E-Assessment Association

The e-Assessment Association (eAA) is a UK trade body that lobbies for e-assessment – or technology enhanced assessment – in education.

Edtech lobbyist, Lord Jim Knight described e-assessment as 'the tail that wags the education dog'.

Unlike the 'revolvution' that is happening in e-learning in the UK, where teaching and learning is done through technology, e-assessment is seen as 'evolving' incrementally. 'We’re bogged down a little bit more in policy, device resource limitations [not enough computers], and the stress that builds up as part of the process,' says eAA's Tim Burnett.

Testing firms that are described as 'pionneering' in the use of e-assessment include: WJEC and SQA

Lobbying

eAA describes its engagement with government over the takeup of e-assessment in schools as 'sporadic'.

Instead it says it 'works with awarding bodies, who then communicate with the Government and the policy makers.' It says, however, that it has had 'some fantastic conversations' with policy-makers in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, which it describes as doing 'some absolutely fantastic work'.

Change will be 'driven from the ground up' it says. 'It’s got to happen from the schools and pushing through,' says eAA's Tim Burnett. As a result, it is 'trying to reach out to schools... we're opening more doors'.

People

Board members

As of July 2016:

• Matt Wingfield, eAA Chairman. He is also Chief Business Development Officer of Digital Assess, an e-assessment management tool company.
• John Winkley, eAA Secretary. He is also Director of AlphaPlus Consultancy.
• Helen Claydon. She is also a Senior Test Development Researcher at the Department for Education's Standards and Testing Agency, where she manages development of the national curriculum mathematics tests.
• Patrick Craven, Head of Learning and Assessment Design, City & Guilds.
• Tim Burnett, Head of Marketing at BTL Learning & Assessment.
• Chris Peat, Customer Services Director, Axia Interactive Media.
• Tim Downie. Business Development Director, RM Results, working on RM's exam e-marking solution, RM Assessor.
• Graham Hudson, GA Partnership Ltd, an independent consultancy working in e-assessment.

Sponsors

Sponsoring firms with a commercial interest in the e-assessment market include:

• Cambridge Assessment
• City and Guilds
• RM
• AQA

Contact

• Website: http://www.e-assessment.com/
• Twitter: @eAssess