Links to the Videos on Youtube

Professional Discussion as an assessment method – Webinar Questions and Answers relating to CMI’s first broadcast on 24th February 2016

Links to the videos on YouTube

Poor example

Good example

Question:

Is it acceptable to conduct a professional discussion by telephone, when recording of both sides of the conversation would not be possible? Not all candidates have access to Skype and prefer to use a telephone, but even a transcript would be one sided?

CMI response: This type of discussion would need to be transcribed by another assessor, so the discussion would need to be on a speaker phone so that they could hear both sides. The main assessor would be discussing things with the candidate and the other would be taking detailed notes/transcripts. These would need to be signed by the assessor and the candidate to confirm that they are a true record of the discussion.

Question:

Does the style of Professional Discussion change depending on the level being assessed?

CMI response: Possibly, it really depends on your candidate but the key points remain the same, the candidates lead the discussion, they are still expected to prepare in depth for their discussions and they must provide supporting evidence against the assessment criteria for which they are being assessed.

Question:

Can all Centres use Professional Discussions, even Registered Centres who use the External Marking Service?

CMI response: Currently, Registered Centres cannot use this method unless reasonable adjustments have been approved by their Quality Manager.

Question:

Hasthe take-up of these assessment methods increased?

CMI Response: No. Most centres use assignment writing as their approach to assessment. We are trying to promote a diversity of assessment methods to respect Learner choice and to demonstrate the flexibility of CMI Qualifications.

Question:

Marking sheets don’t currently have sections for signatures of Assessor, Internal Verifier or candidates. Is this changing based upon what you have said?

CMI response: The briefs and marking sheets we provide on our website are for our External Assessment Service so they are designed for use by our internal marking team and we have alternative internal methods of identifying the marker and date. However, if you are using them in your Centres, and we do encourage this, please change the forms to reflect your Quality Assurance roles in your Centre and ensure all assessment documentation is signed and dated.

Question:

Would a Skype discussion between remote sites, if adequately recorded etc, serve as acceptable evidence if accompanied by the relevant documents?

CMI response: Yes, definitely. It would still need to be mapped to the criteria with time indicators so that the Internal Verifier and Moderator can go straight to the part of the recording they are sampling but so long as this is done, Skype recordings would work well.

Question:

How do we avoid leading the candidate when we have someone with additional learning needs? The candidate may only have limited language issues.

CMI response: Candidates cannot be led regardless of their ability or language challenges. This applies to all methods of assessment and leading a candidate can constitutemalpractice. Where you consider a candidate to have a particular learning need(this may mean changing an assessment method or the medium it is submitted in) you need to review your internal and CMI’s Reasonable Adjustment policy (available on our website) and contact your Quality Manager for discussion and approval. Where English is not the candidate’s first language, there is guidance in the Centre Handbook as to the level of English required to be able to undertake our qualifications. Poor use of English language is not a justifiable reason for leading a candidate.Candidates must produce their own evidence that they have met the assessment criteria.