2025 Award Finalists Best International Implementation
The Best International Implementation Award celebrates innovative and effective assessment programmes implemented in one or more countries outside of your main country of operation.
Read on for more information on the 2025 finalists in this Award category at the 2025 International e-Assessment Awards.
Arden University in Partnership with Tomax with Scaling Secure Digital Exams Globally: Arden University’s Transformation
Project Summary
Arden University, a digital-first institution with 27,000 students across 32 countries, faced a significant challenge: meeting Professional, Statutory, and Regulatory Body (PSRB) requirements to return to invigilated exams while maintaining a flexible, accessible experience for students worldwide. The university had just nine months to develop a sustainable, scalable solution or revert to costly, logistically complex in-person exams that would disadvantage many students.
This project ensured that Arden University could deliver secure, high-quality assessments across different time zones without creating barriers for students juggling work, family, or other commitments. Aligning with its mission to ensure geographical constraints and personal and professional commitments do not prevent ambitious individuals from pursuing high-quality education, the university designed an approach that supported both remote and in-person assessment globally, providing students with a consistent, fair exam experience regardless of location. A pilot in January 2024 allowed Arden University to refine the process based on real student and staff feedback, leading to a full rollout in April 2024, covering all examined modules.
The immediate impact:
• Students could sit exams without travel constraints.
• Staff benefited from streamlined processes.
• The university ensured compliance with PSRB standards while reinforcing its commitment to digital-first, accessible education
Commenting on being a finalist, Ardemn University said, “At Arden University, we’re committed to delivering high-quality, accessible education that supports learners regardless of their personal circumstances. Our digital invigilated exam model is a key part of that mission.
Rather than reverting to traditional in-person exams post-COVID, we took the opportunity to embed a fully online approach—enabling students in over 32 countries to sit secure, flexible exams that meet the rigorous standards of professional bodies.
A vital part of this success has been our close collaboration with our technology partner Tomax, whose platform supports a resilient, user-friendly assessment experience. Together, we’ve built a model that balances security and academic integrity with fairness and accessibility—addressing challenges such as digital poverty and the complexities of global delivery
What sets our approach apart is its focus on equity. While most students take exams remotely, we also offer the same digital experience at our study centres for those without reliable internet access. This hybrid model ensures no student is disadvantaged due to their location or personal circumstances.
Since launching the model, we’ve seen clear benefits: improved submission and attendance rates, significantly reduced delivery costs, and stronger student engagement.
Being selected as a finalist is a proud moment for our teams, and recognition of what can be achieved through thoughtful design, a student-first mindset, and strong partnerships between institutions and technology providers.”
British Council with Large Scale Multi-Modal Technology Enabled Assessment for University of London Worldwide
Project Summary
University of London Worldwide oversees distance study programmes within the federal university. When Covid-19 suspended traditional assessment in 2020, the University adopted a temporary at-home ‘open book’ approach via its LMS. By 2022, it transitioned to a dedicated computer-based assessment technology platform and record-and-review remote proctoring. However, this did not fully meet the University’s need to uphold assessment integrity, which prompted a return to live human invigilation.
As its long-standing delivery partner, the British Council collaborated with the University to define its requirements and implement tailored solutions. The transition began with its largest programme, Undergraduate Laws, in the two biggest student markets. In May 2023, the British Council successfully administered approximately 15,000 in-centre computer-based exams. In autumn 2023, a pilot for the EMFSS (Economics, Management, Finance and Social Sciences) programme introduced an innovative BYOD model at its Recognised Teaching Centres in eight countries.
These successes gave the University confidence to proceed with a global rollout across 32 countries in the May 2024 session. We also introduced a live RP option by identifying and integrating a trusted provider, as the existing computer-based assessment platform did not support live RP. In this session, over 50,000 exams were delivered across multiple models.
Commenting on being a finalist, The British Council said, “”We are honoured that the British Council has been shortlisted for the Best International Implementation Award, which recognises innovation and excellence in technology-enabled assessment. This is a testament to our mission, dedication, and innovative spirit, which have driven our partnership with the University of London to deliver a large-scale global assessment solution supporting thousands of learners.
As the UK’s international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities, the British Council is deeply committed to enabling inclusive, secure, and high-quality education opportunities for learners worldwide. Being recognised at this level reinforces our belief in the power of innovation and adaptability, especially in the face of complex global challenges. Our work in delivering a large-scale, technology-enabled, multi-modal assessment solution demonstrates what is possible when deep local expertise, global infrastructure, and cross-sector collaboration come together.
This recognition validates the unique strength of our global network and our ability to work flexibly across platforms and technologies as a technology-agnostic integrator. It reflects the contributions of thousands of dedicated colleagues across 100 countries, from central project teams, in-country teams and exams staff, and trusted partners. Their expertise, agility, problem-solving, and focus on candidate experience have been critical to successful implementation at scale.
We are proud that this initiative has enabled over 20,000 students to progress towards respected University of London degrees, supporting the quality assurance and growth of the University of London’s qualifications offer. Being shortlisted affirms we are on the right path as we continue to expand our impact and evolve our services to meet the changing needs of our clients and learners.
Thank you for the opportunity to share our story. This recognition inspires us to keep pushing boundaries in pursuit of greater access, equity, and excellence in education. ”
Tata Consultancy Services as technology partner for the British Council’s ESAT-J assessment programme in Japan.
Project Summary
A small percentage of the Japanese population speak English fluently making them isolated from the rest of the world in many areas. An initiative to improve English Language proficiency at scale is been marred with several execution challenges. The city government of Tokyo – The Tokyo Metropolitan Government was seeking for an end-to-end delivery of large English audio speaking test. The requirement was to provide registration, test delivery & evaluation platforms, equipment/infrastructure and services that fulfil large scale test delivery of speaking tests in Japan. TCS collaborated with British Council to provide end to end seamless experience to customer after they were awarded the contract to deliver a new high-school speaking test programme. TCS iON provided Registration Portal, Content Authoring Engine (CAE), TCS iON PAPER™ device and Digital Marking Hub. The English-speaking audio test were designed and delivered for 240k candidates using 50K TCS iON PAPER devices at 600+school test centres and 240 dedicated test centre. Delivery was carried out at schools on remote islands, some of which are 1,000km across the sea from the main Tokyo city.
For more information on all finalists in the 2025 International e-Assessment Awards, visit our finalists webpage.
