The e-Assessment Question Virtual Conference Week One: Future Gazing and Innovation
WEEK ONE – FUTURE GAZING & INNOVATION
The opening webinar starts with Dr Maren Deepwell, CEO of the Association for Learning Technology who kicks of this week and Virtual Conference with a keynote reflecting on the past 25 years of learning technology and how the current COVID-19 crisis may affect our views. The ‘looking ahead’ theme is developed further looking at how the e-assessment community can support the new skills strategy and the lessons to be learned from national implementation of digital assessment elsewhere. A focus on 21st century skills and how they are being approached will be covered as well as some innovative developments in assessment of mathematics, English and the use of machine learning and ‘big data’.
Tuesday 23rd June 11am BST: Looking Ahead to the Future
Dr Maren Deepwell, CEO, Association for Learning Technology. Opening keynote: Learning from 25 years of TEL history to prepare for an uncertain future
In a time of rapid change, assessment remains at the heart of Learning Technology and challenges our relationship to technology in education. Drawing on findings from ALT’s Annual Survey Dr Maren Deepwell will share practical insights into how we can build on existing expertise to tackle new challenges in online education at scale. Specifically, this talk will focus on:
- building staff capacity to use technology for learning, teaching and assessment effectively online and at scale;
- making use of best practice frameworks and open education practices;
- how to tackle equity and inclusion in online education.
Mike Dawe, Independent Consultant, formerly Director of International at City & Guilds. Technological change and labour mobility – pressures and implications for assessment
- Pressures of technology and globalisation causing a focus on assessment of broader, transferrable, skills
- Movement of people causing a need for transnational credentials.
- A pressure away from National Quals towards trans-national ‘legitimacy’
- Movement of capital/investment.
- A pressure causing a homogenisation of demand globally e.g. Cisco and Microsoft trend now also true of more things
Implications? Authenticity can trump validity; clients are more transnational; qualifications are back, but only if they are recognised cross-border. What expertise is needed to answer today’s questions?
We shouldn’t be fearful of our rapidly changing world; risks are real but so is opportunity. There are opportunities for business and, more substantially, the choices we make can affect global income inequality.
Dr Eleanor Andressen, Senior Researcher and Efficacy Lead, Pearson. Moving high stakes assessment in England to digital platform: The learners’ experiences
This presentation will discuss the considerations and preparations for moving high stakes assessment in England to digital platforms. It will explore the impact of a potential shift in assessment paradigms made possible by the use of on screen delivery of assessments on the experience of the learner and wider society. It will touch on the suitability of adaptive testing for different subjects, and whether the constructs this tests in the US, for example, would be accepted in the English high stakes context. It will pose the question of the extent to which it is desirable for a suite of qualifications to fit the same assessment paradigm. A move away from this may open up opportunities for different approaches to subjects such as Maths and Geography, whilst keeping a more ‘paper behind glass’ approach to English, for example, keeping a similar format and structure to the current paper-based one.
Wednesday 24th June 2pm BST: 21st Century Skills
Mark Dawe, CEO, Association of Employment and Learning Provider. New government, new skills, new assessment
A look at the new government’s skills strategy and priorities and what opportunities there are likely to be for the e-assessment community in supporting the government’s aims and those that deliver skills training and assessment.
Charlotte Bosworth, Managing Director, Innovate Awarding. Experiences to date on how technology can support delivery and assessment of Apprenticeship standards
Since the introduction on new apprenticeship standards varying assessment instrument have been introduced that are required to be delivered in many different employer contexts. This session touches on what has enabled more efficient and consistent approaches to be established by using technology and areas where e-assessment tools could support further in the future.
Tanya MacDonald, Head of Commercialisation, eCom. Virtual Reality: The new normal in eAssessment for vocational assessment
Traditional assessments, either in paper format or eAssessments, do not give an accurate reflection of an individual’s competency in performing certain tasks. This is particularly true for vocational assessments, where getting an accurate representation of someone’s in-the-field knowledge is essential. So how can virtual reality (VR) help? VR experience will enable candidates to learn, as well as take their assessment, in a way that is intuitive for them. Traditionally the cost of doing so has meant that this approach has only been available to those with deep pockets. However, the game has now changed. Tools such as eNetReality are enabling non-technical staff in organisations, to create fully immersive virtual reality experiences by themselves without the need for specialist coding skills. These can then be easily rolled out across the company so they benefit from being able to create assessments that are: relevant to work situations, consistent, transparent, interoperable offering a fully immersive, anywhere, anytime learning and assessment experience will be a strong support to workplace learning and assessment, enabling assessors to see things from the learner’s perspective, with the ability to track the results (individually or as a group) using a choice of standard. In this presentation, we’ll be looking at some real-world examples of how eNetReality is transforming the assessment landscape and creating the new normal in e-Assessment.
Thursday 25th June 11am BST: Innovation in Assessment
Aulden Dunipace, CEO, The Learning Partnership. Psychometrics, Big Data and Careers
- Machine Learning and Big Data – Friend or Foe?
- Student Psychometrics and career guidance, the art of the possible?
- Career matching and work based learning opportunities – can assessment deliver depth to the marketplace?
In an educational cycle of resource reduction and budget tightening how can Big Data and assessment engines be used to deliver cost effective and valuable career guidance, opportunity matching and personalised learning pathway development for all schools?
Frank Elsner, Manager, Educational Business, Office and School Equipment, Casio Europe. The future of maths learning
- Actual problems of maths learning
- New media, new opportunities
- Self e-learning, Supported e-learning
- Should maths learning be fun?
- Contribution of actual products to improve maths learning
Maths learning and teaching will change dramatically in the years to come. E-Assessment will be the heart of future learning products to offer students and teachers tailor-made feedback over learning progress.
Geoff Chapman, e-Assessment Consultant Boom and bust: How English language testing is shaping the e-Assessment sector
The presentation will demonstrate the growing importance of the English language testing (ELT) e-assessment sector. Controversial, steeped in history, and with renowned brand names, ELT is a bellwether of global e-assessment practice. We’ll examine one of the biggest and high-profile stories of the last 12 months: the UK government investigation into ELT malpractice (the ‘bust’). The presentation will consider the impact on the major stakeholders, including the exam owner, solution provider, and candidates, discuss why the incident(s) occurred, and what lessons need to be learned.
The second part of the presentation will look at the growth drivers of global ELT (the ‘boom’), where innovative and novel e-assessment solutions are being used, and why it has captured the interest of so many exam owners and solution providers.Additionally, compelling insights will be shared on ELT’s emerging uses in the aviation, military, contact centre, and legal fields.
To book your tickets visit our Booking page here.
Week One Sponsors: PSI
The e-Assessment industry, like any other, must be able to adapt in order to survive. That ability has been dramatically tested over recent months and it has, arguably, been proven to be both agile and capable, particularly through the effective application of technology.
PSI has long believed that the e-Assessment Association provides a great forum for sharing ideas and best practise, that enables us to raise the bar for the industry as a whole, and respond to current and future challenges. As an organisation with innovation at its heart, PSI is delighted to be sponsoring week one of its virtual conference.
About PSI
PSI is a global leader in the science and technology of test development, delivering innovative and scaleable testing solutions to corporate enterprises, certifying and awarding bodies, national and regional government agencies, academic institutions and publishers. As well as managing a global network of secure test centres, PSI is committed to transforming the standard test delivery approach to improve
Leveraging next-generation technologies, PSI has developed a multi-channel test delivery model that includes live remote proctoring, record & review remote proctoring and secure testing kiosks. All supported by robust and innovative technology, valid and defensible content, and extensive expertise for best practice implementation of every project. Operating worldwide with over 70 years’ experience, PSI offers comprehensive solutions, from test development and psychometrics to delivery and results processing for any high stakes test delivery programme.
Find out more about PSI here.
About the Conference Headline Sponsor: RM Results
RM Results is proud to sponsor the e-Assessment Question. We aim to improve the life chances of people worldwide by providing digital assessment solutions that support lifelong learning. Ensuring everyone gets the results they deserve. Talk to us to find out how we can help modernise your assessments.
Find out more about RM Results here.
