Self-assessment allows the trained employee to gain perspective on their own achievements and acquired skills. However, it is not easy to introduce self-assessment into a learning process.
Self-assessment system: definition
Self-assessment consists in judging one's actions and decisions, in a context of knowledge retrieval or professional application. It occupies a central place in the framework of the vocational training and concerns both initial and continuing education. Various concepts are linked to self-evaluation: self-esteem, the evaluation of one's own skills, the evaluation of oneself in action, and metacognitive regulation.
Self-assessment encourages learners to think about how a module or course fits into their daily professional lives. This system thus transmits thinking skills that will be useful throughout their professional careers. Self-assessment thus makes it possible to report on both results of the training session (knowledge of the content of the course, final project, etc.), and of learning process (approach, strategies, strengths, areas for improvement, etc.). This strategy is at the heart ofcommitment to their training.
Self-assessment has 4 main advantages:
- Setting goals : help learners set and clarify effective goals to assess their performance.
- Give examples : show the individual what he needs to do to succeed.
- Understand the criteria for success : encourage learners to understand criteria for the successful application of acquired knowledge.
- Making progress : to allow individuals to know their level in a module, and to give them the opportunity to assess themselves to know how to bridge the gap between their current and desired performances.
What are the different types of self-assessment systems?
Trainers must think about how to assess learners so that they can take stock of their progress. There are several self-assessment techniques that allow you to:bring variety to training.
- Oral self-assessment: as part of a training course in Blended Learning, it is possible to ask a learner what he thinks of the case study carried out.
- The emoji evaluation: It is found in some public places but also in the management of agile teams with the Niko-Niko calendar, the emoji assessment allows you to have a quick and visual overview of what individuals think of their work at the end of a module. It takes the form of a series of questions for which the only possible answers are an emoji to be surrounded according to their feelings.
- The self-assessment grid: this self-assessment process should be adapted to skills development goals and used at the end of a training module. As part of a case study, it is relevant to ask learners to assess their performance before the final report.
Explain the principle of self-assessment in advance
While important in the learning process, self-assessment is not common or popular with learners. It is therefore necessary to proceed in stages to set it up and have it accepted by employees:
- Explain what self-assessment is and why it is important;
- Provide a space in which all self-evaluations will be grouped together so that employees have a global vision of their progress;
- Propose a self-assessment model at the beginning of each module so that learners understand the objective to be achieved;
- Suggest different self-assessment strategies and let learners choose the one they feel most comfortable with;
- Persevere: initial trials may not be successful and some collaborators may be reluctant to self-assess. In this case, do not hesitate to combine the self-assessment sessions.
