directly for this or help with any other queries.

There will also be an expectation that you complete a certain amount of homework each week in order to complete the required learning and assessment tasks. Your trainer will provide guidance on what is involved and how much time you are expected to spend on work outside classes. This is also stated in the Course Outline.

Engagement with industry

BLC is well-placed to keep up with industry associations and incorporate their requirements into the assessment process. Consultation with the enterprise and business world will provide information about assessments most relevant to workplaces. Regulatory requirements that relate to specific units of competence will be incorporated to ensure that our students are well-prepared for their workplace duties

Collecting evidence that counts – the rules of evidence

In collecting evidence, BLC applies the rules of evidence to inform the assessment strategy. Assessment strategies have been designed to ensure:

• Sufficiency: We prioritize the collection of enough appropriate evidence to ensure that all aspects of competency have been completed satisfactorily and that they can be demonstrated repeatedly.
• Validity: We collect evidence as specified in the benchmarks for assessment. BLC places significant emphasis on direct evidence gathered in a workplace, through observation and compilation of a portfolio of work outcomes. Where this is impractical due to geographical distance, other forms of evidence are used, such as industry evidence and a detailed assessment of underpinning knowledge.
• Authenticity: We seek evidence that is verifiable. To support this, assessors must be confident that the evidence presented for assessment is the candidate’s own work. Where documentary evidence is relied upon, it must be certified or supported by two other forms of evidence that demonstrate the same skill or knowledge, known as triangulation. In all instances where work is submitted to BLC by non-physical channels (i.e. electronically, distance assignments, online) it must include a signed statement from the candidate certifying the work as their own.
• Currency: We must be satisfied that the candidate currently holds the skills and knowledge relating to a particular assessment. This will mostly apply to RPL applications, where a candidate has been in the workplace for many years and is seeking recognition of skills and knowledge obtained through work experience or previous training. We will apply assessment strategies that satisfy this criterion through the gathering of direct evidence in the workplace.

Assessment Context

BLC recognizes the importance of establishing the right context for candidates during the assessment. This applies to the physical and non-physical elements through which skills and knowledge are assessed. Physical elements could be a workplace, such as an office or manufacturing workshop. Non-physical elements refer to concepts such as workplace policy and procedure, tempo, and culture. Many units of competence may be applied, such as skills and knowledge relating to safety or leadership.

It is our responsibility to ensure that candidates are provided with the right context to undertake their assessment activities. To achieve this, we will apply the following strategies.

• Incorporation of simulated workplace policies and procedures into the assessment scenario or activity.
• If conducting the assessment in a candidate’s workplace, by performing authentic workplace tasks. These are simulated situations 
based on real workplace tasks.
• Integration of relevant industry codes of practice and other industry information into the assessment activity.
• Incorporation of industry job descriptions for students to work within realistic, simulated workplace 
scenarios and case studies.
• Incorporation of regulatory information relating to licensing which applies to some qualifications.
• Tailoring program outcomes to meet the organizational training needs of the enterprise without 
compromising the Training Package requirements.
• Creating assessment activities that require the student to conduct specific research relating to industry 
situations and occurrences.
• Provide a realistically simulated workplace within BLC’s facilities.

Assessment arrangements

At the beginning of each unit, your assessor will go through the arrangements and requirements of the assessment.

At this time you will:

• be provided with detailed assessment instructions for each task and requirement, including the criteria that you’ll be assessed against
• be informed of relevant due dates and timings of assessments
• your assessor will go through all of the arrangements with you and answer any questions you may have about the process

Submitting your assessments

Written assessment tasks must be accompanied by a completed and signed Assessment Task Cover Sheet. The cover sheet includes a declaration that the work is your own. Written tasks will not be accepted without a signed cover sheet.

Assessments should be submitted directly to either your trainer or assessor (as advised during induction).

You must keep a copy of all tasks that you submit. Submitted copies will be kept in your file as evidence so we are therefore unable to return them. Additionally, BLC cannot be held responsible for any items lost during postal or electronic submission. In the event of this happening, you will be asked to re-submit your work.

Written work will be marked within 30 days of receipt. Your assessor will provide you with written feedback and confirm the outcome of the task on the Task Cover Sheet. In some cases, assessments are randomly selected for moderation and validation, so the results may not be readily available. Results will be withheld until mandatory quality control checks are completed.

Assessment outcomes

Each assessment task will be given an outcome of either Satisfactory (S) or Not Satisfactory (NS). You must complete all tasks for a unit satisfactorily to achieve an overall outcome of Competent (C) for a unit. If one or more of your tasks are assessed as NS, you will be given an overall outcome for the unit of Not Yet Competent (NYC). You have two further attempts to complete the task and achieve a satisfactory rating. You will be given a timeframe for your resubmission and advised what you to include.

If, after the third attempt, you are still assessed as NS in a task, you will need to complete additional training and assessment to support you in achieving a C outcome. This may incur an additional fee (as identified in the fees and charges information).

Reasonable adjustment in assessment

Some students may require modifications during assessment due to disability, illness, or special considerations. This is called a reasonable adjustment.

Reasonable adjustment can involve:

• Making training and assessment resources and methods more accessible e.g. providing learner workbooks in an audio format or on different colored paper.
• Adapting physical facilities, the environment, or equipment e.g. setting up hearing loops.
• Making changes to the Assessment Arrangements e.g. more time allowed for assessments.
• Making changes to the way evidence for an assessment is gathered e.g. written questions asked orally

Please speak to your assessor if you think that you may need an adjustment to be made. Note that these adjustments are made at the discretion of your assessor and based on your identified needs.

Appealing assessment decisions

If you do not agree with an assessment decision, you can lodge an assessment appeal. Please refer to the Complaints and Appeals section of the handbook for information on how to lodge an appeal.

STUDENT PLAGIARISM, CHEATING AND COLLUSION

BLC has a zero-tolerance policy on plagiarism, cheating, and collusion. Students are expected to act with integrity at all times and only submit work that is their own and has been appropriately referenced, including acknowledgment of all resource materials used to research the work.

When you submit assessments, you will be required to sign a declaration that the work provided is your own and that you have not cheated or plagiarised the work, or colluded with other students.

If you are found to have plagiarised, cheated, or colluded, you will be given an opportunity to respond to the allegations. If you are found to have plagiarised, cheated, or colluded, we will be required to take disciplinary action, which is likely to result in retaking and resubmission of the assessment.

SUPPORT SERVICES

We are committed to ensuring that every Learner gets the support they need to be successful in their studies. You may not have studied for a while, or you might need help with study skills. You may also need assistance with skills such as reading, writing, and maths. The enrolment form and pre-training review or interview you complete will help us to identify any support that you may need. Depending on the course that you are enrolling on, you may also be required to complete a test to assess your language, literacy, and numeracy skills (LLN). Based on the information you provide in your enrolment and/or the results of this test, we will contact you to discuss your support needs.

Your support needs can also be discussed during your course induction.