Oxford University Centre for Educational Assessment

The Centre was established by a grant from Pearson plc. to the University of Oxford to provide a centre for research and international development work in educational assessment.

The Centre seeks to work collaboratively with other researchers and agencies on the challenges confronting education systems in the quest for global qualifications and standards.

The inaugural Director of the Centre and Pearson Professor of Educational Assessment is Gordon Stanley who took up appointment in April 2008.

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 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 Governments and educational agencies.

Research Themes

• 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.
• 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
• Educational Measurement and Informatics and the contribution of enhanced information to validity, reliability and the functionality of assessment systems.
• 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.
• 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.

Staff

Professor Gordon Stanley is joined by Professor John Gardner, a Visiting Professor from Queen's University Belfast and Dr Bob MacCann, a visiting Research Fellow from NSW, Australia (until July 2009). Current graduate students are Manzil Maqsood, Yanhong (Rose) Li, Malcolm Hayes, Velda Elliott, Shan Huang and Maria Teresa Florez.