The 1st New Directions English: Language Assessment Conference in China
•Dates: 6-7 November 2013
•Venue: National Museum of China, Beijing, China
The first New Directions conference addressed issues associated with assessment for learning: washback and formative assessment; localisation and customisation; adapting tests to Chinese contexts and developing English teacher assessment literacy. The event in Beijing coincides with a number of anniversaries: 35 years since the British Council was established in China; 25 years of IELTS worldwide and 10 years of the British Council delivering IELTS in China in partnership with the National Education Examinations Authority.
NEW DIRECTIONS 2013 KEY SPEAKERS
•Professor Jin Yan ,Shanghai Jiaotong University, Chair of National College English Testing Committee
•Professor Barry O’Sullivan ,Senior Advisor, English Language Assessment, British Council
•Professor Han Baocheong ,Beijing Foreign Studies University, Director of China Language Assessment Research Society
•Andrew Mackenzie ,Head of Assessment Service, British Council
•Keita Nakamura / Shuken Shiozaki, Eiken Foundation of Japan
The 2nd New Directions English: Role of English Assessment in Internationalisation
•Dates: 29-30 September 2014
•Venue: Meiji Kinenkan, Tokyo, Japan
The second conference in Japan brought together chief educational officers and key officials from across Asia to review the issues of localisation and globalisation in English Language Assessment and of expanding capacity to address current and future education and assessment challenges. It also provided a valuable networking opportunity and set the stage for further cooperation among key audience and attendees from Asian countries and beyond.
NEW DIRECTIONS 2014 KEY SPEAKERS
•Professor Masashi Negishi ,Tokyo University of Foreign Studies
•Professor Oryang Kwon,Seoul National University
•Dr. Jessica R.W. Wu ,The Language Training & Testing Centre
•Gerry Delaney,Head of Assessment Services (East Asia), Cambridge English Language Assessment
•Keita Nakamura,Eiken Foundation of Japan
•Kuniaki Sato ,Deputy Director, Office for International Planning, Higher Education Bureau, Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology
The 3rd British Council New Directions in English Language Assessment Conference: Quality and Consequence
•Dates: 15-16 October 2015
•Venue: JW Marriott Dongdaemun Square Seoul, Korea
New Directions 2015 in Korea looked at test quality and the consequences of testing from the point of view of society and education policy. It also considered the impact of testing on pedagogy and curriculum design, examining the challenges in the testing and assessment sector and solutions to be found if countries such as Korea are to address the concerns amongst the wider public about the integrity and quality of testing methodologies.
NEW DIRECTIONS 2015 KEY SPEAKERS
•Young-Soo Kim ,President of Korea Institute for Curriculum & Evaluation (KICE), Korea
•Professor Constant Leung ,King's College London, UK
•Nick Saville ,Director of Cambridge English Language Assessment, UK
•Professor Antony John Kunnan ,Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
•Professor John H.A.L. De Jong ,Pearson Netherlands
•Elizabeth Shepherd ,Senior Research Manager, British Council
•Associate Professor Yong-Won Lee ,Seoul National University, Korea
•Professor Barry O'Sullivan ,British Council
•Professor Han Baocheng ,Beijing Foreign Studies University, China
•Professor Dongwan Cho ,Pohang University of Science and Technology, Korea
•Professor Tineke Brunfaut ,Lancaster University, UK
The 4th British Council New Directions in English Language Assessment Conference: Quality and Consequence
•Dates: 13 –14 October, 2016
•Venue: Sheraton Hanoi Hotel, Hanoi, Vietnam
New Directions Hanoi 2016 will look at the role and effects of standardised testing and the development and/or use of proficiency scales to describe language ability. We will also consider performance-based testing: its benefits and challenges.
NEW DIRECTIONS 2016 KEY SPEAKERS
•Professor Paul Seedhouse, Newcastle University ,UK
•Dr. Vu Thi Phuong Anh, Educational Quality Training and Support Centre, Association of Vietnam's Universities and Colleges, Vietnam.
•Dr.Veronica Benigno, Pearson, UK
•Dr.Gad Lim, Cambridge English Language Assessment, UK
•Dr. Jessica Wu, the Language Training and Testing Centre, Taiwan.
•Dr Jamie Dunlea, Britishcouncil.
•Ms Wu Sha, National Education Examinations Authority, China.