Riverside Training uses a platform called Cognassist which allows us to understand the way our Apprentices think and helps us identify the learning styles that best suit their learning needs.

Why? Not all of us think in the same way. Some of us are better at languages than others. One person’s maths is another person’s nightmare. How we think and our strengths are dictated by eight areas of brain activity. CognAssist is an incredible system that maps your personal brain strengths through a quick, fun, online assessment, which will help you and your assessor identify your preferred learning style and plan for assessments that will work best for you.

The assessment procedure

The Cognassist neurodiversity assessment can be completed in under 30 minutes and investigates the eight cognitive domains which affect thinking and learning. Once completed we can identify whether a learner has an additional learning need within any of the domains, so you can begin a programme of support with the help of our learning resources and get a different perspective on your learners. It’s accessible via a range of devices.

We developed the assessment in conjunction with leading neurologists, Dr John Welsh and Dr Clive Skilbeck with the help and support of Educational Psychologist Dr Wilkinson and our neurodiversity expert Dr Louise Karwowski. Using the assessment we can understand more about how learners think and then deliver the right learning resources at the right time. This helps the learner develop new ways of coping and supports them at work, in their education and in their personal lives.

The Cognassist solution

This is the  training sector’s most sophisticated digital assessment tool and provides advanced reports into the following areas:

• Literacy
• Numeracy
• Verbal memory
• Non-verbal memory
• Verbal reasoning
• Visual information processing speed
• Visual perception
• Executive function

Cognassist’s online assessment works by quickly and easily identifying learners with additional learning needs, assessing those needs, and providing robust and in-depth support materials and coping strategies to assist the learner in overcoming challenges they may face with their neurodiversity. It also allows us to track the progress of the learners and tutor them through the tasks.

What the Cognassist platform offers:

• Allows us to interact with the learners digitally
• The system will provide 4 tasks per month for personal and professional development
• Runs through a series of tests/memory/vision/learning styles
• We ask our learners to undergo an assessment prior to starting their apprenticeship which is an advanced cognitive assessment developed by experts in neuroscience and educational psychologists that identifies learning needs in 8 domains of the brain
• Over 500 media-rich learning strategies mapped to levels 1-6 are personalised to individual cognitive learner profiles. This evidence-based learning programme enables your organisation to provide essential support to every learner
• Covering 8 cognitive domains built-in including Literacy, Verbal Reasoning, Verbal Memory, Numeracy, Visual Perception, Non-Verbal Memory, Visual Information Processing Speed, and Executive Function
• Applied neuroscience and solution training delivered online, face to face, or via e-learning ensures your staff have the skills they need to support all your learners
• Cognassist can help you unlock greater access to Learning Support Funding
• End Point Assessment support – The Cognassist cognitive assessment not only identifies a learner’s additional needs right from their initial 30-minute assessment, it also provides guidance on the reasonable adjustments that may be necessary for that particular learner when it comes to their end-point assessment

Recognition and Accreditation

After successfully completing the required masterclasses, Riverside Training have recently been awarded Neurodiversity Champion accreditation by Cognassist, yet another example of our innovative delivery capability.  Woo hoo!

Hey relax

If you’re a learner and all this sounds a little daunting, relax. Take a look at this video featuring Lara from Riverside to helpfully explain what it all means for you…