RM Compare Newsletter - October 2024

By Mark House

We have a number of 'firsts' in this edition, most notably our first ever symposium which will take place in London in November. We very much hope that you might be able to join us. The event is FREE but places are limited.

Another first is our first tentative step into the world of Podcasts. You will see a number of Deep Dive Discussions appearing on various articles and pages throughout this site. There is an example here. Each one lasts around 10 minutes and features an engaging discussion which we hope will help with both knowledge and understanding.

The final 'first' is that we have been shortlisted in the Learning and Teachnologies award. You can read more about this is the article below.

2024 Curriculum and Assessment Symposium for UK Education Leaders: Join Education Assessment expert Victoria Merrick on Tuesday November 26th 2024 at the amazing Amazon UK Head Office for a transformative symposium, exploring the challenges and opportunities in principled curriculum & assessment design for all subject areas.

Human Expertise Remains Crucial in Educational Assessment: Insights from Recent AI Research: A recent trial conducted by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) found that AI performed significantly worse than humans in summarizing complex documents. At RM Compare, we see these findings not as a setback, but as an opportunity to reinforce our commitment to human-centric assessment solutions.

Reddit and the Monetary Value of Original Human-Generated Content: In an era where artificial intelligence is reshaping various industries, the value of human-generated content has become a topic of intense discussion. Reddit's recent valuation and data licensing deals provide fascinating insights into this evolving landscape, offering valuable lessons for educational assessment platforms like RM Compare.

Supporting research and inquiry: We support a broad range of research projects. Our engagement in each case is context specific however there are some general principles.

20 Years Later: Rethinking Assessment in the Digital Age: This week marks the 20th anniversary of a seminal paper in educational assessment - "Let's stop marking exams" by Alastair Pollitt, presented at the 2004 IAEA Conference in Philadelphia. As the conference returns to the City of Brotherly Love it's a good time to reflect.

Understanding Admin Roles: Right now there are just 2 roles available to users in the RM Compare system - Judges and Administrators. This post helps users to understand some of the key features of the Admin role.

Learning Technologies Award 2024 - Finalist: We are delighted to announce that RM Compare has been shortlisted for this year's Learning Technology Awards in the Most innovative new learning technologies product (UK). The winners will be announced at the Gala Awards evening on December 13th 2024.

Rediscovering Human Judgement: Disputation in the Age of AI: In our rapidly advancing technological landscape, artificial intelligence is reshaping numerous aspects of education and assessment. However, as we embrace these innovations, it's crucial to remember the value of human judgment and critical thinking.