This keynote will share ongoing work in recalibrating university wide assessment practices in Victoria University of Wellington. In so doing I will talk of the importance of assessment for learning, assessment of learning and assessment as learning. The last mentioned is central in empowering students, academics and professional administrators and moves towards regaining a paradise we may not actually have ever had – when assessment was not a burden for all parties. If this is the goal the route and challenges towards it are far from clear.
Stephen Dobson was born in Zambia (1963), grew up in England and has previously lived for many years in Norway. Prior to entering higher education, he worked for thirteen years with refugees as a community worker. He has published poetry in Norwegian and one of his most recent books is Assessing the Viva in Higher Education. Chasing Moments of Truth (Springer publishers, 2017). Dobson’s writing, teaching and research focus upon assessment, ethnicity and the practice of education.
He has published extensively in Norwegian and English, holds two PhDs, one in Cultural Studies and Refugees (Nottingham Trent University, 2000) and another in Assessment and Education (Institute of Education, UCL, 2008). A Magistergrad in Sociology (University of Oslo, 1990) complements his later studies. He is at the forefront of emerging educational trends and technologies through EU (2014-2016) and Erasmus+ (2016-2017; 2017-2019, 2019-2021) projects and his advocacy of big data, learning analytics and social inclusion.