Join our third pre-conference webinar in the lead up to the New Directions in English Language Assessment, South Asia conference.
Date: 14 December 2024
Time: 7 pm IST (1.30 pm GMT)
In this webinar, Professor Barry O'Sullivan would take you on a journey of the evolution of assessment.
These days we take assessment for granted. We have all taken tests on many occasions and probably would not be here today if not for the relative success we have all had in succeeding to pass enough of them on the way. It could be said that we take assessment for granted in many ways, never really thinking about how useful or fair or just they might be and certainly never thinking about how they came about in the first place.
In this webinar, we will explore the origins of assessment many thousands of years ago in China, focusing on the Keju, or Imperial Examinations which began in 605 and remained in place for 1,300 years. In this time, the whole concept of standardisation was formulated and operationalised and went on to influence educational assessment initially in other countries in East Asia and later across the world. The next part of the webinar turns to the origins and growth of what we see as a modern educational assessment, beginning with the psychometric movement in the UK and growing to a major global industry. Finally, we look to what is happening in the world of language assessment today. We consider recent developments, particularly with regard to technology, and look to the future.
About the speaker:
Professor Barry O'Sullivan is the British Council’s Head of English Language Research. He has worked on test development and validation projects globally and advises ministries and institutions on assessment policy and practice. He is the founding president of the UK Association of Language Testing and Assessment, holds a visiting professorship at the University of Reading, UK, and is Advisory Professor at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China. He was awarded an OBE for his contribution to language testing.