The Oxford University Centre for Educational Assessment (OUCEA) conducts research in a wide range of assessment issues, in different sectors and educational levels. A distinctive feature of the centre is its focus on the role of assessment in public policy and system-level change. Our interests include the structure of qualifications, the accuracy of marking systems, validity of qualifications and the impact of qualification systems upon learning. We actively engage with practitioners and policy-makers on current issues, collaborating with colleagues in a range of educational and assessment organisations around the world.
Our team includes the core academic staff, our doctoral students and our Masters students. Additionally, we work with associates who have been recognised as Honorary Research Fellows or Norham Fellows by the Department and there is a further network of associates to OUCEA.
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The Centre, based in Oxford’s Department of Education, is interested in all aspects of research into assessment in education but especially assessment’s role in public policy and system-level change. The Centre’s main research aims are:
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Thursday, October 29, 2020
By Dr Rebecca Eynon (Associate Professor between the Department of Education and the Oxford Internet Institute) & Professor Jo-Anne Baird (Director of the Department of Education) Now that the infamous...
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Tuesday, December 17, 2019
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Wednesday, September 11, 2019
Last month Professor Nancy Perry, Dorothy Lam Chair in Special Education and Professor of Educational and Counselling Psychology and Special Education at the University of British Columbia, delivered the OUCEA Annual...
Wednesday, July 24, 2019
Kit Double, Joshua McGrane, Jamie Stiff and Therese N. Hopfenbeck have published an article in the British Educational Research Journal entitled “The importance of early phonics improvements for predicting later reading...
Wednesday, July 17, 2019
OUCEA won a competitive grant to investigate the effect of the International Baccalaureate’s Diploma Programme on the development of critical thinking. The twelve-month project entitled ‘The effect of the Diploma...
Wednesday, June 19, 2019
Times Educational Supplement Article featuring comments from Jo Anne Baird (Director of the Department & Professor of Educational Assessment) Read Now
Thursday, June 6, 2019
Professor Anil Kanjee from Tshwane University of Technology, South Africa is visiting OUCEA for the term. As co-investigator of the AFLA project Anil will be working with Principal Investigator Dr Therese Hopfenbeck and...
Wednesday, May 22, 2019
On 15th May Prof Jo-Anne Baird shared the findings of her latest research on GCSE reforms in the Tes Podagogy podcast, which you can listen to here. In the 25 minute podcast episode...
Monday, May 20, 2019
A three-year joint research project between exam regulator Ofqual and OUCEA on the impact of modular and linear exam structures at GCSE UK culminated this week in the publication of...
Wednesday, May 1, 2019
Openaccessgovernment.org Article about research from Oxford University's Centre for Educational Assessment (OUCEA) with comment by Jo-Anne Baird (Director of the Department & Professor of Educational Assessment) Read Now
Tuesday, April 30, 2019
Tuesday, April 30, 2019
Times Educational Supplement Article about research from the Oxford University Centre of Educational Assessment (OUCEA) with comment from Jo-Anne Baird (Director of the Department of Education and Professor of Educational...
Monday, April 29, 2019
OUCEA welcomed back the students on the new Msc Educational Assessment course last week for the first core module; Assessment Issues and Practice – History, Policy, Standards, Validity, Reliability. This...
Friday, March 15, 2019
Applications for the MSc in Educational Assessment entry in 2019/20 are still being accepted. If you would like further information or to begin your application, please visit the Department of...
Wednesday, March 6, 2019
The first issue of Assessment in Education: Principles, Policy & Practice for 2019 is out now: https://www.tandfonline.com/toc/caie20/current Four published articles look at writing assessment from different perspectives with the focus on writing...
Monday, February 25, 2019
Wednesday, January 16, 2019
As part of the department’s 100th Anniversary celebrations a special public seminar series, Student Access to University, has been convened by Professor Simon Marginson and Professor Jo-Anne Baird. The series aims to...
Monday, January 14, 2019
A new article by Dr Kit Double from OUCEA has been published in the journal Metacognition and Learning. The abstract is below: Confidence ratings (CR) are often used to evaluate the metacognitive processes...
Wednesday, December 19, 2018
Therese N. Hopfenbeck (Director of the Centre for Educational Assessment) has, together with DPhil student Anna Steen-Utheim, published a new article in the journal Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education....
Friday, November 2, 2018
Yasmine El Masri has been appointed by Qualifications Wales as Expert Advisor to provide specialist and technical advice to the newly established Welsh Baccalaureate Design Group. The Welsh Baccalaureate Design...
Friday, November 2, 2018
Tuesday, September 18, 2018
Times Education Supplement online, 10/09/2018, Dennis Opposs Article about how the UK’s school exam system compares to other countries notes that exam regulator Ofqual’s findings will be published in a...
Tuesday, September 18, 2018
Friday, September 14, 2018
On 10th September UCL IoE Press will publish Examination Standards- How measures and meanings differ around the world. The volume is edited by Prof Jo-Anne Baird, Dr Tina Isaacs (UCL IoE)...
Wednesday, September 5, 2018
Dr Michelle Meadows, an Honorary Research Fellow at OUCEA and Deputy Chief Regulator of Examinations in England explains the new GCSEs on BBC Breakfast: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:6437677435004813312/
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Oxford University Centre for Educational Assessment (OUCEA) is proud to announce that the centre will be hosting an all-day event at St Annes College Oxford celebrating 25 years of the...
Tuesday, January 2, 2018
The Times Article citing research by the department's Centre for Educational Assessment. Read now.
Wednesday, December 6, 2017
PIRLS 2016 is the fourth cycle of the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study, coordinated by the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA). The Oxford University Centre...
Tuesday, December 5, 2017
The House of Commons Education Select Committee are conducting an investigation into the integrity of the English public examination system. The Director of the Department of Education, Professor Jo-Anne Baird gave evidence to...
Wednesday, November 29, 2017
Reliability of systems of assessing methodological trustworthiness underpinning systematic reviews of research
Engaging with the assessment community
Key concepts in educational assessment
Embedding standards in national qualifications
Independent Review of Qualifications and Assessment in Scotland
Programme for International Student Assessment reports for England, Wales and Northern Ireland
Research on how the public view standards in Scotland
A case study of the policy process in education in England during the pandemic
What features of England’s examination system that make it vulnerable to failure, particularly in the face of disruptive events?
Examination standards are not well defined in theoretical terms and this leads to problems in their public understanding, with consequent periodic crises in public confidence.
A project addressing how practical science can be better assessed at GCSE.
18 November 2024
12:45 - 14:00
Seminar Room TBC
OUCEA is part of the Department of Education, University of Oxford, 15 Norham Gardens OX2 6PY
Visitor Reception: 15 Norham Gardens