2012 Conference Participation and Feedback

2012 Conference Participation and Feedback

The inaugural conference was held from March 28-29, 2012 at the Cowin Center at Teachers College, Columbia University. Sessions 1-3 were co-sponsored by Educational Testing Service (ETS) and Teachers College. Session 4 was sponsored by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and Teachers College. The conference was co-organized by Madhabi Chatterji (TC), Eugene Gonzalez (ETS), and Alina von Davier (ETS).

Participants

The inaugural conference drew over 250 assessment and education experts, researchers and professionals from around the world, including representatives from:

  • Ministries of education and regional departments of education, including the Alberta Department of Education, the Bangladeshi Directorate of Primary Education, the Ministry of Education of Peru, the New Brunswick Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, the Swedish National Agency for Education, the Norwegian Directorate for Education and Training, and New York City Department of Education.
  • International organizations, including the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement, the World Bank, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), World Education, Inc., and Education Development Center, Inc..
  • Universities and educational institutions from around the world, including Excelsior College, Darussafaka School in Turkey, The Institute of Education of Xiamen University, BRAC University in Bangladesh, Mid Sweden University, National Sun Yat-sen University, National Taichung University of Education, National Taiwan Normal University, Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile, Senshu University, Ume University of Sweden, The British Academy of Cuscatleca, Universidad de Baja California, University of British Columbia, University of Gothenburg, University of Kristianstad, University of Twente, Victoria University, and universities in the U.S.
  • Testing and research organizations, including the American Institutes for Research, the Educational Policy Institute, Educational Testing Service, the College Board, Centre international d'tudes pdagogiques, the Educational Testing Institute of Iceland, Instituto Nacional para la Evaluacin de la Educacin, Measurement, Inc., MIMOS Berhad, the Research Council of Norway, the Brookings Institution, and the Center for Education Research and Innovation.

Inaugural Conference Feedback

 

Survey Items Strongly Agree/Agree Strongly Disagree/Disagree
1. The content of the conference met my professional needs  33 (97.1%) 1 (2.9%)
2. Speakers were knowledgeable about session topics 34 (100%) 0 (0%)
3. Speakers were engaging 34 (100%) 0 (0%)
4. The 2-hour 15 - minute sessions were sufficient to allow 2-way conversations of the topics 29 (85.2%) 2 (5.9%)
5. The conference provided a forum in which to exchange ideas and information with other participants 28 (82.4%) 5 (14.7%)
6. The conference was well organized 34 (100%) 0 (0%)
7. I was satisfied with the registration process 34 (100%) 0 (0%)
8. The dates of the conference were convenient 33 (97.1%) 0 (0%)
9. The conference fees were reasonable compared to other conferences of this type 32 (94.1%) 1 (2.9%)
10. I was satisfied with the conference venue and facilities 31 (91.2%) 2 (5.9%)
11. I was satisfied with the conference materials prepared by the organizers 27 (79.5%) 6 (17.6%)
12. The conference staff members were helpful and courteous 33 (97.1%) 0 (0%)
13. The conference allowed technical and non-technical stakeholder participation 30 (88.2%)  2 (5.9%)
14. I would recommend this conference in the future to other participants 33 (97.1%)  1 (2.9%)

A Sampling of Comments from Conference Attendees

  • Fantastic conferences!
  • Thank you!
  • Great conference!
  • Great conference, very informative!
  • Looking forward to the second annual!
  • The design of the last session was my favorite. I liked the round-table discussion.
  • The Thursday speakers were excellent.
  • Michael Kane provided a good framework upon which to begin the dialogue.
  • I really enjoyed the presentation by Jakob Wandall and Hans Wagemaker. The content and presentation were masterful.
  • I got so much out of the sessions.
  • Highlight presentations were Kane, Wandall, Laurie, Baker, Welner, and Casey.
  • Preferred Q & A format of Baker panel.
  • I was curious about how many places were represented with participant attendance. In introductory remarks, a PowerPoint slide that lists/visually represents the geographical diversity represented would have been nice.
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