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Title

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1		-Observation in simulated environment
	1	+Post Box Exercise

Author

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1		-XWiki.ChrisVanGoethem
	1	+XWiki.IvanKharitonov

Content

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4	4
5	5	= Description =
6	6
7		-The simulated environment reflects a real live situation, but is standardised. This makes it possible to build in incentives for behaviour or choices. The situation can be a "copy" of a real live situation, but also a roleplay (for more behaviour skills). The candidate is observed in this simulated situation.
	7	+This method is used for skills that result in a written or drawn result. The candidate gets an assignment on paper and has time to prepare the written result. The result is checked with a prepared checklist of sample solutions. Examples or results could be personnel planning, a light plot, an Email. The advantage is a high certainty of competence, compared with assessing prior work. For more artistic skills, this can be combined with a role play or an interview. This method is highly effective for assessing action orientation and entrepreneurial thinking. The candidate can act independently in a wide frame. Complex information has to be quickly analysed, processed and combined to recommend rational actions.
8	8
9		-This method is used for skills that can be shown in the workspace. The assessment method allows to test very specific competences, as the environment can be controlled. Mainly for practical, observable skills.
10		-
11	11	----
12	12
13	13	= Quality Concepts =
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14	14
15	15	=== Validity ===
16	16
17		-Since all factors are under control, the internal validity of this method is high. The method excludes unpredictability of situation and environment. So, it is easier to ensure safety. Very specific competencies can be tested. Since the behavior of people can change as a result of the observation situation (Hawthorne effect), internal validity is also threatened. This effect can be partially reduced if the work situation is only filmed (indirect observation). Since it is less a real-life situation, the external validity (transferability) of the observed behavior is lower. A good test will reflect real life situations in a controlled environment as much as possible.
	15	+Due to the high visual validity, the post box exercise is a popular method. It can be used to evaluate action orientation and entrepreneurial thinking well. The method is used, among other things, to evaluate work organization, decision-making ability, organizational skills, conceptual work, planning and decision-making behavior, recognizing relations, forming priorities and ability to delegate. The factors of behavior include preparation and planning for action, work performance (quantity) and the search for precise instructions.
	16	+The validity of Post Box Exercise is limited by the fact that processes can be very interdependent. To solve one problem, you have to solve a prior one.
	17	+Previous studies have shown different correlation coefficients (from -.45 to .76) for the relation between post basket result and job success (see Schippmann et al. 1990). Obermann (2018) uses a value of .18, which corresponds to a very low correlation. However, it should be noted that in the assessment context of validation, job success is only indirectly affected.
18	18
19		-=== Reliability ===
	19	+(% style="color:inherit; font-family:inherit; font-size:23px" %)Reliability
20	20
21		-The quality of simulated environment observation depends on the accuracy and repeatability of the test setup.
22		-Simulated environments guarantee equal treatment of candidates, the result should be identical, wherever and by whatever assessors they are conducted. Therefore every candidate is assessed in an identical situation.
23		-One of the elements in this are well trained assessors and a levelling system, this avoids that assessment would be biased by assessors influenced by previous tests or looking outside the competences to for example not occupation related behaviour.
24		-The reliability is increased by the possibility to easily develop exact observable criteria.
	21	+Reliability and evaluation objectivity are special challenges in post box exercises. A meta-analysis based on 16 individual studies showed an interrater reliability of .76 (Whetzel et al. 2014). The assessment of different raters are therefore "good" or "substantial".
	22	+Since chance hits can distort the assessment results, a sufficient number of tasks should be set. Standardization can further increase reliability. In the scenario, an order and a time window for processing should be defined.
25	25
26	26	== Limitations ==
27	27
28		-Development of a assessment set-up is time consuming.
	26	+Due to the low validity, post box exercises should be used in combination with other methods. This method is less suitable for querying factual knowledge. Complex practical skills are more likely to be assessed with an observation in a simulated environment or on site.
29	29
30	30	----
31	31
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33	33
34	34	== Tips ==
35	35
36		-Organise the test in a way that the candidate feels at ease. If it is a tradition to have a cup of coffee at the start of a working day, include this in the startup of the test.
37		-Give the candidate time to discover the situation.
38		-Do not built in traps or tricky situations that hardly ever occur in real life.
39		-Be clear and open about the role and activities of the observers. Attention points can be:
	34	+|(((
	35	+The more realistic the presentation of the documents and the settings, the higher the tasks will be accepted.
	36	+After the written processing, an oral discussion should follow. Otherwise, excellent ideas for task processing that deviate from the proposed solutions may not be recognized accordingly. In the debriefing, the candidate can resolve ambiguities and answer questions.
	37	+)))
40	40
41		-* Observers write also about positive points.
42		-* Observers are silent, because they keep a distance.
43		-* Observers will only stop the test in case of danger or overtime.
44		-
45	45	== Traps ==
46	46
47		-If the candidate needs support, the assistant must be trained to limit the intervention to what the candidate requires and not (as we would do in reality) to take over the decision-making process or be proactive.
48		-There is a risk that the assessor is biased. That is why assessors should be professionals from the field of competences being assessed. Assessors have to be aware that there are different methods to perform a specific task and should take distance from one prefered method, for as far as the goal is reached.
	41	+One of the traps is that the assignments could be too easy or too difficult.
	42	+The solvability of the processes should not depend too much on one another. On the other hand, the documents should be linked to each other in a complex manner, otherwise the analysis level will remain at a low level.
	43	+If the processing time is too short, the competence is overemphasized how quickly texts are recorded.
49	49
50	50	== Scoring Tools ==
51	51
52		-Observing can be done through a list of observable criteria. The criteria should be derived from the sectoral layer skills, in other words, they are a concretisation of the visible, observable result of the skill in a specific situation.
53		-As the situation is always identical, the scoring tool can be very specific and leave little room for interpretation.
54		-The final decision is made based on the link of the criteria with the competence and by comparing the observations of the different assessors.
	47	+There are three options for evaluation:
	48	+~1. The candidate processes the tasks with free formulations. The observers then evaluate the documents. This procedure is less recommendable, since the comparability and evaluation objectivity are endangered.
	49	+2. Open questions are pre-formulated for each process. The candidates answer them in interviews or a presentation.
	50	+3. Pre-formulated questions with given answers are handed out.
55	55
	52	+It should be noted that post box exercise solutions are usually not right or wrong, but more or less successful.
	53	+
56	56	----
57	57
58	58	= Implementation =
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59	59
60	60	== Information for Standard ==
61	61
62		-The standard must describe the specific situations, incentives and expected complexity of the skills to be assessed.
	60	+The tasks and scheduled processing time should not vary compared to other candidates. Possible language barriers should be considered. The answers should be evaluated according to a marking guide.
63	63
64	64	== Development ==
65	65
66		-The development of an observation in a simulated environment starts with the analysis of the skills that need to be evaluated. Since not every skill can be tested in all variations, representative situations are chosen to reflect the mastery of the general skill. The skills are built into a well-chosen scenario that reflects a real-life experience, but also integrates behavioural incentives and choices. The candidate is asked to perform a task, but the environment limits or alters the way the task is performed. In this way, the candidate must make his/her own decisions.
67		-The activities should reflect different contexts. Often a skill or behavior is built in twice to improve reliability and avoid "false positives".
68		-Assessment facilities must be tested and updated before they are used with "real" candidates.
	64	+An appropriate task difficulty must be chosen for the development. The planned time for the tasks must not be too short. The main focus during development is on an extensive and diversified creation of tasks that are as close as possible to the daily work environment.
69	69
70	70	== Needs/Set-Up ==
71	71
72		-This is an observation in a “real life” professional setting. It must be organized as a normal day in the life of the candidate (= working day). One assessor could be acting as a “colleague” the other would assess from a distance. There could also be trained “colleagues” (must not have an assessor qualification), who “work with” the candidate in the observation environment. This is only necessary when a colleague is “physically” necessary to assess the competence at hand. One assessor can't oversee all activities, idealy there are at least two assessors, one who is observing from a distance and a second one observing close.
73		-Technical competence is relatively easy to assess. Knowledge behind the action can be assessed in most cases, if the test is prepared in the proper way. Competences are tested in the “group” working environment, as it is in reality. Several competences can almost always be assessed at one time. The proper atmosphere is very important.
74		-The assessments could be done at educational institutions with the necessary equipment.
	68	+In addition to an examination room with chair and work table, the correspondingly prepared equipment is required. This must be sorted according to the intended order of processing.
75	75
76	76	== Requirements for Assessors ==
77	77
78		-Assessors need competences for valid observations, such as those that can be acquired in observer training courses. They should have a basic knowledge of diagnostics, be able to deal with perceptual effects (e.g. errors of observation and assessment) and be able to recognize their own subjectivity. A professional competence is essential for the evaluation of the candidate's performance against the background of the assessment standard. It is also needed to construct a work situation appropriate to the competences to be assessed.
	72	+Assessors need appropriate pedagogical and technical knowledge to prepare the tasks and evaluate the approaches and results.
79	79
80	80	== Examples ==
81	81
82		-For the skill "Working on heights" a candidate should perform several activities on ladders, scaffolding, … Based on a checklist, his/her behaviour is observed.
	76	+A possible Post Box Exercise to test management skills is a combination of scheduling, consultation with technicians and email correspondence.
83	83
84	84	== In Combination with ==
85	85
86		-This Method can be combined with a criterion focused interviews to fill the gaps or skills that have not been observed (not negative or positive). It can be combined with a multiple choice or open answer test for knowledge that is not made visible in practice.
	80	+To check the theoretical knowledge, written tests or oral tests should also be conducted.
87	87
88	88	= References/Notes =
89	89
90		-* Catalogus Assessmentmethodes voor EVC, Agentschap Hoger Onderwijs, volwassenenonderwijs, Kwalificaties en Studietoelagen, Ministery of education and training of the Flemish community (2015). Online: [[http:~~/~~/www.erkennenvancompetenties.be/evc-professionals/evc-toolbox/bestanden/catalogus-assessmentmethodes-evc-2015.pdf>>http://www.erkennenvancompetenties.be/evc-professionals/evc-toolbox/bestanden/catalogus-assessmentmethodes-evc-2015.pdf]]  (last 17.08.2020)
91		-* Jhpiego (2011): Simulation Training for Educators of Health Care Workers. Online: [[http:~~/~~/reprolineplus.org/system/files/resources/simulation_facilitatorsguide.pdf>>http://reprolineplus.org/system/files/resources/simulation_facilitatorsguide.pdf]]  (last 05.08.2020)
92		-* Multiprofessional Faculty Development (2012): Teaching and Learning in Simulated Environments. Online: [[https:~~/~~/faculty.londondeanery.ac.uk/e-learning/teaching-clinical-skills/teaching-and-learning-in-simulated-environments>>https://faculty.londondeanery.ac.uk/e-learning/teaching-clinical-skills/teaching-and-learning-in-simulated-environments]]  (last 05.08.2020)
93		-* Scottish Qualifications Authority (2019): Guide to Assessment. Online: [[https:~~/~~/www.sqa.org.uk/files_ccc/Guide_To_Assessment.pdf>>https://www.sqa.org.uk/files_ccc/Guide_To_Assessment.pdf]]  (05.08.2020)
94		-* Vincent-Lambert, C. / Bogossian, F. (2006): A guide for the assessment of
95		-* clinical competence using simulation. Online: [[https:~~/~~/pdfs.semanticscholar.org/bda7/dae4871a49e19fd2cc186823379518e39192.pdf>>https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/bda7/dae4871a49e19fd2cc186823379518e39192.pdf]]  (last 05.08.2020)
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	84	+* Eck, C. et al. (2016): Assessment-Center. Entwicklung und Anwendung – mit 57 AC-Aufgaben und Checklisten zum Downloaden und Bearbeiten im Internet. 3. Aufl. Berlin / Heidelberg: Springer.
	85	+* Obermann, C. (2018): Assessment Center. Entwicklung, Durchführung, Trends. Mit neuen originalen AC-Übungen. 6., vollständig überarb. u. erw. Aufl. Wiesbaden: Springer Fachmedien.
	86	+* Whetzel DL, Rotenberry PF, McDaniel MA (2014): In-basket Validity: a systematic review. Int J Sel Assess 22(1):62–79.
	87	+* Schippmann, J.S., Prien, E.P. and Katz, J.A. (1990): RELIABILITY AND VALIDITY OF IN‐BASKET PERFORMANCE MEASURES. Personnel Psychology, 43:837-859.