Newsletter October 2019

Welcome to the latest quarterly from the eAA

Welcome to the latest newsletter from the e-Assessment Association. We have been very busy at eAA HQ (which is, clearly, entirely virtual) as we put plans in place to organise our first ever two-day conference and exhibition. Picking up the reins from Jeff Ross and Martyn Roads of Assessment Tomorrow, we are delighted to take forward the e-Assessment Question Exhibition & Conference. We are launching a new website very soon, but for now, please save the date: 22 & 23 April 2020 and take a look at the newly launched homepage where you can register your interest.

www.e-assessment-question.com

As the new Sponsorship Secretary, I will be taking a more active role in the day-to-day running of the Association, as indeed are many of the Board Members. As the Association continues to grow, it is vital that those of us who have been elected to the Board take on a variety of roles to help drive things forward. We have a new Vice Chair, new Awards Committee, new Executive Board and a new Conference Planning Committee. In addition, we have created a new role to build a portfolio of Independent Consultants to help better support many of the day-to-day enquiries that come our way. Board Member, Teresa Jacobs will be leading this project. If you are an independent consultant and would like to know more, please email Teresa via [email protected] and make sure your subject heading is ‘FAO: Teresa Jacobs’ and we will make sure you are kept up to date with this project.

Finally, the next exciting development for the eAA is a project to enable members to take on a more active role in the Association without needing to be on the main Board. We are creating a new tier of membership (still completely free of course) called Associate Members. There are a myriad of opportunities to get involved, from running special interest groups, running area events, advising the Conference Planning Committee, helping with the Award programme as a judge or specialist adviser, or helping us with day-to-day marketing to help share more news, views and industry updates.

You can read all about the current board here.

I hope you find this newsletter interesting, and as guest editor this quarter, please don’t hesitate to send me your feedback.

Martha Gibson

Sponsorship Secretary & Executive Board Member

The e-Assessment Association

EMAIL: [email protected]

• Q & A with Matthew Poyiadgi, Vice President EMEA at Pearson VUE
• Prometric Announces Roy Simrell as New CEO
• Case Study: Accredited Commercial Drone Pilot Training Online with Examinations via Remote Invigilation
• Case Study: Peer Assessment At Scale
• Chairman’s report from Surpass Conference 2019
• Supporting development of virtual reality for vocational assessment
• e-Assessment News Round-Up

eAA Announcements

• eAssessment Question 2020

Engage. Learn. Be Inspired. 22-23 April, London. Pre-register to be the first to hear about speakers, the Conference programme and to benefit from early booking discounts.

• eAssessment Awards 

• New Board Member roles

We are delighted to announce that Tim Burnett is the new Vice Chair of the Association, after Patrick Craven stood down at the last elections. A huge thank you to Patrick for all his hard work over the years, and are grateful that he has pledged to continue to support the Association from outside the Board.

• Call for new Associate Members

We will shortly be opening up a variety of new roles for members interested in taking on a supporting role, without taking on the committment of being a Board Member. If you are interested to know more about the opportunities available, please email our Association Secretary, Graham Hudson, via [email protected] with the subject heading: FAO Graham Hudson. Get involved today! Together we can become a stronger association, a stronger voice.

New Blog: Q & A with Matthew Poyiadgi, Vice President EMEA at Pearson VUE

‘’Pearson VUE has been at the heart of the global assessments industry for 25 years. Alongside the eAA, we promote industry best practice, a high standard of test delivery and lead the debate around the positive contribution that technology makes to all forms of assessment.”

Read the full interview with Matthew here…

Prometric Announces Roy Simrell as New CEO

“Simrell’s proven track record of building mission critical information and software-oriented businesses will help Prometric to continue to provide best in class services and deliver increased value to its clients.”

BALTIMORE, MD
Prometric LLC (“Prometric”), a global leader in test development, test delivery and data services, announced in September that Roy Simrell has joined the company as President & CEO. Simrell, who replaces Charlie Kernan as Prometric’s CEO, will also join the board of directors.

Simrell has over two decades of experience leading data and technology-enabled services companies spanning multiple sectors. “Roy’s proven track record of developing and delivering value added products and services, supported by his focus on building a high-performing team and strong culture, will be critical as we enter the next phase of growth for Prometric. I look forward to working with Roy as he assumes his new role as CEO,” said Euan Menzies, Prometric’s non-executive Chairman. “Charlie’s many contributions to Prometric over the past two decades, and particularly his leadership as the company became a fully independent, market-oriented business during the past 24 months, have positioned Prometric for its next phase of growth”. Kernan will continue to work with Prometric as an advisor through the first quarter of 2020.

“I’m delighted to join the Prometric team”, said Roy Simrell. “For more than 25 years, Prometric has earned the reputation of being the most dependable provider of high‐quality operational support and services to leading professional associations, companies, and other credentialing organizations that award professional certification or confer licenses for employment and advancement across a broad range of industries. I’m excited to lead the Prometric team as we focus on providing the most reliable services in the industry and develop new products and services to provide even greater value to our clients.”

Case Study: Accredited Commercial Drone Pilot Training Online with Examinations via Remote Invigilation

One of the big advantages of delivering exams online with remote invigilation is that it gives professional training companies the ability to scale their course and certification offering over a greater geographical area. This case study about The UAV Academy illustrates how this has worked in the area of professional drone-pilot training. The UAV Academy worked with TestReach to move their course and examination online, while maintaining accreditation from the Civil Aviation Authority and improving learner outcomes.

Read the full case study here…

Case Study: Peer Assessment At Scale

“The Edinburgh Global department at the University of Edinburgh offers a Go Abroad Fund which provides financial support for students to undertake a short-term international experience linked to their studies. However, the popularity of the scheme created the challenge of how to select 200 successful applicants from around 1,100 entrants.”

Read the full case study here…

New Blog: Chairman’s report from Surpass Conference 2019

This month, I was able to attend the Surpass Conference; it’s the first time I’ve managed to get to the event myself, and it didn’t disappoint. The range of presentations and workshops on offer gave an insight into the work of the Community as advocates for e-assessment, despite some of the challenges being faced from policymakers and regulators.

Read the full report from Matt here…

Supporting development of virtual reality for vocational assessment

A Ufi Charitable Trust-funded collaboration in Scotland is exploring the development and use of a tool that would enable non-technical staff to create virtual reality (VR) assessments.

The project, led by eCom Scotland with City of Glasgow College, Fife College and the Scottish Qualifications Authority as partners, is responding to growing interest in the use of VR in mainstream vocational assessment.

This in turn is being driven by the increased availability and capability and reduced costs of VR headsets and other related technologies. The authoring tool which is the main output from the project will be designed to intuitive to use and to make use of readily available assets such as 360 degree photography.

Use of VR for assessment purposes can enhance validity through allowing learners to experience a simulation of  real workplace that may be impossible or impractical to replicate. It can also help to enhance the reliability of and engagement with the assessment process. The first version of the authoring tool is currently under development.

e-Assessment News Round-Up

The latest news, blogs and resources brought to you from the eAA

A snapshot of the more recent sector news. Follow us on twitter @eAssess to keep up to date. Click the news item to read the story.

• Pearson wins national Egyptian e-assessment contract
• Surpass announces integration with Dropbox to provide offline marking capabilities for the Institute of Masters of Wine
• LSAT Goes All-Digital With September Administration
• Vretta’s e-assessment platform to raise the proficiency in mathematics for new teachers in England
• New Zealand Qualifications Authority announce new programme to get schools ready for digital exams
• RM Results announce successful research project in schools using RM Compare

And with the launch of the 2020 e-Assessment Awards just around the corner, please take a look at the summaries of the Finalists of the 2019 Awards and see what makes the grade! Great diversity, well explained projects, impressive impact. Read all about them here: 

https://www.e-assessment.com/resources/summaries-of-the-2019-eaaward-finalists/

Write for your community! We welcome blog posts from all our members – send them to Karen at [email protected]

Thank you

Guest Editor Martha Gibson

Sponsorship Secretary

The e-Assessment Association

Email: [email protected]