An Introduction to Local Assessment for New Assessors

Please note: This event is a repeat of the previous FESS PD event ‘An Introduction to Local Assessment for New Assessors’ delivered online in 2020/2021.

The focus of the event is on supporting the assessor working in a further education and training environment, where the assessor is required to develop local assessment instruments and related documentation.

In advance of the event, a Powerpoint presentation with supporting documentation will be made available to those who have booked a place, with the expectation that they will review them prior to the event. The event will then facilitate new assessors to tease out the detail contained in the presentation and documentation. Those who log into the session will also be facilitated to ask questions and request clarification on issues relevant to their provision and/or context.

The following topics will be covered:

• An overview of the assessment process, including key milestones
• Ensuring an understanding of the standard associated with levels 1 – 6 of the National Framework of Qualifications (NFQ)
• Devising local assessment instruments (briefs and examination papers), marking schemes and outline solutions
• Making assessment judgements/decisions

The target audience for this event is: those assessing learners for the first time, using locally devised assessment instruments.

Facilitation: This event will be facilitated by FESS.

Please note: Pre-booking is essential. Please do not book onto this session unless you are sure that you will attend / have approval to attend (if required). If an emergency arises, please inform us ASAP (cpdcancellations@fess.ie) as we operate a waiting list system and if time allows we can offer your booked place to another person.

 Dates

Time 

 Venues

 Tuesday, 1st February 2022

10.00 - 12.00

Online
Link to the event will be emailed in advance
Please keep an eye on your Junk/Spam folder in case
the e-mail with the link to the online event ends up there.

 Unlocking the Potential of Rubrics in Teaching, Learning and Assessment

This new online event aims to assist FET staff in the development and use of rubrics to support teaching, learning and assessment activities. This is an interactive event where participants will be provided with information, have the opportunity to engage in discussion and participate in a rubric development workshop.

This event will:

• provide an overview of what we mean by rubrics
• explore the purpose, types and benefits of rubrics
• explore the use and relevance of rubrics for teaching, learning and assessment
• provide participants with the opportunity to begin the development of a rubric
• provide the opportunity to share some examples of rubrics for different purposes.

Learning together in this event will help us to consider the range of possibilities rubrics can bring to teaching, learning and assessment.

The target audience for this event is: FET staff including teachers, tutors, trainers, programme co-ordinators and QA staff.

Facilitation: This event will be facilitated by FESS.

Please note: Pre-booking is essential. Please do not book onto this session unless you are sure that you will attend / have approval to attend (if required). If an emergency arises, please inform us ASAP (cpdcancellations@fess.ie) as we operate a waiting list system and if time allows we can offer your booked place to another person.

 Dates

Time 

 Venues

Wednesday, 9th February 2022

14.00 - 16.00

Online
Link to the event will be emailed in advance
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the e-mail with the link to the online event ends up there.

   Marking

This new online event will focus on marking; from devising marking schemes as part of local assessment, to considering different approaches to aid in ensuring consistency of assessment across assessors.

This event will consider the following:

• Marking and quality assurance
• Devising marking schemes at levels 4-6 as part of the local assessment process
• Marking learners’ assessment work - Making assessment judgements/decisions and recording marking and marks
• Striving for consistency in assessment - Internally and with national standards

The target audience for this event is: While the first half of the event will be most relevant to those assessing learners using locally devised assessment instruments at NFQ levels 4 – 6, the remaining part of the event will be relevant to all those who assess learners in FET, as well as those who have a role in supporting the assessment process, within the provider.

Facilitation: This event will be facilitated by FESS.

Please note: Pre-booking is essential. Please do not book onto this session unless you are sure that you will attend / have approval to attend (if required). If an emergency arises, please inform us ASAP (cpdcancellations@fess.ie) as we operate a waiting list system and if time allows we can offer your booked place to another person.   

 Dates

Time 

 Venues

Tuesday, 1st March 2022

10.00 - 12.00

Online
Link to the event will be emailed in advance
Please keep an eye on your Junk/Spam folder in case
the e-mail with the link to the online event ends up there.

     Moodwatchers: The Psychology of Renewal

This is a brand new seminar with Shane Martin about psychological renewal as people adjust to living and working in uncertain times.

This pandemic has tested people like nothing we have ever experienced before. Our world has changed forever. Despite the success of the vaccination programme cases continue to rise. We cannot plan for the future with the degree of certainty we were accustomed to. There is a prevailing sense of insecurity affecting many people even at a subconscious level.

In this brand new seminar Shane will explore the psychological consequences of this pandemic and offer ways to learn from the experience and turn a new page. We need to take stock of what has happened but also move forward with a renewed focus on what matters about this life we live. We need to learn not only to rise to the challenges of COVID-19 but to the inevitable challenges that lie ahead. We need a sense of purpose in our life and work. We need to harness hope and resilience within ourselves.

Humans have an innate capacity to cope much better than they think. Some very simple strategies/habits can foster the traits we need for coping. This pandemic presents us with an opportunity to renew ourselves spirituality but also to help us balance our lives better. We can learn to relax better and tackle anxiety with more confidence.

This seminar is a ‘must have’ in the times we are living in.….

The target audience for this event is: FET staff including teachers, tutors, trainers, co-ordinators, managers.

Facilitation: This session will be facilitated by Shane Martin C.Psychol.Ps.S.I. , Chartered Psychologist of the Psychological Society of Ireland.
Shane is dedicated to teaching the very best evidence-based psychology to help people protect their mental health and enhance the quality of their lives, and has previously delivered a number of very successful sessions for FESS.
A leader within the area of education, he has visited hundreds of educational institutions nationwide working with management teams, teachers/lecturers, students and parents. As a former teacher he promotes realistic evidence-based interventions that can foster better mental health within whole school communities. He has been a keynote speaker at numerous conferences on a range of topics around wellbeing, positive mental health, recovery and happiness. He has been engaged by the Professional Development Service for Teachers (PDST), the Irish Primary Principals’ Network and the Centre for School Leadership. He has also been a guest lecturer at a number of universities in Ireland.

Please note: Pre-booking is essential. Please do not book onto this session unless you are sure that you will attend / have approval to attend (if required). If an emergency arises, please inform us ASAP (cpdcancellations@fess.ie) as we operate a waiting list system and if time allows we can offer your booked place to another person.

 Date

Time 

 Venue

Thursday, 10th March 2022

10.00 - 11.30

Online
Link to the event will be emailed in advance
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the e-mail with the link to the online event ends up there.

 Feedback to Learners on Summative Assessment Tasks

Please note: This event is a repeat of the previous FESS PD event ‘Feedback to Learners on Summative Assessment Tasks’ delivered online in 2020/2021.

The focus of this PD event is to support assessors in giving meaningful learner feedback on summative assessment tasks.

This live online event will tease out the purpose, approaches, principles, strategies, benefits and challenges associated with giving feedback to learners. It will also provide space for participants to explore, discuss and share their experiences of what works well when providing learners with feedback on their summative assessment tasks.

The target audience for this event is: FET assessors or those in a co-ordination and/or quality assurance role.

Facilitation: This event will be facilitated by FESS.

Please note: Pre-booking is essential. Please do not book onto this session unless you are sure that you will attend / have approval to attend (if required). If an emergency arises, please inform us ASAP (cpdcancellations@fess.ie) as we operate a waiting list system and if time allows we can offer your booked place to another person.

 Dates

Time 

 Venues

 Tuesday, 15th March 2022

10.00 - 12.00

Online
Link to the event will be emailed in advance
Please keep an eye on your Junk/Spam folder in case
the e-mail with the link to the online event ends up there.

  Priority Skills for the Future - the FET Perspective

This session will look at the context of the Future of Work and how changed working practices precipitated by the pandemic have impacted people. It will address employer skills needs in an environment of accelerated change and focus on how education/FET is well placed to address these skills for learners.

Some research will be shared around the priority skills needed and how these skills can be best developed.

The session will also look at the value of intercultural education as an accelerator to the acquisition of these skills.

The target audience for this event is: FET staff including teachers, tutors, trainers, co-ordinators, managers.

Facilitation: This session will be facilitated by Marie Cleary.
Marie is founder and director at ThirdSpace Consultants. She has extensive experience working with senior management and their teams to deliver strategic management interventions, facilitate change, develop leaders and build high performance teams. Before moving into Consulting, Marie was a teacher of Music and English at second level for 10 years. Her 20+ years Consulting career has spanned both public and private sector internationally. Her qualifications in Business, Education, Finance and Psychology, coupled with her previous roles in management of EU funding, gives her an expansive skillset to work in a variety of settings. She is currently completing Doctoral Studies on Future Skills. Marie is a coaching psychologist with extensive experience as an executive coach and has worked at a senior level to assist clients resolve challenging issues, build resilience and enhance leadership capability. Marie is passionate about intercultural education and is closely connected to the work of Leargas across the fields of Youth, Further Education and School Education.

Please note: Pre-booking is essential. Please do not book onto this session unless you are sure that you will attend / have approval to attend (if required). If an emergency arises, please inform us ASAP (cpdcancellations@fess.ie) as we operate a waiting list system and if time allows we can offer your booked place to another person.

 An Introduction to Programme Development

Since QQI published Policies and Criteria for the Validation of Programmes of Education and Training, 2017 a number of FET providers have successfully developed programmes for validation by QQI. This online event is for those people who are new to programme development and want to get some information about the aforementioned policies and criteria.

This event will focus on:

• The main precepts of the QQI Policies and Criteria for the Validation of Programmes of Education and Training document
• The different types of FET programmes that may be developed by providers
• QQI toolkits to support providers developing FET programmes
• The programme development/validation process

The target audience for this event is: Those who are new to programme development, as it pertains to QQI Policies and Criteria for the Validation of Programmes of Education and Training, 2017.

Facilitation: This event will be facilitated by FESS.

Please note: Pre-booking is essential. Please do not book onto this session unless you are sure that you will attend / have approval to attend (if required). If an emergency arises, please inform us ASAP (cpdcancellations@fess.ie) as we operate a waiting list system and if time allows we can offer your booked place to another person.

   Reimagining your Course – The move to Blended Learning

In Autumn/Winter 2020, FESS partnered with H2 Learning to provide an online learning opportunity for FET practitioners. As providers continue to find themselves in a position where learners are accessing their learning online, this course will continue to be available, subject to demand.

As blended learning becomes more common place across the sector, this course will support educators in improving the quality of their online offerings to learners. The goal of the course is to help participants to create a plan for moving some elements of their course or module online.

The course consists of a series of four online sessions that will allow participants to reimagine their course/module to include online learning. Participants will have a blended learning experience where they will participate in a mix of synchronous and asynchronous learning activities.

Participants will initially undertake three asynchronous sessions in their own time and it is expected that each session will take up to 30 minutes. The three sessions are as follows:

1. Reflecting on Covid-19 - Where we came from and where we might go?
2. Blended Learning - What might it look like in your context?
3. Designing Blended Learning - The Foundations of Learning Design

These three sessions will be followed by a fourth session – a live online reimaging workshop. The goal of the workshop is that participants will have a process and a structure by which they can design blended learning that meets their learners’ needs. Please note: once you have completed the asynchronous material, you will be required to register your interest in the live online workshop. Details regarding this will be e-mailed to you.

This live online workshop will be available to FET practitioners that have completed the previous 3 asynchronous sessions. It is expected that participants will have had time to reflect and begin planning their learning designs in advance of the live workshop. This session will take place on Zoom and will be 2 hours long. The live online workshop will:

• focus on designing a blended learning approach for a programme, module or a centre
• be discussion based and it will use elements of the ABC Learning Framework, Microsoft 21 CLD materials and other appropriate tools
• facilitate discussion and sharing of participants’ designs

The live online workshop will only take place when there is sufficient demand and will be offered to groups of no more than 60 participants.

Target audience: FET practitioners including course co-ordinators, teachers, trainers, tutors involved in the delivery of blended programmes

Facilitation: Dr. Michael Hallisey, H2 Learning and FESS

Date: A link to the asynchronous elements of the course will be forwarded to the person who registers for this PD event. The live online workshop will be scheduled as soon as there is sufficient demand.

Self-directed learning for the three asynchronous sessions.

Intake for this course is ongoing.

The fourth session, the live online workshop, will be based on demand.

 Online
Link to the online material will be emailed in advance
Please keep an eye on your Junk/Spam folder in case
the e-mail with the link to the online event ends up there.

    Reimagining your Assessment for Remote Learners

This course complements the existing FESS/H2 Learning Reimagining your course – the move to blended learning course which focused primarily on blending the delivery of your course. The main aim of this new course is to get people thinking about their current formative and summative assessment plans and consider ways of conducting the assessment differently.

Content covered will include some underpinning principles and theoretical perspectives, quality assurance considerations and a range of case studies from across the FET sector. 

This course comprises a set of pre-recorded resources that participants can engage with in their own time (asynchronous).

We would like to acknowledge the valuable contribution made by FET practitioners, from across the FET sector, for sharing their experience through the case studies included in this course.

Target audience: FET practitioners including course coordinators, teachers, trainers, tutors involved in the assessment of learners.

Facilitation: FESS with Dr. Michael Hallisey, H2 Learning

Self-directed learning for the 3 asynchronous sessions

Intake for this course is ongoing.

 Online
Link to the online material will be emailed within a few days of  registering
Please keep an eye on your Junk/Spam folder in case
the e-mail with the link ends up there.