Assessment

Aim

To develop learners’ skills of independent enquiry by undertaking a sustained investigation of direct relevance to their vocational, academic and professional development.

This unit provides opportunities to develop skills in decision making, problem solving and communication integrated with the skills and knowledge developed in many of the other units within the programme to complete a realistic project.

It requires the learner to select, plan, implement and evaluate a project and finally present the outcomes, in terms of the process and the product of the project. It also allows learners to develop the ability to work individually and/or with others, within a defined timescale and given constraints, to produce an acceptable and viable solution to an agreed brief.

If this is a group project, each member of the team must be clear about their responsibilities at the start of the project and supervisors must ensure that everyone is accountable for each aspect of the work and makes a contribution to the end result.

Learners must work under the supervision of programme tutors or work-based managers.

Learning outcomes

On successful completion of this unit a learner will:

1 Be able to formulate a project

2 Be able to implement the project within agreed procedures and to specification

3 Be able to evaluate the project outcomes

4 Be able to present the project outcomes.

Unit content

1 Be able to formulate a project

Project selection: researching and reviewing areas of interest; literature review; methods of evaluating feasibility of projects, initial critical analysis of the outline specification, selection of project option, initiating a project logbook/diary, estimating costs and resource implications, identifying goals and limitations; value of project, rationale for selection, agree roles and allocate responsibilities (individually with tutor/supervisor and within project group if appropriate)

Project specifications: developing and structuring a list of requirements relevant to project specifications eg costs, timescales, scale of operation, standards, legislation, ethics, sustainability, quality, fitness-for-purpose, business data, resource implications

Procedures: planning and monitoring methods; operating methods; lines of communication; risk analysis; structure of groups and collaborative working eg learner groups or roles and responsibilities within a work-based project; targets and aims

Project plan: production of a plan for the project including timescales, deliverables, milestones, quality assurance systems and quality plans; monitoring progress

2 Be able to implement the project within agreed procedures and to specification

Implement: proper use of resources, working within agreed time scale, use of appropriate techniques for generating solutions, monitoring development against the agreed project plan, maintaining and adapting project plan where appropriate

Record: systematic recording of relevant outcomes of all aspects and stages of the project to agreed standards

3 Be able to evaluate the project outcomes

Evaluation techniques: detailed analysis of results, conclusions and recommendations; critical analysis against the project specification and planned procedures; use of appropriate evaluation techniques; application of project evaluation and review techniques (PERT); opportunities for further studies and developments

Interpretation: use of appropriate techniques to justify project progress and outcomes in terms of the original agreed project specification Further consideration: significance of project; application of project results; implications; limitations of the project; improvements; recommendations for further consideration

4 Be able to present the project outcomes

Record of procedures and results: relevant documentation of all aspects and stages of the project
Format: professional delivery format appropriate to the audience; appropriate media

Assessment criteria for pass

LO1 Be able to formulate a project

1.1 formulate and record possible outline project specifications

1.2 identify the factors that contribute to the process of project selection

1.3 produce a specification for the agreed project

1.4 produce an appropriate project plan for the agreed project

LO2 Be able to implement the project within agreed procedures and to specification

2.1 match resources efficiently to the project

2.2 undertake the proposed project in accordance with the agreed specification

2.3 organise, analyse and interpret relevant outcomes

LO3 Be able to evaluate the project outcomes

3.1 use appropriate project evaluation techniques

3.2 interpret and analyse the results in terms of the original project specification

3.3 make recommendations and justify areas for further consideration

LO4 Be able to present the project outcomes

4.1 produce a record of all project procedures used

4.2 use an agreed format and appropriate media to present the outcomes of the project to an audience.