Assess and Moderate

We’ve been saying this for a while now: Assesement and moderation practice is not a tick-box exercise.

Your form should give space for real feedback, action points, and areas of improvement (not just a yes/no).

Here is the solution your problem:

✅Essential Pre-Assessment Moderation Form

Designed for assessors and QA teams who want clearer evidence, stronger assessment decisions, and better moderation practice.

Download here:
https://affinitypluscollege.thinkific.com/products/digital_downloads/moderation-form

📣 Just 2 days to go!
✨ Mark your calendars for this essential online wānanga

📍 Affinity Plus College presents:
🧠 Marking with Confidence: Strengthening Assessor Judgement
🗓️ Wednesday 8 October
🕥 10:30AM – 1:30PM (Online)

This workshop is perfect for:
✅ Assessors
✅ Moderators
✅ Quality Assurance Specialists

If you support learners at NZQCF Level 3 and above and want to build more confidence, clarity, and consistency in your marking — this is your space to kōrero, learn, and grow.

🔍 What to expect:
✔️ Strengthened assessor judgement
✔️ Smarter, fairer moderation
✔️ Practical tools + examples
✔️ Confidence in your own review process

🎟️ Register now — link in bio!
Or register here: https://www.affinitypluscollege.com/events/marking-with-confidence-fpcjs

Upcoming Professional Learning & Development for Sep — Oct is now live to register for Tertiary Education Organisations.

I’ve lined up a full series of hands-on workshops running through to October all designed to make things clearer, simpler, and more strategic for TEO teams. Now with online options available!

Would love to see some of you there.

🗓️ Upcoming Workshop Dates – August & September
If assessment and moderation are part of your mahi — these sessions are for you.

Whether you’re:
✔ marking workplace or tertiary assessments
✔ preparing for moderation
✔ mentoring new assessors
✔ or just want more clarity and confidence…

Each workshop is practical, supportive, and grounded in what moderators are actually looking for.

📍 Interactive | NZQCF Level 3+ | Real-world examples
🪜 Build confidence, consistency, and professional judgement

🔗 Dates & registration info in the image — or DM us for details.
We’d love to see you there!

✨ One of the best ways to end the week?
Running a workshop and having my longtime colleague in.

What started as a 1:1 on moderation systems…
turned into deep convo, serious kōrero, and plenty of laughs.

We’ve shared years of learning, stories and it always comes back to this:

🧡 Learning feels best when it’s relational.

If you’re keen on workshops that are practical, people-first, and flexible to your context, let’s talk.

📣 Marking with Confidence is my newest workshop — focused on the decisions assessors make at NZQCF Level 3+.

It’s practical, principle-based, and gives you insight into what moderators actually look for.

🗓️ Friday, 15 August | 10:30am–1:30pm (Auckland)
🎟️ https://www.eventbrite.com/e/marking-with-confidence-strengthening-assessor-judgement-tickets-1490241094229?utm_experiment=test_share_listing&aff=ebdsshios&sg=93fd5c20e80d2df22f1783c2869caeb460c285bf540013a1616f049d2b734d13877ed7a16b466efb572ca435070aa8fec7d5e4aeab61512e4c2eff81e6e764cb535554909df3a8927f559af5c502

Marking well sets the tone for everything that follows. Let’s get it right together.

🤷🏻‍♀️Are you struggling with not knowing when and how to plan your moderation calendars for your academic team?

Are you struggling to maintain consistent assessment standards across your organisation?

Join us for this intensive hands-on workshop where you’ll master the art and science of effective post-assessment moderation systems that align with NZQA best practices.

Friday, 25th July (Auckland ) workshop at 10:30 to 1:30pm. Join us and join the discussion.

Limited spot. Register now.

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/mastering-assessment-moderation-planning-and-systems-tickets-1406591746779?utm_experiment=test_share_listing&aff=ebdsshios

Pre-Assessment Moderation workshop (27th June) is now full 🙋‍♀️🙋🏽‍♂️

Really looking forward to working with this group - we have heads of departments and lecturers from different PTEs joining me, each bringing their own assessment challenges.

The small format means everyone gets time to work on their actual systems rather than just theoretical discussions.

For those who missed out, I’m running another session in July focused on post-assessment moderation and unit standards. Same hands-on approach.

Thanks for the interest in getting assessment systems right.

TOP ASSESSMENT PITFALLS TO AVOID

Here are critical assessment mistakes NZQA consistently flags:

❌ Changing approved wording: Swapping “evaluate” for “explain” lowers cognitive demands and doesn’t require students to form opinions

❌ Ignoring context requirements: Removing phrases like “in a healthcare setting in Aotearoa” eliminates necessary specialised knowledge

❌ Misinterpreting plurals: When learning outcomes mention “children” or “concepts,” you need AT LEAST two examples

❌ Overlooking range requirements: “A range of” or “a variety of” means at least THREE examples with meaningful differences

I learned these the hard way back in 2011 as a new diploma assessor. Now NZQA’s 2020-2024 monitoring shows these issues are still widespread!

What assessment pitfalls have you discovered? Share below! 👇

📚 The Assessment Revolution 📚

Traditional essays are being left behind as AI transforms our workplaces! This is why our assessment methods must evolve.

Join me on March 28th at 4:30pm for an interactive session on assessment innovations! Comment “I’m in” below for location details.

Are we preparing students for their future or just maintaining traditions? What innovative methods work at your institution?

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