‘Risk and Reward: How do we deliver the benefits of e-assessment?’
This question was the theme of the 16th Annual e-Assessment Question conference held recently in London. SQA attended the conference as it has for a number of years to hear about latest developments in e-assessment from speakers from a wide range of backgrounds. All of this helps to inform our thinking about future directions for our own assessments. This year we were grateful for the opportunity to present together with John Winkley, Director of AlphaPlus, on the Assessment Expert Group meeting we held in London last June and reported on in our blog post of 12 July. Using the title of ‘Assessment Futures – Seeking to develop a consensus’, we explained the key themes for the future of assessment identified by the Group and invited feedback on whether others shared their views.
Whilst there are always some common themes at the conference, it also provides an opportunity to hear views on new and emerging technologies that could support assessment. This year this technology was blockchain. A very informative and thought-provoking session focused on the bold step taken by Malta which has reportedly become the first country to put educational records on the blockchain at scale. Their experience will be watched very closely for what it tells us about the potential of blockchain to underpin educational certification more widely.
The Conference also acts as the focus for the annual e-Assessment Awards organised by the UK’s eAssessment Association. SQA was delighted to sponsor the summative assessment award which was collected by the International Baccalaureate (IB) for its work on e-assessment for its Middle Years Programme. The approach taken by the IB has aimed to enhance the validity of its assessments through combining on-screen assessment in a range of subject areas with evidence gathering using an e-portfolio tool. The IB’s work provides a very useful case study for anyone involved in the development and implementation of new assessment approaches.
Closer to home, over the next couple of weeks we will be taking the findings from our Assessment Futures work to date to the series of SQA Co-ordinator Conferences which starts this Thursday in Inverness. We hope to see some of you there and look forward to hearing your views.
TEDx returns to Glasgow
On Friday 01 June TEDx Glasgow returns to the SEC in Glasgow, and for the first time, a new standalone event TEDxYouth@Glasgow will showcase the amazing talents of young people in Scotland.
If you can’t make it to Glasgow on Thursday 31 May for TEDxYouth@Glasgow, check out how to register for the live stream of the whole event here for free.
TEDx Glasgow 2017 was a major stepping stone for us last year as …
