JAMB Raises Concerns Over Personalized Items at 2024 IAEA Conference in Philadelphia
JAMB has raised concerns about the long-term effects of personalized items in large-scale exams at the 2024 International Association for Educational Assessment (IAEA) conference in Philadelphia. JAMB’s Registrar, Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, warned that such personalization could lead to equity issues, resource disparities, and data privacy risks.
Chris Oyeoku Okafor 
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has raised concerns about the long-term negative impacts of personalized items in large-scale examinations during the 2024 International Association for Educational Assessment (IAEA) conference. The event, held in Philadelphia, United States, brought together global educational assessment agencies.
JAMB’s Registrar, Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, who led a four-member delegation to the conference, expressed worries over equity and access issues arising from personalized examination materials. He warned that these could lead to resource disparities, biases in personalization, data privacy risks, and an overemphasis on individualization. These concerns, Prof. Oloyede said, must be addressed to ensure fairness in assessments.
Themed "How Can AI Help Improve Education Assessments," the 2024 IAEA conference focused on emerging trends in evaluation, especially the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) in educational assessments. In her opening remarks, IAEA President, Ms. Mary Pitoniak, emphasized that the application of AI in this field is complex, highlighting its potential to significantly impact how knowledge, skills, and abilities are measured.
Hosted by Educational Testing Service (ETS), the 49th IAEA conference explored AI's influence on global assessment ecosystems, ethical considerations, security, and fairness. Discussions centered around the growing need for assessments that accurately measure cognitive, social, emotional, and 21st-century skills in an AI-driven world.
Renowned scholars and practitioners led discussions on various topics, including “Validity Issues in the Use of AI in Assessment” and “Will AI Help or Hinder the Development of Classroom Formative Assessment?”
The conference, which ran from September 22 to 25, 2024, saw participation from international educational bodies, including Nigeria’s National Examinations Council (NECO), the West African Examinations Council (WAEC), and members of the Nigerian National Assembly. Prof. Oloyede was joined by Doom Iyortyom, Director of Quality Assurance; Funmilola B-Usman, Director of ITS; and Dr. Fabian Benjamin, Public Communications Advisor.
The IAEA is committed to fostering communication among international educational assessment agencies and establishing a cooperative framework for projects aimed at improving educational processes globally.
