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2023 programme

Day 1 – Tuesday 10 October

1:30pm BST
8:30am ET

Introduction

Host:
Andy McAnulla – Co-Chief Executive Officer, Surpass Assessment

1:35pm BST
8:35am ET

Keynote – Assessing soft skills using interactive technologies

Professor Robert Klassen – Professor and Chair at the University of York, incoming Professor of Education at the University of Oxford (2023)

Assessing the ‘academic’ knowledge and skills of future and current employees provides useful but incomplete information for predicting success in the workplace. In this session, Professor Rob Klassen (University of York and University of Oxford) will discuss challenges and innovations in the assessment of non-academic attributes—soft skills—for recruitment, selection, and development in education and other professional disciplines. He will outline the development stages—and challenges—involved in designing interactive assessment programmes that provide insight into candidates’ soft skills.

Following the presentation will be a live Q&A.

2:35pm BST
9:35am ET

Community stories

Emily Yunker – Director, Assessment and Security Officer, PAEA (Physician Assistant Education Association)
Nicole Solecki – Chiropractic Specialist, NBCE (National Board of Chiropractic Examiners)

Join representatives from Surpass Community members as they take us through their assessment journeys and challenges.

3:05pm BST
10:05am ET

Break

3:10pm BST
10:10am ET

Partner updates

The Surpass Community grows more and more every year. In addition to members of the community that use Surpass, there are essential organisations that support the community either with development, technology or supporting services.

Learn more about some of our amazing Surpass partners in these short updates.

  • xVoucher
  • DRC
  • Alpine
  • ROC-P
  • Meazure Learning

3:15pm BST
10:15am ET

Surpass Services updates

Surpass Services assist many Surpass Community members in the creation and delivery of their assessments, and also support training in Surpass, online proctoring,test development and test conversion/publishing, and manage our Test Centre Network. In addition, the Product Customisation Service enables customers to enhance the Surpass Platform to meet their needs.

Learn more in these short updates:

Ceri Harper – Head of Services, Surpass Assessment
Ashleigh Whittle – Head of Supporting Services, Surpass Assessment
Sophie Brumfitt – Head of Product Management, Surpass Assessment

3:25pm BST
10:25am ET

Surpass Assessment company update: Year in review

Andy McAnulla – Co-Chief Executive Officer, Surpass Assessment
Sonya Whitworth – Co-Chief Executive Officer, Surpass Assessment

Join this session to hear about all the changes we’ve seen at Surpass and in the assessment industry over the last year.

3:40pm BST
10:40am ET

Panel: Advancing equity in assessment: Ensuring fairness and inclusion

Host:
Jim Crawford – Chief Commercial Officer, Surpass Assessment

Panel:
Ye Tong – Senior Vice President of Assessment Operations, National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME)
Andy Thomas – Vice President, Precertification Education, Chartered Professional Accountants of Canada (CPA Canada)
Danette Waller McKinley – PhD, Director of Diversity, Fairness, and Inclusion Research, National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE)

Don’t miss our expert panel debate as they dive into the industry hot topic of advancing equity in assessment. Hear from the National Board of Medical Examiners, CPA Canada, and the National Conference of Bar Examiners on the challenges of ensuring fairness and inclusion. The panel discussion will be live and questions are welcome throughout.

4:15pm BST
11:15am ET

Closing Keynote – The always-evolving landscape of test security

Rachel R. Watkins Schoenig  – CEO, Cornerstone Strategies

The ever-changing nature of technology has opened doors for new test designs, test development processes, customer support tools, and test security. At the same time, emerging technology has offered new tools for individuals and organizations determined to undermine test integrity and score validity for their own gain. From online cheating services and generative AI to deep fakes and virtual surrogates, test security is an always evolving landscape. In this keynote, Rachel will address some of the benefits and challenges posed by emerging technologies in the testing space and suggest practical methods for evaluating and addressing a program’s test security framework.

Following the presentation will be a live Q&A.

5:00pm BST
12 noon ET

Finish

Day 2 – Wednesday 11 October

1:30pm BST
8:30am ET

Introduction

Host:
Sonya Whitworth – Co-Chief Executive Officer, Surpass Assessment

1:35pm BST
8:35am ET

Keynote – Assessment disrupted: Enhancing life opportunities through technological, political and social shifts

Professor Becky Allen – Chief Analyst and co-founder of Teacher Tapp, Professor of Education at the University of Brighton

In this talk, Professor Becky Allen navigates the rapidly shifting terrain of the assessment industry as it is reshaped by significant social, political, and technological changes. Viewing the educational journey through the eyes of a lifelong learner struggling in a conventional academic setting, Professor Allen explores the complex trade-offs between vocational and academic pathways, and between social mobility and equality, highlighting how these dynamics might transform over the next decade.

Following the presentation will be a live Q&A.

2:35pm BST
9:35am ET

Community stories

Jugjit Chima – Chief Executive Officer, The National Association of Examinations Officers and founder of The Exams Office
Joshua Nicholson – Examinations Developer / Datblygwr Arholiadau, EAL
Hannah Rowe – Assessment Manager, AlphaPlus

Join representatives from Surpass Community members as they take us through their assessment journeys and challenges.

3:05pm BST
10:05am ET

Break

3:10pm BST
10:10am ET

Partner updates

The Surpass Community grows more and more every year. In addition to members of the community that use Surpass, there are essential organisations that support the community either with development, technology or supporting services.

Learn more about some of our amazing Surpass partners in these short updates.

  • ProctorExam
  • TeamCo
  • Method 4

3:15pm BST
10:15am ET

Surpass Services updates

Surpass Services assist many Surpass Community members in the creation and delivery of their assessments, and also support training in Surpass, online proctoring, test development and test conversion/publishing, and manage our Test Centre Network. In addition, the Product Customisation Service enables customers to enhance the Surpass Platform to meet their needs.

Learn more in these short updates:

Ceri Harper – Head of Services, Surpass Assessment
Ashleigh Whittle – Head of Supporting Services, Surpass Assessment
Sophie Brumfitt – Head of Product Management, Surpass Assessment

3:25pm BST
10:25am ET

Surpass Assessment company update: The year ahead

Jim Crawford – Chief Commercial Officer & Company Director, Surpass Assessment
Andy McAnulla – Co-Chief Executive Officer, Surpass Assessment

Sonya Whitworth – Co-Chief Executive Officer, Surpass Assessment

Join this session to hear about exciting innovations and where Surpass is looking in the year ahead.

3:40pm BST
10:40am ET

Panel: Views from the regulators: Challenges in the adoption of on-screen assessment

Host:
Paul Muir – Chief Strategy and Partnership Officer, Surpass Assessment

Panel:
Jo Handford – Associate Director, Technology in Assessment, Ofqual
Louise McKay – Senior Regulation Manager, SQA Accreditation
Roger Trigg – Education Manager, CCEA Regulation
Dean Seabrook – Senior Qualifications Manager, Qualifications  Wales

Watch this live session to hear regulators from all four regions of the UK giving their views on the challenges of adopting on-screen assessment. The panel discussion will be live and questions are welcome throughout.

4:15pm BST
11:15am ET

Closing Keynote – The AI classroom: Learning and assessment in the artificial intelligence revolution

Dan Fitzpatrick – The AI Educator, Founder of Thirdbox Ltd.

In this keynote, educational strategist and author of The AI Classroom, Dan Fitzpatrick, takes participants on a journey through the ever-evolving world of artificial intelligence, how it is transforming our lives and most crucially its impact on education and assessment. Dan spends his time helping educators, teams, and organisations around the world to embrace artificial intelligence, so that together, we can build a better education system together.

5:15pm BST
12.15pm ET

Finish