Search results

One of the consequences of training reform, as it has occurred internationally, has been a focus on on-the-job assessment and a concern to clarify its relation to off-the-job assessment. However, the relationships between on- and off-the-job assessment are obscured by a pervasive unclarity of terminology. This paper proposes and argues for definitions of the terms designed to remove this unclarity. Various advantages of the proposed definitions are discussed and the relations between the two types of assessment are expounded via a model of the developmental process by which a worker comes to achieve effective workplace performance. A proper understanding of the relations between on- and off-the-job assessment is important because, rather than favouring one to the exclusion of the other, the practicalities of assessment usually point to some combination of the two being most effective.