Dr James Trueman

James is an Associate Professor and the Academic Lead: Assessment at Anglia Learning & Teaching. His work focuses on developing evidence-based and effective Assessment and Feedback practices.

[email protected]

01223 695 307

07795 503 837

Follow James on Twitter

Background

James' work focuses on the strategic development and implementation of evidence-based Assessment and Feedback policy and practice, with a strong focus on Systems Architecture and Educational Technologies. This work includes leading on projects regarding both pedagogic and technical developments, working with university, national and international colleagues to ensure integrated and business relevant solutions are delivered.

A significant area of James’ work centres on leading the LMS Assessment Project. This has been a complex, multi-phase development which has delivered end-to-end, programmatic management of assessment. The Project involved integrating key ARU platforms, adapting existing solutions, and the development and deployment of bespoke solutions. The success of this work was recognised when it won both the UCISA 2024 Transformation Award and the 1EdTech Learning Impact Awards 2024. Amongst other criteria, the UCISA Award ‘…celebrates groundbreaking digital innovation that has transformed and delivered for the institution and beyond.’. 

As part of his wider assessment portfolio, James is engaged in a broad range of activities to support and drive assessment practice. Internally, together with colleagues in our Academic Registry, James delivers the Advance HE External Examiner Professional Development Course. Externally, James works with colleagues in Europe and the United States on the development of Educational Technologies that are fit for today and the future.

Consultancy, , knowledge exchange

Advance HE: Degree Standards Project - External Examiner Professional Development Course Facilitator (2019 - present)

Jisc: Electronic Management of Assessment Project (2014 - 2017)

External Examiner University of Hertfordshire (2013 - 2017)

Dutch & Belgian Canvas Higher Education User Group (2024 - present)

Norwegian Canvas Higher Education User Group (2024 - present)

Swedish Canvas Higher Education User Group (2024 - present)

1EdTech Consortium (2024 - present)

Research interests

Assessment

Technology-enhanced assessment

Media and professional discourse 

Critical Discourse Analysis

Teaching

James has been working in Higher Education for over 20 years, specialising in technology-enhanced learning and assessment since 2010. James’ original discipline was mental health law and ethics. This has been applied to teaching, course/module management and individual student supervision, from undergraduate to doctoral level. Before moving full time into Academic Development, he was Course Leader for the Approved Mental Health Professional training programme, across Essex and Cambridgeshire.

Qualifications

PhD Political Science and Law

PG Dip Learning and Teaching (Health and Social Care Professional)

MA Mental Health

PG Dip Mental Health Innovations

Dip H.E. (RN Mental Health)

Awards

1EdTech Learning Impact Europe Awards 2024 Winner - LMS Assessment Project

UCISA Transformation Award 2024 Winner - LMS Assessment Project

1EdTech Learning Impact Global Awards 2025 Finalist (currently) - LMS Assessment Project (Award Ceremony / Decision June 2025) 

Vice Chancellor’s Award (Individual - Outstanding Professional Contribution) 

October 2020, Anglia Ruskin University 

Awarded "...in acknowledgement of the exceptional support to faculties at the start of lockdown to rapidly change the system of assessment submissions, especially in the Cambridge School of Art where making a change from physical to online submissions was particularly challenging".

Vice Chancellor's Award (Team - Collaborative Activities)

October 2020, Anglia Ruskin University

The VC Award was awarded by Anglia Ruskin University to a staff development team lead by Dr Simon Pratt-Adams for "…the planning and delivery of the Course Design Intensives, in a very tight timescale, and which has transformed our culture and education offer, supporting course teams to implement the Active Curriculum".

The Course Design Intensives is a Degree Course/Programme level curriculum design and development process, to support Course/Programme Teams to implement the University’s Education Strategy and to embed active collaborative, student-centred learning into the curriculum.

Memberships, editorial boards

Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy

Jisc: Senior Leader Working Group for Digital Transformation (2023 - present)

Jisc: Assessment Working Group (2023 - present)

Cambridge University Press: Teaching and Learning Leaders Forum

Chair - UK & Ireland Canvas Higher Education User Group (2019 - present)

Chair - UK & Ireland Canvas Higher Education User Group Managing Assessment Working Group (2022 - present)

Founding Member – European Canvas Higher Education User Group Leadership Forum (2024 - present)

Universities and Colleges Information Systems Association (UCISA)

Selected recent publications

Trueman, J. (in press) Integrating from the Start: The Wider Ecosystem, In: Kerrigan, M. J. P., Pratt-Adams, S., & Warnes. M., (eds), Designing and Leading Institutional Technological Transformation, London, Taylor and Francis.

Priddle, J., Brown, L., Trueman, J and Potts, K. (2019) Narrowing attainment gaps through addressing assessment issues, Available at: https://www.advance-he.ac.uk/news-and-views/narrowing-attainment-gaps-through-addressing-assessment-issues, Last accessed: 1 June 2023

Trueman, J. (2013) 'The mirage of mental health reform', in S. Walker (ed.) Modern mental health: critical perspectives on psychiatric practice. St Albans: Critical Publishing.

Trueman, J. and Khoo, R. (2009) 'Mental health nursing and the law', in N. Wrycraft (ed.) Introduction to mental health nursing. London: Open University Press.

Recent presentations and conferences

Trueman, J. (2024) End-to-End Assessment Management Powered by LTI In: 1EdTech Learning Impact Europe Conference 2024, Barcelona, 9-11 October 2024, Burlington, MA, 1EdTech. Invited speaker

Trueman, J. (2024) Innovating solutions in teaching and learning, In: Teaching and Learning Leaders Forum, Cambridge, 2 July 2024, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press. Invited speaker

Trueman, J. (2024) Digital Transformation of Assessment in Higher Education: isn’t that just ‘tech’? Reflections from an institutional assessment project, In: International Assessment in Higher Education (AHE) Conference 2024, Manchester, 20-21 June 2024. Lancaster, University of Cumbria.

Trueman, J. (2024) Going for Gold, In: THE Digital Universities 2024, Exeter, UK, 16 – 18 April 2024, London, Times Higher Education. Invited speaker

Trueman, J. (2024) LMS Assessment: End-to-End Management. In: Kingston University Review, 4 March 2024, Online, London, Kingston University. Invited speaker

Trueman, J. (2024) LMS Assessment: End-to-End Management. In: SITS & Canvas Integration, 18 March 2024, Online, Bournemouth, Arts University Bournemouth. Invited speaker

Trueman, J. (2023) An Integrated Assessment Ecosystem. In: Jisc Working Group for Assessment and Feedback Think Tank, London, UK, 30 November 2023, Bristol, Jisc. Invited speaker

Trueman, J. (2023) Leveraging an LTI Assessment Dashboard for an Enhanced User Experience. In: UK and Ireland CanvasConnect 2023, Liverpool, UK, 1 November 2023, Salt Lake City, Instructure. Invited speaker

Trueman, J., Poulter, S. (2023) Leveraging an LTI Assessment Dashboard for an Enhanced User Experience. In: InstructureCon 2023, Denver, USA, 26 – 28 July 2023, Salt Lake City, Instructure.

Trueman, J. (2023) Assessment for an unknown future. In: Learning and Teaching Forum 2023 - Challenging Conventional Assessment & Feedback: Enhancing the Student Learning Experience, 21 June 2023, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine / University of London. Keynote speaker

Trueman, J. (2023) Institutional implementation of New Quizzes: challenges and opportunities. In: United Kingdom & Ireland Higher Education Canvas User Group, 8 June 2023, University of Sunderland (London), UK, London/Salt Lake City, UKIHEUG/Instructure.

Trueman, J. (2023) Digital Assessment. In: University of Brighton Strategic Review, 8 February 2023, Online, Brighton, University of Brighton. Invited speaker

Trueman, J., Liatiri, E. and McCorvie, S. (2022) Managing Assessment Working Group update, In: United Kingdom & Ireland Higher Education Canvas user group, Leeds, 17 November 2022, Instructure/UKIHEUG.

Trueman, J. (2022) Thinking big: thinking small. In: Advance HE assessment and feedback symposium: further frontiers: assessment and feedback policy and practice at the programme level, Online conference, 9 November 2022. Online: Advance HE. Keynote speaker

Brown, L., Priddle, J. and Trueman, J. (2017) Developing assessment practice: an inclusive audit, In: Engage, 18th learning and teaching conference, Cambridge, 27 June 2017, Cambridge: Anglia Ruskin University.

Trueman, J. (2017) From little acorns: university wide implementation of GradeMark to transform the assessment and feedback experience, In: 6th international assessment in higher education conference, Manchester, 28-29 June 2017. Lancaster: University of Cumbria.

Trueman, J. (2017) Using Poll Everywhere to enhance the student experience: an institutional perspective, In: SOLSTICE and CLT Conference, Ormskirk, 5-6 June 2017. Ormskirk: Edge Hill University.