201 9 ANNUA L RE POR T
BOARD OF EXAMINERS
Public members serve on the Board of Examiners (BOE) to protect the public’s interests by attempting to ensure the process for registration is fair and unbiased, and that assessments are valid and reliable. For the BOE, 2019 stands as a milestone year. It is the first full year the BOE used the competency-based assessment (CBA) model for assessing the work experience of all engineering applicants. To be expected with a change of this magnitude, there have been many challenges. As a result, the BOE and staff have worked to adjust policies and procedures based on early experiences using CBA. Work is proceeding on reviewing and updating related APEGA bulletins and policies. Some of the policies the BOE approved in 2019 included Positions on References and Validators for CBA Applications and Assessment of Work Experience for CBA Applications . While it is still early days for APEGA’s CBA, more is required to assist validators and examiners. Anyone who takes on these key positions understands their vital role and ensures no significant gaps in approach and performance exist. The decision to hold more frequent face-to-face meetings with Registration Executive Committee (REC) members, a BOE subcommittee, is a good move. We
also suggest practical workshops be held for CBA examiners at which they complete CBA assessments on real applications, such that the BOE can produce quantitative data based on examiner agreement. Progress in assessing applicants’ academic requirements is urgently needed. Currently, the assessment of academic requirements is not uniform across all applicants. Based on some initial work started in late 2019, we are hopeful that, in the short term, this will be addressed. As always, registration staff does much of the heavy lifting that allows the BOE meetings to run smoothly and efficiently. Over the past year, they have often been called on to make policy and process changes on what seems almost a monthly basis as the REC operationalizes CBA. Their support and prompt action are recognized. Respectfully submitted,
Leslie Beard Ernest Skakun, PhD Public Members
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