FLP 212. Important FLP Assessment Changes for August 2026

Speaker A: Hello, thanks for listening to the Finance Leadership Podcast, the latest updated news about the Finance Leadership program. As usual, you listen to myself, Kevin Gormley. And today I am joined by Colin Ward, who's been on the podcast before. And just to remind everyone, Colin works as part of our FLP assessment team. So welcome again, Colin. Thanks for joining the podcast today.

Speaker B: Hello Kevin. Hello everyone. Thanks for having me.

Speaker A: Today we're going to uh, talk about some impending changes to do with how we assess our students on the Finance Leadership program. So for anyone who uh, currently is a student or uh, is pending, starting studying or considering the platform as a pathway to cgma, we have topic level assessments which are embedded within the platform, which form, um, one of the assessment methodologies that we use for students. So Colin, as uh, I said, works in our assessment. So Colin, maybe if you just uh, remind listeners of what you do as part of uh, the team.

Speaker B: Sure. Uh, so again, my name is Colin Ward. I um, work for CIMA's education and exams, uh, department. Ah, I'm an associate director. I'm primarily responsible for the FOP's assessment, the design of the assessment, the development of the assessment and also the learning design within the plan platform too.

Speaker A: As I mentioned, there's impending changes and we're here to uh, discuss these with uh, Colin today. So what we're going to do is walk through what those changes are, the rationale behind them, um, develop uh, some more detail, uh, around what is actually changing when it's going to happen and the impact to our students. So maybe as a student you're currently midway through a, uh, competency or midway through a level worth listening uh, to this because it will help you understand uh, what we're uh, rolling out, uh, later in this year. Colin, suppose the first thing is we've mentioned there's changes, so could you give us a brief overview of what those are, please? Sure.

Speaker B: So to talk very briefly about them, we have what we call assessments of proficiency. They're the topic level assessments. Those are the assessments which in essence make a judgment on the learning that you've completed so far, whether you're proficient at each topic and uh, the content of that topic. So the changes affect that or those assessments directly and specifically. So there are four main measures that we're introducing. So the first one is to restrict the number of attempts that you can make at ah, successfully completing a TLA in a 12 hour period. So again when we talk about attempts here, we're not talking about individual questions but your attempt to actually, or your effort to successfully complete each topic. So we're restricting the number of attempts that you can make in a given period. So that's measure number one. The next one is to restrict the actual time that you have for each attempt and again that's to successfully complete each topic. The third is to introduce a new user conduct policy for the FLP and for its learners. And then the last one, uh, is, and students may be familiar that they get a little bit of feedback currently with each individual TLA that they take, they don't get told whether their response was right or wrong, but they might get a hint or things like that. And we're removing that feedback from individual TLAs. So those are the four measures that we're introducing.

Speaker A: Right. So, Colin, just being devil's advocate, uh, as I do quite often, um, sure, everything's fine as it is. Why we making these changes will be a message or an automatic response that's going to come from students. Because you know this, I've been on the platform for maybe a year, for example, completed operational level, now m, you're moving into management. So why are you changing this for me? What's the rationale behind this?

Speaker B: So it's a really good question and a really fair question for yourself or for any of our, uh, learners to ask, why change anything? And why introduce something that restricts user access? It's not something that we do lightly and we're doing it for, uh, a few reasons. Maybe not the main reason, but one of the main reasons at least is we're very conscious for ourselves about what we think of the Finance leadership program, how good it is, how well it equips students with the necessary technical knowledge and skills to progress through and take the case study exam and succeed in the SEMA case study exams. Like with any educational program, integrity and confidence are really key features of it. We don't see these, but we want to know that they exist and we either want to feel them as ourselves in terms of AICPA and SEMA want to know that our platform has integrity, but it's also important too for the students themselves to know that the platform has integrity, that it's a robust system, that it's treating people fairly. Our members are SEMA members and we hope that all of our FLP learners go on to become SEMA members. They too want to know that the platform, that the people that we're in essence helping to become SEMA members are going through a valid and robust, uh, education program and platform. So the measures that we're doing Collectively will hopefully build some more of the integrity. We think we have a robust and valid platform as it is, but it's just to give ourselves an all of our members and other stakeholders additional assurance that our students are working through the platform fairly, that the platform itself is robust, and that the program can give that confidence to those going through it, those who have been through it, and other members that this is a valid educational program. There's one other reason too, that we want to, uh, introduce this. Obviously at the moment, the topic level assessments, the TLAs, there are no restrictions on it. And we sometimes have found that students in a, in a scenario where they can take the TLAs as often as they want, whenever they want, maybe don't quite engage with them in the way that we want. They are assessments of proficiency. You do need to successfully complete them to demonstrate that you are proficient at each topic level. And again, maybe sometimes students feel that, not that they're unimportant, but that maybe, well, I can just take it again and there's no great problem. Introducing some measures will hopefully, we think, get students to focus a little bit more on the importance of these topics, uh, and their assessments in their own right. And so we're not limiting the number of overall attempts that you have. And I think, you know, we can talk through the details of each of them in due course. But in essence, we hope that students will engage more forcefully or in a more focused way with the assessments through these measures as well.

Speaker A: I suppose to summarize, I've. Colin, It's a behavioral change. So we're trying to change or improve the behaviors of some of our students so they become more engaged and focused the first time. Maybe they sit at tla. Would that be fair to say?

Speaker B: I think that's fair. I think in, in terms of now, to be very clear, students, particularly those who are already working through the FLP or will know that they're not going to successfully complete each topic on a first go. And the data that we have shows that students would often require, certainly for more of the complex topics will require multiple attempts to successfully complete. And that's absolutely fine. We say this kind of when we're talking to students and any of our guidance to students directly. There's no judgment on needing multiple attempts to take the TLAs. Uh, some of them are, uh, inherently, we don't make them more complex than they need to be. But some topics and students will know this are just tricky. And we, we understand that they will need multiple goals at it. So we're not trying to make it that more complex. But we do understand too that for those topics where maybe students might not engage fully with it, uh, once you kind of hit that point in your, in your journey, for each topic where you need to take the assessment, you do need to maybe take some time out, focus, find a little space for yourself if you can to concentrate and to work through it. And uh, restricting some of that for some students we hope will be a benefit and that will allow them to kind of go, okay, I'm going to move on to another topic rather than get bogged down here, or I'm going to go back and engage in a more focused way with the learning content a second time before I make another attempt at it.

Speaker A: So Colin, there's a number of changes that we're bringing in and I think it'd be useful if you could maybe just step through each one, give a bit more flesh on actually what's happening. For example, the number of attempts you can have on a tla, how long you'll have to answer tla, when do you sign up for the code of conduct and does that have any impact on progression, for example? So just to give people a bit more insight into what's coming down the tracks.

Speaker C: Sure.

Speaker B: To start with the first measure. So what we're doing is we are restricting the number of attempts that an individual learner can take on an individual topic in a 12 hour period. And people might ask, why 12 hours? Well, we understand that uh, for our learners, ah, the great positive of the frp, one of many positives, is that it is open and flexible. Students can go in and out as they please, they can learn when they're available to learn. Could be lunchtime, during work, uh, or in the evenings. And so we understand that and we don't want to disrupt that unduly, but we do. As I kind of mentioned, there are benefits in ensuring that the system is robust and has integrity. And so the 12 hour limit, in essence in any 12 hour period that you give, you can only have a maximum of three attempts. So if you take multiple attempts, say three attempts in, um, starting from say 3pm today local time, wherever that is for you, that will be something that it will block out any further attempts for uh, the rest of that 12 hour period. So in essence it's a way of giving a kind of a timeout for students so that they don't get bogged down in individual topics. Now when we apply that uh, that restriction, it only applies to that individual topic. A student is not blocked out at the flp, they can go on to other topics and take the assessments for those and they can do that across any topic at that level. So the restriction only applies to that individual topic that they've um, unsuccessfully attempted three times. There will be a timer on the screen when they go back into the topic to tell them how long their lockout period is remaining for. So for example, if you got locked out at um, a given time, you might be locked out for a number of hours. Now It's a rolling 12 hour period. So in essence if you've taken multiple attempts over the previous 12 hour period, you may have, it may show that you have one attempt in the next hour and if you don't successfully complete that, you'd be locked out again. But in essence it's just a way to try and ensure that students engage fully with the learning and don't get frustrated, uh, or bogged down in a particular topic. So that's the first one. The second one then is to have a time limit on the individual attempts that you make. And again an attempt is not the individual questions but your effort to successfully complete or complete that topic with that assessment. So that will be a period of time that will be set out. You will know, it will say on screen what the period of time is for that individual topic and there will be a clock in the corner as you undertake your attempt, which will count down, um, as you're working through it. Now in terms of setting the time again, we've tried to be as fair as possible to students so that they have sufficient time, a reasonable and fair amount of time to uh, successfully complete the questions for that topic. So for most topics there will be a minimum amount of time. Still figuring that out a little bit, but it would be displayed on screen. But for certain topics we've already identified these. We know for example that some topics that might have a lot of calculations in them and unlike, uh, other FEMA assessments, you know, if you're doing the TLAs for this individual topic, it might be that there are multiple calculations all in this one area and they typically take longer than standard, uh, questions which might be more narrative in, in design. So for calculations or for others that we've deemed to be more complex, additional time will be available. We've ensured that the time available for each topic is reasonable, is specific to that topic and the needs of that topic and is fair for the student. So that's the second measure. And then the third measure, as you mentioned, is the user conduct policy. And so really what this is, is I think something that we, we've needed for a while within the flp. But it's, it's a positive thing and in essence it's a, uh, it's a code of conduct for students and how they behave and their behaviors within the platform, how they engage with the learning content and with the assessment. And in terms of assessment too, not just what we call our assessments of proficiency, the TLAs, but also the um, and to use the technical term, the kind of the formative assessment that we use so students will be familiar depending on where they are on the platform, that we have things like knowledge checks or we have the business simulation assignments. So those are assessments which you don't have to pass. They're not graded, but they are there as part of the learning experience. They give you feedback and they're there to help you learn or to help you understand your own progression or uh, your own understanding of the topic content. But this user kind of policy covers everything. It also covers your behavior with other learners as you might engage them with, you know, AICP and SEMA staff and so forth. And it's really again setting out some of the kind of ideal behaviors and conduct. The results on this sounds very, um, serious or very draconian and it's not meant to be at all. But it is tying some of the behaviors that we would hope our students would never, you know, demonstrate in the flp. But it is tying it to some of the existing processes that exist across SEMA and also the American Institute of CPAs, to some of their conduct policies and procedures and potentially even sanctions if somebody demonstrates a really negative behavior within the flp. Again, why are we doing this? Well, we think it's important for students to understand that going through this platform, they are in essence working towards becoming CGMAs, and that there is a responsibility and an integrity required for that designation. It means something to be a cgma. It means something for our existing members, um, the Siemens and cba to be a cgma. And so there are expected behaviors for that. So really the CONDO policy is setting that out and it's something that students will abide by each time they attempt, uh, ah, a TLA for a given topic. You will see and be reminded that you're abiding by these principles, this, this conduct policy. So that's the third measure and then the fourth measure is kind of relatively small, but might have a little bit of an impact on students. So when you're taking individual TLA's, you might see a little Red mark to say, oh, that response wasn't correct. And sometimes there's a little bit of, um, feedback which wasn't designed to give you the right answer, but maybe just explain why your response wasn't correct or maybe what you hadn't thought of. So again, because we want to reinforce the idea that these are measures of proficiency or assessments of proficiency, I should say, and ensure that you engage with them correctly. And for us to have confidence in your as, uh, a student's proficiency, and for you and for others to have confidence in that proficiency too, we're removing that feedback. So again, you won't see any feedback on an individual, uh, question. You will just provide an answer, click submit and you will move on to the next question. Obviously, you'll still be told whether you've successfully completed the topic or not, but there won't be any other feedback. And if you haven't successfully completed, that's okay. It's perfectly normal part of the process. You'll have to go back and attempt those TLAs again. So those are the four measures that we're introducing.

Speaker A: Okay. And, um, when are we planning to roll this out?

Speaker B: We're looking to introduce these changes basically in the last week of August. At the moment, the change is still in development. We're pretty confident that it'll be last week in August. We are conscious too, that particularly for introducing measures like this, that we don't want this to be any more disruptive to students than it need be. It is a change in how you engage with the assessment. But also we're conscious too that there were given periods throughout the year that our FLP learners are preparing for case study exams. And while we obviously hope that they prepare well in advance for them and ensure that they complete all areas of a given level before they are scheduled, um, onto the case study exam. And to allow time for preparing for the case study exam, we do know that there can be some pressures as that timeframe comes up. So we operate in terms of introducing certain measures throughout the year at given points where they're likely to cause least disruption to students in terms of their case study preparation. And the next available period for that is at the end of August. So we're aiming very much for that date. And that's when we intend to launch in terms of how we might communicate that once we're 100% confident that the end of August is our time, uh, for launch, roughly six weeks in advance of that, maybe even a little earlier, we'll start our communication process. So we're going to begin talking to students at that point.

Speaker A: We will tell students, we will tell employers, we'll tell stakeholders, uh, are we sending out messages to everyone at the same time?

Speaker B: Pretty much. The message will be slightly different for different people. For students primarily, the message is much more important. So we'll be putting out uh, lots of videos to show you what the new screens look like, where you'll see the information. So for example, where it will say you're about to take uh, the TLAS for this topic, where you'll see that the time that's available for that individual topic, the details about the user condo policy and how you might access and read that if you choose. Also then within the TLAS themselves, where you see the clock, how the timer works down, that sort of thing. So lots and lots of material, FAQs, explaining again, as I've sort of done here or hope to do here, in terms of what we're doing, why we're doing it, when it's happening, how it might impact you as a student. But also we're conscious too, we spoke about how we're looking to enhance the integrity of the program overall and we think that this is just another feature. Again, we've always been confident in our program, but this just provides extra assurance for lots of different people who have an interest or a stake in the FLP and uh, the CGMA designation. So we'll be communicating that to say what we do. And as I say that will start roughly six weeks in advance with, with some reminders in the interim period between the initial uh, communication and launch. And again we're hopeful that there'll be maybe too much information for people really. But we want to make sure that people are, understand what's happening, are familiar with all of the measures and are familiar with how it will affect their experience of the platform.

Speaker A: Yeah, I think an overriding message here for anyone who is engaged in the platform is really here. We're not introducing anything that's totally out of the ordinary for similar products or assessment, um, platforms that they may have used in the past. These things are all pretty standard in terms of their intent and how they help and shape the platform and even the code of conduct. Again, all of us use digital platforms and I can count on one finger how many times I've read the T's cease. I'm not saying or suggest that you do that. I think you should be able, aware of what you sign up to. But every exam you sat in your life on uh, a digital platform, you agree to a Set of criteria, that's reasonable. So, yeah, these are all things, I think that further enhance the, as you say, the integrity and uh, the purpose of the platform. So I think these will be received pretty well by most stakeholders.

Speaker B: I think that's right, Kevin. I think, uh, one of the things just to talk about user condo policy, we're all familiar with terms and conditions and we know that sometimes we click on that button, we don't always do it, and they run into hundreds of pages and there's usually stuff buried in there that maybe we don't like. User conduct policy is very much for our learners and it's directed at them. We're not doing anything that's trying to, uh, in essence, pull the wool over anyone's eyes. It's actually a relatively short document. It's about seven or eight pages, which is a lot if you want to read that sort of thing. But mostly, again, it's talking about the behaviors that we expect from you as a learner and also some of our obligations as an education provider to our learners. And just setting out that this is an education program. Yes. It's online. Yes. It's self directed. Yes. You may not have a huge amount of engagement with others, but in that engagement, in the engagement with our, uh, learning content, with our assessment, there are some expectations about how you do it. And again, those expectations don't really come from us as an organization. They come from our members. They come from society, from employers who expect anybody with the CGMA designation or is working towards that to display or demonstrate positive learning behaviors in any environment. And so really it's just about enforcing that. So I would hope that anybody who does engage with this, who might be interested, would look at it and kind of understand what it is that we might expect of them. So there should be no horrors hidden in there. It's really just about expectations and behaviors, positive behaviors as much as anything else.

Speaker A: Okay, that's great, Colin. Um, hopefully this will be useful for our students and stakeholders to understand what's coming. But as Colin has said, more information will be sent out about six weeks before the implementation. Uh, so everyone's very clear and has much more detail. Thanks Colin for taking the time today.

Speaker B: Thanks, Kevin.

Speaker A: There'll be more information coming, but we will have some show notes here on some of the information when released, which will direct you to maybe other websites or documents or information presented to, to these changes. There'll be more to explore on the show. Notes. To, uh, view them, just click on the episode's info icon on the podcast app or your smartphone or tablet, or open the episode in the web browser. For uh, more information you can go to our websites either@aicpahithensema.com we also have an FLP specific website called enroll.ctma.org Both provide different information, all taken care of the same registration process, but they're presented differently. Thanks again for listening today to Offender colleague could use this information. Feel free to share your networks. The share button is uh on the podcast app. That's it for now. Thanks for your time. Goodbye.

Speaker C: This content is designed to provide illustrative information with respect to the subject matter covered and does not represent an official opinion or position of the arcpa, the association, or cima. It is provided with the understanding that they are not engaged in offering legal, accounting or other professional services. If such advice or expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional person should be sought. The aicpa, the association and CEMA make no representations, warranties or guarantees as to, and assume no responsibility for the content or application of the material contained herein and especially disclaim all liability for any damages arising out of the use of, reference to, or reliance on such material.