Spotlight 8: Online Assessor Support

Welcome. NZQA have developed a range of online courses and workshops to support teachers with the assessment of internally-assessed standards. We've produced a short video to explain how you can access this content via our online learning management system, Pūtake. I'll also explain what each course contains and how enrolment works.

The courses are free and can be completed at your own pace, at times convenient to you. There are a wide variety of e-learning modules available, some of which can be seen on the screen now. These modules include subject-specific, bite-sized, and short courses focusing on a variety of subjects and standards, and several online Making Assessor Judgment courses which are based on our best practice workshops. We also have other generic modules. We will continue to expand the range over time in response to sector feedback.

Let's look now at how you can access the courses. You can access the modules via the NZQA subject resources page. Let's select Geography to get started. Click on Online Assessor Support. Several resources are available for this subject. To log in to Pūtake, you need to use your education sector login. The delegated authorizer in your school will need to assign you an NZQA LMS teacher role for you to be able to get access. If you need help, you can contact Education Services about this.

Let's log in now. Click the link to go to Pūtake and then select login via ESL. Once you've been redirected to the ESL page, you can enter your details. This is your home dashboard where you can access many different types of activities.

I'll provide some detail about these courses now. Bite-sized modules are subject-specific, self-enrolled, self-paced modules focusing on a variety of subjects and standards. These modules are intended to be short bursts of information and activities focusing on particular aspects of achievement standards. The modules can take up to sixty minutes to complete and assessors can access the materials and activities as many times as desired.

Let's look more closely at what's available. We currently have 33 bite-sized modules available, with more being added. A range of subjects and topics are covered. Each module has a different focus and activities. Here is a Chemistry module for standard 91911. The purpose of this module is to increase assessor confidence in awarding the correct level of achievement based on the significance aspect of standard 91911. For this module, you'll complete two short activities in 30 minutes.

Let's head back to your home dashboard to look at the short courses. Our short courses contain more content and can take up to 120 minutes to complete. We have around 30 short courses currently online with more being added over the next few months. Just like the bite-sized modules, they're free and can be enrolled in at any time. These modules can all be paused, resumed, and then completed at your own pace. There is a wide range of topics to support teachers in their assessment of internal standards.

Let's look at a short course. Simply enrol in the course and begin learning. Remember, you can pause at any time and come back to the module later if you need to. Remember, you can give feedback too. We need your feedback to help us provide you with what you need.

Let's head back to your home dashboard and look at the Making Assessor Judgment workshops. These are introductory workshops that provide assessors with support to make and justify assessment decisions confidently and reliably by examining real examples of student work. The workshops are divided up into modules covering two or three standards and have various activities and resources focusing on key aspects of making assessment decisions in the chosen achievement standard.

These workshops repeat throughout the year, starting on the 21st of June, the 26th of July, the 30th of August, and others later in the year. These workshops run over several weeks and you can enroll in one at a time that suits you. You can enroll now for the next workshop. Once the course starts, the activities can be completed at any time. However, we recommend that they're done in the order provided.

The modules each take approximately 120 minutes to complete, and the activities can be repeated as many times as necessary. This means you get a chance to learn, reflect, practice, and then go back to complete the content if needed. You'll be making judgments on full examples of student work. You can self-enroll and work at your own pace once the course starts.

We're also offering the Transforming Assessment Praxis, or TAP course. It's aimed at providing you with strategies to modify existing resources and to explore different and valid ways of collecting evidence. The workshop features activities, videos, and professional readings and encourages feedback from colleagues via formal and informal collaboration. The content is geared towards practical, research-based ideas and resources. TAP is designed to use self-reflection and discussion of participants as an important catalyst for change. This workshop allows participants to learn and then trial assessment strategies that they can easily implement with their learners.

Why not enroll now? We also have workshops running in July, August, and October. Please take some time to look at what courses are available. Remember, more will be added throughout the year, so keep checking Pūtake to stay up-to-date.

Finally, please tell your colleagues about the courses. And remember, we need your feedback to help us develop courses that will help you. Thank you.