Benchmarks for L&N Learner/Trainee Outcomes

Criteria against which judgements can be made about a whole organisation’s or a programme’s performance. The criteria of concern are those that indicate the extent to which the organisation or the programme has made a difference to learners’/trainees’ literacy and numeracy outcomes.

Component

Components are units of learning that make up a programme. They include projects, papers, courses, modules, practicals and outcomes of assessment standards (NZQA, 2015).

Educator

Anyone involved with teaching learners. Educators include kaiako, trainers, training advisors, mentors, coaches, tutors, lecturers, teachers, learning facilitators.

Embedded Literacy and Numeracy

Teaching and learning of literacy and numeracy within the context and tasks of another subject or skill (for example, panel beating). Explicit literacy and numeracy instruction is provided as it is required for the context and task at hand. (Slightly adapted from TEC, 2009, pp.41 and 9).

ITO

Industry Training Organisation.

Key Evaluation Questions

Questions posed to guide the evaluation of educational performance during the NZQA External Evaluation and Review process (NZQA, n.d.-a, n.d.-b).

L&N

Literacy and Numeracy.

L&N Learner/Trainee Outcomes

Actual outcomes of a learner’s/trainee’s literacy and numeracy proficiency and/or practices as a result of their engagement in (embedded) literacy and numeracy programmes.

L&N Objectives

See Objectives for L&N Learner/Trainee Outcomes

L&N Practices

The literacy and numeracy that people use in their everyday work and life tasks. Practices are deeply contextualised and strongly embedded in these tasks, implying that a task cannot be completed successfully and competently without the literacy and numeracy practices within it being effective.

Literacy and numeracy practices cannot be isolated from the tasks in which they are embedded. Therefore, measurement of effective literacy and numeracy practices can only occur in the context of the task. However, for practices to be effective they require a minimum level of literacy and numeracy proficiency – as defined above. This minimum level can be identified through a process known as ‘Knowing the demands’ (NCLANA, n.d.)

L&N Proficiency

The ability to complete literacy and numeracy tasks as measured against the Learning Progressions (TEC, 2008).

Learner

Anyone enrolled with a Tertiary Education Organisation.

Literacy

The written and oral language people use in everyday life and work. A person’s literacy refers to the extent of their oral and written language skills and knowledge and their ability to apply these to meet the varied demands of their personal study and work lives (TEC, 2009, pp. 41).

NCLANA

National Centre of Literacy and Numeracy for Adults

Numeracy

The bridge between mathematics and real life. A person’s numeracy refers to their knowledge and understanding of mathematical concepts and their ability to use their mathematical knowledge to meet the varied demands of their personal, study and work lives (TEC, 2009, pp. 41-42).

Objectives for L&N Learner/Trainee Outcomes

Explicit literacy and numeracy outcomes for learners/trainees that a particular organisation or programme is aiming to gain from (embedded) literacy and numeracy programmes – also referred to as L&N Objectives.

Organisation

In this User Guide: A Tertiary Education Organisation or an Industry Training Organisation.

Organisational unit

A part of an organisation performing a particular role within the organisation, e.g., a School, Business Unit, Human Resources department, Academic Learning Support department, Industry Relationships department.

Programme

A coherent arrangement of learning or training that is based on clear and consistent aims, content, outcomes and assessment practices, and which leads to a qualification on the NZQF (NZQA, n.d.-c).

TEO

Tertiary Education Organisation, including Institutes of Technology and Polytechnics, Private Training Establishments, and Other Tertiary Education Providers.

Trainee

Anyone enrolled with an Industry Training Organisation.