About Assessment Horizons

Video transcript

Jennifer Keenahan, Associate Professor in Civil Engineering at UCL: The Assessment Horizons Conference is a really exciting opportunity to bring together experts, practitioners, and all those with an interest in assessment to learn and to share practice, for all our benefit.

Kirsty Parkinson, Assessment Development Manager, Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply: It’s really great to be here in person with practitioners and researchers, and people from awarding organisations around the country.

Kirsty Parkinson (continued): The people at the Cambridge Assessment Horizons Conference come from different backgrounds – from higher education, further education, awarding organisations. We’ve got practitioners, researchers – it’s a really interesting melting pot of ideas, thoughts, and experiences.

Diana Ji, Managing Director of Study Pathway: Cambridge is also the leader in assessment, so we can see a lot of assessment companies and organisations coming here to learn how to improve assessments. They are learning from Cambridge.

Dr Simon Child, Head of Assessment Training, The Assessment Network: By the end of the conference, we’re confident that the practitioners will synthesise all the information, ideas, and strategies that have been presented to them, and come up with practical solutions to the challenges they face on a day-to-day basis.

What is Assessment Horizons?

The Assessment Horizons conference brings together members of the assessment community to share insights, research, and best practice on the evolving landscape we work in.

You’ll come away with leading insights and practical takeaways to apply in your role. You’ll also gain a certificate of attendance and access to recordings of the sessions after the conference. Assessment Horizons is a great opportunity to build connections and learn from other assessment professionals.

At The Assessment Network, we believe that connecting assessment practitioners from across sectors and countries puts us all in a stronger position to tackle opportunities and challenges now and in the future.

Join us at Assessment Horizons and transform your understanding of assessment.

Become a member to access a discounted in-person ticket or claim a free online ticket for Assessment Horizons 2026 as soon as tickets are released.

Become a Member or sign up to receive 2026 conference updates.

Further information

FAQs

Who should attend Assessment Horizons?

Our mission at The Assessment Network is to elevate and connect the skills and knowledge of assessment practitioners in every profession, so they can create positive change through impactful assessments for their learners.

Whether you work for an awarding organisation, a chartered institute, a school, a university, or in another educational assessment context, we'd love you to join us and bring your insights to Assessment Horizons.

What is included in my ticket?

Your in-person ticket includes access to the two-day Assessment Horizons programme, which features keynotes, breakout presentation sessions and practical workshops. It also includes lunch, refreshments, and a drinks reception at the end of the first day.

Your online ticket includes access to the online sessions.

Both ticket types include a certificate of attendance and access to the conference recordings after the event so you can catch up on any sessions you’ve missed.

I am a member of The Assessment Network. Can I have a discount?

Yes, members of The Assessment Network receive free online access to the conference and a discounted in-person ticket price.

Are there group discounts available for in-person conference attendees?

I’m interested in speaking at next year’s conference. How do I register my interest?

We would love to hear from you! Please email thenetwork@cambridgeassessment.org.uk with an overview of what you would be interested in speaking about.

If I have further questions, who can I contact?

Please email the team via thenetwork@cambridgeassessment.org.uk.

When will Assessment Horizons 2026 be held?

The preliminary dates for Assessment Horizons 2026 are 23-24 April.

When will more details about Assessment Horizons 2026 be released?

Further details on Assessment Horizons 2026 will be released in December 2025.

2024 conference speakers

On 17 April 2024, an international audience attended The Assessment Network’s new annual conference: ‘Assessment Horizons and Assessment Principles: Navigating the future together’.

Imogen Casebourne

Keynotes

  • The Futures of Assessments: Navigating Uncertainties through the lens of Anticipatory Thinking
    Speakers: Sarah Hughes; Imogen Casebourne
  • AI and Assessment - Navigating Today and Tomorrow
    Speaker: Morgan Dee

Breakout sessions

  • 10 things you can do in the classroom now with AI to support effective assessment – George Vlachonikolis
  • The development of an accessibility framework to support Digital High Stakes exams – Sanjay Mistry
  • Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in assessment design – Dr Rebecca Conway; Sarah Cottam
  • AI in the ESL/EFL Classroom: A Student-Centered Exploration – Veronica Floretta
  • Impactful and holistic assessment design: a co-curriculum approach for supporting future graduate development – Mark Kerrigan
  • Live experiment - using AI to translate test items – Gwyneth Toolan
  • The practical use of free LLM for item development – Kirsty Parkinson
  • Is the Future of Assessment Fair or Just? – Stuart Shaw & Isabel Nisbet

2025 conference speakers

From 29-30 April 2025, The Assessment Network at Cambridge hosted their annual Assessment Horizons conference, bringing together teachers, learners, policymakers, and many more practitioners from across the international assessment community.

Assessment Horizons 2025 panel

Keynotes

  • How will assessments be designed in the future to mitigate the risk from AI tools like ChatGPT
    Speakers: Liz Hardie, Jonquil Lowe, Dr Gray Mytton
  • The student voice on AI and assessment
    Speakers: Jennifer Keenahan, Mairead O’Reilly, Amy Lawrence
  • Panel: Towards 'authentic' assessment and 21st century skills
    Speakers: Paul Ellis (Chair), Dee Arp, Rebecca Dowbiggin, Irenka Suto
  • How does HE assessment work unevenly for students of colour?
    Speaker: Dr Paul Ian Campbell

Breakout sessions

  • Using AI to mark short-answer questions – Tom Sutch
  • LLM use and note-taking on comprehension – Pia Kreijkes, Sylvia Vitello, Martina Kuvalja
  • Generative AI-aided responses to NEA – Tony Leech
  • ‘Marginal Gains’ of Assessment Literacy – George Vlachonikolis
  • Student perceptions of fairness and validity – Kirsty Parkinson
  • What do parents need to know about assessment? – Simon Child
  • Authentic Assessment and Open Book Exams – Dee Arp
  • What can we learn from the arts? – Rebecca Dowbiggin
  • Lessons from Competence Based Education – Verónica Floretta
  • Wellbeing and assessment – Stuart Shaw & Isabel Nisbet
  • Oracy and assessment – Paul Ellis & Laura Kahwati
  • Indigenous Knowledges in low-stakes assessments – Jackie Greatorex

Workshop tasters

  • Digital assessment: drivers, benefits, barriers – Sarah Hughes & Yasin Karatay
  • Are education and assessment ready for AI? – Andrew Field & Natalia Sobrino-Saeb
  • Implementing sustainability principles – Clare Williams & Vicky Evans
  • E-assessment of speaking – Nick Glasson & Andrew Mullooly
  • Question writing – a taster – Nancy Sneddon
  • Embedding EDIB in assessment – James Beadle
  • Validity for beginners – Simon Child
  • Assessment data culture maturity – Vicky Merrick

Join The Assessment Network as a member and enjoy free online attendance to Assessment Horizons 2026.

What our delegates say

Build your assessment career

It was an insightful and informative conference, filled with a wealth of valuable knowledge, especially useful for anyone seriously looking to build a successful career. I particularly enjoyed the workshop on writing effective questions: it was both practical and engaging, and felt directly relevant to my role as an academic manager.

Mariia Arynich, Academic Manager, United Kingdom

Forward-thinking environment

Attending Assessment Horizons 2025 was an insightful and engaging experience. I gained valuable perspectives on how Generative AI is transforming assessment practices and supporting more inclusive, authentic learning. The conference fostered a truly collaborative and forward-thinking environment.

Ramona Cuschieri, Subject Area Officer, Malta

Start new conversations

Two days of thought-provoking gathering of researchers, educators, and assessment professionals opened up new conversations around what meaningful assessment looks like in an AI-driven world. I came away with a renewed sense of curiosity and responsibility about how we design assessments that are both innovative and equitable.

Wahidha Mohideen, School Outreach Program Head, India

Contact our team

Our team of experts are here to help you find the perfect course for your learning needs or answer any questions about what we offer.

thenetwork@cambridgeassessment.org.uk

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Explore the conference archive

Do you want to learn more about previous Assessment Horizons' conferences? You can read all about our past events.