The impact of the Black watermen continues to be felt today. In the Chesapeake region, generations of Black watermen, like Captain Tyrone Meredith, dedicate their lives<\/a> to preserving the legacy of their forebears. Captain Meredith has worked in the industry for 40 years and is a fifth-generation waterman, following in the footsteps of his father, grandfather, and ancestors. Today, his work as a skipjack captain ensures the spirit and hard work of the Black watermen live on. The Virginia Department of Historic Resources is another source dedicated to preserving this history of the Black watermen; they initiated the African American Watermen Project<\/a>, which documents the culture and history of African American watermen in the Chesapeake Bay\u2019s coastal communities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Despite the many challenges and barriers they faced, the Black watermen of the Chesapeake Bay made indelible marks on both the water industry and U.S. history. Their tenacity, innovation, and unyielding spirit continue to inspire generations. As we celebrate Black History Month, let us honor and remember their contributions\u2014not just in the context of their time, but as a testament to the enduring power of community, resilience, and self-determination. The legacy of the Black watermen is a shining beacon of hope and excellence, reminding us that the waters they navigated are still filled with stories of courage and triumph that resonate to this day.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Black History Month Spotlight: The Black Watermen of the Chesapeake Bay","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"black-history-month-spotlight-the-black-watermen-of-the-chesapeake-bay","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-14 16:53:32","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-14 22:53:32","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/immerse.gowpi.org\/?p=1028","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":849,"post_author":"1","post_date":"2023-04-27 12:00:21","post_date_gmt":"2023-04-27 17:00:21","post_content":"The fastest growing testing trends for 2023 encompass the test taker experience, increasing interest in certification, and how artificial intelligence can play a role in test development. In addition, as the testing industry continues to evolve following the pandemic organizations are reevaluating their strategies for remote testing.\r\n\r\nAll these trends contribute to the perpetual balancing act \u2013 the need for robust test security and a desire to deliver the most convenient and accessible experience for all test takers.\r\nThe whole test taker experience<\/h3>\r\nWe are seeing an increased propensity for testing organizations to look at the test taker experience as a whole, rather than focusing on isolated elements. And we are working with a growing number of clients to map and scrutinize their test taker journey at every stage, with the aim of uncovering improvements or enhancements that will make the testing experience as easy and accessible as possible, for all test takers.\r\n\r\nTest taker journey mapping includes every piece of information, every click, and every scroll they take on their way to receiving a test result. We undertook journey mapping exercises with clients including\u00a0ISACA<\/a>\u00a0and the\u00a0UK Home Office<\/a>\u00a0last year. Working together, we detailed every action a test taker might take during the testing experience. A diagram was used to visualize the journey, and workshops examined every stage in detail. We are currently progressing through the resulting action log and expect to see improvements across the test taker experience, alongside increased efficiencies and smoother processes.\r\n\r\nWe have seen positive outcomes across many clients from this trend of examining the test taker experience through a broad lens. We expect to work with more clients on test taker journey mapping in the year to come, as this continues to be a critical consideration globally across all delivery modalities.\r\n
Balancing test taker needs and wants<\/h3>\r\nTesting organizations are also taking a pragmatic approach and carefully considering what it is their test takers need \u2013 versus what it is they might want. During COVID, we saw a large-scale shift to remote testing. This was necessary but not without its concerns, particularly about test security.\r\n\r\nNow we are seeing organizations re-evaluating their test delivery strategies, particularly in North America where there is ample test center coverage. Some organizations are scaling-up in-person testing, and even more are adopting a multi-modal approach that provides convenience for test takers in more remote locations.\r\n\r\nWe are supporting clients to make these important decisions based on the needs of their testing program and their market. As well as providing testing organizations with the\u00a0data forensics and web crawling<\/a>\u00a0services they need to help inform their decisions.\r\n
Beyond testing \u2013 growing test taker populations<\/h3>\r\nTaking a broader view doesn\u2019t stop with the test taker experience. More and more testing organizations are paying attention to the overall health of their profession and the educational pathways of their test takers. One element of this is a greater focus on test preparation materials and supporting the learner. And even further, we are working with clients on campaigns that promote and recruit individuals to their profession.\r\n\r\nAn important example is nursing, which has seen both a reduction in graduating nurses and an increase in nurses planning to leave the profession. By 2025,\u00a0McKinsey estimates the United States may have a 10-20% gap of nurses available for direct patient care<\/a>.\r\n\r\nWe recently worked with our client, the American Board of Nursing Certification (ABNC) and the\u00a0National Certification Corporation (NCC)<\/a>\u00a0on a \u2018Certified Nurses Make a Difference\u2019 campaign. Public service announcements in specific areas of the United States generated awareness and helped promote the work and value nurses play in patient healthcare. The campaign was aired over 6,000 times with more than 7.5 million impressions in 2022.\r\n\r\nIn a similar example, the\u00a0National Board for Respiratory Care (NBRC)<\/a>\u00a0teamed up with membership and education associations to promote the profession of respiratory therapists. Through videos, case studies, and social media, the NBRC are sharing the stories of therapists and patients, elevating the profession and helping to address the shortage in respiratory therapists.\r\n\r\nI have had more conversations with testing organizations in the past year than I have in the rest of my career about ways we can work together to raise the profile of their profession. With workforce shortages continuing across multiple industries, this trend is likely to continue.\r\n
Artificial Intelligence in test development<\/h3>\r\nMy colleague Isabelle Gonthier covered the topic of\u00a0emerging technologies in test development in her first blog of this series<\/a>\u00a0on testing trends for 2023. Including advances in the use of Automatic Item Generation (AIG), which is already in use.\r\n\r\nArtificial Intelligence (AI), and constituent technologies of AI such as machine learning and natural language processing (NLP), are also exciting developments when it comes to test development. While still in their early stages, these technologies are becoming more mainstream with real potential in the test development lifecycle to:\r\n
\r\n \t
Black watermen used a lantern code to signal if boats had fugitive enslaved African Americans on board. They would then exchange passengers under the cover of night on the still waters of the Chesapeake before returning to their ports. From there, the escaped enslaved Black Americans would travel through the Underground Railroad. Harriet Tubman herself grew up on a Maryland plantation by the Chesapeake Bay. While laboring on the docks, she engaged with a group of Black watermen<\/a>, forming connections and discovering the astonishing system of networking they had created. It was through the information Tubman learned from these Black maritime workers that she was ultimately able to escape. Once free, she used those connections to send messages back and forth to those still enslaved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The impact of the Black watermen continues to be felt today. In the Chesapeake region, generations of Black watermen, like Captain Tyrone Meredith, dedicate their lives<\/a> to preserving the legacy of their forebears. Captain Meredith has worked in the industry for 40 years and is a fifth-generation waterman, following in the footsteps of his father, grandfather, and ancestors. Today, his work as a skipjack captain ensures the spirit and hard work of the Black watermen live on. The Virginia Department of Historic Resources is another source dedicated to preserving this history of the Black watermen; they initiated the African American Watermen Project<\/a>, which documents the culture and history of African American watermen in the Chesapeake Bay\u2019s coastal communities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Despite the many challenges and barriers they faced, the Black watermen of the Chesapeake Bay made indelible marks on both the water industry and U.S. history. Their tenacity, innovation, and unyielding spirit continue to inspire generations. As we celebrate Black History Month, let us honor and remember their contributions\u2014not just in the context of their time, but as a testament to the enduring power of community, resilience, and self-determination. The legacy of the Black watermen is a shining beacon of hope and excellence, reminding us that the waters they navigated are still filled with stories of courage and triumph that resonate to this day.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Black History Month Spotlight: The Black Watermen of the Chesapeake Bay","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"black-history-month-spotlight-the-black-watermen-of-the-chesapeake-bay","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-14 16:53:32","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-14 22:53:32","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/immerse.gowpi.org\/?p=1028","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":849,"post_author":"1","post_date":"2023-04-27 12:00:21","post_date_gmt":"2023-04-27 17:00:21","post_content":"The fastest growing testing trends for 2023 encompass the test taker experience, increasing interest in certification, and how artificial intelligence can play a role in test development. In addition, as the testing industry continues to evolve following the pandemic organizations are reevaluating their strategies for remote testing.\r\n\r\nAll these trends contribute to the perpetual balancing act \u2013 the need for robust test security and a desire to deliver the most convenient and accessible experience for all test takers.\r\n Despite these barriers, African Americans changed and propelled the industry forward. Their resilience led to the creation of an incredible communication network. The winding rivers and bustling water passages became a way for Black Americans to pass information and messages through ports. Through this system, they were able to stay informed on what was happening abroad as well as within the United States. This was how those who had secured their freedom through the water industry were able to devise strategies<\/a> for enslaved persons to flee secretly via boat passage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Black watermen used a lantern code to signal if boats had fugitive enslaved African Americans on board. They would then exchange passengers under the cover of night on the still waters of the Chesapeake before returning to their ports. From there, the escaped enslaved Black Americans would travel through the Underground Railroad. Harriet Tubman herself grew up on a Maryland plantation by the Chesapeake Bay. While laboring on the docks, she engaged with a group of Black watermen<\/a>, forming connections and discovering the astonishing system of networking they had created. It was through the information Tubman learned from these Black maritime workers that she was ultimately able to escape. Once free, she used those connections to send messages back and forth to those still enslaved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The impact of the Black watermen continues to be felt today. In the Chesapeake region, generations of Black watermen, like Captain Tyrone Meredith, dedicate their lives<\/a> to preserving the legacy of their forebears. Captain Meredith has worked in the industry for 40 years and is a fifth-generation waterman, following in the footsteps of his father, grandfather, and ancestors. Today, his work as a skipjack captain ensures the spirit and hard work of the Black watermen live on. The Virginia Department of Historic Resources is another source dedicated to preserving this history of the Black watermen; they initiated the African American Watermen Project<\/a>, which documents the culture and history of African American watermen in the Chesapeake Bay\u2019s coastal communities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Despite the many challenges and barriers they faced, the Black watermen of the Chesapeake Bay made indelible marks on both the water industry and U.S. history. Their tenacity, innovation, and unyielding spirit continue to inspire generations. As we celebrate Black History Month, let us honor and remember their contributions\u2014not just in the context of their time, but as a testament to the enduring power of community, resilience, and self-determination. The legacy of the Black watermen is a shining beacon of hope and excellence, reminding us that the waters they navigated are still filled with stories of courage and triumph that resonate to this day.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Black History Month Spotlight: The Black Watermen of the Chesapeake Bay","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"black-history-month-spotlight-the-black-watermen-of-the-chesapeake-bay","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-14 16:53:32","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-14 22:53:32","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/immerse.gowpi.org\/?p=1028","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":849,"post_author":"1","post_date":"2023-04-27 12:00:21","post_date_gmt":"2023-04-27 17:00:21","post_content":"The fastest growing testing trends for 2023 encompass the test taker experience, increasing interest in certification, and how artificial intelligence can play a role in test development. In addition, as the testing industry continues to evolve following the pandemic organizations are reevaluating their strategies for remote testing.\r\n\r\nAll these trends contribute to the perpetual balancing act \u2013 the need for robust test security and a desire to deliver the most convenient and accessible experience for all test takers.\r\n That is not to say, however, there were not still vast issues with the system created. Imani Black, shellfish aquaculture biologist and founder of Minorities in Aquaculture<\/a>, discusses this in \u201cWater\u2019s Edge: The Black Watermen of the Chesapeake Bay,\u201d a documentary for PBS<\/a>. She explains that Black Americans were pushed to the coasts as a result of practices steeped in prejudice and racism, and thus they learned how to live and work with the water out of necessity. Further, working on the water was not easy for African Americans. In 1836, a law was passed<\/a> attempting to prohibit and restrict Black Americans from laboring on the water. While white captains and watermen often ignored this decree due to the crucial contributions of Black watermen, this law promoted additional segregation, economic oppression, and discrimination.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Despite these barriers, African Americans changed and propelled the industry forward. Their resilience led to the creation of an incredible communication network. The winding rivers and bustling water passages became a way for Black Americans to pass information and messages through ports. Through this system, they were able to stay informed on what was happening abroad as well as within the United States. This was how those who had secured their freedom through the water industry were able to devise strategies<\/a> for enslaved persons to flee secretly via boat passage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Black watermen used a lantern code to signal if boats had fugitive enslaved African Americans on board. They would then exchange passengers under the cover of night on the still waters of the Chesapeake before returning to their ports. From there, the escaped enslaved Black Americans would travel through the Underground Railroad. Harriet Tubman herself grew up on a Maryland plantation by the Chesapeake Bay. While laboring on the docks, she engaged with a group of Black watermen<\/a>, forming connections and discovering the astonishing system of networking they had created. It was through the information Tubman learned from these Black maritime workers that she was ultimately able to escape. Once free, she used those connections to send messages back and forth to those still enslaved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The impact of the Black watermen continues to be felt today. In the Chesapeake region, generations of Black watermen, like Captain Tyrone Meredith, dedicate their lives<\/a> to preserving the legacy of their forebears. Captain Meredith has worked in the industry for 40 years and is a fifth-generation waterman, following in the footsteps of his father, grandfather, and ancestors. Today, his work as a skipjack captain ensures the spirit and hard work of the Black watermen live on. The Virginia Department of Historic Resources is another source dedicated to preserving this history of the Black watermen; they initiated the African American Watermen Project<\/a>, which documents the culture and history of African American watermen in the Chesapeake Bay\u2019s coastal communities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Despite the many challenges and barriers they faced, the Black watermen of the Chesapeake Bay made indelible marks on both the water industry and U.S. history. Their tenacity, innovation, and unyielding spirit continue to inspire generations. As we celebrate Black History Month, let us honor and remember their contributions\u2014not just in the context of their time, but as a testament to the enduring power of community, resilience, and self-determination. The legacy of the Black watermen is a shining beacon of hope and excellence, reminding us that the waters they navigated are still filled with stories of courage and triumph that resonate to this day.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Black History Month Spotlight: The Black Watermen of the Chesapeake Bay","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"black-history-month-spotlight-the-black-watermen-of-the-chesapeake-bay","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-14 16:53:32","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-14 22:53:32","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/immerse.gowpi.org\/?p=1028","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":849,"post_author":"1","post_date":"2023-04-27 12:00:21","post_date_gmt":"2023-04-27 17:00:21","post_content":"The fastest growing testing trends for 2023 encompass the test taker experience, increasing interest in certification, and how artificial intelligence can play a role in test development. In addition, as the testing industry continues to evolve following the pandemic organizations are reevaluating their strategies for remote testing.\r\n\r\nAll these trends contribute to the perpetual balancing act \u2013 the need for robust test security and a desire to deliver the most convenient and accessible experience for all test takers.\r\n Black watermen worked across the entirety of the Bay\u2019s water industry as skilled tradesmen and innovators<\/a>. Black women often were employed in crab picking and oyster shucking, while Black men worked on the water as shipbuilders and crew, in addition to hauling freight and captaining ships. Entering the water industry was groundbreaking, as it was one of the first ways Black Americans could earn a wage. However, being a waterman on the Chesapeake Bay offered more than just a path to freedom and compensation. For many, living at the water\u2019s edge was a way of life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That is not to say, however, there were not still vast issues with the system created. Imani Black, shellfish aquaculture biologist and founder of Minorities in Aquaculture<\/a>, discusses this in \u201cWater\u2019s Edge: The Black Watermen of the Chesapeake Bay,\u201d a documentary for PBS<\/a>. She explains that Black Americans were pushed to the coasts as a result of practices steeped in prejudice and racism, and thus they learned how to live and work with the water out of necessity. Further, working on the water was not easy for African Americans. In 1836, a law was passed<\/a> attempting to prohibit and restrict Black Americans from laboring on the water. While white captains and watermen often ignored this decree due to the crucial contributions of Black watermen, this law promoted additional segregation, economic oppression, and discrimination.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Despite these barriers, African Americans changed and propelled the industry forward. Their resilience led to the creation of an incredible communication network. The winding rivers and bustling water passages became a way for Black Americans to pass information and messages through ports. Through this system, they were able to stay informed on what was happening abroad as well as within the United States. This was how those who had secured their freedom through the water industry were able to devise strategies<\/a> for enslaved persons to flee secretly via boat passage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Black watermen used a lantern code to signal if boats had fugitive enslaved African Americans on board. They would then exchange passengers under the cover of night on the still waters of the Chesapeake before returning to their ports. From there, the escaped enslaved Black Americans would travel through the Underground Railroad. Harriet Tubman herself grew up on a Maryland plantation by the Chesapeake Bay. While laboring on the docks, she engaged with a group of Black watermen<\/a>, forming connections and discovering the astonishing system of networking they had created. It was through the information Tubman learned from these Black maritime workers that she was ultimately able to escape. Once free, she used those connections to send messages back and forth to those still enslaved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The impact of the Black watermen continues to be felt today. In the Chesapeake region, generations of Black watermen, like Captain Tyrone Meredith, dedicate their lives<\/a> to preserving the legacy of their forebears. Captain Meredith has worked in the industry for 40 years and is a fifth-generation waterman, following in the footsteps of his father, grandfather, and ancestors. Today, his work as a skipjack captain ensures the spirit and hard work of the Black watermen live on. The Virginia Department of Historic Resources is another source dedicated to preserving this history of the Black watermen; they initiated the African American Watermen Project<\/a>, which documents the culture and history of African American watermen in the Chesapeake Bay\u2019s coastal communities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Despite the many challenges and barriers they faced, the Black watermen of the Chesapeake Bay made indelible marks on both the water industry and U.S. history. Their tenacity, innovation, and unyielding spirit continue to inspire generations. As we celebrate Black History Month, let us honor and remember their contributions\u2014not just in the context of their time, but as a testament to the enduring power of community, resilience, and self-determination. The legacy of the Black watermen is a shining beacon of hope and excellence, reminding us that the waters they navigated are still filled with stories of courage and triumph that resonate to this day.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Black History Month Spotlight: The Black Watermen of the Chesapeake Bay","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"black-history-month-spotlight-the-black-watermen-of-the-chesapeake-bay","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-14 16:53:32","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-14 22:53:32","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/immerse.gowpi.org\/?p=1028","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":849,"post_author":"1","post_date":"2023-04-27 12:00:21","post_date_gmt":"2023-04-27 17:00:21","post_content":"The fastest growing testing trends for 2023 encompass the test taker experience, increasing interest in certification, and how artificial intelligence can play a role in test development. In addition, as the testing industry continues to evolve following the pandemic organizations are reevaluating their strategies for remote testing.\r\n\r\nAll these trends contribute to the perpetual balancing act \u2013 the need for robust test security and a desire to deliver the most convenient and accessible experience for all test takers.\r\n The path to working in the Chesapeake Bay for African Americans was shaped by the growing demand for maritime labor in the 1800s, which led to Maryland offering pseudo-freedom to enslaved persons living and working in the Bay. This was due to the issuing of Seamen\u2019s Protection Certificates, which allowed Black watermen to be classified as citizens as early as sixty-seven years before the Emancipation Proclamation was disseminated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Black watermen worked across the entirety of the Bay\u2019s water industry as skilled tradesmen and innovators<\/a>. Black women often were employed in crab picking and oyster shucking, while Black men worked on the water as shipbuilders and crew, in addition to hauling freight and captaining ships. Entering the water industry was groundbreaking, as it was one of the first ways Black Americans could earn a wage. However, being a waterman on the Chesapeake Bay offered more than just a path to freedom and compensation. For many, living at the water\u2019s edge was a way of life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That is not to say, however, there were not still vast issues with the system created. Imani Black, shellfish aquaculture biologist and founder of Minorities in Aquaculture<\/a>, discusses this in \u201cWater\u2019s Edge: The Black Watermen of the Chesapeake Bay,\u201d a documentary for PBS<\/a>. She explains that Black Americans were pushed to the coasts as a result of practices steeped in prejudice and racism, and thus they learned how to live and work with the water out of necessity. Further, working on the water was not easy for African Americans. In 1836, a law was passed<\/a> attempting to prohibit and restrict Black Americans from laboring on the water. While white captains and watermen often ignored this decree due to the crucial contributions of Black watermen, this law promoted additional segregation, economic oppression, and discrimination.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Despite these barriers, African Americans changed and propelled the industry forward. Their resilience led to the creation of an incredible communication network. The winding rivers and bustling water passages became a way for Black Americans to pass information and messages through ports. Through this system, they were able to stay informed on what was happening abroad as well as within the United States. This was how those who had secured their freedom through the water industry were able to devise strategies<\/a> for enslaved persons to flee secretly via boat passage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Black watermen used a lantern code to signal if boats had fugitive enslaved African Americans on board. They would then exchange passengers under the cover of night on the still waters of the Chesapeake before returning to their ports. From there, the escaped enslaved Black Americans would travel through the Underground Railroad. Harriet Tubman herself grew up on a Maryland plantation by the Chesapeake Bay. While laboring on the docks, she engaged with a group of Black watermen<\/a>, forming connections and discovering the astonishing system of networking they had created. It was through the information Tubman learned from these Black maritime workers that she was ultimately able to escape. Once free, she used those connections to send messages back and forth to those still enslaved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The impact of the Black watermen continues to be felt today. In the Chesapeake region, generations of Black watermen, like Captain Tyrone Meredith, dedicate their lives<\/a> to preserving the legacy of their forebears. Captain Meredith has worked in the industry for 40 years and is a fifth-generation waterman, following in the footsteps of his father, grandfather, and ancestors. Today, his work as a skipjack captain ensures the spirit and hard work of the Black watermen live on. The Virginia Department of Historic Resources is another source dedicated to preserving this history of the Black watermen; they initiated the African American Watermen Project<\/a>, which documents the culture and history of African American watermen in the Chesapeake Bay\u2019s coastal communities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Despite the many challenges and barriers they faced, the Black watermen of the Chesapeake Bay made indelible marks on both the water industry and U.S. history. Their tenacity, innovation, and unyielding spirit continue to inspire generations. As we celebrate Black History Month, let us honor and remember their contributions\u2014not just in the context of their time, but as a testament to the enduring power of community, resilience, and self-determination. The legacy of the Black watermen is a shining beacon of hope and excellence, reminding us that the waters they navigated are still filled with stories of courage and triumph that resonate to this day.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Black History Month Spotlight: The Black Watermen of the Chesapeake Bay","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"black-history-month-spotlight-the-black-watermen-of-the-chesapeake-bay","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-14 16:53:32","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-14 22:53:32","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/immerse.gowpi.org\/?p=1028","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":849,"post_author":"1","post_date":"2023-04-27 12:00:21","post_date_gmt":"2023-04-27 17:00:21","post_content":"The fastest growing testing trends for 2023 encompass the test taker experience, increasing interest in certification, and how artificial intelligence can play a role in test development. In addition, as the testing industry continues to evolve following the pandemic organizations are reevaluating their strategies for remote testing.\r\n\r\nAll these trends contribute to the perpetual balancing act \u2013 the need for robust test security and a desire to deliver the most convenient and accessible experience for all test takers.\r\n In Maryland, a storied history exists between African Americans and the Bay. The Chesapeake Bay, the largest estuary in North America<\/a>, has been a robust place of employment for watermen\u2014a term that encompasses both women and men\u2014since the 1600s. In the mid-1800s, that occupation, previously only open to white watermen, was extended to African Americans, who took on roles such as captains, fishermen, oystermen, and owners of seafood processing plants and restaurants. Their labor and contributions transformed the Chesapeake Bay<\/a>. To this day, the Bay is renowned for its rich seafood and maritime industry due to the innovative thinking and hard work of Black watermen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The path to working in the Chesapeake Bay for African Americans was shaped by the growing demand for maritime labor in the 1800s, which led to Maryland offering pseudo-freedom to enslaved persons living and working in the Bay. This was due to the issuing of Seamen\u2019s Protection Certificates, which allowed Black watermen to be classified as citizens as early as sixty-seven years before the Emancipation Proclamation was disseminated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Black watermen worked across the entirety of the Bay\u2019s water industry as skilled tradesmen and innovators<\/a>. Black women often were employed in crab picking and oyster shucking, while Black men worked on the water as shipbuilders and crew, in addition to hauling freight and captaining ships. Entering the water industry was groundbreaking, as it was one of the first ways Black Americans could earn a wage. However, being a waterman on the Chesapeake Bay offered more than just a path to freedom and compensation. For many, living at the water\u2019s edge was a way of life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That is not to say, however, there were not still vast issues with the system created. Imani Black, shellfish aquaculture biologist and founder of Minorities in Aquaculture<\/a>, discusses this in \u201cWater\u2019s Edge: The Black Watermen of the Chesapeake Bay,\u201d a documentary for PBS<\/a>. She explains that Black Americans were pushed to the coasts as a result of practices steeped in prejudice and racism, and thus they learned how to live and work with the water out of necessity. Further, working on the water was not easy for African Americans. In 1836, a law was passed<\/a> attempting to prohibit and restrict Black Americans from laboring on the water. While white captains and watermen often ignored this decree due to the crucial contributions of Black watermen, this law promoted additional segregation, economic oppression, and discrimination.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Despite these barriers, African Americans changed and propelled the industry forward. Their resilience led to the creation of an incredible communication network. The winding rivers and bustling water passages became a way for Black Americans to pass information and messages through ports. Through this system, they were able to stay informed on what was happening abroad as well as within the United States. This was how those who had secured their freedom through the water industry were able to devise strategies<\/a> for enslaved persons to flee secretly via boat passage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Black watermen used a lantern code to signal if boats had fugitive enslaved African Americans on board. They would then exchange passengers under the cover of night on the still waters of the Chesapeake before returning to their ports. From there, the escaped enslaved Black Americans would travel through the Underground Railroad. Harriet Tubman herself grew up on a Maryland plantation by the Chesapeake Bay. While laboring on the docks, she engaged with a group of Black watermen<\/a>, forming connections and discovering the astonishing system of networking they had created. It was through the information Tubman learned from these Black maritime workers that she was ultimately able to escape. Once free, she used those connections to send messages back and forth to those still enslaved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The impact of the Black watermen continues to be felt today. In the Chesapeake region, generations of Black watermen, like Captain Tyrone Meredith, dedicate their lives<\/a> to preserving the legacy of their forebears. Captain Meredith has worked in the industry for 40 years and is a fifth-generation waterman, following in the footsteps of his father, grandfather, and ancestors. Today, his work as a skipjack captain ensures the spirit and hard work of the Black watermen live on. The Virginia Department of Historic Resources is another source dedicated to preserving this history of the Black watermen; they initiated the African American Watermen Project<\/a>, which documents the culture and history of African American watermen in the Chesapeake Bay\u2019s coastal communities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Despite the many challenges and barriers they faced, the Black watermen of the Chesapeake Bay made indelible marks on both the water industry and U.S. history. Their tenacity, innovation, and unyielding spirit continue to inspire generations. As we celebrate Black History Month, let us honor and remember their contributions\u2014not just in the context of their time, but as a testament to the enduring power of community, resilience, and self-determination. The legacy of the Black watermen is a shining beacon of hope and excellence, reminding us that the waters they navigated are still filled with stories of courage and triumph that resonate to this day.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Black History Month Spotlight: The Black Watermen of the Chesapeake Bay","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"black-history-month-spotlight-the-black-watermen-of-the-chesapeake-bay","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-14 16:53:32","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-14 22:53:32","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/immerse.gowpi.org\/?p=1028","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":849,"post_author":"1","post_date":"2023-04-27 12:00:21","post_date_gmt":"2023-04-27 17:00:21","post_content":"The fastest growing testing trends for 2023 encompass the test taker experience, increasing interest in certification, and how artificial intelligence can play a role in test development. In addition, as the testing industry continues to evolve following the pandemic organizations are reevaluating their strategies for remote testing.\r\n\r\nAll these trends contribute to the perpetual balancing act \u2013 the need for robust test security and a desire to deliver the most convenient and accessible experience for all test takers.\r\n Against the horizon, the Bald Cypress stretches towards a sun-drenched sky. Its trunk bloats with the water of the Chesapeake Bay, a water-logged home to a lone copperhead, who curls against the knees of the tree. This is not the first creature to find refuge in the Cypress, whose roots have known this water for nearly one hundred years. Turtles and wood ducks, raccoons and egrets all have called the Bald Cypress swamp home. Along the Chesapeake watershed, life finds new ways to sustain itself. The endeavors of those who make their living by the water's edge, especially the Black Americans who have called the Chesapeake Bay home for centuries, stand as a testament to this resilience. The Black watermen of the Chesapeake, much like the Bald Cypress, remain revered symbols of the Bay to this day. Their invaluable contributions to the industry are nothing short of extraordinary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In Maryland, a storied history exists between African Americans and the Bay. The Chesapeake Bay, the largest estuary in North America<\/a>, has been a robust place of employment for watermen\u2014a term that encompasses both women and men\u2014since the 1600s. In the mid-1800s, that occupation, previously only open to white watermen, was extended to African Americans, who took on roles such as captains, fishermen, oystermen, and owners of seafood processing plants and restaurants. Their labor and contributions transformed the Chesapeake Bay<\/a>. To this day, the Bay is renowned for its rich seafood and maritime industry due to the innovative thinking and hard work of Black watermen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The path to working in the Chesapeake Bay for African Americans was shaped by the growing demand for maritime labor in the 1800s, which led to Maryland offering pseudo-freedom to enslaved persons living and working in the Bay. This was due to the issuing of Seamen\u2019s Protection Certificates, which allowed Black watermen to be classified as citizens as early as sixty-seven years before the Emancipation Proclamation was disseminated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Black watermen worked across the entirety of the Bay\u2019s water industry as skilled tradesmen and innovators<\/a>. Black women often were employed in crab picking and oyster shucking, while Black men worked on the water as shipbuilders and crew, in addition to hauling freight and captaining ships. Entering the water industry was groundbreaking, as it was one of the first ways Black Americans could earn a wage. However, being a waterman on the Chesapeake Bay offered more than just a path to freedom and compensation. For many, living at the water\u2019s edge was a way of life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That is not to say, however, there were not still vast issues with the system created. Imani Black, shellfish aquaculture biologist and founder of Minorities in Aquaculture<\/a>, discusses this in \u201cWater\u2019s Edge: The Black Watermen of the Chesapeake Bay,\u201d a documentary for PBS<\/a>. She explains that Black Americans were pushed to the coasts as a result of practices steeped in prejudice and racism, and thus they learned how to live and work with the water out of necessity. Further, working on the water was not easy for African Americans. In 1836, a law was passed<\/a> attempting to prohibit and restrict Black Americans from laboring on the water. While white captains and watermen often ignored this decree due to the crucial contributions of Black watermen, this law promoted additional segregation, economic oppression, and discrimination.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Despite these barriers, African Americans changed and propelled the industry forward. Their resilience led to the creation of an incredible communication network. The winding rivers and bustling water passages became a way for Black Americans to pass information and messages through ports. Through this system, they were able to stay informed on what was happening abroad as well as within the United States. This was how those who had secured their freedom through the water industry were able to devise strategies<\/a> for enslaved persons to flee secretly via boat passage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Black watermen used a lantern code to signal if boats had fugitive enslaved African Americans on board. They would then exchange passengers under the cover of night on the still waters of the Chesapeake before returning to their ports. From there, the escaped enslaved Black Americans would travel through the Underground Railroad. Harriet Tubman herself grew up on a Maryland plantation by the Chesapeake Bay. While laboring on the docks, she engaged with a group of Black watermen<\/a>, forming connections and discovering the astonishing system of networking they had created. It was through the information Tubman learned from these Black maritime workers that she was ultimately able to escape. Once free, she used those connections to send messages back and forth to those still enslaved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The impact of the Black watermen continues to be felt today. In the Chesapeake region, generations of Black watermen, like Captain Tyrone Meredith, dedicate their lives<\/a> to preserving the legacy of their forebears. Captain Meredith has worked in the industry for 40 years and is a fifth-generation waterman, following in the footsteps of his father, grandfather, and ancestors. Today, his work as a skipjack captain ensures the spirit and hard work of the Black watermen live on. The Virginia Department of Historic Resources is another source dedicated to preserving this history of the Black watermen; they initiated the African American Watermen Project<\/a>, which documents the culture and history of African American watermen in the Chesapeake Bay\u2019s coastal communities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Despite the many challenges and barriers they faced, the Black watermen of the Chesapeake Bay made indelible marks on both the water industry and U.S. history. Their tenacity, innovation, and unyielding spirit continue to inspire generations. As we celebrate Black History Month, let us honor and remember their contributions\u2014not just in the context of their time, but as a testament to the enduring power of community, resilience, and self-determination. The legacy of the Black watermen is a shining beacon of hope and excellence, reminding us that the waters they navigated are still filled with stories of courage and triumph that resonate to this day.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Black History Month Spotlight: The Black Watermen of the Chesapeake Bay","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"black-history-month-spotlight-the-black-watermen-of-the-chesapeake-bay","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-02-14 16:53:32","post_modified_gmt":"2025-02-14 22:53:32","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/immerse.gowpi.org\/?p=1028","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":849,"post_author":"1","post_date":"2023-04-27 12:00:21","post_date_gmt":"2023-04-27 17:00:21","post_content":"The fastest growing testing trends for 2023 encompass the test taker experience, increasing interest in certification, and how artificial intelligence can play a role in test development. In addition, as the testing industry continues to evolve following the pandemic organizations are reevaluating their strategies for remote testing.\r\n\r\nAll these trends contribute to the perpetual balancing act \u2013 the need for robust test security and a desire to deliver the most convenient and accessible experience for all test takers.\r\nThe whole test taker experience<\/h3>\r\nWe are seeing an increased propensity for testing organizations to look at the test taker experience as a whole, rather than focusing on isolated elements. And we are working with a growing number of clients to map and scrutinize their test taker journey at every stage, with the aim of uncovering improvements or enhancements that will make the testing experience as easy and accessible as possible, for all test takers.\r\n\r\nTest taker journey mapping includes every piece of information, every click, and every scroll they take on their way to receiving a test result. We undertook journey mapping exercises with clients including\u00a0ISACA<\/a>\u00a0and the\u00a0UK Home Office<\/a>\u00a0last year. Working together, we detailed every action a test taker might take during the testing experience. A diagram was used to visualize the journey, and workshops examined every stage in detail. We are currently progressing through the resulting action log and expect to see improvements across the test taker experience, alongside increased efficiencies and smoother processes.\r\n\r\nWe have seen positive outcomes across many clients from this trend of examining the test taker experience through a broad lens. We expect to work with more clients on test taker journey mapping in the year to come, as this continues to be a critical consideration globally across all delivery modalities.\r\n
Balancing test taker needs and wants<\/h3>\r\nTesting organizations are also taking a pragmatic approach and carefully considering what it is their test takers need \u2013 versus what it is they might want. During COVID, we saw a large-scale shift to remote testing. This was necessary but not without its concerns, particularly about test security.\r\n\r\nNow we are seeing organizations re-evaluating their test delivery strategies, particularly in North America where there is ample test center coverage. Some organizations are scaling-up in-person testing, and even more are adopting a multi-modal approach that provides convenience for test takers in more remote locations.\r\n\r\nWe are supporting clients to make these important decisions based on the needs of their testing program and their market. As well as providing testing organizations with the\u00a0data forensics and web crawling<\/a>\u00a0services they need to help inform their decisions.\r\n
Beyond testing \u2013 growing test taker populations<\/h3>\r\nTaking a broader view doesn\u2019t stop with the test taker experience. More and more testing organizations are paying attention to the overall health of their profession and the educational pathways of their test takers. One element of this is a greater focus on test preparation materials and supporting the learner. And even further, we are working with clients on campaigns that promote and recruit individuals to their profession.\r\n\r\nAn important example is nursing, which has seen both a reduction in graduating nurses and an increase in nurses planning to leave the profession. By 2025,\u00a0McKinsey estimates the United States may have a 10-20% gap of nurses available for direct patient care<\/a>.\r\n\r\nWe recently worked with our client, the American Board of Nursing Certification (ABNC) and the\u00a0National Certification Corporation (NCC)<\/a>\u00a0on a \u2018Certified Nurses Make a Difference\u2019 campaign. Public service announcements in specific areas of the United States generated awareness and helped promote the work and value nurses play in patient healthcare. The campaign was aired over 6,000 times with more than 7.5 million impressions in 2022.\r\n\r\nIn a similar example, the\u00a0National Board for Respiratory Care (NBRC)<\/a>\u00a0teamed up with membership and education associations to promote the profession of respiratory therapists. Through videos, case studies, and social media, the NBRC are sharing the stories of therapists and patients, elevating the profession and helping to address the shortage in respiratory therapists.\r\n\r\nI have had more conversations with testing organizations in the past year than I have in the rest of my career about ways we can work together to raise the profile of their profession. With workforce shortages continuing across multiple industries, this trend is likely to continue.\r\n
Artificial Intelligence in test development<\/h3>\r\nMy colleague Isabelle Gonthier covered the topic of\u00a0emerging technologies in test development in her first blog of this series<\/a>\u00a0on testing trends for 2023. Including advances in the use of Automatic Item Generation (AIG), which is already in use.\r\n\r\nArtificial Intelligence (AI), and constituent technologies of AI such as machine learning and natural language processing (NLP), are also exciting developments when it comes to test development. While still in their early stages, these technologies are becoming more mainstream with real potential in the test development lifecycle to:\r\n
\r\n \t
The whole test taker experience<\/h3>\r\nWe are seeing an increased propensity for testing organizations to look at the test taker experience as a whole, rather than focusing on isolated elements. And we are working with a growing number of clients to map and scrutinize their test taker journey at every stage, with the aim of uncovering improvements or enhancements that will make the testing experience as easy and accessible as possible, for all test takers.\r\n\r\nTest taker journey mapping includes every piece of information, every click, and every scroll they take on their way to receiving a test result. We undertook journey mapping exercises with clients including\u00a0ISACA<\/a>\u00a0and the\u00a0UK Home Office<\/a>\u00a0last year. Working together, we detailed every action a test taker might take during the testing experience. A diagram was used to visualize the journey, and workshops examined every stage in detail. We are currently progressing through the resulting action log and expect to see improvements across the test taker experience, alongside increased efficiencies and smoother processes.\r\n\r\nWe have seen positive outcomes across many clients from this trend of examining the test taker experience through a broad lens. We expect to work with more clients on test taker journey mapping in the year to come, as this continues to be a critical consideration globally across all delivery modalities.\r\n
Balancing test taker needs and wants<\/h3>\r\nTesting organizations are also taking a pragmatic approach and carefully considering what it is their test takers need \u2013 versus what it is they might want. During COVID, we saw a large-scale shift to remote testing. This was necessary but not without its concerns, particularly about test security.\r\n\r\nNow we are seeing organizations re-evaluating their test delivery strategies, particularly in North America where there is ample test center coverage. Some organizations are scaling-up in-person testing, and even more are adopting a multi-modal approach that provides convenience for test takers in more remote locations.\r\n\r\nWe are supporting clients to make these important decisions based on the needs of their testing program and their market. As well as providing testing organizations with the\u00a0data forensics and web crawling<\/a>\u00a0services they need to help inform their decisions.\r\n
Beyond testing \u2013 growing test taker populations<\/h3>\r\nTaking a broader view doesn\u2019t stop with the test taker experience. More and more testing organizations are paying attention to the overall health of their profession and the educational pathways of their test takers. One element of this is a greater focus on test preparation materials and supporting the learner. And even further, we are working with clients on campaigns that promote and recruit individuals to their profession.\r\n\r\nAn important example is nursing, which has seen both a reduction in graduating nurses and an increase in nurses planning to leave the profession. By 2025,\u00a0McKinsey estimates the United States may have a 10-20% gap of nurses available for direct patient care<\/a>.\r\n\r\nWe recently worked with our client, the American Board of Nursing Certification (ABNC) and the\u00a0National Certification Corporation (NCC)<\/a>\u00a0on a \u2018Certified Nurses Make a Difference\u2019 campaign. Public service announcements in specific areas of the United States generated awareness and helped promote the work and value nurses play in patient healthcare. The campaign was aired over 6,000 times with more than 7.5 million impressions in 2022.\r\n\r\nIn a similar example, the\u00a0National Board for Respiratory Care (NBRC)<\/a>\u00a0teamed up with membership and education associations to promote the profession of respiratory therapists. Through videos, case studies, and social media, the NBRC are sharing the stories of therapists and patients, elevating the profession and helping to address the shortage in respiratory therapists.\r\n\r\nI have had more conversations with testing organizations in the past year than I have in the rest of my career about ways we can work together to raise the profile of their profession. With workforce shortages continuing across multiple industries, this trend is likely to continue.\r\n
Artificial Intelligence in test development<\/h3>\r\nMy colleague Isabelle Gonthier covered the topic of\u00a0emerging technologies in test development in her first blog of this series<\/a>\u00a0on testing trends for 2023. Including advances in the use of Automatic Item Generation (AIG), which is already in use.\r\n\r\nArtificial Intelligence (AI), and constituent technologies of AI such as machine learning and natural language processing (NLP), are also exciting developments when it comes to test development. While still in their early stages, these technologies are becoming more mainstream with real potential in the test development lifecycle to:\r\n
\r\n \t
The whole test taker experience<\/h3>\r\nWe are seeing an increased propensity for testing organizations to look at the test taker experience as a whole, rather than focusing on isolated elements. And we are working with a growing number of clients to map and scrutinize their test taker journey at every stage, with the aim of uncovering improvements or enhancements that will make the testing experience as easy and accessible as possible, for all test takers.\r\n\r\nTest taker journey mapping includes every piece of information, every click, and every scroll they take on their way to receiving a test result. We undertook journey mapping exercises with clients including\u00a0ISACA<\/a>\u00a0and the\u00a0UK Home Office<\/a>\u00a0last year. Working together, we detailed every action a test taker might take during the testing experience. A diagram was used to visualize the journey, and workshops examined every stage in detail. We are currently progressing through the resulting action log and expect to see improvements across the test taker experience, alongside increased efficiencies and smoother processes.\r\n\r\nWe have seen positive outcomes across many clients from this trend of examining the test taker experience through a broad lens. We expect to work with more clients on test taker journey mapping in the year to come, as this continues to be a critical consideration globally across all delivery modalities.\r\n
Balancing test taker needs and wants<\/h3>\r\nTesting organizations are also taking a pragmatic approach and carefully considering what it is their test takers need \u2013 versus what it is they might want. During COVID, we saw a large-scale shift to remote testing. This was necessary but not without its concerns, particularly about test security.\r\n\r\nNow we are seeing organizations re-evaluating their test delivery strategies, particularly in North America where there is ample test center coverage. Some organizations are scaling-up in-person testing, and even more are adopting a multi-modal approach that provides convenience for test takers in more remote locations.\r\n\r\nWe are supporting clients to make these important decisions based on the needs of their testing program and their market. As well as providing testing organizations with the\u00a0data forensics and web crawling<\/a>\u00a0services they need to help inform their decisions.\r\n
Beyond testing \u2013 growing test taker populations<\/h3>\r\nTaking a broader view doesn\u2019t stop with the test taker experience. More and more testing organizations are paying attention to the overall health of their profession and the educational pathways of their test takers. One element of this is a greater focus on test preparation materials and supporting the learner. And even further, we are working with clients on campaigns that promote and recruit individuals to their profession.\r\n\r\nAn important example is nursing, which has seen both a reduction in graduating nurses and an increase in nurses planning to leave the profession. By 2025,\u00a0McKinsey estimates the United States may have a 10-20% gap of nurses available for direct patient care<\/a>.\r\n\r\nWe recently worked with our client, the American Board of Nursing Certification (ABNC) and the\u00a0National Certification Corporation (NCC)<\/a>\u00a0on a \u2018Certified Nurses Make a Difference\u2019 campaign. Public service announcements in specific areas of the United States generated awareness and helped promote the work and value nurses play in patient healthcare. The campaign was aired over 6,000 times with more than 7.5 million impressions in 2022.\r\n\r\nIn a similar example, the\u00a0National Board for Respiratory Care (NBRC)<\/a>\u00a0teamed up with membership and education associations to promote the profession of respiratory therapists. Through videos, case studies, and social media, the NBRC are sharing the stories of therapists and patients, elevating the profession and helping to address the shortage in respiratory therapists.\r\n\r\nI have had more conversations with testing organizations in the past year than I have in the rest of my career about ways we can work together to raise the profile of their profession. With workforce shortages continuing across multiple industries, this trend is likely to continue.\r\n
Artificial Intelligence in test development<\/h3>\r\nMy colleague Isabelle Gonthier covered the topic of\u00a0emerging technologies in test development in her first blog of this series<\/a>\u00a0on testing trends for 2023. Including advances in the use of Automatic Item Generation (AIG), which is already in use.\r\n\r\nArtificial Intelligence (AI), and constituent technologies of AI such as machine learning and natural language processing (NLP), are also exciting developments when it comes to test development. While still in their early stages, these technologies are becoming more mainstream with real potential in the test development lifecycle to:\r\n
\r\n \t
The whole test taker experience<\/h3>\r\nWe are seeing an increased propensity for testing organizations to look at the test taker experience as a whole, rather than focusing on isolated elements. And we are working with a growing number of clients to map and scrutinize their test taker journey at every stage, with the aim of uncovering improvements or enhancements that will make the testing experience as easy and accessible as possible, for all test takers.\r\n\r\nTest taker journey mapping includes every piece of information, every click, and every scroll they take on their way to receiving a test result. We undertook journey mapping exercises with clients including\u00a0ISACA<\/a>\u00a0and the\u00a0UK Home Office<\/a>\u00a0last year. Working together, we detailed every action a test taker might take during the testing experience. A diagram was used to visualize the journey, and workshops examined every stage in detail. We are currently progressing through the resulting action log and expect to see improvements across the test taker experience, alongside increased efficiencies and smoother processes.\r\n\r\nWe have seen positive outcomes across many clients from this trend of examining the test taker experience through a broad lens. We expect to work with more clients on test taker journey mapping in the year to come, as this continues to be a critical consideration globally across all delivery modalities.\r\n
Balancing test taker needs and wants<\/h3>\r\nTesting organizations are also taking a pragmatic approach and carefully considering what it is their test takers need \u2013 versus what it is they might want. During COVID, we saw a large-scale shift to remote testing. This was necessary but not without its concerns, particularly about test security.\r\n\r\nNow we are seeing organizations re-evaluating their test delivery strategies, particularly in North America where there is ample test center coverage. Some organizations are scaling-up in-person testing, and even more are adopting a multi-modal approach that provides convenience for test takers in more remote locations.\r\n\r\nWe are supporting clients to make these important decisions based on the needs of their testing program and their market. As well as providing testing organizations with the\u00a0data forensics and web crawling<\/a>\u00a0services they need to help inform their decisions.\r\n
Beyond testing \u2013 growing test taker populations<\/h3>\r\nTaking a broader view doesn\u2019t stop with the test taker experience. More and more testing organizations are paying attention to the overall health of their profession and the educational pathways of their test takers. One element of this is a greater focus on test preparation materials and supporting the learner. And even further, we are working with clients on campaigns that promote and recruit individuals to their profession.\r\n\r\nAn important example is nursing, which has seen both a reduction in graduating nurses and an increase in nurses planning to leave the profession. By 2025,\u00a0McKinsey estimates the United States may have a 10-20% gap of nurses available for direct patient care<\/a>.\r\n\r\nWe recently worked with our client, the American Board of Nursing Certification (ABNC) and the\u00a0National Certification Corporation (NCC)<\/a>\u00a0on a \u2018Certified Nurses Make a Difference\u2019 campaign. Public service announcements in specific areas of the United States generated awareness and helped promote the work and value nurses play in patient healthcare. The campaign was aired over 6,000 times with more than 7.5 million impressions in 2022.\r\n\r\nIn a similar example, the\u00a0National Board for Respiratory Care (NBRC)<\/a>\u00a0teamed up with membership and education associations to promote the profession of respiratory therapists. Through videos, case studies, and social media, the NBRC are sharing the stories of therapists and patients, elevating the profession and helping to address the shortage in respiratory therapists.\r\n\r\nI have had more conversations with testing organizations in the past year than I have in the rest of my career about ways we can work together to raise the profile of their profession. With workforce shortages continuing across multiple industries, this trend is likely to continue.\r\n
Artificial Intelligence in test development<\/h3>\r\nMy colleague Isabelle Gonthier covered the topic of\u00a0emerging technologies in test development in her first blog of this series<\/a>\u00a0on testing trends for 2023. Including advances in the use of Automatic Item Generation (AIG), which is already in use.\r\n\r\nArtificial Intelligence (AI), and constituent technologies of AI such as machine learning and natural language processing (NLP), are also exciting developments when it comes to test development. While still in their early stages, these technologies are becoming more mainstream with real potential in the test development lifecycle to:\r\n
\r\n \t
The whole test taker experience<\/h3>\r\nWe are seeing an increased propensity for testing organizations to look at the test taker experience as a whole, rather than focusing on isolated elements. And we are working with a growing number of clients to map and scrutinize their test taker journey at every stage, with the aim of uncovering improvements or enhancements that will make the testing experience as easy and accessible as possible, for all test takers.\r\n\r\nTest taker journey mapping includes every piece of information, every click, and every scroll they take on their way to receiving a test result. We undertook journey mapping exercises with clients including\u00a0ISACA<\/a>\u00a0and the\u00a0UK Home Office<\/a>\u00a0last year. Working together, we detailed every action a test taker might take during the testing experience. A diagram was used to visualize the journey, and workshops examined every stage in detail. We are currently progressing through the resulting action log and expect to see improvements across the test taker experience, alongside increased efficiencies and smoother processes.\r\n\r\nWe have seen positive outcomes across many clients from this trend of examining the test taker experience through a broad lens. We expect to work with more clients on test taker journey mapping in the year to come, as this continues to be a critical consideration globally across all delivery modalities.\r\n
Balancing test taker needs and wants<\/h3>\r\nTesting organizations are also taking a pragmatic approach and carefully considering what it is their test takers need \u2013 versus what it is they might want. During COVID, we saw a large-scale shift to remote testing. This was necessary but not without its concerns, particularly about test security.\r\n\r\nNow we are seeing organizations re-evaluating their test delivery strategies, particularly in North America where there is ample test center coverage. Some organizations are scaling-up in-person testing, and even more are adopting a multi-modal approach that provides convenience for test takers in more remote locations.\r\n\r\nWe are supporting clients to make these important decisions based on the needs of their testing program and their market. As well as providing testing organizations with the\u00a0data forensics and web crawling<\/a>\u00a0services they need to help inform their decisions.\r\n
Beyond testing \u2013 growing test taker populations<\/h3>\r\nTaking a broader view doesn\u2019t stop with the test taker experience. More and more testing organizations are paying attention to the overall health of their profession and the educational pathways of their test takers. One element of this is a greater focus on test preparation materials and supporting the learner. And even further, we are working with clients on campaigns that promote and recruit individuals to their profession.\r\n\r\nAn important example is nursing, which has seen both a reduction in graduating nurses and an increase in nurses planning to leave the profession. By 2025,\u00a0McKinsey estimates the United States may have a 10-20% gap of nurses available for direct patient care<\/a>.\r\n\r\nWe recently worked with our client, the American Board of Nursing Certification (ABNC) and the\u00a0National Certification Corporation (NCC)<\/a>\u00a0on a \u2018Certified Nurses Make a Difference\u2019 campaign. Public service announcements in specific areas of the United States generated awareness and helped promote the work and value nurses play in patient healthcare. The campaign was aired over 6,000 times with more than 7.5 million impressions in 2022.\r\n\r\nIn a similar example, the\u00a0National Board for Respiratory Care (NBRC)<\/a>\u00a0teamed up with membership and education associations to promote the profession of respiratory therapists. Through videos, case studies, and social media, the NBRC are sharing the stories of therapists and patients, elevating the profession and helping to address the shortage in respiratory therapists.\r\n\r\nI have had more conversations with testing organizations in the past year than I have in the rest of my career about ways we can work together to raise the profile of their profession. With workforce shortages continuing across multiple industries, this trend is likely to continue.\r\n
Artificial Intelligence in test development<\/h3>\r\nMy colleague Isabelle Gonthier covered the topic of\u00a0emerging technologies in test development in her first blog of this series<\/a>\u00a0on testing trends for 2023. Including advances in the use of Automatic Item Generation (AIG), which is already in use.\r\n\r\nArtificial Intelligence (AI), and constituent technologies of AI such as machine learning and natural language processing (NLP), are also exciting developments when it comes to test development. While still in their early stages, these technologies are becoming more mainstream with real potential in the test development lifecycle to:\r\n
\r\n \t
The whole test taker experience<\/h3>\r\nWe are seeing an increased propensity for testing organizations to look at the test taker experience as a whole, rather than focusing on isolated elements. And we are working with a growing number of clients to map and scrutinize their test taker journey at every stage, with the aim of uncovering improvements or enhancements that will make the testing experience as easy and accessible as possible, for all test takers.\r\n\r\nTest taker journey mapping includes every piece of information, every click, and every scroll they take on their way to receiving a test result. We undertook journey mapping exercises with clients including\u00a0ISACA<\/a>\u00a0and the\u00a0UK Home Office<\/a>\u00a0last year. Working together, we detailed every action a test taker might take during the testing experience. A diagram was used to visualize the journey, and workshops examined every stage in detail. We are currently progressing through the resulting action log and expect to see improvements across the test taker experience, alongside increased efficiencies and smoother processes.\r\n\r\nWe have seen positive outcomes across many clients from this trend of examining the test taker experience through a broad lens. We expect to work with more clients on test taker journey mapping in the year to come, as this continues to be a critical consideration globally across all delivery modalities.\r\n
Balancing test taker needs and wants<\/h3>\r\nTesting organizations are also taking a pragmatic approach and carefully considering what it is their test takers need \u2013 versus what it is they might want. During COVID, we saw a large-scale shift to remote testing. This was necessary but not without its concerns, particularly about test security.\r\n\r\nNow we are seeing organizations re-evaluating their test delivery strategies, particularly in North America where there is ample test center coverage. Some organizations are scaling-up in-person testing, and even more are adopting a multi-modal approach that provides convenience for test takers in more remote locations.\r\n\r\nWe are supporting clients to make these important decisions based on the needs of their testing program and their market. As well as providing testing organizations with the\u00a0data forensics and web crawling<\/a>\u00a0services they need to help inform their decisions.\r\n
Beyond testing \u2013 growing test taker populations<\/h3>\r\nTaking a broader view doesn\u2019t stop with the test taker experience. More and more testing organizations are paying attention to the overall health of their profession and the educational pathways of their test takers. One element of this is a greater focus on test preparation materials and supporting the learner. And even further, we are working with clients on campaigns that promote and recruit individuals to their profession.\r\n\r\nAn important example is nursing, which has seen both a reduction in graduating nurses and an increase in nurses planning to leave the profession. By 2025,\u00a0McKinsey estimates the United States may have a 10-20% gap of nurses available for direct patient care<\/a>.\r\n\r\nWe recently worked with our client, the American Board of Nursing Certification (ABNC) and the\u00a0National Certification Corporation (NCC)<\/a>\u00a0on a \u2018Certified Nurses Make a Difference\u2019 campaign. Public service announcements in specific areas of the United States generated awareness and helped promote the work and value nurses play in patient healthcare. The campaign was aired over 6,000 times with more than 7.5 million impressions in 2022.\r\n\r\nIn a similar example, the\u00a0National Board for Respiratory Care (NBRC)<\/a>\u00a0teamed up with membership and education associations to promote the profession of respiratory therapists. Through videos, case studies, and social media, the NBRC are sharing the stories of therapists and patients, elevating the profession and helping to address the shortage in respiratory therapists.\r\n\r\nI have had more conversations with testing organizations in the past year than I have in the rest of my career about ways we can work together to raise the profile of their profession. With workforce shortages continuing across multiple industries, this trend is likely to continue.\r\n
Artificial Intelligence in test development<\/h3>\r\nMy colleague Isabelle Gonthier covered the topic of\u00a0emerging technologies in test development in her first blog of this series<\/a>\u00a0on testing trends for 2023. Including advances in the use of Automatic Item Generation (AIG), which is already in use.\r\n\r\nArtificial Intelligence (AI), and constituent technologies of AI such as machine learning and natural language processing (NLP), are also exciting developments when it comes to test development. While still in their early stages, these technologies are becoming more mainstream with real potential in the test development lifecycle to:\r\n
\r\n \t
The whole test taker experience<\/h3>\r\nWe are seeing an increased propensity for testing organizations to look at the test taker experience as a whole, rather than focusing on isolated elements. And we are working with a growing number of clients to map and scrutinize their test taker journey at every stage, with the aim of uncovering improvements or enhancements that will make the testing experience as easy and accessible as possible, for all test takers.\r\n\r\nTest taker journey mapping includes every piece of information, every click, and every scroll they take on their way to receiving a test result. We undertook journey mapping exercises with clients including\u00a0ISACA<\/a>\u00a0and the\u00a0UK Home Office<\/a>\u00a0last year. Working together, we detailed every action a test taker might take during the testing experience. A diagram was used to visualize the journey, and workshops examined every stage in detail. We are currently progressing through the resulting action log and expect to see improvements across the test taker experience, alongside increased efficiencies and smoother processes.\r\n\r\nWe have seen positive outcomes across many clients from this trend of examining the test taker experience through a broad lens. We expect to work with more clients on test taker journey mapping in the year to come, as this continues to be a critical consideration globally across all delivery modalities.\r\n
Balancing test taker needs and wants<\/h3>\r\nTesting organizations are also taking a pragmatic approach and carefully considering what it is their test takers need \u2013 versus what it is they might want. During COVID, we saw a large-scale shift to remote testing. This was necessary but not without its concerns, particularly about test security.\r\n\r\nNow we are seeing organizations re-evaluating their test delivery strategies, particularly in North America where there is ample test center coverage. Some organizations are scaling-up in-person testing, and even more are adopting a multi-modal approach that provides convenience for test takers in more remote locations.\r\n\r\nWe are supporting clients to make these important decisions based on the needs of their testing program and their market. As well as providing testing organizations with the\u00a0data forensics and web crawling<\/a>\u00a0services they need to help inform their decisions.\r\n
Beyond testing \u2013 growing test taker populations<\/h3>\r\nTaking a broader view doesn\u2019t stop with the test taker experience. More and more testing organizations are paying attention to the overall health of their profession and the educational pathways of their test takers. One element of this is a greater focus on test preparation materials and supporting the learner. And even further, we are working with clients on campaigns that promote and recruit individuals to their profession.\r\n\r\nAn important example is nursing, which has seen both a reduction in graduating nurses and an increase in nurses planning to leave the profession. By 2025,\u00a0McKinsey estimates the United States may have a 10-20% gap of nurses available for direct patient care<\/a>.\r\n\r\nWe recently worked with our client, the American Board of Nursing Certification (ABNC) and the\u00a0National Certification Corporation (NCC)<\/a>\u00a0on a \u2018Certified Nurses Make a Difference\u2019 campaign. Public service announcements in specific areas of the United States generated awareness and helped promote the work and value nurses play in patient healthcare. The campaign was aired over 6,000 times with more than 7.5 million impressions in 2022.\r\n\r\nIn a similar example, the\u00a0National Board for Respiratory Care (NBRC)<\/a>\u00a0teamed up with membership and education associations to promote the profession of respiratory therapists. Through videos, case studies, and social media, the NBRC are sharing the stories of therapists and patients, elevating the profession and helping to address the shortage in respiratory therapists.\r\n\r\nI have had more conversations with testing organizations in the past year than I have in the rest of my career about ways we can work together to raise the profile of their profession. With workforce shortages continuing across multiple industries, this trend is likely to continue.\r\n
Artificial Intelligence in test development<\/h3>\r\nMy colleague Isabelle Gonthier covered the topic of\u00a0emerging technologies in test development in her first blog of this series<\/a>\u00a0on testing trends for 2023. Including advances in the use of Automatic Item Generation (AIG), which is already in use.\r\n\r\nArtificial Intelligence (AI), and constituent technologies of AI such as machine learning and natural language processing (NLP), are also exciting developments when it comes to test development. While still in their early stages, these technologies are becoming more mainstream with real potential in the test development lifecycle to:\r\n
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