The Faculty of Education is hosting two online forums: The first forum, titled "Enacting more fair, ethical and effective assessment in K-12 settings," will be held on Zoom on Jan. 26. A second forum, titled "Surveillance software is not the answer: Assessment in higher education," will be held Feb. 24.
Faculty to host forums on assessment in education
Events to provide research insight into fair and ethical assessment practices during COVID-19
To address concerns about educational assessment that have gained increasing attention during the pandemic, the Faculty of Education is hosting two online forums.
The first forum, titled “Enacting more fair, ethical and effective assessment in K-12 settings,” will be held on Zoom on Jan. 26. A second forum, titled “Surveillance software is not the answer: Assessment in higher education,” will be held Feb. 24.
One of the event organizers, Assistant Professor Martha Koch, says the idea for the forums arose out of faculty members shared concerns about assessment practices during the pandemic when students are stressed, normal classroom practices have been interrupted and teaching has been moving online.
“This is an effort to try to inform more fair and ethical classroom practices and policy based on assessment research,” Koch said.
Featured speakers at the Jan. 26 event include:
Theresa Papp
Dr. Theresa Papp, faculty member at Saskatchewan Polytechnic where she teaches Indigenous studies, business and designs courses. She researches and publishes articles on culturally responsive pedagogy, considering how assessment practices might more effectively support Indigenous learners, particularly in urban high-school settings. She has conducted studies in Saskatchewan and New Zealand.
Robin Tierney
Dr. Robin Tierney, is an independent educational researcher at Research-for-Learning as well as part-time professor in the Faculty of Education, University of Ottawa. She has conducted studies and published articles and book chapters on several aspects of classroom assessment, including fairness and privacy. Robin has also taught classroom assessment and research-methods courses in education and has presented her work at national and international conferences. Prior to her career in academia, Tierney was an elementary teacher and reading specialist in Ottawa.
Katie White
Katie White, MEd, is an independent educational research consultant as well as an executive member of the Canadian Assessment for Learning Network. She has published two books on assessment practice and her next two books are due to be released soon. Katie’s work focuses on supporting educators as they move toward a more holistic and creative approach to assessment in K-12 settings. During the pandemic, Katie has also been teaching high-school English language arts in an online environment in Saskatchewan.
Information about the speakers for the second assessment forum on surveillance software will be detailed in a UM Today story to come.
First virtual forum
What: Enacting more fair, ethical and effective assessment in K-12 settings
When: Tuesday, Jan. 26, 2021
Time: 6:30 p.m.
Where: Online Zoom webinar. Register here.
Second virtual forum
What: Surveillance software is not the answer: Assessment in higher education
When: Wednesday, Feb. 24, 2021
Time: 6:30 p.m.
Where: Online Zoom webinar. Register here.
For more information, contact:
Laura Orsak-Williams, dean [dot] education [at] umanitoba [dot] ca