Abstracts - Earli

competence-based education. A questionnaire was sent to 38 department managers and 80 teachersof vocational institutions. Results show most institutions still use classical standards andassessment methods, and teachers are concerned about the feasibility of new assessments. Theclassical standards used seem to hinder the development of adequate assessment methods todetermine competence acquisition.Estimating the quality of new modes of assessment: The case of an “interactive examination” forteacher competenceAnders Jonsson, Malmo University, SwedenLiesbeth Baartman, Utrecht University, NetherlandsProfession-directed education aims for students to become competent professionals and there is aneed for assessments that can determine the acquisition of this competency. Still, the use ofalternative assessments for high-stakes is problematic, for example in terms of marker consistencyand construct representation. This article investigates, through a case study of an existingcompetency assessment methodology, possibilities of a systems approach to assessment. Byestimating the quality of an assessment methodology with a comprehensive framework of qualitycriteria for competency assessments, strengths and weaknesses in the assessment programme canbe revealed. In this way the inclusion of complex, performance-based assessment in highereducation could be aided, as the systems approach can reveal how to remedy weak spots orallocate resources within the programme.O 801 September 2007 08:30 - 10:30Room: 0.89 JedlikSymposium IN MEMORIAM PETER KNIGHTResearch advances in professional formation: enhancing the quality ofteaching and learning in HEChair: Jeff Jawitz, University of Cape Town, South AfricaOrganiser: Peter Knight , The Open University, United KingdomDiscussant: Denis Berthiaume, University of Lausanne, SwitzerlandThere is international commitment to improving the quality of teaching, learning, assessment andcurriculum in higher education. Strikingly, some approaches seem to be guided by common-senserather than research evidence. There have been studies of particular interventions to improveteaching performance but they have not been informed by research evidence about professionalformation, which is a surprising omission, especially given research in other professional fields,where it is recognised that training is far from sufficient for development (Becher, 1999;Mintzberg 2004; Cheetham and Chivers, 2005). This symposium proposes that teaching qualityenhancement demands attention to formation or Ausbildung, rather than to training; it appreciatesthe extent to which professional learning is non-formal; it is sensitive to the contextedness oflearning; it recognises the socio-cultural conditions of learning; and it is aware of the range ofmodern thinking about innovation processes (Atkins, 2006). This fresh thinking is elaborated andtested through contemporary data from five countries. In reporting their empirical research andother scholarly enquiries, contributors demonstrate the limitations of established educational– 787 –