Asia Pacific Assessment Conference 2011, 2

Programme

Time	Session
2 June (Conference)
Plenary Session
8.50am	Opening Remarks
9.00am - 9.15am	Speech by Guest of Honour
9.15am - 10.00am	Keynote Address 1: e-Assessment in High Stakes Examinations by Mr Simon Lebus, Chief Executive of Cambridge Assessment and Chairman of OCR. Download Presentation
10.00am - 10.45am	Keynote Address 2: Redefining Assessment in Teacher Education for the 21st Century by Prof Lee Sing Kong, Director, National Institute of Education Download Presentation
10.45am - 11.15am	Coffee Break
11.15am - 12.30pm	Panel Discussion: How Technology is Transforming Assessment How Technology is Transforming Assessment Technology is transforming assessment in three key areas: firstly, it's providing the teacher, student and school with immediate, comprehensive data on student performance , secondly, it enables assessment on demand when the learner is ready to be assessed and thirdly, it is enabling assessment designers to develop assessment instruments that more valid, accessible and engaging; no longer are designers limited to print, they can include video, audio, animation and a whole range of other stimulus and scenario based material in their assessment design.
12.30 pm - 2.00 pm	Lunch

	Theme 1: Towards more Effective 21st Century Assessment: Why Technology is the Answer?	Theme 2: Assessing 21st Century Knowledge and Skills	Theme 3: Issues and Trends in Assessment in Higher Education
Breakout Sessions
2.00pm - 3.15pm	New Directions in Assessing For and Of Learning New Directions in Assessing For and Of Learning While reforms to prepare school leavers to lead successful and meaningful lives in diverse 21 century contexts have occurred in curriculum, teacher preparation etc, the assessment reform has lagged. Yet there is ample evidence that formative, teacher initiated assessment with relevant feedback can raise student achievement. Much work has been done to operationalise such concepts as assessment for learning, assessment as learning, self-assessment authentic assessment, as well as to enhance the assessment literacy of teachers. National and international experts will discuss curricular and pedagogic aspects related to this theme.	Using Serious Games Technology for Assessment Using Serious Games Technology for Assessment Advances in computer, digital media such as animation, simulations and network technologies have enabled the advent of new concepts in both learning and assessment. Many thought leaders in 21st Century learning such as Marc Prensky and Paul Gee have advanced the concept that learning abilities can be significantly enhanced through game play and simulation. These when integrated into learning activities and assessment, it improves learners' motivation, performance and efficiency of learning.	Issues and Challenges in Assessment in HE Download Presentation Issues and Challenges in Assessment in HE Laying out the landscape of issues in assessment; how good testing supports student learning and vice versa; the challenges of increasing enrolment, student diversity, plagiarism, and of assessing higher order skills; the mental and psychological hurdles that need to be crossed to make the changes necessary, and strategies that progressive professors and educators can use to make their case to their institutions.
3.15pm - 3.45pm	Tea Break	Tea Break	Tea Break
3.45pm - 5.00pm	Singapore Initiatives in Assessing 21st Century Skills Download Presentation Singapore Initiatives in Assessing 21st Century Skills Singapore's current examination structure has provided instructional focus and been a valuable instrument for merit-based selection. However, new times call for newer pedagogies more appropriate to teaching and assessing 21 century soft skills and dispositions. Singapore seeks to maintain the advantages of formal and rigorous examinations while allowing a greater role for new assessment techniques ranging from technology-assisted assessments, development of project working guidelines, explorations with peer assessments etc.	Game-based learning and assessment initiatives in Singapore (eAGLE Platform) Game-based learning and assessment initiatives in Singapore (eAGLE Platform) Game based learning and assessment have seen advances in Us, UK and other Western countries. MoE, Singapore is working with NIE's Learning Sciences Lab and others to explore the use of games as alternate learning and assessment methodology. Some examples of game based learning software from around the world are shared in this case-study to showcase to teachers what is possible to revolutionise learning in the classroom.	Using Technology to Improve Reliability Download Presentation Using Technology to Improve Reliability Covering the introduction of new technologies, data mining, software tools and social media like blogs and forums, etc to improve testing reliability, objectivity and integrity, especially in the soft disciplines; problems of implementation into existing legacy systems; some global and local best practices.

Morning Session (10 am - 12 noon)	Afternoon Session(2 pm - 4 pm)
3 June (Workshops)
Workshop 1 E-Scape Project e-scape Project The e-scape project was developed by TAG Developments and Goldsmiths, University of London. The project brought together an innovative and sophisticated e-portfolio platform with an innovated assessment methodology. The two together enables classroom teachers to manage, in real time, project based classroom activity that can be used for both formative and summative assessment.	Workshop 3 Using Technology for Formative Assessment Using Technology for Formative Assessment Teachers have always used informal assessment to help them check the progress of their students. They may well give their classes short tests to help confirm understanding but the whole process can be time consuming and often the students receive back their results days after the test took place. Technology has the ability to transform formative assessment – the results are available to the student and teacher immediately and the innovative systems with give stents immediate feedback on their errors, point to appropriate revision topics and enable the student to "re-test"themselves.
Workshop 2 Assessment for Learning Assessment for Learning The use of assessment as one of the tools teachers use to enhance learning is not new. However, the advent of technology in assessment provides teachers with much richer information about their students and their performance. This workshop will demonstrate innovative e-learning and formative assessment systems that enable teachers to "work smarter".	Workshop 4 Mind Spark - A revolutionary tool to teach and assess Mathematics Mind Spark - A revolutionary tool to teach and assess Mathematics Over 10 million students were assessed and their responses were studied to test real understanding of concepts. The study determined that students filter application-based questions and indicate a lack of clarity in fundamental concepts. MindSpark has been designed as a systematic tool for teachers to practice and track a student's understanding of a topic and the root cause of his misconceptions. With thorough questioning, responses, and reports, the student's learning of Mathematics have proven to improve drastically.