public safety testing | Assessment Services Review

Joint Agency Police Promotional Assessment Centers: An Opportunity for Interagency Cooperation

The current fiscal environment for many law enforcement agencies requires innovative change in practices and procedures. While we may not be facing the stark challenges of retrenchment budgeting that were common in the 1980s, today many of us have insufficient budgets to achieve all that we seek to accomplish. A joint agency promotional assessment center may enable multiple agencies to realize the benefits of the assessment center at a substantial cost savings.

Background Brief

Human Resource Management costs are significant in public policing. As a rule of thumb 70-90% of any law enforcement agency’s budget is committed to some aspect of Human Resource Management (HRM). These costs have been predicted to grow in the future as a result of any number of factors. But a common factor in any HRM cost equation is the identification, selection and retention of competent and capable supervisors and managers.

Across the nation, several law enforcement agencies have adopted the promotional assessment center as a defensible and fair tool in the selection of supervisors and managers. However, as many readers know only too well – a functional promotional assessment is an expensive tool[i]. The costs present in any one of several forms – including the significant time commitment of both the candidates and assessors; the logistical support required for a successful center (video recording, appropriate exercise spaces, and scheduling trained actors) as well as the extensive and intensive planning required for a successful assessment center process. (more…)

By Thomas Engells|2017-10-18T11:22:31-04:00October 18th, 2017|Assessment, Assessment Centers, Public Safety Testing, Public Safety Tests|Comments Off

Should We Be Gamifying Our Assessments?

For this month’s blog, I will look at what is one of the hottest questions in private and public-sector personnel selection – “Should we be gamifying our assessments?” In my opinion, the answer is “Yes!” and I will take this blog to explain why.

“Gamification” falls within the larger topic of “how should I incorporate emerging technologies into my assessment strategies.” Now, one might legitimately ask how it is that someone who started doing math on a slide rule can claim to be an expert on emerging technologies. I will simply remind you that Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, Paul Allen, Bill Gates, and I were born at roughly the same time. So, despite huge differences in our net worth, we do share a similar generational zeitgeist.

What Does Gamifying Mean?

Gamifying is one type of Technology Enhanced Assessment (TEA). Related types of TEA include:

games (so obviously there is a difference between games and gamifying).
enhanced item types.
the use of avatars.
virtual reality.
big data and advanced algorithms.

Gamification (or gamifying) is defined as “the application of game mechanics, elements, and features to non-game environments,” or in this case “the application of game-type elements to assessments used in personnel selection.” This differs from the use of true games in selection, although the difference is probably more of a continuum than a sharp distinction, as both games and gamification can be used in personnel selection. The differences between games and gamification can be summarized as:

With games, the person knows they are playing a game, whereas with gamification, the applicant still knows they are taking a test.
Games are meant to be fun and are structured to have clear rules that define the game play; gamified tests are seen as a more serious activity.
Games have different play sections and winning is the goal; gamified tests are structured similar to traditional assessments and getting hired is the goal.

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By Dennis Doverspike|2017-09-12T09:13:39-04:00September 12th, 2017|Assessment, Gaming, Public Safety Testing|Comments Off

Where Can I Find Guidelines for Tests?

The idea for this primer series germinated from a simple question – “Could you do an article looking at the validity of tests used in public safety assessment?” In response, I decided to do a series of articles aimed to inform, but also intended to keep things simple. The blogs in this series are intended to cover:

What are the characteristics of a good test?
What are some authoritative references human resource and assessment professionals can rely upon in evaluating the worthiness of tests?
What is validity?
Are public safety assessments good tests and are they valid?

The first article in the primer series has been published and is available on the IPMA-HR Assessment Services Review page.

This is the second in the series and is intended to answer the question as to where can the reader turn for guidance in addition to that offered in this series of blogs. My suggested list is fairly short and includes:

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By Dennis Doverspike|2017-06-14T10:27:47-04:00June 14th, 2017|ASR Bookshelf, Public Safety Tests, Validity|Comments Off