Abstract Content (up to 300 words recommended)
This paper looks at the nature of an online professional development activity that facilitates a nexus between local and global learning networks for academics and practitioners in e-assessment. The ‘Transforming Assessment’ e-assessment programme, commenced in 2009 with webinars and online e-assessment examples featured on a purpose built website. Expansion and continued sustainability saw an online conference added in 2013, a localised resource added in 2014 and in 2015 a re-developed website was launched. Using the CIPP (context, input, process, and product) evaluation approach (Stufflebeam, 2000), rich sources of both qualitative and quantitative evaluation data were collected across the life of the programme from over 1380 participants with a picture emerging of a low cost, high impact model of dissemination of diverse e-assessment practices, bringing together global and local learning networks. A proposal is made to further deepen connections between the global webinar forum and local activity within institutions in order to enhance the impact of this professional development activity.
Addressing the theme/s of the Conference (up to 200 words recommended)
One of the initial aims of the fellowship, and still carried out today, is to assist academics and professional staff navigate the uncertainty and complexity around the new world of web 2.0 and e-assessment. This was done by raising awareness of the range of new approaches to assessment in ways that allows staff to connect with the ideas at their level. This involved the provision of a suite of online examples that showed how the tools they currently have access could be put to new uses in developing more engaging, relevant and authentic assessments. The loose community that grew up around the webinar series also contributed to the ability of academics to make connections with each other, to explore what was happening at other institutions and to see what the future might hold.