{"id":12607,"date":"2024-10-03T09:49:36","date_gmt":"2024-10-03T08:49:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/?p=12607"},"modified":"2024-10-03T09:53:53","modified_gmt":"2024-10-03T08:53:53","slug":"why-being-a-cmalt-assessor-is-great-for-your-development","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/2024\/10\/why-being-a-cmalt-assessor-is-great-for-your-development\/","title":{"rendered":"Why being a CMALT Assessor is great for your development\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
<\/div>\n\n\n

Written by Matt Cornock, Julie Voce, Puiyin Wong and Jade Kimberley <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this blog, Matt Cornock, Julie Voce, Puiyin Wong and Jade Kimberley share reasons why they became CMALT assessors and their advice for those starting out as new assessors reviewing their first portfolios. This post captures some points from our panel discussion on being a CMALT assessor, at the ALT Annual Conference<\/a> in Manchester, 3-5 September 2024. CMALT<\/a> (Certified Membership of the Association for Learning Technology) is the industry recognised accreditation for professionals within learning technology and digital education. CMALT candidates submit a portfolio showcasing their individual professional practice, which is reviewed by two peer Assessors. Assessors are CMALT holders who review against set criteria, providing feedback to support the development of candidates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

\u201cI find it inspiring to read about the commitment and passion candidates have about the work they do.\u201d – Jade<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Why did we become assessors?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"CMALT<\/figure>
\n

We all agree that being a CMALT assessor allows us to keep up to date with what is happening in digital education in the broadest sense and to find out about other learning technology professionals\u2019 practice. CMALT portfolios cover a very wide range of roles across many educational and training sectors and this exposure to different contexts and experiences beyond those we work in is incredibly valuable.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n

\u201cThere are so many sectors out there, higher education, further education, schools, adult learning, private sector. You can assess portfolios from any of them and so it’s very interesting to see the range of roles, take lessons learned and, where things are openly available, share good practice with colleagues.\u201d – Julie <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Assessing portfolios enables reflection on our own practice, prompted by comparison to other institutions and examples of innovation demonstrated by CMALT candidates. Many of us have similar challenges and being able to draw upon the use of learning technology and leadership of digital education demonstrated by others helps to find solutions in our own contexts. Through reviewing CMALT portfolios, there have been many occasions where we have come across something new and have been able to follow that up in our own work or suggested to our colleagues where they may find new resources. Of course, portfolios are treated confidentially by assessors, but many candidates openly share their practice online via blogs, articles, conferences and video.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

\u201cFor me it’s about giving back to the community.\u201d – Puiyin<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

As CMALT is assessed by volunteer peer assessors, we appreciate the time that peers spent reviewing our own portfolios and so it\u2019s one way that we can give back to the community and ensure that others have the same opportunity that we had.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Development for candidates and assessors
<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"CMALT<\/figure>
\n

We each have the values of CMALT at the heart of our professional practice, so being able to contribute to the ALT community and the professional growth of individual members is important to us. <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

CMALT is for reflection and professional development as much as for accreditation, so it is not uncommon to ask candidates to rework sections. Our approach to giving feedback for development is a key reason for our ongoing engagement as assessors, particularly when we see candidates’ depth of reflection and appreciation of their impact improve when they resubmit. There’s a real sense that as an assessor you are leading on professional standards and developing individuals in their career.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The process of assessment also allows us to practise our feedback skills. Each of us support colleagues in our own teams and through other leadership responsibilities. If you are looking to complete Fellowship of AdvanceHE or Fellowship of SEDA, being an assessor allows you to evidence engagement with assessment and feedback processes and opportunities to reflect on your practice of developing others. Both Julie and Jade drew on their experience as an assessor for PFHEA and SFSEDA respectively.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How we assess<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We’re quite methodical about our assessment approach and follow the guidance for the level of CMALT portfolio<\/a> submitted. For each section we look for description, evidence and reflection. All three need to be present and meet the criteria for the section to be assessed as adequate or strong. We also take a holistic view of the candidate against the core values of CMALT. For Senior CMALT there is the added criteria of leadership and impact to be evidenced and reflected on throughout.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

\u201cThe context statements are really useful. As an assessor you’ll be coming to it from your own background, but you need to understand the context of the candidate as a lens through which you view the portfolio. It’s not about whether the candidate is performing at a level you want them to be performing at, but how they\u2019ve implemented practice and reflected on practice in their own context.\u201d – Matt<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

If you are a new assessor you will normally be paired with an experienced assessor. In Matt’s experience, he has always preferred having a call with his co-assessors, particularly if there is a difference of opinion. This is really important to ensure that both assessors have agreement over how the criteria have been met, or what areas of improvement are to be prioritised for resubmission. This is a great opportunity for professional dialogue with someone else in the sector. Whether you are paired with a more, or less, experienced assessor, both views count. Often the other assessor you work with can spot something you’ve missed or interprets something in a different way. If you have opposite views, it’s definitely worth revisiting the guidelines and section criteria, then discussing your reasons to find a compromise. What’s most important is that the candidates are given clear feedback that is consistent from both assessors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Writing feedback <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Jade\u2019s approach to feedback is to write a sentence or two on each area highlighting good practice, as well as areas to improve or to consider. This is a good way of not getting lost in the portfolio. At the end, she then writes a general comment to thank the candidate and highlight positive aspects of the portfolio in general.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If it\u2019s a portfolio requiring resubmission we try to add an encouraging comment so the candidate knows there is light at the end of the tunnel. Portfolios do take an immense amount of effort for candidates to create and as assessors we are very respectful of the commitment shown. Sometimes it can be disconcerting not to pass the first time, so it’s important that the candidate feels supported to re-work and resubmit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

\u201cI tend to write feedback section by section with clear guidance to follow. Feedback that I would want to receive\u2026 Critical, fair: This section is missing a bit of reflection, I’d like you to add X, Y and Z, in order to pass this section.\u201d – Puiyin<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

We also sometimes review portfolios that may need to be resubmitted into a different level, for example a candidate for Senior CMALT who isn’t able to evidence leadership, but otherwise has a strong submission. In that case we liaise with ALT to see if the candidate wants to submit to the standard CMALT. Similarly, we’ve seen excellent portfolios at Associate level recently that we can see candidates rapidly progressing to standard CMALT. Our approach is always to support candidates and encourage recognition for their professional practice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to get involved <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

As soon as you have successfully completed your CMALT, you’ll be invited to become an assessor. If you have been a CMALT holder for a while or missed the original invitation you can register your interest to be an assessor via the ALT website<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We highly recommend attending a CMALT Assessors webinar<\/a> as it gives an opportunity to talk through the process and how to benchmark your assessment.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Every quarter you will get an email from ALT asking your availability to assess portfolios over the next few months. You can opt in to as many or as few portfolios you have time for. Usually you will also be allocated any resubmitted portfolios that you have reviewed previously, so that the same assessors can review amendments. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We hope we’ve inspired you to become a CMALT assessor and look forward to welcoming you to the community of assessors soon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

About the authors<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Matt Cornock, SCMALT, is Head of Online Learning at the University of Leeds and a Trustee of ALT, and has been an assessor since 2012.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr Julie Voce, SCMALT PFHEA, is Head of Digital Education at City St. George’s, University of London, and has been an assessor since 2016. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Puiyin Wong, SCMALT SFHEA, is Head of Digital Education (EPS) at the University of Birmingham and a Trustee of ALT, and has been an assessor since 2022. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jade Kimberley, SCMALT SFHEA SFSEDA FAHEP, is Learning and Teaching Director, University of Nottingham International College, Kaplan International Pathways, and has been an assessor since 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n

Did you enjoy reading this? To become a member of our community, see Membership details here https:\/\/www.alt.ac.uk\/membership<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"In this blog, Matt Cornock, Julie Voce, Puiyin Wong and Jade Kimberley share reasons why they became CMALT assessors and their advice for those starting out as new assessors reviewing their first portfolios. This post captures some points from our panel discussion on being a CMALT assessor, at the ALT Annual Conference in Manchester, 3-5 […]","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":12617,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1576],"tags":[1258,1392,725,1952,1764,771,1951,780,1955,888,1953,1954,976],"class_list":["post-12607","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cmalt","tag-altc-2","tag-cmalt-2","tag-altc","tag-assessor","tag-certified-membership","tag-cmalt","tag-cmalt-assessor","tag-cpd","tag-jade-kimberly","tag-julie-voce","tag-matt-cornock","tag-puiyin-wong","tag-review"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1112\/2024\/10\/Copy-of-CMALT-Submission-Window.png?fit=534%2C200&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":13424,"url":"https:\/\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/2025\/11\/supporting-our-community-my-role-as-a-trustee-for-alt\/","url_meta":{"origin":12607,"position":0},"title":"Supporting our community – my role as a trustee for ALT\u00a0","author":"ALT","date":"6 November 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Trustees\u2019 Week falls on 3-7 November this year. As part of the celebrations, ALT is recognising the invaluable work of our trustees. ALT\u2019s trustees set our direction and are responsible for ALT\u2019s strategy and the overall performance of the Association. During this week, we will be publishing articles by Keith\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Events"","block_context":{"text":"Events","link":"https:\/\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/category\/events\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1112\/2025\/11\/TEMPLATE-DO-NOT-EDIT-THIS-PAGE-20.png?fit=734%2C550&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1112\/2025\/11\/TEMPLATE-DO-NOT-EDIT-THIS-PAGE-20.png?fit=734%2C550&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1112\/2025\/11\/TEMPLATE-DO-NOT-EDIT-THIS-PAGE-20.png?fit=734%2C550&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1112\/2025\/11\/TEMPLATE-DO-NOT-EDIT-THIS-PAGE-20.png?fit=734%2C550&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":13000,"url":"https:\/\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/2025\/04\/a-cmalt-journey-insights-from-emily-armstrong\/","url_meta":{"origin":12607,"position":1},"title":"A CMALT Journey: Insights from Emily Armstrong\u00a0","author":"ALT","date":"30 April 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"For this month's blog profile, in celebration of CMALT Week 2025, we are excited to introduce Emily Armstrong, a passionate CMALT Assessor. We asked Emily a series of questions to gather her invaluable insights and experiences, aiming to provide guidance and inspiration for those embarking on their CMALT journey. How\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Blog post"","block_context":{"text":"Blog post","link":"https:\/\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/category\/post\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1112\/2025\/03\/CMALT-WEEK-blog-cover-profile-series.png?fit=1200%2C899&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1112\/2025\/03\/CMALT-WEEK-blog-cover-profile-series.png?fit=1200%2C899&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1112\/2025\/03\/CMALT-WEEK-blog-cover-profile-series.png?fit=1200%2C899&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1112\/2025\/03\/CMALT-WEEK-blog-cover-profile-series.png?fit=1200%2C899&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1112\/2025\/03\/CMALT-WEEK-blog-cover-profile-series.png?fit=1200%2C899&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":11776,"url":"https:\/\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/2023\/12\/how-i-transformed-from-cmalt-to-senior-cmalt-in-less-than-2-years\/","url_meta":{"origin":12607,"position":2},"title":"How I transformed from CMALT to Senior CMALT in less than 2 years","author":"ALT","date":"15 December 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Hello, I am Puiyin and my first day working in learning technology was Monday 19 August 2019. The significance of this date isn\u2019t the date itself, but how recent it is. That\u2019s right, I have only been working in this field for a little over 4 years and this month\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "CMALT"","block_context":{"text":"CMALT","link":"https:\/\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/category\/cmalt\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1112\/2023\/12\/Puiyin-ALTC22.jpg?fit=494%2C494&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":5950,"url":"https:\/\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/2016\/09\/three-years-of-altc-and-cmalt\/","url_meta":{"origin":12607,"position":3},"title":"Three years of ALTc and CMALT","author":"Teresa MacKinnon","date":"22 September 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"This post is written by David Hopkins. Teaching and Learning Consultant, University of Warwick Business School. David is a CMALT Assessor and member of CMALT Development Group. Whilst I may have joined ALT some 9 years ago it was only in 2014 that I first attended the annual conference. The\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Community"","block_context":{"text":"Community","link":"https:\/\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/category\/community\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"New CMALT badge","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1112\/2016\/09\/CMALT-badge-778x438.jpg?fit=778%2C438&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1112\/2016\/09\/CMALT-badge-778x438.jpg?fit=778%2C438&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1112\/2016\/09\/CMALT-badge-778x438.jpg?fit=778%2C438&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1112\/2016\/09\/CMALT-badge-778x438.jpg?fit=778%2C438&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":12367,"url":"https:\/\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/2024\/07\/ceo-report-to-members-july-2024\/","url_meta":{"origin":12607,"position":4},"title":"CEO Report to Members, July 2024","author":"","date":"26 July 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Dear Members, I hope you are all well and have some time off planned over the summer to rest and recuperate. At ALT, we are entering our busy period as preparations ramp up for our Annual Conference and AGM. I have lots to share with you in this update. Could\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Chief Executive's Reports"","block_context":{"text":"Chief Executive's Reports","link":"https:\/\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/category\/reports\/chief-executives-reports\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1112\/2024\/07\/CEO-report-blog.png?fit=700%2C216&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1112\/2024\/07\/CEO-report-blog.png?fit=700%2C216&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1112\/2024\/07\/CEO-report-blog.png?fit=700%2C216&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1112\/2024\/07\/CEO-report-blog.png?fit=700%2C216&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":13091,"url":"https:\/\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/2025\/05\/explore-the-voices-and-resources-of-cmalt-week-2025\/","url_meta":{"origin":12607,"position":5},"title":"Explore the voices and resources of CMALT Week 2025\u00a0","author":"ALT","date":"6 May 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Last week, we were pleased to host our first CMALT Week, from 28 April to 2 May 2025. A week packed with interactive sessions, webinars, and activities to help you along your CMALT journey. As we reflect on the week's events, we invite you to explore the voices and resources\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "CMALT"","block_context":{"text":"CMALT","link":"https:\/\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/category\/cmalt\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1112\/2025\/05\/TEMPLATE-DO-NOT-EDIT-THIS-PAGE-1.png?fit=1200%2C899&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1112\/2025\/05\/TEMPLATE-DO-NOT-EDIT-THIS-PAGE-1.png?fit=1200%2C899&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1112\/2025\/05\/TEMPLATE-DO-NOT-EDIT-THIS-PAGE-1.png?fit=1200%2C899&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1112\/2025\/05\/TEMPLATE-DO-NOT-EDIT-THIS-PAGE-1.png?fit=1200%2C899&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1112\/2025\/05\/TEMPLATE-DO-NOT-EDIT-THIS-PAGE-1.png?fit=1200%2C899&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6CxU9-3hl","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12607","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12607"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12607\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12626,"href":"https:\/\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12607\/revisions\/12626"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12617"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12607"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12607"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12607"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}