The second annual conference of the Scientific Society for Measurement and Evaluation, the Union of Arab Universities, was held yesterday under the title “The Future of Measurement and Evaluation between Reality and Aspirations,” on the sidelines of the 12th Ain Shams University Conference, “Partnerships and Alliances” in the presence of Prof. Amr Ezzat Salama, Secretary-General of the Association of Arab Universities, Prof. Mohamed Diaa Zain El-Abedeen, President of Ain Shams University, and Prof. Mona Abdel-Al Al-Zahri, Secretary-General of the Scientific Society for Measurement and Evaluation.

Prof. Amr Ezzat Salama extended his sincere thanks to Ain Shams University for generously hosting the second conference on measurement and evaluation on the sidelines of the university conference. He also extended his thanks for the university’s participation in all activities of the Association of Arab Universities, including the Society for Measurement and Evaluation. He extended special thanks to Prof. Mona Abdel-Al El-Zahri for offering all help to bring the second conference to fruition in this honorable manner.

His Excellency explained the importance of the conference, which sheds light on a vital topic, which is the future of assessment, which constitutes an important part of education and completely affects the entire educational process, and to achieve institutional excellence, which comes with continuous work to achieve quality, and to achieve this, the administration develops a strategy to work on that.

His Excellency pointed out that global acceleration has contributed to the emergence of new challenges for universities to meet the needs of students, keep pace with the modern era, and promote innovation, which created the concept of fourth generation universities, which is considered an important development in the field of higher education, as these universities include the latest international systems in terms of study programs and teaching methods, providing laboratories and following up on new scientific developments in many new fields.

Within the framework of improving quality standards, the Association of Arab Universities felt the need to control the quality of higher education in the Arab world to ensure its quality, so it established the “Quality Assurance and Accreditation Council for Arab Universities” in 2007, and the Council is now holding specialized workshops in distance learning to qualify specialized educational cadres. The Council has issued guidelines for quality standards for most university majors, in addition to the general guide for quality assurance and accreditation, which is currently being updated. The Council also recently issued the scientific guide for distance education standards in Arabic and English, which includes all the necessary standards to ensure the safety of this type of education.

In his speech, Prof. Mohamed Diaa Zain El-Abedeen welcomed the honorable attendees to the second annual conference of the Scientific Society for Measurement and Evaluation, which was held on the sidelines of the 12th international conference at Ain Shams University under the title “Partnerships and Alliance.”

His Excellency stressed that this conference represents a great opportunity to exchange ideas and experiences in the field of measurement and evaluation, which is considered one of the basic pillars of developing education and achieving academic quality, and also to discuss and learn, and work to strengthen the concepts of alliance and partnership, which are the basis for progress and achieving common goals.

His Excellency added that developing accurate and objective measurement tools and standards can contribute to evaluating and improving the performance of academic institutions, which is what Ain Shams University seeks by adopting the best international practices and standards in this field, the most prominent of which is the integration of modern technology in the field of measurement and evaluation, which enhances the university’s ability to provide high-quality education in line with the requirements of the modern era.

Prof. Mohamed Diaa Zain El-Abedeen appreciated the pivotal role that partnerships play in promoting higher education and scientific research as cooperation between universities and various academic institutions, as well as between universities and the government and private sectors, can open new horizons and create innovative opportunities for development and progress. Through these partnerships, we can enhance the quality of education, improve its outcomes, and achieve integration between theory and practice, which contributes to preparing a generation capable of facing the challenges of the future.

In this context, the President of Ain Shams University praised the important role played by the Association of Arab Universities in enhancing cooperation and integration between higher education institutions in the Arab world, as the Association of Arab Universities represents an important entity for exchanging ideas and experiences, and unifying efforts to achieve academic and research excellence.

In her speech, Prof. Mona Abdel-Al Al-Zahri welcomed the attendees on behalf of the Scientific Society for Measurement and Evaluation. She also extended special thanks to Ain Shams University for hosting this conference as part of its annual international conference, as this conference comes in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, the mission of the Association of Arab Universities, and Egypt’s Vision 2030, with the aim of enhancing the quality of education and benefiting from technological developments at the Arab, regional and global levels.

Her Excellency added that assessment is an essential element in the educational process, not only to measure student performance, but also to guide teaching and learning processes, and formulate educational policies. The conference reviewed the latest developments in assessment methodologies, and discuss innovative methods and technologies that reshape the assessment and testing landscape that seeks to enhance innovation in evaluation practices across the Arab world.

Professors from the universities of Ain Shams, Zagazig, Zarqa, Jordan, King Abdulaziz in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and Baghdad University in Iraq participated in the conference as speakers.

The “Certified Evaluator” program was also launched, and a discussion session was held on the role of computerized adaptive tests in formative assessment, moderated by Dr. Ansam Ali Seif, Director of the Central Unit for Measurement and Evaluation, Ain Shams University, and rapporteur of the Scientific Society for Measurement and Evaluation

Prof. Mona Abdel-Al Al-Zahri concluded the conference, which was rich with fruitful discussions and valuable ideas that will undoubtedly contribute to strengthening the process of evaluation and measurement in our Arab educational institutions.

Her Excellency added that during the conference, many topics were reviewed that aim to improve and develop evaluation tools and methods. The most prominent of which is the need to strengthen cooperation between regional and international organizations to ensure unification of digital evaluation standards and methods. This cooperation will contribute to the exchange of experiences and best practices, which enhances the quality of education and the effectiveness of assessment. The conference and the launch of the Certified Resident Program also emphasized the importance of continuing professional development for teachers.