I. General Information

The Association of Computer Adaptive Testing in Africa (ACATA) is an international professional organization of educational researchers and assessment experts committed to excellence in educational research and standardised assessment practices. For more detailed information on ACATA, please visit the website at https://acata.org/.

ACATA holds her maiden biennial conference in West Africa, where her secretariat is currently located. The conference will be hosted in a hybrid event that serves as an open forum for interdisciplinary and scholarly discussion of ideas among educational researchers and assessment practitioners. Conference participants have the opportunity to present their original research and draw implications for the broad educational and standardised assessment community. The conference programme primarily consists of empirical studies accepted through a blind review process. Additionally, there are invited presentations, symposia, and panel discussions that feature the biennial conference theme. Selected high-quality papers presented at the biennial conference would be invited to submit to the association’s Journal (JoCATiA, a peer-reviewed online journal). The 2023 ACATA Biennial International Conference will take place at the University of Ilorin, Nigeria, from October 2-6, 2023.

II. Conference Theme

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 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: AI Platforms for Electronic Item Banking with CAT Functionalities

Area 6: Educational Assessment and the Fourth Industrial Revolution

Area 7: Open-Source Platforms for CAT

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 postgraduate 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.

III. 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.

IV. Extended Abstract Submission Information

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 JoCATiA online submission at https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=1stacataconference.

Important Dates
Submission of extended abstracts	The online submission portal opens on *1 May 2023*
Deadline for submission of papers	15 September 2023
Notification of paper acceptance	30 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
Conference Dates	2-6 October 2023

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

VI. 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.

VI. Conference Fees and Registration

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

Registration Fees	Physical Attendance		Online Attendance
Registration Fees	Academics	Students	Academics	PhD students
Middle High-income African countries	70USD	50USD	35USD	25USD
Middle Low-income African countries	45USD	25USD	35USD	15USD
Low-income African countries	25USD	15USD	10USD	5USD
Non-African countries	200USD	100USD	150USD	80USD

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

VII. Conference Sponsor 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. Also, your organization can send three members of staff for the event, and the conference registration fees of the sent staff will also be covered within this sponsorship.

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. You may include a 200-word profile of your organization for the website. Also, your organization can send three members of staff for the event, and the conference registration fees of the sent staff will also be covered within this sponsorship.

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 the 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 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.

International Steering Committee

Dr. Musa A. Ayanwale; University of Johannesburg, South Africa (Southern Africa)

Dr Mohammad Ramdan; Fayoum University, Egypt (North Africa)

Dr Bachir Adda; University Of Mustapha Stambouli, Algeria (North Africa)

Victor Peter Nkungula; Malawi Adventist University, Malawi (East/Central Africa)

Dr Eric Asare; West African Examinations Council, Ghana (West Africa)

Dr Andrews Cobbinah; University of Cape CoastCape Coast, Ghana (West Africa)

National Steering Committee

Dr Maxwell E. Uduafemhe; NECO- National Examinations Council, Nigeria

Dr Esther Bamidele; NECO- National Examinations Council, Nigeria

Dr Yusuf Olayinka Shogbesan; Al-Hikmah University, Kwara State, Nigeria

Dr Simeon Ariyo; University of Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria

Local Organising Committee

For questions, comments, or suggestions for this conference, please contact the Local Organising Committee (LOC):

LOC Chairperson:
Dr. Mayowa O. Ogunjimi Faculty of Education University of Ilorin, Nigeria Email: ogunjimi.mo@unilorin.edu.ng
Co-chairs:
Dr Dorcas S. Daramola Faculty of Education, University of Ilorin, Nigeria Email: olatunj.ds@unilorin.edu.ng	Dr Mohammed I. Jimoh Faculty of Education,University of Ilorin, NigeriaEmail: jimoh.mi@unilorin.edu.ng
Conference LOC Secretary:
Dr Jumoke I. Oladele Faculty of Education University of Ilorin, Nigeria Email: oladele.ji@unilorin.edu.ng