Event 1: The Future is Now

Announcing the Award winners of the Best Formative and Best Summative Assessment Projects

This event started with a keynote by Dr Mary Richardson, Associate Professor of Educational Assessment, UCL Institute of Education.

E-Assessment, the use of technology to enhance and transform assessment, is very much here and now. It is no longer the preserve of the early-adopters, but increasingly mainstream and international. Dr Richardson’s keynote was followed by the announcements of the Award winners of the Best Formative and Best Summative Assessment Projects, which clearly demonstrate that ‘the future is now’. Those still leading with pen and paper exams should look to the entries to these Awards for inspiration and see a way to move forwards with confidence.

The event concluded with a fascinating panel discussion. Dr Richardson was joined by Helen Claydon, Head of Test Development at ACER UK and two of this year’s Award judges, Jeremy Carter, Consultant and Founder of Advance EdTech Ltd, and Patrick Coates, eAA Board Member, Consultant and Director of International Skills UK.

Event 2: Celebrating the Champions of Change

Announcing the Award winners of the Most Innovative Use of Technology in Assessment and Best Transformational Project

Our second event, ‘Celebrating the Champions of Change’ started with a keynote by Rory McCorkle PhD, Senior Vice President of Business Development & Client Success at PSI.

Those truly transforming and innovating in this space are our ‘Champions of Change’ and we look to them for inspiration and the confidence to follow boldly in their footsteps. At this event we will be announcing the winners of the Most Innovative Use of Technology in Assessment and the Best Transformational Project. Whilst these could be seen to be very similar, one can deliver a truly transformational e-assessment project without being particularly innovative in terms of technology. Our award for innovation seeks to reward the pioneers who may be at the start of an exciting journey, but do not yet have the evidence to prove how transformational it could be. This means we can recognise and reward the innovators as innovation happens, not a few years down the line.

The event concluded with a fascinating panel discussion. Rory McCorkle was joined by Anand Karat, President, Vretta and Richard Little, Propositions Director, RM as well as two of this year’s Award judges, Dave Whyley, CEO Learning Technologies, consultant, Whytek Consulting and Claudia Bickford-Smith, Director of Education Services, Oxford University Press.

The third event, New Frontiers of Assessment , started with a keynote by Eric Shepherd, Executive Director of  Talent Transformation and former winner of the e-Assessment Association’s Lifetime Contribution Award

For the first time this year we pushed the boundaries of our Awards programme to acknowledge the use of assessment within a corporate or skills environment. We explored projects using technology to make an impact on an individual’s role or skills progression.

The Best International Implementation Award showcases organisations who successfully deliver projects outside their home market, the Awards overall demonstrate the truly international nature of assessment and the huge advances made by those using technology to transform and enhance assessments worldwide.

Event 4: Building Assessment for the Future

Announcing the Award winners of the Best Research and Lifetime Contribution Award

Our fourth and final event, Building Assessment for the Future, started with a keynote by Charles Fadel, global education thought leader and futurist, author and inventor. The Best Research Award recognises both academic and commercial organisations seeking to evolve a new and evidence-based approach to the use of technology to enhance and transform all forms of assessment. It is those research projects that will provide the robust systems and technologies that will improve the whole of the assessment industry.

The Lifetime Contribution Award recognises an individual who is established in the industry and who has made a significant and sustained contribution to e-assessment over the duration of their career. The contributions made by the winner of our Lifetime Contribution Award, and by the researchers working in our field, bring enormous benefits to us all. We discussed the importance of solid foundations, a clear vision and of evidence-based approaches, with an attention to detail that helps build a sustainable future for the industry as a whole.