Programmatic assessment as an engine for growth and development

Remember the excitement and stress surrounding exams? Those trembling hands, that dry mouth…. That no longer needs to be the case. Testing does not have to instill fear; rather, it can act as an engine for growth and development. The key question, however, is: how do we realize this? Could programmatic assessment be the answer?

The disadvantage of isolated moments of evaluation

Traditional assessment and examination methods are often questioned. Take the paradigm of momentary, isolated moments of evaluation. Such snapshots provide only a fragmentary view of a candidate‘s actual competencies, while the impact on their professional career can be enormous. Is sixty minutes of testing enough to predict a professional’s future success? That seems an unlikely task.

An alternative approach: programmatic assessment

There is an alternative that has received increasing attention in recent years: programmatic assessment. This method is not only about knowledge transfer, but also about growth, development and self-awareness of the candidate.

What does programmatic assessment entail?

Programmatic assessment involves tracking the candidate over a period of time and charting his or her progress. It emphasizes feedback and learning, rather than just a final assessment. Moreover, it helps a candidate direct his or her own learning.

Tips on implementing programmatic assessment

Implementing programmatic assessment can present challenges. Keep these tips in mind.

1. Make clear agreements about requirements and measurement times. It is important that candidates understand that this method does not mean that they must be “always alert.
2. Guide candidates carefully as they learn, as well as collect information about their learning outcomes. Discuss interim results to promote learning. Providing feedback and creating a safe learning environment are essential here.
3. Separation of roles is important as in traditional review. It is important for the candidate to know who is assessing them and who is guiding them in their learning process.

The complexities and challenges

While programmatic assessment has great potential to change the way we learn (and test), it also brings a number of challenges. First of all, it takes a lot of time for both candidates and evaluators because they are constantly engaged in the cycle of giving and receiving feedback. In addition, implementing this way of testing is not an easy task; it requires substantial adjustments to the traditional way of testing. Finally, programmatic assessment creates an enormous amount of data. To properly understand and use all this information, it is important that you can handle data analysis well.