ADVANCING COMPETENCY ASSESSMENT

Integrating authentic assessment into computer-based assessment for seafarers

Abstract

The intricate landscape of assessing seafarers' competencies demands a comprehensive approach that ensures they possess the necessary skills to handle safety-critical duties, given the immense responsibility—people's lives, marine ecosystems, and properties valued in millions—entrusted to them. While Competency-Based Assessment offers consistent and objective evaluations through computer-based assessment, it faces limitations in assessing higher cognitive skills and meeting the Standards of Training, Certification, and Watchkeeping (STCW) criteria. This research explores the potential of integrating authentic assessment with computer-based assessment to address these limitations. Through a systematic literature review, the study highlights the strengths of authentic assessment, such as its grounding in real-life scenarios and learner-centered methodologies. These characteristics can be leveraged to align computer-based assessment questions and tasks with STCW requirements. Moreover, authentic assessments empower learners through contextualized evaluations, bridging the gap between skill sets and workplace applications. Integrating authentic assessment enhances the quality of computer-based assessment questions and tasks, providing a more rigorous evaluation of seafarers' competencies. While challenges in implementation need to be addressed, the potential synergy between authentic assessment and computer-based assessment presents a promising approach. This study proposes an enhanced assessment methodology that combines the strengths of computer-based assessment and authentic assessment, navigating the complexities of assessing seafarers' competencies while addressing the inherent challenges in competence-based assessment. This integrated approach holds promise for ensuring that seafarers possess the necessary skills to fulfil their safety-critical responsibilities.