• Section 1 - Purpose / Objectives
• Section 2 - Scope / Application
• Section 3 - Definitions
• Section 4 - Policy Statement
• Section 5 - Procedures
• Part A - Roles and Responsibilities
• Part B - Overview
• Part C - VUIT Three Year Plan - Validation of Assessment
• Part D - Determine Statistically Valid Sample Size
• Part E - Validation of Assessment: Program Area Plan
• Part F - Preparing for Validation
• Part G - Conducting the Validation Meeting
• Part H - Follow-Up from Validation Meetings
• Part I - Additional Requirements for Training and Education qualifications
• Section 6 - Guidelines

Section 1 - Purpose / Objectives

(1) This procedure outlines the requirements and processes for the effective validation of assessment used within national training package qualifications and VET accredited courses.

Section 2 - Scope / Application

(2) This procedure applies to all teaching areas and staff in VET programs within VUIT.

Section 3 - Definitions

(3) Refer to relevant definitions provided within the National Standards for Registered Training Organisations (2015).

(4) For the purpose of this procedure, Responsible Person refers to the staff member delegated by the Manager to be responsible for the validation of the required qualification according to the Program Area Plan.

Section 4 - Policy Statement

(5) See Student Assessment and Progress Policy.

Section 5 - Procedures

Part A - Roles and Responsibilities

Part B - Overview

(6) Assessment validation is an essential process to ensure the integrity of VET assessments at Victoria University and across the broader VET sector.

(7) All training products on VU's scope of registration must undergo a thorough validation at least once every three years.

(8) The validation activities covered by this procedure include validation of assessment tools, processes and judgements.

(9) Validation of teaching and assessment strategies with industry is not covered in this procedure. This process is part of the Industry Engagement Procedure.

(10) Validation must be led by individuals who have the requisite vocational competency and currency and training and assessment competency and currency, who were not part of the delivery and assessment being validated. This may mean that validators have to be sought outside VU. Note that in some cases, it may be necessary to share the lead validator role between two individuals to ensure that this requirement is met.

(11) Staff who have been part of the delivery and assessment of the units being validated may participate in the validation process but not in a leadership role.

(12) Additional requirements exist for the validation of qualifications from the Training and Education (TAE) training package.

(13) Rectifications and improvements identified in validation activities must be listed on the Continuous Improvement Register, along with appropriate actions, timelines and responsible parties. These must be monitored and signed off when completed.

(14) Rectifications and improvements identified in validation activities must be applied across the whole qualification, as appropriate.

Part C - VUIT Three Year Plan - Validation of Assessment

(15) This plan is the master plan for assessment validation activities across VUIT.

(16) The plan specifies:

1. The year and month by which validation must completed for each training product on Victoria University's Scope of Registration, based on a risk framework. Some qualifications are validated more than once in the three year cycle.
2. The number of units that must be validated for each training product. (This figure is determined based on 20% of the units being delivered in the program, rounded up to the nearest whole number, to a maximum of 5 units)

(17) This plan is published on the VUIT Course Compliance page at (http://intranet.vu.edu.au/VUIT/Course%20Compliance.asp).

Part D - Determine Statistically Valid Sample Size

(18) Annually in January the Vice-President must determine the statistically valid sample proportion of student assessments for validation purposes. The process is:

1. Obtain the total number of completed VET unit enrolments for VUIT in the previous year. This means the total number of unit enrolments that have outcomes of competent, not competent, RPL granted or RPL not granted.
2. Access the website www.raosoft.com/samplesize.html (as recommended in the User Guide to the Standards for RTOs)
3. Margin of error: 5% (default)
4. Confidence limits: 99% (change from default)
5. Population size, N: enter the number of completed unit enrolments obtained in step a. above
6. Response distribution: 50% (default)

(19) Record the recommended sample size, S.

(20) Calculate the sample proportion P, by dividing S by N and converting to percentage . Round result to 2 decimal places. Where P is less than 2%, round up to 2%.

(21) The resulting figure, P, becomes the proportion of all unit completions to be validated for each qualification or course for the current year.

Part E - Validation of Assessment: Program Area Plan

(22) For each teaching program area, Managers must develop a TAFE Validation of Assessment Plan that is consistent with VUIT's Three Year Plan for Validation of Assessment.

Part F - Preparing for Validation

(23) For each training product, a Responsible Person must be nominated. This person must

1. hold vocational competence and currency as well as training and assessment competency and currency
2. not have been involved in the specific delivery or assessment of the assessments being validated.

(24) The responsible person must

1. identify relevant, qualified persons to participate in the validation process
2. negotiate and communicate the appropriate time and place for the validation meeting to occur (validation meetings should be 2-3 hrs in duration)
3. Select the units to be validated. The number of units required is specified on VUIT's Three Year Plan for Validation of Assessment. The units must be selected based on a risk framework that includes consideration of:
   1. licencing requirements
   2. health and safety factors
   3. industry feedback
   4. history of complaints, concerns raised in learner or teacher/assessor feedback or other issues
   5. prior validation of units
   6. core or elective
   7. learner profile (eg international onshore students, delivered offshore etc)
4. Select student files to be validated
   1. Access report through VU Connect
   2. Enter the Course Code and Unit Code
   3. The report will generate a random sample of student IDs and names of those who have completed the unit within the previous 6 month period. The report will limit the number of names on the list to the number required according to the statistically valid sample proportion, as described in Part C above.
   4. Where RPL is used for the relevant unit, and no RPL completions have been included in the random samples, an additional student RPL file should be added to the sample.
5. Where external validators are to be included, provide each external validator with an electronic copy of the TAFE Validator Competence Verification Form and request that they bring certified copies or originals of evidence of competence to the meeting.
6. Prepare documentation for validation meeting. These can be electronic, printed or a mixture of both.
   1. Course development plan/s (if more than one cohort)
   2. Course information handbook/s
   3. For each unit
      • Assessment map
      • Unit or Cluster Guide
      • Assessment tools (including assessor guide and assessment record book)

Part G - Conducting the Validation Meeting

(25) Collect completed TAFE Validator Competence Verification forms from any external participants and ensure evidence is attached. These documents become part of the validation record to be stored on file.

(26) The form TAFE Validation of Assessment Tools, Process and Judgements must be used to guide the validation meeting, and each participant should be provided with copies.

1. Where units are clustered for the purpose of assessment, a single form may be used for the cluster
2. Otherwise, units must be documented on different forms

(27) Appoint one validator as the official note taker.

(28) Work through the form checking for each item whether or not the evidence is there to support compliance. Note evidence of compliance and non-compliance as appropriate, and also identify opportunities for improvement.

(29) At the end of the meeting, compile a list of the agreed rectifications or improvements that have been identified, seeking input from all validators.

(30) All validators should sign the official version of the validation form. Alternatively, these may be typed up following the meeting and distributed electronically to all participants for their email approval.

Part H - Follow-Up from Validation Meetings

(31) Collate the documentation and provide to the Responsible Person

(32) Scan the relevant documentation:

1. TAFE Validator Competence Verification Forms and supporting documentation
2. Final validation meeting record on the TAFE Validation of Assessment Tools, Process and Judgements form.
3. The course documentation that was considered in the validation process (note that these should already be in electronic format)

(33) Save the scanned / electronic documentation onto the Y:drive designated validation folder for the program area. Use the filename VAL MtgRec.

(34) File the physical copies of the above in the location designated by your Manager.

(35) Provide the list of identified rectifications and improvements, and suggested actions to the Manager to ensure that they are added to the Continuous Improvement Register.

(36) Managers must work with relevant staff to ensure actions identified as part of the validation process are fully implemented. Even though only a small number of units from the qualification are officially validated at each meeting, rectifications and improvements identified should be made to all units delivered as part of the program, as appropriate.

Part I - Additional Requirements for Training and Education qualifications

(37) Validation must be led by an external, independent validator. This person is not an employee of Victoria University and also took no part in the delivery or assessment of the qualifications being validated.

(38) The external validator must hold a qualification at Diploma level or above from the TAE10 training package or any other diploma in adult education.

Section 6 - Guidelines

(39) Visual Summary of TAFE Assessment Validation Procedure (link pending - see VE/FE Quality Sharepoint site)

(40) TAFE Validation of Assessment Program Area Plan (link pending - see VE/FE Quality Sharepoint site)

(41) TAFE Validation of Assessment Tools, Processes and Judgements (link pending - see VE/FE Quality Sharepoint site)

(42) TAFE Validator Competence Verification (link pending - see VE/FE Quality Sharepoint site)