Finding Common Ground is back!

Chaired by Ronan O’Loughlin, Executive Head of Education Policy of Chartered Accountants Ireland, QQI’s first Finding Common Ground event of 2024 took place online last Thursday 20 June. The event was jointly attended by representatives from both Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) and Professional, Statutory and Regulatory Bodies (PSRBs) with over 70 attending.

The session kicked off with a presentation from guest speaker; Ann Heelan, Communications Clinic and Former CEO, AHEAD. Ann delved into the purpose and opportunities for reasonable accommodations in professional competencies. Ann maintained the notion of reasonable accommodations being a mechanism to lessen barriers a person might otherwise experience in successfully completing work tasks and reaching competency standards in assessment, and in employment, throughout her presentation. The challenges of this notion were also outlined and included assumptions and unconscious bias, lack of knowledge amongst staff and fixed competencies and regulations. In terms of the fixed competencies and regulations, Ann outlined the importance of utilising flexible assessments and clear learning outcomes and language to combat these constructs. Ann’s points were continually accompanied by thought-provoking real-life scenarios for the audience to consider. In concluding her presentation, Ann reflected on good practices and left considerations for collective action including, reviewing policies and procedures, reviewing websites for positive information about reasonable accommodations, upskilling staff and the establishment of cross-profession communities of practice.

Following this, Dr Eimear Brown, Dean, King’s Inns, outlined the holistic approach King’s Inns has taken to assess professional competencies, and highlighted a case study around its approach to assessing the legal professional skill of advocacy. In doing this, Eimear outlined considerations and actions taken in King’s Inns to ensure assessment methods are:

• Authentic,
• Fair,
• Inclusive, and
• Maintain integrity.

To conclude, Eimear noted that although it is sector specific, in the context of King’s Inns, there is a role for HEIs in the assessment of professional skills. This concept was supported by the audience when they were asked to what extent they believed third level institutes should be expected to teach and assess professional skills respective to their individual contexts, to which no respondent indicated that there was no role for HEIs.

Eimear left the audience with the task of considering ways PSRBs and HEIs can work together to better ensure the authenticity of assessment.

Finally, we were joined by Roisín Morris-Drennan, Senior Manager, Research and Innovation, who shared key messages from the recent “Rethinking Assessment: Inclusive Assessment & Standards in a Dynamic and Changing World” conference hosted by QQI, AHEAD and the Disability Advisors Working Network (DAWN) . Roisín outlined key themes from the conference including mainstream inclusion, standards, programme and assessment design, policy and leadership.

Feedback from attendees of the event was resoundingly positive with preparations already under way for the next Finding Common Ground event.