Evaluation is a specific curiosity of mine, and it needs to be at or close to the highest of the record for anybody concerned in maritime coaching. Why? Two causes. First, as a result of it’s arguably extra essential than the coaching itself. And second, as a result of in my expertise, most coaching directors give 95% of their consideration to coaching and solely 5% to evaluation. Which means that the evaluation is usually poorly executed. So let’s flip our consideration to some important recommendation for analysis in maritime coaching.
This text presents a easy however important evaluation tip to enhance the evaluation of your officers’ and crew’s abilities: a trainee needs to be educated and assessed by completely different folks. In different phrases, we must always by no means enable a trainee’s coach to be the identical individual as their assessor. Let’s focus on why that is essential.
It’s the job of the coach to make sure that a candidate acquires all the talents and data required for the job at hand.
The evaluator has a unique job – to make sure that no candidate is given a activity for which they’re unprepared. Though these roles are inherently designed to attain a standard purpose, in some methods they’ve (and may have) conflicting pursuits. The coach is there to assist, instruct and supply sources. Subsequently, the coach have to be a “secure” and supportive studying useful resource for the candidate, no matter capacity. The candidate ought to really feel no judgment from the coach when asking questions or practising abilities. However, the position of the evaluator is to not assist the trainee, however to guage the trainee. The evaluator has an obligation to find out if the trainee has the data and abilities required to work successfully and safely, as a result of lives and the efficiency of the fleet depend upon it.
It could be helpful to think about the coach as a producer and the evaluator as a client. It’s the coach’s job to provide certified candidates. It’s the evaluator’s job to critically assess the suitability of those candidates for consumption. If the producer and the buyer are the identical individual, then now we have conflicts that will create unhealthy outcomes. It’s simple to search out examples.
First, if the coach is aware of the precise nature of the evaluation that’s to comply with, human nature will lead him to ‘observe the check’ as it would replicate again on the coach if the candidate performs properly on the evaluation. The issue, nonetheless, is that rankings can by no means be full. Subsequently, trainees ought to all the time assume that *every little thing* will likely be examined, even when it by no means is. By separating the coach and assessor (and protecting data of particular evaluation particulars from the coach), we offer a powerful incentive for complete coaching not just for the trainee, but in addition for the coach.
Second, if the evaluator can also be the one who delivered the coaching, then he’s in a conflicting place as a result of the candidate’s failure displays poorly on his capacity as a coach. Likewise, the connection they set up with a candidate throughout a coaching course may cause them to be much less goal in relation to analysis. That is essential within the marine business the place many competency-based assessments will be subjective in nature.
And third, if the coach and assessor are the identical individual, there isn’t a clear line between coaching and evaluation. There needs to be. If this isn’t the case, the candidate will really feel (appropriately) that he’s being evaluated in the course of the coaching. This could make them reluctant to ask essential questions, ask for clarification, or ask for extra observe time lest it reveal their lack of awareness or capacity. This tremendously impairs the effectiveness of the coaching interval.
The answer is due to this fact easy. For a specific candidate, ensure that their coach and assessor are two completely different folks and that every understands their position. Not solely does this remedy the problems raised above, nevertheless it additionally provides a component of redundancy making certain that no single level of failure will outcome within the authorization of an unqualified candidate. It’s merely a very good observe, however hardly ever practiced.
There’s much more to say about this critically essential evaluation matter, and we’ll cowl it once more in future editions of Coaching Ideas for Ships. Till then, thanks for studying and browsing safely!
