Implementing self-assessment

Improving organisational performance uses an evaluative enquiry to foster ongoing improvements to create a positive change in the outcomes for learners and other stakeholders. 

Effective self-assessment is integrated into the business of an organisation so that informed understanding of what is being achieved directly influences organisational decision-making, prioritising, planning and actions.  Self-assessment should involve the whole organisation.

There are many approaches to evaluating, but most use quantitative and qualitative data to better understand what is happening in a programme or organisation. Using multiple data sources enables a deep level of understanding to be gained by staff engaged in the process. The methods of evaluation involve dialogue, reflection, questioning and interpreting data and evidence. In addition, evaluation includes identifying and clarifying beliefs, and challenging assumptions and knowledge.

An organisation may use evaluative self-assessment to explore an aspect of their business they want to know more about. The organisation needs to plan over a period of time to cover the whole business.

The open-ended, Key Evaluation Questions used in an external evaluation and review could provide a useful starting point for self-assessment.  

The Tertiary Evaluation Indicators provide a framework for thinking about how quality and value might be evaluated in an organisation. 

The indicators can also be useful for an organisation to:

• define their scope of self-assessment activity or activities
• frame some evaluative conversations
• identify strengths, areas for improvement, and opportunities for innovation.