15 August 2011

eAssessment Scotland 2011: Keeping it Real

Over 250 delegates from across the UK and Europe are expected in Dundee later this month for eAssessment Scotland 2011, the UK’s largest conference dedicated to exploring the benefits of technology-enhanced assessment.

The conference theme this year is ‘Authentic Assessment’, exploring whether the experience of learners can be improved by creating measures of skills and knowledge that more closely mirror what happens in the world of work.

Cliff Beevers OBE, chair of the UK’s e-Assessment Association, will welcome delegates to the conference in the morning and special guest Professor Craig Mahoney, Chief Executive of the Higher Education Academy, will open the afternoon session on Friday August 26th.

Dr David Walker from the University of Dundee, one of the organisers of the conference, said this year’s event was the biggest and most ambitious yet.

'Technology plays an integral role in student learning and it is therefore natural that it is playing an increasingly prominent role in assessment. The University of Dundee has long been recognised as an innovator in the use of technology, particularly in assessment. The challenge for educators is to determine not what can be done differently with technology but how it can be used in a better and more authentic way.'

'We are now in the third year of this event and it has grown to include four leading keynote speakers from across the UK and Europe and a wide range of presentations and workshops, plus the Scottish eAssessment Awards,' said Dr Walker.

'The conference represents a valuable opportunity for educators to meet with others who share an interest in e-assessment, learn what they’re doing in the area and to share experiences in this evolving and increasingly important area of education.'

Keynote speakers at the conference include:

• Steve Wheeler (Professor of Learning Technology, University of Plymouth)
• Becka Colley (Dean of Students, University of Bradford)
• Pamela Kato (Independent Consultant, University Medical Center Utrecht)
• Donald Clark (Ufi Learndirect)

The conference takes place on Friday 26th August in the Dalhousie Building at the University of Dundee.

It is organised by the University of Dundee and Soffed in partnership with the e-Assessment Association, Higher Education Academy, SQA and eLearning Alliance Scotland.

For more information see: www.e-assessment-scotland.com or follow on Twitter at @eassessscotland

For media enquiries contact:
Roddy Isles
Head, Press Office
University of Dundee
Nethergate, Dundee, DD1 4HN
TEL: 01382 384910
E-MAIL: r.isles@dundee.ac.uk
MOBILE: 07800 581902