LINKup Validated Self Assessment (simulation)

This is your chance to experience ‘first-hand’ a LINKup Employability Skills Assessment and to check your understanding of the ‘Validated Self Assessment’ process.

What to do....

(*HINT: Listen to all the Audio Explanations for assistance.
QuickTime plugin is required - get QuickTime)

Click here for an explanation.

1. ENTER your name on this form

2. CONSIDER your performance in ‘Using Information’ from the Discover and Investigate stages of the LINKup Tour.

3. SELF-ASSESS yourself by selecting the best evidence statements from drop-down menus for each Level 1 criteria (shown in RED).

4. SUBMIT FOR VALIDATION and read all the feedback carefully!

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Validated Self Assessment

Using Information

Name
Assessment Activity	LINKup Website
Date
To achieve validation you must satisfy the criteria for your Nominated Performance Level. (NOTE: Assessor may accept up to TWO criteria achieved at a different Performance Level OR not achieved)

Nominated Performance Level	(Tick the 'dominant' level performed in your Assessment Activity)
Level 1 - follow given guidelines to achieve set goals Use established procedures to collect, record and organise information from given sources, and check the information for relevance and completeness.
c Level 2 – choose from a range of strategies and resources to achieve the best possible results Clarify the purpose of the information and then obtain the required information from a variety of sources, choose appropriate ways to organise it and assess the relevance and completeness of the information.
c Level 3 – create new or modify existing strategies to meet the wider needs of a real-life context Define the purpose of the information and then use initiative to determine suitable sources and organise relevant information obtained from them. Evaluate the relevance, completeness and quality of this information.

Stage 1 - DEFINE the Purpose

1.1 Determine exactly what information is required and the criteria it must meet Prepare a checklist of criteria that the information must meet. This will help you know when you have found all the information required. It may include special considerations like cultural, ethical, privacy and confidentiality responsibilities

Level 1 Identify exactly what criteria or objectives your information must meet

c Level 2 Develop a checklist of criteria that the required information must meet

c Level 3 Define detailed criteria for the required information including any special needs for your specific context

Sample of evidence: Select appropriate evidence The information must meet the LINKup Objectives listed in the Investigate section. For me to understand Employability Skills Assessment. The information must suit my particular situation so I defined my own criteria for my needs (attached).

Stage 2 - PLAN a Strategy

2.1 Recall previous similar experiences of accessing & using information What have you learned from past experiences that might help you plan your approach to locating and using information?

Level 1 Identify previous similar experiences of accessing and using information

c Level 2 Recall successful techniques used previously to access and use information

c Level 3 Recall successful techniques used previously especially how you applied them to specific real-life situations

Sample of evidence: Select appropriate evidence Internet can be used to effectively and efficiently search for and access information. I did a First Aid course online (http://www.stjohn.org.au/firstaid/index.html) a bit like LINKup. Refer to my attached Certificate II that I recently completed.

2.2 Plan a strategy to access and use information HOW will you find the required information? What strategy were you given, or will you develop? What types of resources & search tools will you use? How will you analyse & organise the information? What are the benefits of your approach?

Level 1 Identify the steps to access and use information using given guidelines or common methods

c Level 2 Prepare a strategy to locate and organise relevant information from a range of given resources

c Level 3 Develop a comprehensive strategy to locate and organise the best information possible from a diverse range of resources and justify your approach

Sample of evidence: Select appropriate evidence The LINKup website provided a clear set of steps like a guided tour through the required information. I am good at accessing information from websites like this. The steps for performing a Validated Self Assessment are in the LINKup ­ how to do it Powerpoint.

Stage 3 - IMPLEMENT the Strategy

3.1 Locate and retrieve information Now start actively searching for, and collecting, your information using your strategy. This involves using search tools such as library catalogs, internet search engines, indexes and contents lists, abstracts or perhaps asking library staff.

Level 1 Follow given instructions or standard procedures to locate and record specified information

c Level 2 Use common information search tools and techniques to locate a variety of different relevant sources and extract required information

c Level 3 Use many information search tools and techniques to identify diverse resources and closely examine and extract information directly relevant to your specific needs

Sample of evidence: Select appropriate evidence I followed every step on the website (printouts of activities attached) & passed the Self Check Assessment. I passed the Self Check Assessment in my first attempt. I decided to use Google to search the internet and found information from many different sites.

3.2 Analyse and organise information into meaningful categories For information to be useful it must be well organised. You may have been given specific categories or questions to guide you. Or you may need to manipulate it and create new and unique categories to organise and use it effectively.

Level 1 Examine and sort information into given, or standard, categories or to answer set questions

c Level 2 Analyse information and select categories or structures to organise the information meaningfully

c Level 3 Critically analyse information and create a framework of categories to meet all criteria and address all special considerations for your context

Sample of evidence: Select appropriate evidence The categories used for the information in this website are Discover, Investigate, Try and Reflect. I completed all activities in each of the given categories including Discover, Investigate, Try and Reflect. I used the given categories of Discover, Investigate, Try and Reflect to collate my notes and info (attached)

3.3 Information ethics Show respect for ‘intellectual property’ by fully acknowledging the source and ownership of all information. This means listing all sources of information in a Reference List. Direct quotes must be correctly acknowledged and referenced.

Level 1 Include a ‘Reference List’ acknowledging all given information sources

c Level 2 Produce a ‘Reference List’ acknowledging all selected information sources

c Level 3 Fully acknowledge all sources of information using a formal referencing convention demonstrating your respect for intellectual property

Sample of evidence: Select appropriate evidence The website itself clearly indicates TAFE SA as the source of all this information. A Reference List is included with my attached notes. A 'Reference List' is not necessary for information gathered from 'Training' websites like this one.

Stage 4 - EVALUATE the Result

4.1 Evaluate the information Does your information meet all the criteria on your checklist? Also, try to judge the quality of your information by considering how reliable, up-to-date, authentic, accurate, unbiased etc your sources are.

Level 1 Check the information meets all the criteria on your checklist

c Level 2 Assess information for relevance and completeness by using your criteria checklist and by considering the credibility of the sources of information accessed

c Level 3 Evaluate the relevance and completeness of information against your criteria checklist (including special considerations for your specific context) and it’s quality and validity by considering the credibility of all sources used

Sample of evidence: Select appropriate evidence I have definitely met all the criteria through this website. I passed the Self Check assessment (printout attached and signed by manager) to verify that criteria was met. I am now confident to perform LINKup Assessments so I have met all the criteria!

4.2 Reflect on the process of gaining this information How effective were your search strategies and the ways in which you used your information? What improvements would you suggest for next time? What other information search tools and strategies could you use? How useful was the information once you had organised it.

Level 1 Note what parts of the process worked well and any problems experienced in accessing information

c Level 2 Comment on the effectiveness of your choice of information tools, selected resources and chosen categories to organise the information

c Level 3 Examine your particular search strategy and your approach to creating meaningful frameworks for organising it and suggest improvements

Sample of evidence: Select appropriate evidence The self-paced nature of the website was great and I completed it on my own with no major problems. The information was very detailed, relevant and interesting and answered all my questions about this topic. I had a few problems running the video and printing my assessment sheets.