The Importance of Quality Assurance in the Assessment Process

Ensuring the reliability of assessment decisions and consistency:

• The need for a system to monitor and evaluate the assessment process to ensure its reliability cannot be overemphasised. The same standard must apply to all learners to avoid partiality and inconsistency in the process. This must be seen to be true or done by the learners to maintain faith in the process. This would minimise complaints against the assessor or the institution as a whole.

Fairness to individual candidates:

• It is not unusual for students to submit the works of other students/people as their own. Quality assurance ensures that hardworking and diligent students are not disadvantaged because there is no policy about plagiarism. Also, it ensures that support is available and provided for all learning needs. Extra or additional time for submitting assignments must be given to students with exam access arrangements. This includes the use of assistive technology and/or rest breaks for such learners. Fairness to individual students ensures inclusivity and prevents discrimination lawsuits from being brought against the institution.

Upholding the credibility of assessment processes and decisions:

• Quality assurance is important to ensure the validity of the qualification being awarded to the learners. It is needed to confirm that the works of the students have been quality assured to the appropriate standard. If this has not been suitably carried out, the Awarding Body can prevent the institution/learning centre from awarding their qualifications to the students. Also, the bad reputation or news that may come from this can damage the institution and prevent future financial gains.

Reference/Bibliography

• Davies, A. and Stiling, L. (2021) TAQA – training assessment and quality assurance [PowerPoint presentation]. 22 October.

• Gravells, A. (2014) Achieving your assessment & quality assurance units (TAQA). 2nd edn. London: Learning Matters SAGE.

• Walters, P. (2019) The importance of quality assurance. Available at: https://www.tquk.org/2019/10/04/the-importance-of-quality-assurance/ (Accessed: 20 December 2021)