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CONFERENCE THEME: HUMANISING ASSESSMENTAs learning is an ultimate objective of education, especially in a fast changing world, the assessment of students' progress in learning needs to be carefully addressed in order to continuously motivate students to become life long learners. The concept underlying assessment for learning is that students become motivated learners when the processes and the purposes of assessment facilitate learning. The reporting of student assessment becomes meaningful and is able to assist in the development of human capital. In this way, assessment becomes an integral part of the learning process and is embraced as part of the overall education process rather than merely a measurement of the product of education.It is universally agreed that assessment should be more authentic, accessible, flexible and humane in nature as learners have different styles of gaining knowledge, skills and values in education. Assessment should not be mechanistic or purely technical in its conception, production and management. More humanistic forms of assessment have to be practiced in order to support teaching and learning hence the need to practice assessment for learning at all levels of the education system. At the same time the qualifications that students receive must have currency in today's global economy. It is undeniable that qualifications are an essential product of assessment but these qualifications should come about as a final product in a fruitful process of learning. Hence assessment of learning is not an isolated process instead it reflects the overall experience of education. In this way, assessment of learning will be humanistic and not mechanistic in nature. Participants have the opportunity to address the chosen theme in any manner relevant to the concept, theory, research findings and best practices in assessment for learning and assessment of learning. This sharing of knowledge and practice will enrich the international discourse on assessment. The above considerations inform the choice of the theme for the conference. Further to the chosen theme, the following sub-themes will enable issues to be viewed from all facets.
Conference Sub-Themes
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