2024 Conference
The 2024 conference in Leeds welcomed over 110 delegates from 51 organisations.
With thanks to our sponsors
Watch presentations
The future of assessment, the impact of AI on the jobs market, and the latest news on digital general qualifications were key themes at the 2024 Conference. In addition, delegates enjoyed plenty of Community Stories and Innovative Insights from the Surpass Community taking us through their assessment successes and challenges, as well as Feature Spotlights focusing on new advanced question types and curriculum blueprint design.
Keynote & plenary sessions
- Keynote – The four-step approach to creating the future of assessment
- How classrooms are using AI for assessment
- Plenary session – The great skills shift: preparing for the AI-driven job market
Community Stories
- Digital General Qualifications: the story so far – with AQA
- Limited internet, no problem: Realistic accountancy simulations – with SAICA
- Building on the intersection of knowledge and skills: Delivering the NextGen BYOD Bar Exam – with NCBE
- A seamless experience: Developing and integrating an assessment dashboard with Surpass – with PAEA
Feature Spotlights
Innovative Insights
- LOFTY ambitions – it’s not all or nothing: Working towards LOFT with steady progression – with Dainis & Co.
- Using Surpass to make SME management a breeze – with Dainis & Co.
- Assessing real world numeracy skills: Surpass as an enabler – with AlphaPlus
- Charting success: Navigating challenges in migrating legacy content to Surpass with Surpass APIs – with NBME
Surpass updates
2024 Surpass Innovation Award winners
SAICA (South African Institute of Chartered Accountants)
Congratulations to SAICA for winning the 2024 Surpass Innovation award with their ‘Real-world accountancy exams: Using BYOD with secure Word and Excel simulations’ project.
Keynote – The four-step approach to creating the future of assessment
In this keynote, Dan Fitzpatrick highlights useful virtual reality and AI tools for educators and explores future AI developments.
Video is password protected. Conference delegates have been emailed the password. Non-delegates can request access.
Speakers:
Dan Fitzpatrick
The AI Educator and Director at Thirdbox Ltd
Surpass Showreel – 2024 at a glance
With 40 years in the industry, we work closely with our customers and the Surpass Community to achieve our mission of improving the assessment experience for everyone and enabling all learners to achieve their full educational potential. Watch our highlights video to learn more about our achievements to date.
Company update
In this update, Surpass Assessment Co-CEOs Andy McAnulla and Sonya Whitworth look back on the last year and the history of the company, and look forward to future developments.
Video is password protected. Conference delegates have been emailed the password. Non-delegates can request access.
Speakers:
Andy McAnulla
Co-CEO, Surpass Assessment
Sonya Whitworth
Co-CEO, Surpass Assessment
Digital General Qualifications: the story so far – Community Stories with AQA
Surpass Community members AQA take us through their assessment journey and challenges.
In this session, Adam Foley introduces AQA, discusses the case for digital exams, and shares the challenges and what AQA have learned so far.
Video is password protected. Conference delegates have been emailed the password. Non-delegates can request access.
Speakers:
Adam Foley
Head of Onscreen Strategy, AQA
Limited internet, no problem: Realistic accountancy simulations – Community Stories with SAICA
Surpass Community members SAICA take us through their assessment journey and challenges.
In this Community Story, Selo Tsukudu explains her role as a project director at SAICA and discusses challenges such as power cuts, along with solutions to enhance the exam experience.
Video is password protected. Conference delegates have been emailed the password. Non-delegates can request access.
Speakers:
Nombuyiselo (Selo) Tsukudu
Project Director, South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (SAICA)
Building on the intersection of knowledge and skills: Delivering the NextGen BYOD Bar Exam – Community Stories with NCBE
Surpass Community members NCBE take us through their assessment journey and challenges.
Kara McWilliams, Chief Product Officer at the National Conference of Bar Examiners, shares her onboarding experience with Surpass and discusses the innovative NextGen Bar Exam. She discusses what’s new to the exam, how it enhances comparability and reliability, along with sharing the planned launch and rollout dates.
Video is password protected. Conference delegates have been emailed the password. Non-delegates can request access.
Speakers:
Kara McWilliams
Chief Product Officer, National Conference of Bar Examiners
Quickfire Surpass update – the latest features from 2023/24
Emma Hall and Georgie Jones showcase new features in Surpass including AI-assisted item generation with Copilot, improved task management for subject matter experts, and a new table question type.
Part 1
Part 2
Video is password protected. Conference delegates have been emailed the password. Non-delegates can request access.
Speakers:
Emma Hall
Head of Business Development, Surpass Assessment
Georgie Jones
Assessment Specialist, Surpass Assessment
Meeting the challenges of digital MFL assessment – Surpass Feature Spotlight with AQA
In this session, Adam Foley explains how AQA have met the challenges of developing digital exams for modern foreign languages.
Video is password protected. Conference delegates have been emailed the password. Non-delegates can request access.
Speakers:
Adam Foley
Head of Onscreen Strategy, AQA
Curriculum blueprint design – Surpass Feature Spotlight with NCBE
In this session, Kara McWilliams discusses the criticality of content, the design of a curriculum blueprint, and the importance of accurate metadata tagging for data analytics. She explains how NCBE had a business problem that was addressed through a collaborative development process with Surpass, leading to improved consistency and efficiency.
Video is password protected. Conference delegates have been emailed the password. Non-delegates can request access.
Speakers:
Kara McWilliams
Chief Product Officer, National Conference of Bar Examiners
How classrooms are using AI for assessment
In this hands-on workshop, Dan Fitzpatrick demonstrates the essential skills needed to leverage ChatGPT and other AI tools for creating innovative assessments. Learn practical techniques to maximise the potential of these technologies, focusing on designing more engaging and effective assessments. Additionally, Dan will showcase the latest edtech assessment tools that are revolutionising classrooms.
Video is password protected. Conference delegates have been emailed the password. Non-delegates can request access.
Speakers:
Dan Fitzpatrick
The AI Educator and Director at Thirdbox Ltd
LOFTY ambitions – it’s not all or nothing: Working towards LOFT with steady progression – Innovative Insights with Dainis & Co.
In this Innovative Insights session, Amanda Dainis shares insights on effective testing processes and the significance of a large item bank for LOFT, which aids in assessments and streamlines test assembly using linear optimisation.
Video is password protected. Conference delegates have been emailed the password. Non-delegates can request access.
Speakers:
Amanda Dainis
CEO and Lead Psychometrician, Dainis & Co.
Surpass Test Delivery Services Update
Ceri Harper, Chief Services Officer at Surpass Assessment, introduces the Surpass Test Delivery Service and its solutions for managing exams online and in physical centres, and explains the global reach of the Surpass Test Centre Network.
Video is password protected. Conference delegates have been emailed the password. Non-delegates can request access.
Speakers:
Ceri Harper
Chief Services Officer, Surpass Assessment
Plenary session – The great skills shift: preparing for the AI-driven job market
Our expert panel explore the challenges of AI and its implications for the job market of the future, and answer questions in a live Q&A.
Video is password protected. Conference delegates have been emailed the password. Non-delegates can request access.
Host:
Jim Crawford
Chief Commercial Officer, Surpass Assessment
Speakers:
Paddy Craven
Public Affairs, Partnership & Engagement Director, City & Guilds UK
Casey Johnson
Senior Director of Assessment and Psychometrician, PA Education Association (PAEA)
Shaun Robertson
Director of Education and Qualifications, Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW)
A seamless experience: Developing and integrating an assessment dashboard with Surpass – Community Stories with PAEA
In this Community Stories session, Emily Yunker outlines PAEA’s support for training programmes and exam delivery, and explores the development of the PAEA Assessment Center and its features, including exam scheduling and score reporting.
Video is password protected. Conference delegates have been emailed the password. Non-delegates can request access.
Speakers:
Emily Yunker
Director of Assessment and Security Officer, Physician Assistant Education Association (PAEA)
Assessing real world numeracy skills – Innovative Insights
Dave Mellor introduces work to transform numeracy assessment with AQA, highlighting the importance of enhancing candidate experience through improved assessments.
Video is password protected. Conference delegates have been emailed the password. Non-delegates can request access.
Speakers:
Dave Mellor
Director of Assessment, AlphaPlus
Innovation Committee update: Surpass for test preparation and formative assessment
Jim Crawford, CCO at Surpass, highlights innovations in formative test preparation with Surpass TestPrep and Surpass Tutor. Surpass TestPrep offers a practice test portal for exam candidates featuring a user-friendly interface and automated feedback, while Surpass Tutor uses AI for personalised assessments, providing instant feedback and improvement suggestions.
Video is password protected. Conference delegates have been emailed the password. Non-delegates can request access.
Speakers:
Jim Crawford
Chief Commercial Officer, Surpass Assessment
Charting success: Navigating challenges in migrating legacy content to Surpass with Surpass APIs – Innovative Insights with NBME
NBME delivers high-stakes exams for medical professionals using Surpass APIs for item banking and integration, and in this session Patricia and Jeff showcase the migration of extensive item data into Surpass which involves managing metadata, formatting, error handling, and language considerations.
Video is password protected. Conference delegates have been emailed the password. Non-delegates can request access.
Speakers:
Patricia Kinsman
Senior Software Engineer, National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME)
Jeff Luttrell
Technical Product Owner, National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME)
Surpass Services update
Gareth Hopkins, Victoria Coble and Ashleigh Whittle share insights from the New Product Solutions and Pre-sales team, including the role of product owners in customising the Surpass Platform, and onboarding and training services for clients transitioning to delivery of online tests.
Video is password protected. Conference delegates have been emailed the password. Non-delegates can request access.
Speakers:
Gareth Hopkins
Solutions Manager, Surpass Assessment
Victoria Coble
Senior Product Owner, Surpass Assessment
Ashleigh Whittle
Head of Supporting Services, Surpass Assessment
Using Surpass to make SME management a breeze – Innovative Insights with Dainis & Co.
In this Innovative Insights session, Amanda Dainis discusses the benefits of working with subject matter experts (SMEs) in Surpass.
Video is password protected. Conference delegates have been emailed the password. Non-delegates can request access.
Speakers:
Amanda Dainis
CEO and Lead Psychometrician, Dainis & Co.
Best practices for evaluating open-ended responses: Double marking, validity papers, and reconciliation – Surpass Feature Spotlight with NCBE
In this Feature Spotlight session, Kara McWilliams discusses best practices for evaluating open-ended responses, including double marking, validity papers and reconciliation. Kara explains the importance of double marking to NCBE and how it’s used in their NextGen bar exams.
Video is password protected. Conference delegates have been emailed the password. Non-delegates can request access.
Speakers:
Kara McWilliams
National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE)
The future of AI and Surpass Copilot
Surpass Co-CEO Andy McAnulla and longstanding Surpass Community member, Toni Brooks from NCFE, discuss Surpass Copilot, the developments being planned for 2024/25, the methodology behind the developments to ensure ethical and effective outcomes, and the impact of newly introduced regulations like the EU AI Act.
Video is password protected. Conference delegates have been emailed the password. Non-delegates can request access.
Speakers:
Andy McAnulla
Co-CEO, Surpass Assessment
Toni Brooks
QA Assessment Platforms Manager, NCFE
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