An independent consultant, Dr. Hervé Jodouin has an extensive background in education and assessment. He holds a Bachelor of Education (BEd) from the University of Ottawa, a Master’s in Measurement and Evaluation, and a PhD in Applied Psychology and Human Development from the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto (OISE/UT).
He began his career as a French high school teacher, working for 20 years in the Northern Ontario communities of Elliot Lake, Timmins, and Cochrane. Following his classroom experience, Hervé joined the Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO), where he worked for nine years on national and international assessments. It was his work at EQAO that led him to pursue a master’s degree and expand his expertise in large-scale assessments.
In his doctoral research, he examined why Francophone students tend not to answer selected-response questions when they are unsure of the answer. He notes that this behaviour was previously more prevalent but has improved as students have been trained to respond to questions to maximize outcomes. This topic has been of interest to Hervé over the years, during which time he has consulted with researchers in other French-speaking jurisdictions.
Dr. Jodouin discusses his experience with online assessments across jurisdictions and his work on transitioning assessment programs from paper-based to electronic formats. He shares insights into the challenges faced by older and non-English-speaking candidates when adapting to digital assessments. He also highlights the potential of AI in assessing constructed-response questions, while emphasizing the need for human oversight.
He describes his work in educational assessment, which involves providing assessment consulting services to provinces such as Alberta, British Columbia, Prince Edward Island, and Quebec, as well as contributing to international projects, including supporting Qatar in developing and implementing its national assessment program. His work also includes data analysis for high school exit examinations across multiple subjects and ensuring assessment comparability, particularly across different language and ethnic groups. He emphasizes the importance of understanding population differences when comparing assessments across different countries and regions.
In his current consulting role, he primarily conducts employee satisfaction surveys, as well as surveys of parents, students, and school staff related to professional development and anti-bullying programs. Although he is aware of the Vretta platform’s ubiquity across Canada, Hervé does not have personal experience with the solution.
Reflecting on his long career, Hervé takes particular pride in having prepared teachers to conduct assessments appropriately and in supporting jurisdictions and organizations in designing, developing, and implementing assessment programs that are fair, reliable, and valid. In particular, he highlights his leadership at the Canadian Alliance of Physiotherapy Regulators (CAPR) during their transition from paper-based to digital format.
Hervé expresses interest in future work on minority-language assessments and in developing methods to ensure comparability across cultural contexts.
Away from his consulting work, Hervé enjoys gardening, “getting his hands in the soil,” as well as woodcraft, where he works on a variety of woodworking projects. Feel free to reach out to Hervé at: hervejodouin@gmail.com.
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