e-Assessment
Regulatory principles for e-assessment
The increasing use of technology in the development, delivery, administration and reporting of assessment, whether for end-to-end e-assessment solutions or for combined electronic and manual systems, means that regulatory issues also need to be carefully considered.
Technology is increasingly used in the development, delivery, administration and reporting of assessment.
The regulators have chosen to take a principles-based approach for the regulation of e-assessment. These principles are designed to promote and encourage innovation in assessment design and to support a move towards a more flexible, risk-based and targeted approach to regulation. They should be used in conjunction with the relevant regulatory criteria.
We, in collaboration with the Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment (CCEA) in Northern Ireland, the Department for Children, Education, Lifelong Learning and Skills (DCELLS) in Wales and the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA), have developed regulatory principles for e-assessment. These principles must be used in conjunction with other relevant regulatory criteria wherever technology assists or facilitates in the assessment process. They are available to download from this page.
Implementation of e-assessment regulatory principles
The regulatory principles for e-assessment will be implemented and enforceable from April 2008, via the current recognition, monitoring and self-assessment policies. From April 2008, awarding bodies must incorporate analysis of their e-assessment systems against the requirements of the regulatory principles within their self-assessment procedures. The awarding body monitoring team will test this information during scheduled monitoring activities.
e-Futures
The e-futures website was launched by QCA NI in March 2007 to encourage and support the use of e-assessment in vocational qualifications. Aimed primarily at centres, this website has been designed to provide advice and exemplar material on all aspects of e-assessment. Since its launch the site has been continually updated to reflect the ongoing developments in e-assessment. Users benefit from a video library containing clips of organisations already using e-assessment and a resource section containing downloadable documents supporting its implementation. You can find out more from the e-futures website (opens in new window).
e-Assessment guidance
We have been engaged in projects to provide further guidance to awarding bodies and centres who wish to include e-assessment in their operations. e-Assessment: guide to effective practice has been developed by the four regulators of accredited qualifications in England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland in consultation with awarding bodies and centres across the country. The publication was evaluated by 12 pilot centres.
The guide can be downloaded from this page.
Glossary of common terms used in e-assessment
The terminology of e-assessment has become increasingly complex as more and more software suppliers and developers have entered the market. The awarding bodies, practitioners, teachers and others need to understand what the new terms and abbreviations mean when making use of e-assessment tools and products. To try and unravel any confusion, we and the Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC) have reviewed the terminology used in the field of e-assessment. The first edition of the glossary is now available to download.
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