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Assessing learners´ skills and competences

Pre-course assessment tools

Contents

The following assessment tools are recommended for the final participants of a FIL course.

Questionnaires

With the completion of a questionnaire at the beginning of the course, participants can recognise their already available knowledge and competences for independent handling of finances. They should be able as well to find out what they are still unsure about and need to expand their knowledge and competences in, what their learning needs are. It could also be used to self-assess their behaviour when it comes to daily finance practices e.g.

Source: https://unsplash.com/photos/oXV3bzR7jxI

Questions should be clear, simple and connected to finance in everyday life and the topics related to mathematical, economic topics, some digital literacy related to online purchase e.g. Participants´ expectations of the course, insecurities, experiences and prejudices about the topic can be included as well. The questionnaire can be provided online or as handout to be filled in by participants.

 

Pros

By evaluating the completed questionnaire(s), participants will have a good overview on their already existing knowledge and skills before starting the training course or unit; where included also their behaviour when it comes to finance aspects in their life. On the other hand, you can judge these already existing basics and identify the learning needs to consider them in your training activities.

Cons

Designing of a questionnaire should be carefully thought out in advance in order to gain needed information, i.e. making existing knowledge, skills and training needs visible to participants (and teachers).

Recommended example/ further reading:

The presentation on “Questionnaire Design” by Adell Amer describes the steps in designing a questionnaire. The presentation is available at:

https://de.slideshare.net/AdellAmer/questionnaire-design-73079588

 

Placement tests

Also placement tests can be done online or as handout to be filled in. For the FIL target group, they aim at detecting already existing knowledge and competences, the training needs to manage their financial life efficiently and independently. Possible contents of placement tests for the target group within the FIL topics could be:

  • Mathematical literacy (from counting to estimating figures, percentages etc.)
  • Digital literacy related to finance context (like e-banking, online shopping, data protection in finance forms online, internet security while e-banking,…)
  • Household budgeting
  • Follow-up of what is being spent
  • Etc.

In contrast to the aforementioned “Questionnaire”, it would not consider any questions on the participants’ expectations e.g., but focus more on the FIL core training topics.

Pros

Placement tests provide a valid view on participants´ present level of knowledge and competences related to the training objective(s). In general, they would follow any existing learning content already.

Cons

Results of placement tests, held online or in writing, have to be provided to participants in order to show them their already existing knowledge and competences as well as what they will have to gain to efficiently improve their financial literacy.

Recommended example/ further reading:

An example placement test taken from socrative.com

Source: https://www.google.com/forms/about

Flipchart/white board or online survey

Write down one ore a few questions related to training topic(s) and collect the answers from your learners. Let participants write down their answers on e.g. white board or sticky notes put on the flip chart or on work sheets and read them out, or let participants see when the collection has been closed all participants’ answers (possibly also in an anonymous way). Thus, participants can also share their experiences and their approaches to management of financial daily life. You could also use the details online or from the flipchart then to structure the answers.

Collecting the answers will give you a good overview on existing knowledge, learning gaps and attitudes among your participants.

Source: https://pixabay.com/de/illustrations/zuversichtlich-kaufmann-pr%C3%A4sentation-3003944/

Pros

These activities can provide teachers with information on behaviour and social skills of participants.

Cons

Questions should always be related to training topics and training needs assessment. You might have to consider that learners do not want to show or discuss some basic skills topics openly, or there might be very shy and timid participants you should not put into the centre of any group discussion.

Recommended example/ further reading:

To deepen the topic: https://www.cmu.edu/teaching/assessment/basics/formative-summative.html