Research Programme
Background
Research in the Centre looks at new approaches to educational assessment and the challenge presented by the increasing requirement for global qualifications and standards. The research programme covers general schools-based learning, as well as vocational, professional and higher education it also supports Priorities in Educational Assessment, the move to lifelong learning, the needs of multinational employers and an increasingly global workforce.
The Centre has come into being as a result of the establishment of a long-term partnership between The University of Oxford and Pearson plc. to undertake research and international development work in educational assessment.
The Centre independently and collaboratively runs conferences and events for international education leaders. It provides a forum for policy debate as well as a platform for promoting commissioned research and evaluation by international Governments and educational agencies.
Themes
The following research themes are presented as a prelude to the development of a more focused agenda for the Centre:
- Developing and enhancing theories and models of educational assessment to help better understand different types of learning processes, resource use and outcomes in various educational systems and international contexts.
- Understanding how educational assessment is perceived and utilised by the various stakeholders (learners, parents, institutions, professionals, employers, policy makers, etc) within different educational systems. How perceptions vary and how they are changing overtime.
- Building a systematic appreciation of how assessment has shaped, or is shaped by, policy and practice in the various educational sectors, subject domains and international contexts.
- Evaluating how different types and modes of assessment influence the effectiveness of learning processes and systems – the relevance and functional impact of different forms of assessment in supporting learning. Factors shaping the uptake of different types of assessment and how assessment might better respond to learning objectives, curriculum design and different qualification regimes.
- Educational Measurement and Informatics and the contribution of enhanced information to validity, reliability and the functionality of assessment systems. The impact and opportunities of information to enhancing formative and summative assessment in different educational settings.
- Notions of validity, reliability and ‘standards’ in different types of educational assessment (self, peer, teacher-led, large-scale, etc.) and the link between he nature of assessment and standing and reputation of qualifications.
- Impacts and opportunities offered by new assessment technologies in test design, test distribution, administration and results delivery. The impact and opportunities of e-learning and e-assessment in different educational settings and learning processes and the behaviours of the various actors (e-learners, e-teachers, e-assessors, e-policy makers, etc).
- How the use and application of psychometrics is changing the face of educational and work-based assessment and its impact on life-long learning and personal development.