Past Conferences

11th New Directions in English Language Assessment: The Future of English Language Assessment in Learning Systems

27-29 October 2023 at Vietnam National University and the British University Vietnam

Conference Highlights: https://youtu.be/8HZ0RYRD4qs

Theme: Bridging divides: Towards a comprehensive approach to language teaching, learning and assessment

Date: 9-10 December 2022

Conference Highlights: https://youtu.be/IVI4XgAwhAs?si=RXPGELUuy4xTklwG

9th New Directions in English Language Assessment: Fairer, Greener, Stronger: The Future of Language Assessment

9-11 December 2021 Online

Conference Theme: Fairer, Greener, Stronger: The Future of Language Assessment

The 9th New Directions 2021 online looked at:

• Inclusivity and Access in Language Testing
• Future-readiness: Learning from the Legacy of COVID-19
• Assessment in Comprehensive Learning Systems: at the Policy Level
• Assessment in Comprehensive Learning Systems: in the classroom
• Creating Opportunities: Assessment for Work
• Automated Language Testing
• The impact of Language Assessment on the Environment, Now and in the Future

Key Speakers:

• Professor Barry O'Sullivan OBE, Assessment Research Group, British Council
• Professor Judit Kormos, Lancaster University
• Professor Low Ee Ling, Nanyang Technological University
• Dr. Jayanti Banerjee, Trinity College London
• Professor Sir Nigel Shadbolt, Oxford University
• Venguswamy Ramaswamy, TCS iON
• Geoff Stead, Babbel
• Professor Heath Rose, Oxford University
• Dr. Nicola Galloway, University of Glasgow
• Professor Kensaku Yoshida, Sophia University
• Professor Helen Basturkmen, University of Auckland
• Professor Judit Kormos, Lancaster University
• Vicky Evans, Cambridge University Press & Assessment
• Professor Paul Giller, University College Cork
• Yasmin Hatt, Pearson

Theme: Connecting Contexts: Linking Assessment, Learning and Language Use

Date: 29-31 October 2020

Theme: Realising Potential: Policy, Engagement, and Impact

Date: 7-9 December 2019

6th New Directions in English Language Assessment: Standards in Learning Systems

22-23 October 2018 at the Grand Hyatt, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

The conference aimed to provide a forum for the presentation of innovative approaches and practical solutions, with a focus on real-life case studies and works-in-progress reports.

• Whether standards should be the priority in ensuring that the English language ability of students is adequate for their future needs.
• The risks of borrowing standards from one system to set goals and make policy decisions in other contexts. 
• The alignment of existing national tests to local or international proficiency standards. 
• How these national or international standards inform language teaching and learning. 
• The future role of artificial intelligence in language testing, particular in large-scale assessment. 
• The adaptation of international standards and frameworks to localized contexts.

Key Speakers:

• Professor Barry O’Sullivan, Head of Research & Development at the British Council
• Geoff Stead, Chief Product Officer at Babbel
• Dr. Carol Spöttl, Senior Lecturer at the School of Education, University of Innsbruck, Head of the Language Testing Group Innsbruck (LTRGI)
• Han Baocheng, Deputy Director of the National Research Centre for Foreign Language Education, Beijing Foreign Studies University (BFSU)
• Dr. Hanan Khalifa, Head of Research & International Education, Cambridge Assessment English 
• Dr. Souba Rethinasamy, Associate Professor, Faculty of Language and Communication, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak

Theme: Connecting Assessment with Teaching and Learning

Date: 2-3 December 2017

Theme: Standardised Testing and the Development and Use of Proficiency scales: Addressing Local challenges, Meeting Global Standards

Date: 13-14 October 2016

Theme: Quality and Consequence

Date: 15-16 October 2015

Theme: Role of English Assessment in Internationalisation

Date: 29-30 September 2014

Theme: Assessment for Learning

Date: 6-7 November 2013