Dear AEA Europe members and colleagues,
I have enjoyed my time as President of AEA Europe since taking up office during our November conference in beautiful Paphos, Cyprus. It is a privilege for me to serve as President and I am fortunate to work on your behalf alongside Vice President Cor Sluijter and so many other talented and dedicated people in the Association, on Council and in other committees and roles.
For those of you who were able to attend in Cyprus, I hope that the conference was beneficial to your work and learning and that you enjoyed the opportunity to mingle with colleagues in such a spectacular location. I look forward to getting to know you all and your work over these two years. Below I outline a few thoughts I wish to share with you.
Post-conference 2024 survey (Cyprus)
Thanks to so many delegates for responding to our post-conference survey. Most of your responses suggested that your experience in Paphos was very positive and that the conference met your expectations. I was delighted to note that and was also so pleased for the large number of people who put much effort into planning and running the event, including my predecessor as President, Therese Hopfenbeck, and Elena Papanastasiou and her local team in Cyprus, amongst many others.
Your responses also indicated areas where we could do better. We’ve studied these carefully and the comments have been helpful in guiding us to some changes for our next conference in The Hague. For example, we received helpful feedback about how poster sessions at the conference might be better organised, and this is reflected in how the conference programme is being designed this year. Similarly, your feedback about the submission requirements for symposia resulted in a more streamlined approach being used in the present call.
First time conference attendees – please return
We were also delighted to see from the conference survey how many delegates listed Cyprus as their first AEA Europe conference. I hope that you found us to be a friendly and welcoming community. I extend a special invitation to you to come back again this year, not only to enjoy the post-dinner dancing, but to share your work with us and continue to get to know colleagues in your field.
Invitation to get Involved in your Association
A significant number of people in the survey indicated that they would like to be more involved in our Association. We would love to work with you in whatever way you can. There are options to join committees and SIGs, provide webinars and blogs, assist with reviewing papers, chair conference sessions etc. Please check out our website https://aea-europe.net/ where we outline the Association’s many activities and identify an area where you would like to become involved. Use the ‘Contact Us’ tab on the website homepage to get in touch with our team and we will try to match your interests with Association activities.
Conference 2025 in The Hague – submit your proposals soon
Preparations for 5-8 November 2025 in The Hague are well advanced, supported by our very helpful hosts, International Baccalaureate. Check out the conference website https://2025.aea-europe.net/ where we will soon announce our wonderful keynote speakers who will share their thinking with us around the theme of the conference: “Designing tomorrow’s assessment landscape for positive impact on learning.” The call for submissions is open now, with most submission windows closing on 22 April (workshop deadline is 6 April). Your peers would love to hear about your research and practice in assessment so please consider making a submission to the conference.
Become a member of AEA Europe
Any professional association is only as good as its members and I invite you to renew membership for 2025. If you have not been a member previously, take the step now and join the Association. Why join? Well, there’s various SIGs and Networks, webinars, our blog, annual conference, professional accreditation, and prestigious awards. Joining AEA Europe also provides rich opportunities to network with our individual and corporate members who are leaders in the field. Everyone has their own reason for joining and we are very grateful to have you as part of the AEA Europe family. Joining or renewing your membership is easy – click on the ‘Membership’ tab on our website homepage and follow the steps. If you have any problems checking your membership status, renewing or joining just use the ‘Contact Us’ tab on the homepage to get in touch with us.
I look forward to getting to know you in webinars and through other activities throughout the year and, of course, meeting in person in the fabulous NH Den Haag hotel in The Hague on 5-8 November 2025 when we convene for the AEA Europe Conference 2025.
Kind regards,
Damian Murchan
President, AEA Europe, 2024-2026