LRI assessment programs - called AccuVision - use video technology to offer the most accurate, cost-effective means of identifying the strengths and developmental needs of incumbent, new and future workers (this latter group includes students, displaced, at-risk workers, et al). Because there is no adverse impact, AccuVision is widely used to help organizations select new employees.

LRI soft skill assessment programs have assessed 3,000,000 people.

What is Video-based Assessment?

LRI's programs rely upon and feature carefully researched and employer-validated, video-delivered work-situations to validly and accurately measure the soft or high-performance skills and abilities needed for success in a range of jobs. Videotaped scenarios simulate work activities and provide possible responses to the interpersonal challenges associated with specific jobs. Participants are asked to select which of the demonstrated responses they would take in these circumstances. Assessed individuals' skills are compared to a standard of employer-defined effective behavior.

Assessment programs are available for virtually any position within an organization, from entry-level to supervisory and managerial. Because of the flexibility of video-delivered and computer-supported systems, one person or hundreds can be assessed at a single time.

What are the benefits of Video-based Assessment?

For employers

• Increased productivity - By selecting those candidates who have the greatest likelihood of success on-the-job
• Reduced turnover - By helping to improve hiring decisions, employers find that turnover can be reduced by 30 percent - or more
• Accuracy in identifying developmental needs - Developmental resources are more efficiently used when video assessments pinpoint the specific strengths and training needs of individuals, groups, departments, regions or entire organizations
• Realistic job preview - Video-based assessment can create more realistic job expectations for employees, thus bettering the chances of job satisfaction and work performance

For educators

• Counseling students [future workers] regarding current interpersonal strengths and developmental needs
• Transcripting graduates; providing a transcript of students' soft skills
• Enriching work-based learning activities by providing specific information to students and employers to ensure that requisite competencies are developed at the work site
• Benchmarking local employers to establish requisite skill levels sought from graduates
• Offering assessment and training to local employers seeking to hire new workers or to target the specific developmental needs of incumbent workers

For welfare, workforce, TANF and employment/training services professional

• Enabling individuals to target training and focus on specific needs - that is, the skills required to keep and grow within a job
• Documenting the employability skills of clients - to give them a competitive advantage when interviewing for employment
• Strengthening programs by providing employers with workers who require less training and who 'turn-over' less frequently

Applications Within (Public or Private Sector) Organizations

Video-based assessment is equally useful in measuring the skills and abilities of job applicants and incumbents. A typical feedback report produces the following information about each assessed individual:

• An applicant's or future worker's probability of being successful if hired or promoted
• An incumbent's overall level of performance
• Strengths and developmental needs with respect to important job skills
• On-the-job and work-based learning strategies for addressing developmental deficiencies
• Suggested questions to further probe an applicant's effectiveness

Administering Video-based Assessment

Assessment can be administered anywhere a VCR and monitor or large screen can be placed; a CD-ROM format is available for the Workplace Success Skills (WSS) and Managerial (SMS) programs. Very soon, programs will be adapted for delivery on the Internet, using 'flash-video.' The time required to administer a program varies from 30 to 90 minutes, depending on the specific assessment program being used. Below is the step-by-step process:

Double-click here to review a flow-chart describing how AccuVision works.

• Individuals view a series of video simulations depicting a worker interacting with other employees in several job-relevant situations. Because the choices are "acted out" on video, reading ability has little influence on performance. Each individual chooses one of four options that most closely match the action he or she would take if placed in a situation similar to the video scenario. A "least effective" choice is also sometimes requested.
• Responses are entered into a personal computer.
• Data are then transmitted to an off-site host computer for scoring.
• The host computer processes the results and transmits a Feedback Report for each participant to the on-site PC within two minutes.
• Each individual assessment report includes:
  • Overall Score
  • Skill Rank
  • Skill Analysis
  • Developmental Strategies
  • Interview Guide

The assessment can be administered by virtually anyone within an organization. Proficiency with testing or computers is not required.

NOTE

• Many of LRI's programs are available in Spanish and other languages.
• Most programs are available in English with Open Captioning.

Accuracy and Legal Concerns

Video assessments can be used fairly with all groups in a diverse workforce, with no disparate impact.

Each video assessment program has been statistically validated prior to its introduction to the marketplace. Personnel from a variety of organizations have been assessed and their results compared with actual on-the-job performance. This provides a statistical measure of how accurately the system assesses job performance. Each assessment program has proven to be four to five times more predictive of job performance than the typical job interview. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) considerations are taken into account in the validation of the video assessments. Each assessment program predicts the performance of various subgroups equally well (i.e., females, males, blacks, whites, older workers, etc.), which complies with guidelines set by the EEOC.

Our assessment programs are consistent with the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the EEOC (The Civil Rights Act of 1991). Click here for a report on AccuVision's compliance with EEOC and ADA

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