The Futures of Assessment: Anticipating and Managing Disruptive Change
Cambridge University Press & Assessment English
Where your world grows. We help people learn English and prove their skills to the world.
We’re just back from PIE Live Europe 2024, where our Chief Product Officer Pamela Baxter led a well-received session exploring The Futures of Assessment: Anticipating and Managing Disruptive Change.
The session looked ahead to 2050, discussing and anticipating plausible future directions for assessment in education. In times of rapid change and uncertainty, past events and trends may not provide a reliable guide to the future, but the Futures Thinking approach provides methods and perspectives to anticipate and manage disruptive change.
Amidst the whirlwind of transformation, there are principles of good assessment that stand unwavering, regardless of how that assessment is delivered. These include the pillars of Integrity, Fairness, Validity and Reliability.
Keeping these four principles firmly in mind, our Futures of Assessment report identified key drivers of change as we move towards 2050.
Climate change looms large and is likely to be the defining driver in the?future of educational assessments to 2050. Our world faces unprecedented environmental shifts, economic turbulence, and geopolitical realignments that all have the potential to?severely disrupt schooling?systems and student well-being.
Digital learning and assessment platforms can provide a?vital role, allowing displaced and migratory students to?continue their education with?flexible assessments that can be taken anywhere, and are therefore not dependent on the test taker being in a specific, physical location.
The emergence of AI tutors and personalised,?collaborative digital learning and?assessment are already strong signals of a new era.?By 2050, they may?entirely transform education systems, with the potential to?accelerate learning?and?reduce geographical constraints?in education.
When will the technology infrastructures be in place to enable this? To most, the question is not if- but when- this transformative wave will reshape the educational ecosystem.
Technology enhanced learning and assessment show?signs of becoming more immersive, interactive, and?augmented.?This means a?shift away from ‘text’ oriented learning?toward a multimodal approach, and perhaps educational technology or media companies playing a significant role.?
With the actors setting and maintaining assessment standards?changing, and educational technology companies taking on roles in integrity and accountability, it is inevitable that how students prepare for assessments will also change.
领英推荐
The COVID pandemic exposed the sometimes detrimental effects of assessment on student well-being, sparking a?shift towards?less stressful, more joyful, personalised and?engaging assessments and learning experiences.
This is likely to be a key factor?influencing student and teacher perceptions of digital?learning and assessment products. Methodologies must evolve, paving the way for a future where assessments nurture growth and resilience, helping both learners and teachers to flourish.
The future is not inevitable or fixed but is the product of human agency: a combination of thought, decisions, actions and reactions. The onus lies upon us to shape a trajectory that fosters growth, innovation, and inclusivity. We're not merely observers of change - we're catalysts for progress.
There are four ways in which we, as a learning and assessment organisation and in collaboration with the international education communities, can take this forward at pace:
1.?Shaping the Future: Armed with an evidence-based vision of a preferred future, we chart a course towards a holistic, AI-assisted curriculum with positive outcomes for learners.
2.?Upholding Integrity: Collaborating with educational technology partners, we continue to ensure validity, reliability, and comparability in all our products, not forgetting the pillars of fair assessment.
3.?Understanding Future Needs: By listening and adapting to the needs of our schools and higher education institutions, we stay ahead of the curve.
4. Innovating with Purpose: Pioneer innovative solutions and share our discoveries with the world.
It’s fair to say that the future is uncertain for all of us, but by leading the integration of learning and assessment, partnering with educational technology and AI companies, and maintaining our integrity and quality, we’re in an excellent position to anticipate and navigate the changes that will come, and to shape a positive future for all of our learners and teachers.
Read the full report , and join us as we embark on this journey to a preferred future!