Events

Surpass Webinar: Insights into the BTL Test Centre Network (On Tour)

23^rd January 2018 | Online

To watch a recording of this webinar, please click here >

Join members of the BTL Test Centre team as we discuss how the network supports Assessment in the Surpass Community and how independent centres can join this global operation. Addressing questions commonly asked by potential users and the test centres themselves, this webinar will tell you everything you need to know as we broadcast live from an Independent Test Centre in Leeds, UK.

ATP 2018 (Innovations in Testing Conference)

18^th – 21^st February 2018 | San Antonio, TX, USA

The long established “Innovations in Testing” conference returns in 2018, and will be located in San Antonio, Texas.

More information will be announced on the official conference website:
Event Website: http://www.innovationsintesting.org/

Surpass Pre-Release Webinars

27^th February 2018 | Online

To watch a recording of this webinar, please click here >

Join members of the BTL team as we take you through some of the exciting new features that will be available in the upcoming release of Surpass. Viewers can interact using the live question form.

Surpass Community Webinar: Surpass & GDPR, Community Update

20^th March 2018 | Online

To watch a recording of this webinar, please click here >

As part of our commitment to meeting the requirements of GDPR, we have held client workshops to answer questions Surpass users may have about our service in relation to GDPR and associated security requirements. In this webinar, we will be providing a summary of those meetings, and giving those that could not attend an opportunity to find out more information.

Joining the webinar will be Kathryn Myers from our legal team and Clare Stubley, IT Security Manager at BTL. We will take you through this important topic by looking at data handling, storage, retention and deletion.

e-Assessment Question 2018

18^th – 19^th April 2018 | London, UK

The long established “Assessment Tomorrow” series of events will continue in 2018 with ‘e-Assessment Question 2018’, bringing together a range of speakers and delegates to share opinions and case studies from the industry.

The theme for 2018 will be ‘Risk and Reward: How do we deliver the benefits of e-Assessment?’
More information and booking details are available on the official conference website:
Event Website: http://www.e-assessment-question.com

The International e-Assessment Awards 2018

18^th April 2018 | London, UK

From their website: The e-Assessment Association is proud to be entering the second year of the International e-Assessment Awards. One of our key goals as an Association is to communicate the positive contributions that technology makes to all forms of assessment and we look forward to showcasing the very best practice, research and innovation taking place, from organisations, institutions and individuals working in this exciting field.

More information is available on the awards website:
Event Website: http://eassessmentawards.com

Surpass Community Assessment Case Study – TWI

24^th April 2018 | Online

Join us for a special case study webinar brought to you live from the offices of TWI. Hear how TWI have invested in summative assessment on an international scale and how they have used different devices such as Compute Sticks and Tablets to overcome test fraud.

If you have missed previous release webinars, then feel free to watch on demand from our release archive.

Surpass Pre-release Webinar

Tuesday 1^st May 2018 | Online

Join us ahead of the next Surpass release to see a live demonstration of the latest features. There is also a question form available for you to interact live with our presenters, getting the most out of this dynamic session.

If you have missed previous release webinars, then feel free to watch on demand from our release archive.

Accessibility in Assessment

Tuesday 3^rd July 2018 | Online

Join the BTL team as we discuss the role we can all play in providing accessible experiences for candidates in assessment.

We’ll be joined by Leon Hampson, from BTL’s newly formed Accessibility team, who will be focusing on how new features in our HTML Test Driver can deliver assessments to WCAG 2.0 Level AA and Section 508 conformance levels.

Register today to learn more about our recent achievements and what they will mean to the Surpass Community and its users.

Register for the Accessibility in Assessment Webinar here>

If you have missed previous release webinars, then feel free to watch on demand from our release archive.

Surpass Release Webinar: Discover the latest assessment features

Tuesday 7^th August 2018 | Online

Join us to explore some of the excellent new features planned to be released to the Surpass Community. Viewers can ask questions as we demonstrate the latest features in Surpass.

Register for the Surpass Release Webinar August 2018 here>

A recording of this webinar is now available to watch on demand from our release archive.

Breakfast Seminar – Latest Advancements in Item Banking and Assessment

11^th September 2018 | Chicago, United States

Reserve your place at the Chicago breakfast seminar

Join like-minded industry professionals for a new breakfast seminar and networking event in the Chicago region. In this session, we welcome Manny Straehle from Assessment, Education & Research Experts (AERE) and Melissa Billings, National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME) to share their insights into advancements in Item Banking and Assessment.

This is an industry focused event designed to provide assessment community professionals with an insight into the latest thinking in Item Banking and Assessments for certification, licensure, and training examinations. With guest speakers and industry networking, you’ll take away plenty of fresh ideas and connections to help you re-evaluate and grow your testing program.

Guest Speakers:

Manny Straehle, President and Founder – Assessment, Education and Research Experts (AERE)
Manny is a consulting assessment, educational and research expert with a number of work experiences with licensure and certification organizations, and over 25 years of experience in the assessment industry.
Over the past 15 years, Manny has taught various courses at the undergraduate and graduate level at Penn State University, Saint Joseph’s University, Johns Hopkins University, University of Southern California, and George Washington University. He is also founder and president of the Applied Life Learning Institute (ALL-I) where he offers free monthly webinars on education and assessment topics. He has published two books, several articles, and has presented at numerous conferences. Manny has also delivered presentations related to the value of credentials to help legislative aides in the US Congress to draft bills.

Melissa Billings, Director, Test Materials Development – National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME)
Melissa Billings serves as Director of Test Materials Development at the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME). She directs four editorial teams who develop licensing, in-training, and specialty/sub-specialty certification examination content for physicians, veterinarians and allied health professionals. She is currently Implementation Owner for NBME’s transition to Surpass for their contracted healthcare clients.
Billings has been with the NBME since 2007, when she joined the Board as a Managing Editor. Melissa has worked in professional test development since 1997, previously working on regulatory licensing, certification, and K-12 educational content for several large testing organizations.

We are delighted to welcome Manny Straehle and Melissa Billings as guest speakers at our September event in Chicago. Manny will be providing an insight into using technology for psychometrics, and Melissa will be discussing how NBME have been using Surpass to enhance their approach to item authoring and test development.

E-ATP Innovations in Testing

26^th – 28^th September 2018 | Athens, Greece

Following the ‘ATP – Innovations in Testing’ conference in San Antonio, TX earlier this year, the E-ATP Conference in September brings together assessment industry professionals from around the world, with a focus on sharing best practice and success stories across borders.
BTL are once again proud to support and exhibit at the event in partnership with our US team at BTL Surpass Inc..
We look forward to hearing your stories and case studies in Athens this September.

More information will be announced on the official conference website:
Event Website: http://www.eatpconference.eu.com

Surpass Conference 2018

11^th – 12^th October 2018 | Bristol, UK

The annual gathering for the international Surpass Community will be held in Bristol aboard the SS Great Britain. Once again we’ll invite you to share your opinions on the product road-map and hear case studies from a range of organisations.
You can now watch recordings from the 2018 conference on the official website:

Event Website: http://conference.surpass.com

Surpass Release Webinar: Discover the latest assessment features

Tuesday 16^th October 2018 | Online

Join us to explore some of the excellent new features planned to be released to the Surpass Community. Viewers can ask questions as we demonstrate the latest features in Surpass.

Add this webinar to my calendar >

If you have missed any of our webinars, you can watch on demand from our release archive.

FAB Conference 2018 (Federation of Awarding Bodies)

18^th – 21^st 2018 | Leicester, UK

FAB is an excellent Awarding Organisation industry event, covering policy, learning, assessment, and general innovation. At FAB you can network with like-minded individuals, form partnerships, and see what is on offer from suppliers such as BTL.
BTL will be showcasing Surpass and running demonstrations of our flexible and advanced software.
We strongly recommend attending this event if you are interested in the awarding sector in the UK.

More information will be announced on the official conference website:
Event Website: http://www.awarding.org.uk/conference-awards

ICE Exchange 2018 (Institute for Credentialing Excellence)

06^th – 09^th November 2018 | Austin, TX, USA

From their website: The ICE Exchange conference is the conference for the credentialing community. The name ICE Exchange reflects what is valued most by our annual conference attendees: the exchange of industry trends and best practice through live education and networking.
The ICE Exchange touches on the many aspects of the credentialing ecosystem: Business of Certification; Certification Operations; Certification Technology; The Future of Certification; Governance; Marketing and Communication; Security, Records and Data Management; Strategy of Certification; and Test Development and Administration.

More information will be announced on the official conference website:
Event Website: http://www.credentialingexcellence.org/p/cm/ld/fid=523

Breakfast Seminar – Latest Advancements in Item Banking and Assessment

29^th November 2018 | Washington DC, United States

Reserve your place at the Washington DC breakfast seminar

Join like-minded industry professionals for a new breakfast seminar and networking event in the Washington DC region. In this session, we welcome Manny Straehle from Assessment, Education & Research Experts (AERE) and Jamie Saldutti, National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME) to share their insights into advancements in Item Banking and Assessment.

This is an industry focused event designed to provide assessment community professionals with an insight into the latest thinking in Item Banking and Assessments for certification, licensure, and training examinations. With guest speakers and industry networking, you’ll take away plenty of fresh ideas and connections to help you re-evaluate and grow your testing program.

Guest Speakers:

Ibidun Layi-Ojo, Team Lead – Test Development Solutions – Prometric
Ibi is an assessment, psychometric and research expert with nearly 10 years of test development experience working with licensure and certification organizations.
As Prometric’s Test Development Team Lead, Ibi oversees Surpass implementation projects and feature developments while leading a team of test developers to create high-performance content for Prometric client partners. She champions the use of best-practice methodologies in the creation of technology-based assessment tools for reliable, secure, and legally-defensible exams that properly validate candidate knowledge. Ibi holds a Master’s degree in Industrial and Organizational Psychology from the University of Baltimore.

Manny Straehle, President and Founder – Assessment, Education and Research Experts (AERE)
Manny is a consulting assessment, educational and research expert with a number of work experiences with licensure and certification organizations, and over 25 years of experience in the assessment industry.
Over the past 15 years, Manny has taught various courses at the undergraduate and graduate level at Penn State University, Saint Joseph’s University, Johns Hopkins University, University of Southern California, and George Washington University. He is also founder and president of the Applied Life Learning Institute (ALL-I) where he offers free monthly webinars on education and assessment topics. He has published two books, several articles, and has presented at numerous conferences. Manny has also delivered presentations related to the value of credentials to help legislative aides in the US Congress to draft bills.

Jamie Saldutti, Infrastructure Director – National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME)
Jamie is an Infrastructure Director in the Professional Services division of the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME). She has been with NBME for over 10 years in various project management and business process improvement roles, and has earned the Project Management Professional (PMP) and Certified Scrum Product Owner (CSPO) certifications. She has led the implementation of several 3rd party enterprise software solutions at NBME including Liferay Portal, Broadleaf eCommerce, and JReport for score reporting.
Saldutti is a member of NBME’s Agile Steering Committee which is leading the adoption of Agile Scrum for the development of NBME’s proprietary applications. She is currently responsible for the project program at NBME that includes the implementation of Surpass to replace several NBME legacy systems used for authoring, editing and reviewing test items.

We are delighted to welcome Manny Straehle and Jamie Saldutti as guest speakers at our September event in Washington DC. Manny will be providing an insight into using technology for psychometrics, and Jamie will be discussing how NBME have been using Surpass to enhance their approach to item authoring and test development.

Book Now: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/washington-dc-breakfast-seminar-latest-advancements-in-assessment-item-banking-presented-by-tickets-48588929797

Surpass Community Webinar – Combining media enhanced item types to improve on-screen testing (with telc Language Tests)

Tuesday 4^th December 2018 | Online – 15:00 GMT / 10:00 EST @ https://btl.com/surpasslive

If you missed the fascinating training workshop with telc at the conference last week (or you simply can’t get enough of hearing from them), you’ll be glad to hear they will be co-hosting our next Surpass Community Webinar.
Join us as we talk about their journey into e-assessment so far, and how moving from paper to on-screen has allowed them to truly innovate.
As with all of our live webinars, we invite you to ask questions and interact using the question function on the Surpass Live web page.

Add this event to my calendar >

If you have missed any of our previous live streams watch on demand from our release archive.

Surpass: Special Interest Group – End-Point Assessment

25^th January 2017 | Bradford, UK

This Surpass special interest group is open to Surpass customers and those by invitation only, places are limited to ensure the day is a productive as possible. This event will take the form of a workshop exploring the topic of EPAs and the opportunities and challenges is presents to BTL’s customers.

We will explore:

• Business development.
• Opportunities for collaboration.
• Feature requirements to stay ahead of the competition.

ATP Conference: Innovations in Testing

5^th – 8^th 2017 | Scottsdale, Arizona, USA

Once again BTL are looking forward to this fantastic event and the insight it brings to the global testing sector.
This year we are also proud to announce that BTL will be exhibiting at the event as a Gold sponsor, and presenting an ePoster session.
From their website: The 2017 Innovations in Testing Conference brings together assessment industry professionals from practice areas such as Certification/Licensure, Clinical, Educational, Industrial/Organizational and Workforce Skills Credentialing. The conference provides a venue for attendees to learn from and collaborate. Plan to attend as we showcase innovation, explore best practices and present case studies – all in an effort to move our industry, and professionals like you – forward.

For more detailed information, visit the conference website:
Event Website: http://www.innovationsintesting.org/

e-Assessment Question 2017

22^nd – 23^rd March 2017 | London, UK

The long established “Assessment Tomorrow” series of events will continue in 2017 with e-Assessment Question 2017, bringing together a range of speakers and delegates to share opinions and case studies from the industry.
This year also sees the conference working together with the e-Assessment Association to produce the first e-Assessment Awards Gala Dinner.
From the website:
“Conference Goal: To examine how the tools, techniques and technologies of e-Assessment can respond to the challenges of the world we live in.”

For more detailed information, visit the conference website:
Event Website: http://www.e-assessment-question.com

The All New e-Assessment Awards 2017

22^nd March 2017 | London, UK

From the website:
“The e-Assessment Association is proud to launch our first International e-Assessment Awards. One of our key goals as an Association is to communicate the positive contributions that technology makes to all forms of assessment and we look forward to showcasing the very best practice, research and innovation taking place, from organisations, institutions and individuals working in this exciting field.”

The eAA is now accepting entries and you can submit yours here: http://eassessmentawards.com/enter-now

For more detailed information, visit the conference website:
Event Website: http://eassessmentawards.com

AO Forum

9^th May 2017 | London, UK

The 2017 AO Forum continues to be presented in association with the Federation of Awarding Bodies, and once again BTL are proud to be exhibiting at the event. More details about speakers and represented organisations can be expected on the official event website soon.

Information about the 2016 event can be found on the AO Forum website: http://www.parnassusonline.com/aoforum.aspx

EPA Webinar: Creating and managing rich and engaging content with Surpass

12^th May 2017 | Online

To watch a recording of this webinar, please click here >

End-Point Assessments have been introduced to enhance the quality and validity of apprenticeship training. With knowledge-based testing being a fundamental part of that process, it is important that AAOs have access to professional assessment tools. Surpass is already used by a large number of AAOs for existing non-apprenticeship training, therefore making it the perfect choice for EPAs when delivering high-stakes knowledge-based assessment. Surpass supports the creation and delivery of complex assessments with rich and engaging content, perfect for AAOs wishing to provide realistic assessments either as part of a scenario or with example industry documentation and reference material. During this EPA webinar, we will take you through the features within Surpass that let you build and share rich, professional assessment content.
Join us for this, the first in a mini-series of webinars, looking at Surpass and its support for customers undertaking or planning on undertaking End-Point Assessment work.

Within this webinar we will be covering:

• Overview of Item Authoring functionality
• Using resource material within assessments
• Using rich media within assessments
• Grouping items in delivery & the candidate experience
• Migrating assessment content to Surpass from other platforms
• Collaborating on content authoring with Surpass

e-Vocational 2017 Assessment Tomorrow in Association with FAB

18^th May 2017 | Leeds, UK

The Assessment Tomorrow series of conferences continues with its popular one day event focussed on the latest use of technology in vocational assessment and the impact it has on all involved.

More information about the Assessment Tomorrow confernece series can be found on their official website http://www.assessmenttomorrow.co/

Surpass Release Webinar – An Introduction to the Simplified Item Authoring Interface

22^nd June 2017 | Online

Taking into account the changing needs of existing users, and making use of well-researched User Interface design techniques, the next release of Surpass BTL will introduce a cleaner and more manageable authoring experience.

These changes are an evolution – further streamlining the item creation process and making it more intuitive for item authors. To give you an insight into the new interface, we will be hosting a webinar introducing the new interface – giving you the opportunity to ask your questions and understand the thinking behind the new layout.

Sign up to join us for this exclusive look at the upcoming changes to Surpass: The Assessment Platform.

A recording of this webinar will be made available after the event.

Within this webinar, we will be covering:

• An introduction to the new interface.
• The rationale behind the changes.
• Future planned development in this area.
• An insight into other features planned for the next release.

Surpass Webinar: Exploring the benefits of Scrum development for the Surpass Community

13^th July 2017 | Online

To watch a recording of this webinar, please click here >

Developing using the Agile methodology ‘Scrum’ is something BTL decided to commit to over 3 years ago. It has been a big culture change, not only for BTL, but for the high-profile members of the Surpass Community. Surpass: The Assessment Platform is an integral part of the businesses it is used by, and development needs to be rapid and of the highest quality; BTL’s commitment to Agile and Scrum has enabled this.

Join us for what will be a fascinating exploration of how Agile has enabled the Surpass Community to shine in the world of assessment.

Surpass Pre-Release Webinar

28^th September 2017 | Online

Join members of the BTL team as we take you through some of the exciting new features that will be available in the upcoming release of Surpass. Viewers can interact using the live question form, and this is the perfect opportunity to see the latest features before attending the Surpass Conference the following week.

E-ATP 2017

27^th – 29^th September 2017 | Noordwijk, The Netherlands

This year the popular E-ATP conference will be held in the Netherlands, with the headline topic “Advancing Human Capital with Assessments”. More information can be found on the official website here: http://www.eatpconference.eu.com/media/EATP2017_CFP-Instructions.pdf

More details on attendees from BTL are available now on http://www.btl.com/eatp along with our ‘book a demo’ form.
From the E-ATP website:
“This year’s E-ATP conference will highlight key innovations and advances in assessment design, development, and delivery that will lead to future advancements in the testing industry. Join us in The Netherlands as we discuss this and many other related topics.”

For more detailed information, visit the conference website:
Event Website: http://www.eatpconference.eu.com

Surpass Conference 2017

5^th – 6^th October 2017 | York, England

Celebrating the 10th Anniversary of Surpass: The Assessment Platform, this year we are inviting you to join us in York.

Presentations and videos from previous Surpass Conferences are now available on conference.surpass.com.

FAB 2017: Conference, Awards and Exhibition

19^th – 20^th October 2017 | Leicester, England

More details about the 2017 FAB Conference, Awards and Exhibition will be made available shortly.
Highlights from the 2016 event are available now on the offical website at http://www.awarding.org.uk/conference-awards

ICE Exchange

23^rd – 26^th October 2017 | New Orleans, Louisiana, USA

From the Website:“The ICE Exchange conference is the conference for the credentialing community. The name ICE Exchange reflects what is valued most by our annual conference attendees: the exchange of industry trends and best practice through live education and networking.”
For details on this conference, please visit the official website: http://www.credentialingexcellence.org/exchange

Linear Optimisation in Surpass: The Assessment Platform – Webinar

16^th November 2017 | Online

To watch a recording of this webinar, please click here >
One of the many innovations recently added to Surpass is the use of linear optimisation to aid in the automation of test assembly. This powerful development can assist your organisation and its psychometricians to create the best possible test forms in a fraction of the usual time.
In this webinar, Tim Burnett will be joined by BTL’s Senior Solutions Architect Dave Dixon to explain in a little more detail how linear optimisation already benefits the wider testing industry, and how the new features in Surpass can unlock opportunities for your organisation.
Dave will also be discussing the new Linear On-the-Fly Testing (LOFT) functionality which has been introduced in the latest update to Surpass.

Surpass Webinar: 2017 Conference and Industry Round-up

12^th December 2017 | Online

To watch a recording of this webinar, please click here >

Join us for a special year-end webinar where we look back at 2017 and what has happened in the assessment industry. This webinar will include highlights from the 2017 Surpass Conference.

Surpass Pre-Release Webinars

19^th December 2017 | Online

To watch a recording of this webinar, please click here >

Join members of the BTL team as we take you through some of the exciting new features that will be available in the upcoming release of Surpass. Viewers can interact using the live question form.