Training courses for new Evaluators will provide learning about the evaluation process and is a requirement before a new Evaluator embarks on an evaluation. Most costs of attending a course will be covered by ISPO, however individuals will need to arrange time away from work or annual leave. If you are interested in becoming an evaluator, please consider the following information carefully:
Curriculum Vitae: To be considered as a candidate for an Evaluators course ISPO will require the following information: Name; Education/qualifications including graduation year; Current occupation; Relevant work history; Nationality; Language fluency (written and spoken); Statement of support from your work supervisor; E-mail address. The EC will maintain confidentiality of the information you provide and will notify you of the outcome of your expression of interest.
Process: Please note that a limited number of Evaluator training places are available and the process will involve selection by the EC, based on the need to achieve a balanced pool of Evaluators and on the characteris-tics of nominated candidates. For example, if the EC observes that a particular language, world region or professional specialty is under-represented, then they may prioritize candidates with that characteristic.
Criteria: ISPO has criteria for evaluators that include requirement for: a minimum of 5 years post-qualification, clinical and/or P&O educator experience (all disciplines of rehabilitation professionals can be an evaluator); recent involvement and knowledge of modern educational theories; experience of competence assessment of P&O students; and support of the individual candidate by their work supervisor. All Evaluators should be ISPO members.
Role & Responsibilities: The ISPO Education Evaluator is responsible for evaluating a P&O facility against the relevant ISPO education standard - Category I or II, and making recommendations as to how well the standard is met. The role of ISPO Evaluator involves a visit to a P&O education facility taking up to one week including travel and involving a team of two Evaluators. This is preceded by consideration of lengthy information about the facility and its’ educational programmes and communication with the co-evaluator, facility and EC to seek additional information and to devise the evaluation schedule. During the visit, the Evaluators assess the programme by inspection of the facility and its activities; interview with facility staff and other relevant people; and further consideration of relevant documentation. Some evaluations may require participation of Evaluators in assessment of current students. The visit is followed by prompt writing of a confidential, detailed evaluation report of up to 20 pages in length that includes recommendations, which is submitted to the EC for consideration before it is passed to the ISPO Executive Board (EB) for authorization. The Evaluator may be asked by the EC and EB to clarify aspects of the report or to provide additional information. The EC generally teams a new Evaluator with an experienced Evaluator for their first evaluation. Strict confidentiality is expected around the detail of all evaluations before, during and after they occur. To perform these tasks, an Evaluator must have detailed knowledge of P&O education and of ISPO Educational standards and procedures.
Each evaluation requires around two weeks of the Evaluator’s time, one week of which involves travelling and the site visit. The remaining time is spread across the months preceding and following the visit.
One or two consultations of the facility take place in writing or in person before the evaluation visit outlined above. A consultation is usually performed by a more experienced Evaluator, who aims to check that the facility is on track in seeking an appropriate standard of ISPO recognition (Category I or II).
Costs: Although travel and accommodation costs are borne by the facility being evaluated, participation requires time for the Evaluator. Some facilities may continue to pay the Evaluator’s salary during that time, others may require the individual to take recreation leave or leave-without-pay. For this reason, prior support by a candidate’s work supervisor is required. ISPO provides a modest per diem to cover living expenses during the visit; however the Evaluator may incur personal expenses beyond that.
Benefits: Through participation as an ISPO Education Evaluator, an individual gains insights into P&O education internationally. The individual has the opportunity to learn more about the teaching methods and philosophies applied by other institutions. Evaluators contribute to the maintenance of ISPO P&O educational standards within participating education facilities.
More information can be obtained by contacting the ISPO Head Office.
