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Validation Policy

Fact box

Purpose

The purpose of this policy is to ensure the quality review of the assessment process in Vocational Education and Training (VET) courses. Pre-use validation ensures that assessment tools are fit for purpose before student use. Validation of assessment practices ensures that assessment practices and judgments made are consistent and produce valid, reliable, sufficient, current and authentic evidence to meet the requirements of the relevant VET course. Validation helps to maintain consistency across all delivery methods and locations, and identify improvements.

Scope

This Policy applies to all VET courses delivered by Alphacrucis University College (AC) and its third-party partners.

Policy

Definition

  1. Assessment: The process of collecting evidence and making judgements on whether competency has been achieved against the requirements of a training product. Evidence and judgements must align with the Principles of Assessment (i.e., fairness, flexibility, validity, and reliability) and the Rules of Evidence (i.e., valid, sufficient, authentic, and current).  
  2. Assessment Tool: The materials used to gather and judge evidence of competence (e.g., assessor/learner instructions, instruments, benchmarks/marking guides, mapping, thirdparty reports, and recording tools). 
  3. Validation: The quality review of the assessment process after the assessment has occurred. Validation involves checking that the assessment tool/s produce/s valid, sufficient, current and authentic evidence to enable reasonable judgements to be made as to whether the requirements of the training package or VET accredited courses are met. It includes reviewing a statistically valid sample of the assessments and making recommendations for future improvements to the assessment tool, process and/or outcomes and acting upon such recommendations. 
  4. Pre-Use Validation of Assessment Tools: A systematic review conducted before assessment tools are issued to students to ensure assessment can be conducted in a way that is consistent with the Principles of Assessment and Rules of Evidence, and that tools are fitforpurpose (aligned to the training product, clear for the intended cohort, include adequate assessor/learner instructions, and provide reliable benchmarks/marking criteria). 
  5. Validation Plan: A documented plan that specifies who will lead/participate, which training products are in scope, when validation will occur, and how outcomes will be recorded and acted on. 

Policy

Validation 
AC will maintain a Validation Plan which outlines:

  1. who will lead and participate in validation activities; 
  2. which training package or accredited course will be the focus of the validation; 
  3. when assessment validation will occur; 
  4. what validation tools will be used; and 
  5. how the outcomes of the validation will be documented and acted upon to continuously improve assessment. 

The relevant VET Program Director will develop a systematic validation schedule for each course under their supervision to be validated at least once every five years, with at least 50% of the units validated within the first three years, and on a more frequent basis where there are risks to training outcomes, changes to training product or feedback from VET students, trainers, assessors, and/or industry. 

At least two units of competency should be sampled when validating a qualification. 

The VET Program Director will nominate the lead validator and relevant members of the validation team who are not directly involved in the particular instance of delivery or design of the assessment tools of the training product being validated, including the VET Program Director or Head of School if the VET Program Director has been directly involved in the particular instance of delivery assessment judgement. Where the validation relates to delivery in a LOTE, the external validator shall be bilingual in both A and B (normally English) languages. 

Validations must consist of at least two people comprising of people who collectively have: 

  1. Industry competencies, skills and knowledge relevant to the training product being validated;
  2. A current understanding of the relevant industry;
  3. One of the following validation credentials:
    1. TAE40122/TAE40116/TAE40110 Certificate IV in Training and Assessment;
    2. TAESS00019/TAESS00011/TAESS00001 Assessor Skill Set;
    3. Diploma or higher in adult education or VET;
    4. Secondary teaching qualification with TAESS00011/TAESS00019/TAESS00024; and
  4. At least one person not directly involved in the delivery or design of the particular unit being validated.

Industry experts may be involved in validation to ensure the combination of expertise outlined above is present.

If AC has training and assessment units on scope, independent validation will occur as per the requirements of Standards 1.5 and the Credential Policy.

The outcomes of the validation will be reported to the Learning and Teaching Committee.

 

Pre-use Validation of Assessment Tools
AC will ensure that all assessment tools are reviewed prior to students’ use to ensure assessment can be conducted in a way that is consistent with the principles of assessment and rules of evidence

 

Review and Revision
This policy will be reviewed by the Chair of the Learning and Teaching Committee on a regular basis in accordance with the Policy Development and Review Policy. Any proposed changes will be tabled at the approving committee for considering. Revisions will be communicated to all relevant stakeholder once approved.

Related legislation

Outcome Standards for Registered Training Organisations 2025, specifically 1.5 (2) Compliance Requirements Instrument

National Vocational Education and Training Regulator (Compliance Standards for NVR Registered Training Organisations and Fit and Proper Person Requirements) Instrument 2025: Division 2 Standard 11

Credential Policy (Standards for Registered Training Organisations), specifically Section 3A Validator Credentials

Related documents

    1.  

VET Assessment Pre-Use Validation Form

Procedures

Validation Procedure

Validation of Assessment Practices and Judgements

  1. Validation will occur at least twice per year, of the units completed the previous delivery schedule in accordance with the validation schedule developed by the VET Program Director
  2. The VET Program Director will ensure that the appropriate persons are selected for the validation team.
  3. The VET Program Director will provide the following for each unit being validated:
    1. Unit Outline – which includes assessment expectations and assessment matrix;
    2. VET Academic Handbook; and
    3. selection of graded assignments for each assessment. The sample size will  be calculated using the validation sample size calculator (https://www.asqa.gov.au/resources/tools/validation-sample-size-calculator) or   modified where risks to training outcomes have been identified.
  1. Validators are required to:
  1. review the unit outline, course content and structure. They are to evaluate against the Principles of Assessment, Rules of Evidence, performance evidence, knowledge evidence and assessment conditions for the unit of competency being validated.
  2. review the graded assessments. This specifically refers to the Rules of Evidence; and complete the Validation Report.
  1. Once the report is complete, the lead validator will forward it to the Learning and Teaching Committee, with a report on any actions as a result from the validation.
  1. The Learning and Teaching Committee is to track and monitor validation outcomes and ensure implementation of any recommendations. The committee is also to review any systemic issues identified across multiple validations and take action to address these.

Validation of Assessment Tools Prior to Use
The Quality and Standards Department will coordinate the validation of all VET assessment tools with the VET Program Director before any student attempts the assessment.

Two designated validators, as per Credential Policy 1(B), are required to review each assessment tool using AC’s VET Assessment Pre‑Use Validation Form. The review must confirm that the tool meets training product requirements, assessment principles, and evidence rules.

The pre-validation report must be submitted to the Learning and Teaching Committee for oversight and governance purposes.

Validation Recordkeeping
The Quality and Standards Department is responsible for securely storing all validation reports and supporting documentation in accordance with organisational recordkeeping requirements.

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