AI Special Interest Group

As AI adoption accelerates, new safety standards are shaping how organisations develop, procure, and deploy AI technologies. But what do these standards actually require—and how do they impact suppliers, vendors, and the organisations that work with them?

In this webinar, we’ll provide a clear overview of emerging AI safety standards and explore what they mean for organisations working with third-party AI providers. Rather than focusing purely on technical details, this session will examine how these standards influence vendor relationships, procurement decisions, and risk management.

We’ll discuss the expectations placed on suppliers and AI vendors, including transparency, accountability, and evidence of safe and responsible AI practices. We’ll also explore how organisations should incorporate AI safety considerations into their vendor evaluation, procurement, and governance processes.

Whether you’re procuring AI solutions, supplying AI technologies, or responsible for risk and compliance, this webinar will help you understand how AI safety standards are reshaping the supplier ecosystem.

This session explored how AI-driven features in EdTech can unintentionally shape, influence, or manipulate user behaviour when persuasive design, data-driven algorithms, and user psychology converge. As AI increasingly powers personalised learning, automated grading, engagement tracking, and recommendations, the discussion highlighted the emerging risks that arise alongside these innovations.

The presenters examined real-world examples where AI systems influenced decision-making, limited learner autonomy, narrowed learning pathways, or compromised data transparency—often without users realising it. The session also addressed ethical considerations and GDPR requirements, particularly around consent, profiling, and the right to explanation.

Participants gained:

A clear understanding of dark patterns in AI-powered education tools

Insight into how these patterns undermine trust, fairness, and equitable access

A practical framework for evaluating and improving EdTech platform design Tools to align technology choices with Europe’s vision for accessible, transparent, and ethical assessment

This session was designed for non-technical education leaders, policymakers, product owners, and assessment professionals responsible for evaluating and implementing digital learning tools. It offered a grounded, forward-looking understanding of how to ensure AI innovation remains responsible, inclusive, and aligned with learner well-being.

Presented by Jeremy Carter (CEO, Sentira XR) and Sean Gasperson (AVP, Assessment Services, PSI Services)

In this insightful session, experts from Sentira and PSI explore how AI is reshaping the way practice tests are built, personalised, and experienced.

Discover how AI is already accelerating content creation while keeping Subject Matter Experts at the heart of the process. Then, take a look into the future — where avatars and immersive simulations are transforming learner feedback into experiences that are more realistic, engaging, and impactful.

Through real-world examples and lessons learned, the speakers reveal how AI can:

Streamline repetitive tasks while preserving expert judgment.

Enhance the feedback loop to boost learner confidence and performance.

Unlock new possibilities for simulation-based practice and preparation. Join this forward-looking discussion on how human + AI collaboration is redefining test development and candidate readiness in the digital age.

#BeyondMultipleChoice #BMC2025 #AIinEducation #DigitalAssessment #EdTech #AssessmentInnovation

Presented by Dr Rajeshwari Iyer | Beyond Multiple Choice (BMC) 2025

In this thought-provoking session, Dr Rajeshwari Iyer explores how human expertise and artificial intelligence are coming together to create a more efficient, accurate, and insightful approach to e-assessment.

Drawing on real-world examples from the post-16 training and apprenticeships sector, the session demonstrates how AI supports examiners through tasks such as preliminary assessment, data analysis, and quality assurance—while human experts review, validate, and refine every decision to maintain reliability, accuracy, and validity.

This talk reveals how collaboration between humans and machines can enhance marking, feedback, and analytics—ensuring assessment remains both innovative and deeply human. 🎯

Key themes:

Human–AI collaboration in e-assessment

Ethical automation and quality assurance

Enhancing marking and feedback efficiency

Real-world case studies in post-16 education 

Discover how educators can harness AI tools beyond ChatGPT to transform teaching, learning, and organisational efficiency. This webinar dives into the state-of-the-art in AI for education, exploring practical ways to enhance lesson planning, streamline assessment, and improve student support.

Gain hands-on insights into accessible AI applications that automate everyday tasks—giving educators more time to focus on what truly matters: meaningful student engagement. You’ll also learn strategies to stay ahead of rapid AI advancements and implement these technologies responsibly.

What You’ll Learn:

Practical AI tools for lesson planning, assessment, and classroom management

How to automate routine tasks and save time

Strategies for staying current with new AI technologies

Responsible AI use: ethics, privacy, and bias considerations

Real experiences and best practices from educators using AI to boost efficiency and learning outcomes

Join us and get inspired to lead with AI in education—boosting productivity, creativity, and confidence in a fast-evolving digital world. 

eAA AI Special Interest Group Meeting on the EU AI Act, held on Tuesday 4 March 2025 with Ali Vaziri (Lewis Silkin LLP) & Patrick Coates (eAA CEO).

This webinar explored:

• The key provisions of the EU AI Act and their relevance to e-assessment.

• Compliance challenges and responsibilities for AI-driven assessment systems.

• Risk management and ethical considerations.

• The future of AI regulation in education and assessment.

Please note that this discussion does not constitute legal advice. If you are in doubt or need expert help to understand how the legislation affects you, please seek professional legal guidance.

This video is a must-attend watch for professionals in the assessment sector eager to engage with the evolving landscape of AI-driven marking.

Explore the future of AI in e-marking essays and short answers with our expert panel. Discover the latest trends and advancements in AI-driven assessment.
This in-depth panel discussion tailored for those interested in AI e-marking of essay-style and short-answer questions. Our panel of industry experts included Nikki Bardsley from Kaplan Assessments, Manjinder Kainth from Graide, Ben Rockliffe from AlphaPlus,  James Lambert from Vision Marker and Vali Huseyn from Vretta.  
This event shared insights on the cutting-edge AI technologies transforming assessment practices, balancing automated marking with human expertise, addressing ethical concerns and enhancing exam reliability.

This video is a must-attend watch for professionals in the assessment sector eager to engage with the evolving landscape of AI-driven marking.

Explore the future of AI in e-marking essays and short answers with our expert panel. Discover the latest trends and advancements in AI-driven assessment. This in-depth panel discussion tailored for those interested in AI e-marking of essay-style and short-answer questions. Our panel of industry experts included Nikki Bardsley from Kaplan Assessments, Manjinder Kainth from Graide, Ben Rockliffe from AlphaPlus, James Lambert from Vision Marker and Vali Huseyn from Vretta.

This event shared insights on the cutting-edge AI technologies transforming assessment practices, balancing automated marking with human expertise, addressing ethical concerns and enhancing exam reliability.

This is the recording of the e-Assessment Association's AI Special Interest Group meeting on 26th March 2024, Establishing Ethics and Responsible AI Standards in Assessments.

The link to the feedback survey is: https://forms.gle/RSLaAtqLZAYmJdCKA

In an era where AI is deeply embedded in digital learning and assessment platforms, the call for a standardised ethical framework is louder than ever. As AI transcends traditional sectors and becomes a staple in education and assessment, the implications of its use in high-stakes assessments cannot be overlooked. Topics covered include:

- Validity & Reliability: Ensuring that AI-driven assessments accurately measure what they intend to.

- Fairness: Discussing how AI can facilitate access and inclusion, and how to address and prevent algorithmic bias.

 - Privacy & Security: Examining the standards needed to protect test-taker data and ensure secure test administration.

- Accountability & Transparency: Deliberating on how to maintain stakeholder trust through clear documentation and open communication about AI processes.

Speakers

Nikki Bardsley | Kaplan Group | eAA AI SIG Chair Nikki has been a voluntary board member of the Greater Manchester Learning Provider Network (GMLPN) since 2019 and Northern Skills Network since 2022. As part of GMLPN, she has been involved in many great projects. These include the FE recruitment project to encourage people from outside the sector to join and the recent launch of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) technical pathway.

Nikki began her career as an Assessor in Business and Hospitality at Llandrillo College. She then spent 15 years at Kaplan Financial. During this time, Nikki progressed from Accountancy Assessor to Course Manager, Quality Manager, Head of Quality and Compliance, and, ultimately, Head of Operations and Quality. She then moved on to become Seetec's Director of Apprenticeship Operations.

Having previously worked at Kaplan Financial, Nikki returned to the Kaplan group in 2022 and has been with Kaplan Assessments ever since.

Jill Burstein | Principal Assessment Scientist, Duolingo

Jill Burstein, Ph.D. is a Principal Assessment Scientist at Duolingo where she conducts assessment innovation research for The Duolingo English Test (DET). Her career has been motivated by social impact, working on equitable and widely-accessible education technology. Her research interests lie at the intersection of artificial intelligence (AI) and natural language processing (NLP), educational measurement, equity in education, learning analytics, and linguistics. As a leader in AI in Education, Dr. Burstein has led NLP teams that invented automated writing evaluation (AWE) systems used in high-stakes, large-scale assessment, and web-based writing support applications. She has published widely, and holds many patents for this work. More recently, she has written the responsible AI standards for the DET, the first such standards for an assessment program. She is a co-founder of SIG EDU, an ACL Special Interest Group on Building Educational Applications. Dr. Burstein holds a B.A. in Linguistics and Spanish from New York University, and M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in Linguistics from the Graduate Center, City University of New York.

Kara McWilliams | Vice President of Product Innovation and Development at ETS

Kara McWilliams is the Vice President of Product Innovation and Development at ETS. Kara and her teams lead the ideation, co-design, development, and testing of innovative, assessment and learning products. Kara is also responsible for the enterprise-wise AI strategy including the development and deployment of novel AI/NLP capabilities to support both operational efficiencies and new products and services. Kara and her teams work across the K12, Higher Education, Workforce, and Global Languages markets. Previously, Kara was the Vice President of Learning Science and Insights at Macmillan Learning. There she led the area that worked closely with Product to design, develop, and bring to market the next generation learning platform, Achieve. Kara received a Ph.D. in educational research, measurement, and evaluation and an M.A.T. in curriculum and instruction —both from Boston College. She received a B.A. in political science & history from the College of the Holy Cross.

Exam security: What can we learn from the professionals? with James Carter, Toni Stoddart Presenter/s James Carter - Eintech Ltd, Toni Stoddart - Reed Assessment With the constant evolution of technology and online tools such as ChatGPT, how do we ensure that assessments remain fair, reliable and secure?

In this presentation James from Eintech will discuss:

• The latest developments in online security

• How exam content can be secured

• How we defeat exam fraud

• How plagiarism can be detected

• How candidates can be prevented from accessing information online

Marc J. Weinstein - Marc J. Weinstein PLLC, David Yunger - Vaital, Isabelle Gonthier - PSI Services, Gavin Busuttil-Reynaud - AlphaPlus, "Sue Martin - TÜV Rheinland, e-Assessment Association The panel discussion aims to delve into the future of AI in assessment, including its potential threats and the legal implications of its use in both educational and professional settings. As technology continues to evolve rapidly, it is imperative that the assessment and education industry remain up-to-date to ensure that assessments are accurate, fair, and secure. We hope that delegates will take away practical guidance from this session and that the e-Assessment Association will form a stronger understanding of how it can serve the community going forward. This discussion will be moderated by Sue Martin.