TEASIG @ IATEFL 2025: Pre-Conference Event

TEASIG -in-person PCE: Putting the learner at the heart of assessment

Join the IATEFL Testing Evaluation & Assessment Special Interest Group for their 2025 in person Pre-Conference Event on 7 April: Putting the learner at the heart of assessment

In an era of rapidly evolving educational paradigms, the focus on learner-centred assessment has never been more critical. This event, ‘Putting the learner at the heart of assessment’, aims to explore interesting and practical approaches for designing assessments that prioritise the needs, strengths, and experiences of learners.

One recent shift has been the adoption of principles ensuring that assessments are accessible and equitable for all learners, including those with specific needs. In addition, integrating principles of justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion (JEDI) help create a fair and supportive assessment environment for every student.

In parallel, enhancing test taker experience became an equally important consideration in an increasingly competitive language education and testing market. This involves not only improving the design and delivery of assessments but also actively responding to test takers’ feedback and preferences. By incorporating these insights, educators and assessment organisations can refine their approaches to better support learner success and meet their own growth objectives.

Our event will consist of workshops and presentations highlighting practical strategies for putting the learner at the heart of language assessment, ultimately fostering a more personalised, responsive, inclusive, and effective assessment landscape. 

Speakers:

Dr Chihiro Inoue is an Associate Professor of Language Assessment at the University of Bedfordshire. She holds a Master’s degree in TESOL from Tokyo University of Foreign Studies and a PhD in Language Testing from Lancaster University. With extensive experience teaching English to ESOL learners at both secondary and tertiary levels in Japan, Dr. Inoue has also worked in various roles focused on the practical aspects of language testing. Her current research primarily explores test task design, examining how task features interact with learner characteristics and how tests can better accommodate diverse learner needs.

Anna Soltyska is a member of the academic staff at Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Germany, where she teaches English for General and Specific Academic Purposes and coordinates the English programme at the University Language Centre. Her current research interests include teaching and testing of languages for academic and specific purposes, the impact of AI-based tools on institutionalised foreign language learning and assessment, promoting multilingualism in higher education and various aspects of assessment-related malpractice and academic integrity. Anna is a member of IATEFL and has been a TEASIG webinar co-ordinator since April 2020.