Digital assessment: drivers, benefits, barriers and challenges

Digital assessment: drivers, benefits, barriers and challenges man studying at a computer
Date: Date to be confirmed Venue: Online
Time: 12:30 - 14:30
Type: Workshop Fee: £95 (Members - £85.50)

Join Cambridge Assessment Network as a member and get 10% discount on all courses.

Register your interest

This workshop is accredited for continuing professional development (2 CPD hours), with certification post attendance.

Despite the many potential benefits of digital assessment, many high-stakes assessments like GCSEs and A Levels have focused on exploiting technology for the administration and marking of tests, rather than the test-taker experience. On this interactive workshop you'll explore why this might be and discover lessons learnt from research into introducing digital assessments in a few different contexts.

This workshop will be useful to practitioners interested in developing their understanding of digital and online assessments, the challenges and advantages they bring and how these impact the delivery of assessments. Please note if you have previously attended our workshop 'E-assessment: expectations, impediments and lessons learnt' then this would be a repeat of the content.

Course outline

We will first share definitions of digital assessment and describe points in the assessment process where technology can be exploited. Secondly, we will think about the drivers and benefits as well as the barriers and challenges of digital or online assessments, pulling on examples. Finally, we will share what research and experience we have to offer to help manage the challenges of introducing digital assessment.

Key learning outcomes

By the end of the workshop you will have:

  • An understanding of what digital assessment is and where in the assessment process it can have impact
  • Considered the benefits and advantages of digital assessment as well as the barriers and challenges
  • Explored learning from research and practice about how to manage the challenges of digital assessment

Course trainers

Sarah Hughes Sarah Hughes is Research Information Manager at Cambridge Assessment International Education. She has taught in primary schools and been a researcher for UK and international awarding bodies and government agencies. Her particular research interests are the validity of assessment and the impact of research on practice and policy. Sarah currently carries out and applies research to support assessment practitioners and to improve assessment quality.

 

Yasin Karatay Yasin Karatay is a Senior Research Manager at Cambridge University Press & Assessment. He holds a PhD in Applied Linguistics and Technology from Iowa State University (ISU), USA. His research focuses on computer-based language testing, conversational AI in language learning and assessment, spoken dialogue systems, automated writing evaluation, and test validation. Before joining Cambridge, he taught English in Turkey and the USA for several years.

 

Mark Frazer Mark Frazer is currently the Digital Assessment Lead on the development of the Digital Geography and Data Literacy qualifications as part of the Digital High-Stakes Examinations project.

Prior to joining the Digital Assessment and Evaluation Team in October 2023, Mark was the Teaching and Learning Lead at the Centre for Evaluation and Monitoring (CEM) for eight years. During this time, he regularly worked with schools and educational organisations throughout the United Kingdom and in Abu Dhabi, Azerbaijan, China, Czechia and Dubai.

Before this, Mark taught in three primary schools in north-east England between 1997 and 2015 and was a headteacher for ten years. Mark graduated from Durham University with an MSc in Educational Assessment.

 

Hannah North Hannah North is the Digital Product Manager for Cambridge Primary and Lower Secondary Computing. Hannah joined Cambridge International in 2022, from Cambridge CEM. She is working on a new product, focusing where we can add value digitally beyond our paper offering, by taking our existing assessment models and curricula, and working together to create a digital, Checkpoint assessment for Primary and Lower Secondary, using our existing technology.

 

Cerys Burcher Cerys Burcher is Head of Digital Product Development in the Digital Assessment & Evaluation team in International Education. She has worked at Cambridge since 2019 and led digital product development on several key cross-Cambridge digital assessment initiatives, working directly with schools, teachers and students, as well as closely with assessment, UX, technology and operations experts and practitioners. 

Cerys and team are working on the CI and OCR Digital Assessment programme, to define and deliver on-screen Checkpoints, VQs, GCSEs and A levels, ensuring we combine a customer-centric digital product development approach with the academic rigour Cambridge stands for.

 

Saishree Singal Saishree Singal is Digital Product Manager in Digital Assessment & Evaluation team in International Education. Saishree joined Cambridge International in 2023. She is working on Digital Mocks Service, focusing on migrated assessments, to identify existing challenges with the delivery of paper assessments and to understand how we can add value and support teachers and learners better with digital using our current curricula and existing technology.

 

woman looking at mobile phone

Sign up for our mailing lists

Receive regular email updates about upcoming training, special offers, events and educational news.


Keep in touch