1st ACATA Biennial International Conference Call for Extended Abstracts

2023-05-06

The theme of the 1st ACATA Biennial International Conference is “Focusing Africa on Computer Adaptive Testing (CAT) for Assessment and in the Fourth Industrial Revolution”. Adaptive testing is a form of computer-based testing that adjusts the difficulty level of questions based on each examinee's responses. This allows for a more accurate assessment of an examinee's ability, as well as a more efficient use of testing time. In the context of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR), CAT has the potential to play a crucial role in accurate ability estimation relevant for the 21st Century demands. As industries become more automated and reliant on technology, educational assessment needs to adapt to new technologies such as CAT for process improvements leading to reliable certification. This year’s conference theme aims to stimulate discussions around empirical research designed to investigate various CAT possibilities to ensure 4IR-compliant assessment practices. We are particularly interested in proposals that address the conference theme in the following areas:

Area 1: Machine learning algorithms for CAT

Area 2: Projects involving Applications and implementations of CAT

Area 3: Technological Innovations for Deploying CAT

Area 4: Simulation studies to support Operational CAT

Area 5: Item Generation for CAT and Artificial Intelligence

Area 6: Educational Assessment and the Fourth Industrial Revolution

Important note for students: To support graduate students' research, ACATA will provide up to $50 conference registration support (depending on the registration type) to a maximum of three students to present their research findings at the maiden biennial meeting. Once the paper proposal is accepted, the Lead Author can apply for conference registration support. ACATA strongly encourages postgraduate students to participate and present their CAT research findings at the conference. This is a great opportunity for students to interact with scholars in the field and obtain feedback for their scholarly work.

The Extended Abstracts

Description: The extended abstract involves a single paper with the following components: (a) Background, (b) Purpose and Significance of the Study, (c) Theoretical Framework, (d) Method, (e) Results or Preliminary Findings, (d) Discussion/Conclusion and (f) Reference list (In line with APA 7^th edition).

Length: All extended abstracts should include a title- of 15 words or fewer (the titles for all accepted extended abstracts will be included in the conference program) with no more than 900 words excluding references. Please note that WE WILL NOT CONSIDER any proposal that exceeds the word limit.

Language/Format: Extended abstract should be prepared in English (British). All proposals must be submitted according to the prompts in the online submission system. You will be asked to upload a Word document (.doc or .docx) that includes the required components as specified above. Do not include any identifying information (e.g., author, affiliation) in the proposal and the filename (e.g., initials), as all submissions will undergo a blind review.

Eligibility: Both ACATA members and non-members may submit extended abstracts for review. An individual may not appear as the first author on more than two proposals. The proposal must present original research that has not been published elsewhere. If the proposal content is adapted from a previously presented or published study, it must include significant new insights to be considered. Each extended abstract may have no more than 5 authors.

Multiple submissions: You may submit a proposal that has been submitted elsewhere but has not been accepted at the time of submission to the ACATA conference. Once the proposal has been accepted elsewhere, you must notify the Conference Chair to withdraw your submission immediately. You may not present the paper with the same content at more than one conference.

Submission Process

Extended abstracts are accepted beginning from May 1, 2023, and ending on August 31, 2023 (by 11:59 pm, WAT). All proposals must be submitted electronically before the due date through the online submission system at https://jocatia.acata.org/index.php/jocatia/about/submissions

Important Dates

Deadline for submission of papers: 31 August 2023

Notification of paper acceptance: 15 September 2023

Deadline for application for conference reg. Support: 31 July 2023

Response to applicants for conference reg. Support: 15 August 2023

Conference registration deadline: 30 September 2023

Deadline for submission of final paper: 20 September 2023

Conference Dates: 2-6 October 2023

Proposals submitted by fax, mail, or email will NOT be accepted.

Procedures and Policies

Review process: All submissions will be subjected to blind review by educational assessment experts. Evaluation criteria include the following: purpose and significance (originality and relevance to the conference theme), background (literature review), theoretical grounding, method (design, data collection, and analysis), results or preliminary findings; discussion/conclusion (implications for research and/or practices); quality of writing (clarity, organization, and professional style) and alignment to APA 7^th Edition citation/referencing style. Proposals not following the guidelines specified above will be rejected immediately.

Notification: Proposal submitters will receive notification of the decision by the 15^th of September, 2023. Only the first/corresponding author (for co-authored papers) will be notified of the acceptance (or non-acceptance) of the submission. The first author/corresponding author or session organizer is responsible for notifying all participants involved.

Withdrawal: All presenting authors must register for the conference on or before September 30, 2023. Failure to register for the conference will result in the proposal being removed from the program without further notice. If you are unable to attend the conference, please notify the Conference LOC Secretary (oladele.ji@unilorin.edu.ng) before September 30, 2023, to withdraw your presentation from the conference program. After September 30, 2023, no withdrawal will be accepted, and it is the responsibility of the presenter(s) to delegate another person to present.

Special Journal Issues

Papers presented at the 1^st ACATA International Conference will be considered for publication in a Special Issue of the Journal of Computer Adaptive Testing in Africa. All submitted papers will have the opportunity to be considered for this Special Journal Issue. The paper selection will be carried out during the peer review process as well as at the conference presentation stage. Submitted papers must not be under consideration by any other journal or publication. The final decision for paper selection will be made based on peer review reports by the Guest Editors and the Editor-in-Chief jointly. Selected full-text papers will be published online free of charge.

Conference Fees and Registration

All conference participants with accepted papers are to pay the stipulated conference registration fees as follows:

High-income African countries

Physical Attendance

Academics: 70USD

Students: 50USD

Online Attendance

Academics: 35USD

PhD students: 25USD

Middle-income African countries

Physical Attendance

Academics: 50USD

Students: 30USD

Online Attendance

Academics: 40USD

Students: 20USD

Low-income African countries

Physical Attendance

Academics: 30USD

Students: 20USD

Online Attendance

Academics: 15USD

Students: 10USD

Non-African countries

Physical Attendance

Academics: 200USD

Students: 100USD

Online Attendance

Academics: 150USD

Students: 80USD

All delegates who may be interested in participating as non-paper presenters would also pay the prescribed fees.

Conference Sponsorship and Exhibitor Opportunities

The 1st ACATA International Conference offers the opportunity to become a conference Testing Organisation Sponsor (National and International) or exhibitor (National and International). These are described below:

Testing Organisation Sponsor- National (N500,000)

This option is for testing organizations operating within Nigeria which will be explicitly acknowledged during the presidential address and will be able to include company literature in the attendee registration area. The organisation’s logo will be shown prominently at the bottom of the initial session announcement screen of plenary sessions and on the conference website and will redirect a click on the logo to the sponsor website. You may include a 200-word profile of your organization for the website.

Testing organisation Sponsor- International (USD$3000)

This option is for testing organizations operating outside Nigeria which will be explicitly acknowledged during the presidential address and will be able to include company literature in the attendee registration area. The organisation’s logo will be shown prominently at the bottom of the initial session announcement screen of plenary sessions and on the conference website and will redirect a click on the logo to the sponsor website. You may include a 200-word profile of your organization for the website.

Exhibitor - National (N300,000)

This option is for non-testing organizations operating within Nigeria, which will be explicitly acknowledged during the presidential address and will be able to include company literature in the attendee registration area. The organisation’s logo will be shown prominently at the bottom of the initial session announcement screen of plenary sessions and on the conference website and will redirect a click-on logo to the sponsor website. You may include a 100-word profile of your organization for the website.

Exhibitor- International (USD$1000)

This option is for non-testing organizations operating outside Nigeria, which will be explicitly acknowledged during the presidential address and will be able to include company literature in the attendee registration area. The organisation's logo will be shown prominently at the bottom of the initial session announcement screen of plenary sessions and on the conference website and will redirect a click on the logo to the sponsor's website. You may include a 100-word profile of your organization for the website.

Please, download the Conference Sponsorship Request HERE

Opportunity for partnership is also open. Please, download the Conference Partnership Request HERE

For questions, comments, or suggestions for this conference, please contact:

LOC Chairperson:

Dr. Mayowa O. Ogunjimi

Faculty of Education

University of Ilorin, Nigeria

Email: ogunjimi.mo@unilorin.edu.ng

Co-chairs:

Dr Musa A. Ayanwale

Faculty of Education

University of Johannesburg,