Provider:

Open Training Institute Industry:

Business ServicesQualification:

BSB50207 Diploma of Business

Case Study

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About the providerOpen Training institute (OTI), is the Vocational Education and Training (VET) business of Open Universities Australia (OUA). OUA, which is owned by seven Australian universities, is an online provider of higher education courses. OUA has approximately 170 qualifications available online, which are provided by Australian universities and other education providers.

In December 2013, OUA launched OTI, a Registered Training Organisation, offering online VET qualifications. OTI provides over twenty different nationally recognised business qualifications at Certificate III and IV and Diploma level in areas such as customer service, marketing, management, sales, project management and human resources.

About the qualification and participantsOTI has created a virtual business, Australian Business and Management Association (ABMN), to use as a platform for the delivery of a range of qualifications including the BSB50207 Diploma of Business. ABMN provides a life like environment that mimics the dynamics and pressures of a modern business environment. ABMN is a modern work environment which:

• utilises technology to support communication and information sharing

• has many staff who work from home

• accommodates work life balance

• has documented policies and processes and mandatory staff induction

• is socially conscious and promotes equity and diversity.

ABMN comprises a range of departments. The qualifications offered by OTI are aligned to the ABMN departments. The departments include: Operations, Strategy, Marketing, Membership Services, Member products, New Ventures, and People Culture and Training.

Within this virtual environment learners are able to complete units of competency from a range of qualifications in the BSB Business Services Training Package.

OTI has identified two primary groups of online learners who are potential users of this learning pathway. The first group is learners who are motivated by the need to gain secure employment. This learner group tends to be under the age of 39. They are confident and motivated to study and study online. They tend to be full time learners who commit to at least 20 hours of study per week. The second group is learners who are seeking a career change. This learner group is more likely to be female. They are more likely to be employed on a part time basis and be lower income earners. This learner group is also more likely to be based in rural areas than the other learner groups.

About the assessmentLearners engage in the ABMN simulated work environment as employees, while assessors play the role of managers and any other staff the employee needs to engage with in order to complete their work tasks. ABMN has over 30 defined staff roles that are played by assessors during the assessment process.

The ABMN Manager being played by the assessor will vary depending on the qualification, for example in a Human Resources qualification the assessor will play the role of the Human Resource Manager. The ABMN Managers are defined ‘characters’ who appear on the ABMN organisational chart. The Learners are themselves but ‘role play’ their employment with ABMN. The ABMN employee role being played is related to the qualification the learners are enrolled in, for example in a Human Resources qualification the learner may play the role of a Human Resources Officer.

Prior to entering the simulated assessment environment, where they are communicated to as the ABMN employee only, learners are prepared for simulation by participating in the ABMN Induction program and reading a set of instructions which explain how the assessment is conducted.

Assessments are provided to learners in an email format and are written as a work instruction from the ABMN Manager. Upon entry into the simulated environment, learners arrive at their ABMN email inbox where they find their first email (simulated assessment task) from their ABMN Manger. The email describes a work task that the ABMN employee must complete. These tasks are designed to replicate workplace practices and processes and rely on documentation and resources that are typical for a business like ABMN. Completing a task may require the ABMN Employee to access documents, conduct research and prepare reports.

Once the ABMN employee has completed the task they send a reply to their ABMN Manager with the completed work attached. The ABMN employee then receives a response email from their ABMN Manager. Where the response to the email is not satisfactory the ABMN Manager may ask for revisions, changes or further information. Where the response to the email is satisfactory the ABMN Manager will send the ABMN employee the next email as required in the overall assessment plan. Upon receipt of the ABMN employee’s final email response the ABMN Manager sends an email advising that the required work has been completed and provides feedback on the completed tasks.

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Lesson learnedThree key features of the OTI’s simulation model that have relevance for other training providers are:

Ensuring that the simulated environment meets workplace conditionsThe Assessment Requirements for the Units of Competency in BSB50207 Diploma of Business generally require that assessment is conducted in a safe environment where evidence gathered demonstrates consistent performance of typical activities experienced in the relevant field of work and then goes on to list any key items that assessment candidates must have access to – this may include: organisational policies and procedures, reference materials and appropriate equipment. The assessment conditions statement normally does not specify whether the assessment may or may not be conducted in a simulated environment. The key point is that the assessment must be conducted under conditions, either in a real workplace or a simulated environment, which meets the conditions specified in the Assessment Requirements statement. OTI has been keen to ensure that all assessments in the BSB50207 Diploma of Business are conducted in a simulated environment that is as close to real workplace conditions as possible. To help define these conditions, OTI has developed a set of benchmarks for a simulated workplace environment in the business services sector. These benchmarks require assessment to be conducted within a simulated environment that requires learners to deal with key elements of a workplace. These include:

• equipment use

• workplace roles

• dealing with clients

• omitted information

• decision-making

• time pressures

• changing requirements

• competing priorities.

It is intended that by creating simulated environments that replicate these conditions learners will be able to display a range of essential skills required for employment. These include:

• Self-management including time management, priority management and organisational skills.

• Adaptability and an ability to respond to unexpected changes and directions.

• Communication skills appropriate to an increasingly mobile workforce.

• Independent decision-making, problem solving and information sourcing.

Confirming authenticity of assessment evidenceOTI has a Code of Ethics that includes a statement on academic conduct and plagiarism which states that OTI expects learners “… to maintain high standards of academic honesty and integrity, and consider the following to be examples of academic misconduct:

• Attempts to cheat in assessment tasks

• Plagiarism, copying content from learners or other sources

• Submitting work that’s not your own, or getting others to complete work

• Acting dishonestly in undertaking assessment tasks, and

• Assisting other learners to do any of the above.”

Prior to commencing assessments for each unit of competency, learners must commit to providing authentic evidence. This involves them in agreeing to a statement that says ‘I have read Open Training institute’s Code of Ethics and agree not to plagiarize, cheat or act dishonestly when doing this assessment.’ In addition, at the end of the assessment for each unit of competency learners must confirm that all assessment evidence submitted was their own work.

While the Code of Ethics provides a clear statement of the Institute’s policy, the design of the assessment tasks in the simulated business, ABMN, also works to minimise the risk that learners may submit work that it not their own. Many of the assessment tasks set for learners are cumulative activities that build on tasks previously performed. For example in the assessment tasks for the unit, Manage meetings, candidates are required to develop an agenda for a meeting and then in subsequent tasks they are required to send invitations to people attending the meeting as well as obtain quotations for a venue at which the meeting will be conducted.

The combination of providing clear information to candidates about the importance of the authenticity of assessment evidence, the requirement for candidates to provide a declaration of authenticity and the design of cumulative assessment tasks helps to create an environment in which the risk of candidates submitting work that is not their own is significantly reduced.

Capability PortfolioOTI provides over twenty different nationally recognised business qualifications at Certificate III and IV and Diploma level in areas such as customer service, marketing, management, sales, project management and human resources.

Innovation & Business Skills AustraliaLevel 11 | 176 Wellington Pde | East Melbourne VIC 3002Phone: +61 3 9815 7000 Fax: +61 3 9815 7001 w: www.ibsa.org.au e: reception@ibsa.org.au

Assessment Modifications

The learner has difficulty with

Reasonable adjustments within simulated assessment model

Online delivery

Flexible delivery

Assessment stage Extension

Physically accessing premises X

Physical tasks i.e. turning pages, lifting objects etc. X

Certain physical environment impacts i.e. lighting, ergonomics etc. X

Concentration X

Time management X X

Changes in personal commitments X X

Examination stress X X

(Source: OTI, Approach: Simulated assessment Version 2, 3 Mach 2015)

Providing for reasonable adjustmentReasonable adjustment involves modifying or changing assessment arrangements to meet the needs and characteristics of the candidates being assessed, including taking into account any special needs or equity requirements. The OTI simulation model incorporates a number of features that make it possible to modify the assessment arrangements to accommodate the special needs of learners. These are:

• Online delivery of training and assessment: OTI delivers all assessment online in an approach that ensures accessibility to learners in all locations and regardless of physical disabilities that may impact physical access to a location or premises.

• Assessment Stages: OTI’s assessments are segmented into stages allowing learners to work through one piece at a time reducing cognitive load and creating manageable milestones.

• Flexible delivery approach: OTI’s At Your Own Pace delivery mode provides learners with the flexibility to fit study around their existing commitments.

• Extensions: Learners may apply for assessment extensions as required.

The different ways in which the assessment arrangements may be modified or adjusted to suit learners with special requirements are summarised in the following chart.