Community:<\/strong> Surpass Community:<\/strong> You probably hear us talk about Community a lot at BTL, but that\u2019s because we think it\u2019s so important and invest a lot of time in bringing users of Surpass together. In this article we\u2019ll discuss why community plays such a key role for BTL and Surpass, what the benefits of being part of an active community are, and how you ensure you\u2019re getting the most from being part of the Surpass Community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Community plays a vital role in all aspects of our lives, whether that\u2019s the area in which we live, supporting a particular football team, or being a member of a club or association. Being part of a community gives us the opportunity to build relationships and learn from likeminded community members. But do we place the same importance on being part of a community of users of a particular product or service and the benefits that can have?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Organisations come to BTL because they primarily see a solution in Surpass that meets their individual business requirements. At the time of writing, the Surpass Community is made up of 39 organisations delivering assessments in 144 countries and across all areas of education and certification, including medicine, finance, languages and law to name just a select few. These organisations have contributed to the delivery of over 25 million on-screen tests, so with such a wealth of expertise and experience at our fingertips it would be a missed opportunity if that wasn\u2019t shared. After all, we\u2019ve all got the same end goal in mind \u2013 to provide the best possible assessment experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe Surpass community elevates the conversation in the assessment industry to address important issues at the intersection of emerging technology and advancements in assessment. The level of collaboration between members is energizing and the eclectic contributions result in the implementation of well-rounded solutions in Surpass. It\u2019s exciting to be part of a vibrant community that is truly improving the assessment experience for everyone.\u201d<\/em><\/p> Ibidun Layi-Ojo, Prometric<\/strong> <\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n „City & Guilds benefit from being part of the Surpass Community by being able to talk to other people going through the same type of experiences, requirements and changes in the industry.<\/em>„<\/p> Granville Edwards, City and Guilds<\/strong> <\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n There are many benefits of being part of the Surpass Community, including:<\/p>\n\n\n\n BTL are the facilitators of the Surpass Community, but we take an active role in the wider assessment community too. We understand the importance of being part of the community, not simply providing technology to it, which contributes to our customers seeing working with BTL as a partnership, not simply a client\/vendor relationship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s impossible to create a product that meets the current and future needs of an industry, without knowing that industry. A factor that has made us stand out to customers, giving confidence and trust in our organisation and product. <\/p>\n\n\n\n „BTL were the only ones who really understood testing\u2026 I saw that you understood assessment and that was quite impressive.<\/em>„<\/p> Sean McDonald, telc<\/strong> <\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n Several BTL employees hold positions within high-profile assessment organisations and regularly contribute to the ongoing discussions around assessment technology, including: <\/p>\n\n\n\n Emma Hall:<\/strong>\u00a0Emma is a Business Development Manager at BTL and was elected to the board of the eAssessment Association in 2018. Emma has over 8 years of experience in e-assessment and during that time has worked closely with organisations on how they can make the best use of technology, whilst understanding the challenges that moving to a new assessment system can involve.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Tim Burnett:<\/strong>\u00a0As Head of Marketing at BTL Tim has well-established relationships with all members of the Surpass Community. Tim is on the eAssessment Association Executive Committee and also leads their Remote Proctoring Special Interest Group. Tim takes an active interested in the implementation of edtech and the opportunities facing the future of education and its ongoing relationship with technology.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ben Brady:<\/strong>\u00a0Ben works as Cross-Channel Marketer at BTL, but is also on this year\u2019s EATP steering committee and ATP marketing committee. These are important roles as they bring together all the organisations across the globe that either support or service the assessment sector. Working as part of these teams, Ben is able to build awareness of global trends in assessment and help shape an important event in our community\u2019s calendar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Barry Porter:<\/strong>\u00a0After many years in the Account Management team at BTL\u2019s UK office, after a move to the states Barry is now VP Account Management for BTL Surpass. Barry is BTL\u2019s representative at the regular Certification Network Group (CNG) meetings in Chicago and Washington. Having a representative with a sound understanding of European assessment activity in such a discussion-rich environment helps us to learn and share from each other\u2019s experiences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Keith Myers:<\/strong>\u00a0is BTL Group\u2019s CEO and actively networks with assessment professionals by attending conferences in the UK and the United States. Keith also leads the way in forging new relationships at events that BTL, or other members of the Surpass Community have not explored before. Please speak to Keith at the Surpass Conference if you are interested in new markets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Surpass Conference<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n The largest gathering of the Surpass Community happens every year at the Surpass Conference, which has now become one of the biggest events for the assessment sector in the UK.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s now in its 12th year, but did you know that the Surpass Conference began life as small user group sessions, where a small number of representatives from customer organisations would gather round a table to discuss requirements for Surpass?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Since those early days, it\u2019s evolved into a two-day event with nearly 150 delegates, who come together to not only shape the future of Surpass, but to collaborate on common goals, share challenges and experiences, and ultimately improve the assessment experience for everyone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This year promises to be one of the best yet. In addition to members of the community sharing their experiences using Surpass we will be joined by keynote speaker Olly Newton, Director of Policy and Research at The Edge Foundation who will speak to the Community about global change within the jobs sector, and the Fourth Industrial Revolution. And to keep our minds focused on the future and the challenge of bridging the gap between technology in learning and assessment, we\u2019ll be joined by global podcasters, the EduFuturists, with Ben, Dan and Steven informing us about all the exciting technology being used in schools. Find out more about the conference programme on the website.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cEach year BTL host an excellent user conference \u2013 to my mind it stands out from most conferences in this field because of the diversity of attendees and presentations it attracts. Surpass has an extremely diverse user base, covering vocational qualification assessment, professional certification, higher education and school assessments from users based worldwide. Representatives from all these fields (and countries) come together and share experiences of designing, developing and delivering assessments using the platform, making it a great place to find examples of good practice and make contact with your peers.\u201d<\/em> <\/p> Gavin Busuttil-Reynaud, AlphaPlus<\/strong> <\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n European Association of Test Publishers Conference (EATP), Madrid, Spain<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n The Surpass Community will have a strong presence at this year\u2019s EATP Conference in Madrid, Spain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Simon Trevers, Senior Solutions architect at BTL will be hosting a session on \u2018Best Practice with BYOD in High-Stakes summative Assessment\u2019, while Richard London, Head of Design will inspire on the topic of on \u2018The Democratisation of the User Experience\u2019 where he\u2019ll discuss the importance of involving users in the design process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Belinda Brunner, Chair of EATP and Director of Testing at Inteleos, commented on how events such as EATP are important for the community, saying,<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cCommunities mean knowledge, insight and sharing. The USA and European Association of Test Publisher\u2019s conferences are key events in the assessment calendar which provide me with an opportunity to get these things. Held in March and September respectively, delegates attend from across the globe to contribute to this community gathering.\u201d<\/em> <\/p> Belinda Brunner, Chair of EATP and Director of Testing at Inteleos<\/strong> <\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Here\u2019s just some of the things you can do to stay engaged with the Surpass Community:<\/p>\n\n\n\n What have you gained from being part of the Surpass Community? We\u2019d love to hear about it! <\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n Books:<\/strong> Tools:<\/strong> Virtual Communities & Associations:<\/strong> Podcasting Channels:<\/strong> Community:People who are considered as a unit because of their common interests or shared experiences. Surpass Community:A growing group of international testing professionals who use the Surpass Platform or offer services to its users. Why is Community so important? You probably hear us talk about Community a lot at BTL,…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":605,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[163],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-1477","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-archive"},"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
People who are considered as a unit because of their common interests or shared experiences.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
A growing group of international testing professionals who use the Surpass Platform or offer services to its users.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nWhy is Community so important?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
What are the benefits of being part of an active community?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
How do BTL contribute to the wider assessment community? <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"Emma](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/surpass.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/EmmaH_blue_sq.jpg?resize=214%2C214&ssl=1\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n![\"Tim](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/surpass.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/TimB_blue_sq.jpg?resize=216%2C216&ssl=1\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n![\"Ben](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/surpass.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/BenB_blue_sq.jpg?resize=218%2C218&ssl=1\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n![\"Barry](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/surpass.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/BarryP_blue_sq.jpg?resize=220%2C220&ssl=1\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n![\"Keith](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/surpass.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/KeithM_blue_sq.jpg?resize=224%2C224&ssl=1\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nEngage with the Surpass Community at these key events:<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"Surpass](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/surpass.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/surpass_conference.png?resize=482%2C61&ssl=1\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n![\"Association](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/surpass.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/ATP_logo.png?resize=187%2C190&ssl=1\"){kind=logo}
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nAre you an active Surpass Community member?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Community related resources and recommendations:<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Open by David Price<\/a>
Community: The Structure of Belonging by Peter Block<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kialo<\/a> (A free to use Crowd Sourcing debating platform)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Value of Testing<\/a> (LinkedIn Group)
e-Assessment Association<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Surpass Community Assessment Podcast<\/a>
Association Chat Podcast<\/a>\u00a0(based in the USA)
Trends & Issues in Instructional Design, Educational Technology, and Learning Sciences<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"