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9.45 Welcome and opening address : Malcolm Batchelor, JISC, Chair
Malcolm Batchelor is now Evaluation and Evidence Manager for JISC having until recently been Engagement Programme Manager for the JISC Sector Support Team. The team managed programmes of activity aimed at practitioners in and leaders of institutions in UK post-16 and higher education. Malcolm had responsibility for JISC’s staff development programme raising the awareness and improving the practice and support for the development of the information skills set of staff. He managed a range of activities of the JISC Organisational Support committee including aspects of e-Assessment. Prior to joining JISC, Malcolm was an IT manager in higher education and previously worked in industry and in further and school based education
10:00 ‘Reaching a wider audience’ Bob Smart – Paperfree
Robert Smart, Managing Director, Paperfree Systems. Robert served his apprenticeship as an electrical engineer in the armed forces and served 9 years in various theatres around the world. After leaving and being employed by First Great Western, progressed to become Senior Technical Trainer and Apprentice Controller. Having achieved Level 4 training and development and his Cert Ed, continued his development into compiling the technical competence standards for First Great Western and introducing modern apprenticeships for the rail industry. Several years ago, Robert was employed as Lead Assessor and Verifier for Rover BMW and led a new and radical NVQ programme across the UK from his base at the National Academy in the Midlands. It was during this programme that PaperFree was born in 1995. Robert then purchased the rights (for his own product) and set up PaperFree Systems Ltd in 2001. Robert has gone on to speak at over 150 events about assessment practice and the use of technology to record competent performance. These have included National LSC, Cabinet office, Awarding Bodies and Centres including trips to the USA, Europe and Russia. Recognised as the ‘founder’ of vocational portfolio technology in the UK, Robert now actively promotes e-Assessment best practice across the UK.
10.30 ‘ Professional Qualifications ’ Denis Saunders, Calibrand
Denis Saunders, MBA, BSc is Managing Director of Calibrand, the currency for talent® which he founded in 1991. He has spent several years working in both the Financial Services and Government sectors and has been involved in many skills and training related projects both in the UK and internationally Calibrand, the currency for talent® work with 5 of the 7 largest Financial Services companies in the UK and Eire, have delivered over 2m online tests and are ISO 9001 TickIT Quality Assured to the 2000 standard. They provide the online software for the 'Life in the UK' Citizenship test on behalf of the Home Office. Although happy to provide a range of solutions Calibrand believes that, today, it is possible to deliver competence assessment securely to anyone, at anytime, anywhere and on any device. Calibrand solutions are designed to achieve that objective
11:00 Coffee
11.20 Case Studies
Matt Wingfield – TAG Learning
Matt Wingfield, Business Development Director, TAG Learning Ltd.,: Matt's background is as a qualified teacher with 7 years teaching experience at primary school level and 9 years further experience within the education ICT market. Prior to joining TAG Learning in 1997, Matt worked as a Centre Director and Director of Education for the Kingswood ICT Study Centre Group where he was tasked with both establishing and running a busy residential study centre in Norfolk, catering for over 19,000 visiting pupils per year, and implementing the ICT curricula taught at each of the Kingswood Centres around the UK. It was in this capacity that Matt was first introduced to TAG Learning, building a close strategic relationship between the companies, so as to facilitate the use of TAG software products within the courses offered by Kingswood. Matt is committed to continuing to helping TAG to develop and grow their range of innovative online assessment and moderation systems, software tools and peripheral products, so that TAG can continue helping teachers and pupils to gain the most out of using ICT as an integral part of education.
Roberta Brown – Learning Assistant
Roberta Brown, Managing Director of Learning Assistant, started this innovative online portfolio company 3 years ago to address a specific market need to use the available technology to ease the delivery and assessment of vocational qualifications. Roberta’s background is in training and development where over the past 10 years she has also run the very successful management development training organisation. Bringing professionalism and enthusiasm to all projects, Roberta has a wealth of knowledge of both sides of the delivery of e-Assessment being actively involved with both the development of the technology together with the application of this for the benefit of the learner.
Mike Dawe – City and Guilds
Mike Dawe, Manager e-Learning & Strategy City & Guilds. After work for companies in Southern Africa that train local communities to profit from their wildlife, Michael moved to City & Guilds in London. City & Guilds is a 125 year old organisation with a Royal Charter to provide access to vocational training in the UK, and delivers similar services in a further 100 countries. Currently City & Guilds registers 1.8 million learners per year. Michael’s first role in City & Guilds was co-ordinating government commissioned studies into the effects of funding structure on the quality of vocational training provision. This work lead him to managing work on use of new technologies for capture and distribution of knowledge on best practice in training delivery, and in enforcement of regulations. Since then he managed the introduction of the first large scale on-line testing programme to the UK funded vocational market with City & Guilds Information Technology suite of awards. Today Michael heads up the team that operates City & Guilds’ e-assessment capability, accounting for 80% of all City & Guilds’ objective assessment, and continues to develop capability to make electronic assessment available to all City & Guilds’ learners.
Question and Answer Forum
12:45 Lunch
1.45 ‘Update on e-Assessment Association’ - Jeff Ross, Assessment Tomorrow
Jeff Ross, is currently working as a consultant advising clients on the management, development and introduction of IT systems to meet educational, assessment, business and administrative needs. He has managed a range of international conferences and events to do with promoting and delivering computer based testing and assessment. Previously he was a senior manager with a major awarding body, where he was responsible for operational change management programmes associated with the introduction of ICT solutions for qualifications. A published e-Author (Business Continuity Management, Project Management and e-Assessments in Maths) he has held key senior management roles in Project Management, IT, Operations and Logistics Management. He is currently co-Project Director on the establishment of the e-Assessment Association, a ‘proto-professional’ body for e-Assessment.
2.00 ‘Systems for Individuals, recording achievements and credentials’ - Colin Deal, Examware
Colin Deal has a career spent mainly in the British computer industry which has covered both system and business development, in the UK and internationally. For the last twelve years has concentrated on the application of computers to the delivery of exams, initially the secure certification exams for professionals within the computer sector itself, and then the adoption of such approaches by the Financial Services sector, the Driving Standards Agency, and the Construction Industry’s Health and Safety certifications. Together, these exams represent annual volumes approaching 2 million, so are still dwarfed by the potential that exists in other sectors, which has yet to be exploited and on which his current activities are mainly focused.
2.30 ‘Formative Assessment’ - Ian Mooney, nferNelson
Ian Mooney is Head of nfer-Nelson. He has worked in standardised assessment for the last eleven years having previously been a teacher. During this time he has written and presented courses on the use of assessment in the classroom with an emphasis on working in Special Education. Ian has worked with several UK authorities to implement e-assessment and is now working with partners in various countries, including Eire, USA, and China to establish assessment programmes. The development of Testwise has spanned the last five years and the engine is now at the forefront of nferNelson’s assessment portfolio
3.00 Tea
3.15 ‘Specialised Diplomas’ Helen Gormley , e-skills UK
Helen Gormley has been with e-skills UK for eight months and is part of the 14-19 Diploma team. Her background over the last five years has been in 14-19 policy and development work with a main focus on partnership working. Prior to that she spent a period of time working for ACCA, as an Education Adviser. This involved advising them on the content of examinations for accountants with a special focus in the Far East. And introducing computer based examinations at professional and technician level globally. Her previous roles have also included teaching 11-19 year olds, Deputy Director and Head of Department with a focus on business education, IT and psychology. She is now working on the Development of the Diploma in the IT line of learning. Her Qualifications include BSc (Hons) Business Management and Psychology, MA educational Management, PGTC Business Education and ICT and EdD in 14-19 Partnership working to complete 2007.
3.45 ‘Framework developments’ Peter Wilson, QCA
Peter Wilson works for NIACE as a Development Officer for Credit and Qualifications. From 1999 to 2003 he was seconded to Ufi as Head of Qualifications and Assessment, and since April 2004 he has been seconded part-time to the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority as Principal Adviser to the team developing the new Qualifications and Credit Framework, where he has been responsible for leading work on the technical features of the Framework. As part of his work for QCA he is leading work on the development of e-assessment opportunities within the new QCF.
Closing remarks – Chair
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