The Test Community.Network

Tim Burnett

Welcome to the Test Community Network, your go-to weekly update on everything about assessment and testing. Tim Burnett and special guests will help you find the latest chances to explore and connect in the diverse world of assessment and testing. Discover new events, webinars, and podcasts, plus get inspiration from the Test Community Network marketplace. For more information visit: https://www.testcommunity.network

  1. Oct 28

    What Would You Ask the World’s Teachers About AI? In conversation with Adam Edmett

    In this week’s episode, Tim Burnett chats with Adam Edmett,Head of EdTech Innovation at the British Council, who leads the organisation’stechnology-enabled teacher development work across English and school educationprojects in around sixty countries. They discuss: Adam shares insights from nearly two decades with theBritish Council, living and working in countries including Qatar, Malaysia,China, Tunisia, Venezuela and the Czech Republic. He reflects on why risk toooften sits with individual teachers rather than at national level, and on thedangers of education systems becoming dependent on large commercial AIproviders. He also reports back from Nepal’s AI for Education conference.Research there found that around three-quarters of teachers had engaged with AIbut fewer than one in five had received training. It also found notable gaps inuptake by gender and age. Instead of speeches, the conference set up realclassrooms where teachers demonstrated their own AI-supported practice,including one teacher who used AI translation to run an energising word game ina multilingual classroom. The conversation then turns to the follow-up to the BritishCouncil’s 2023 research, which combined a ten-year systematic review, a surveyof around 1,400 teachers and interviews with 19 key witnesses. That report hasbeen downloaded more than 40,000 times and cited over 1,300 times. The newstudy will examine what has changed since then. Survey questions will befinalised in November, and the report is planned for mid-May. The full datasetwill be published openly for others to build on. Adam also previews his workwith UCL on teacher–AI complementarity, which explores how working with AI canstrengthen teachers’ skills rather than erode them. Have a question you would like to ask teachers around theworld about AI? Get in touch with Adam via LinkedIn before the Novemberdeadline. Links from Adam: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/15391523.2026.2661641#abstract https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s41239-026-00602-z Previous research https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/publications/case-studies-insights-and-research/artificial-intelligence-and-english-language https://bera-journals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/bjet.13460 Infographics for ai4ed Nepal (AI for Education) :- https://www.britishcouncil.org.np/sites/default/files/ai4ed_nepal_evidence_to_action_ai_for_teaching_and_learning_in_nepal-_infographics.pdf   Connect with Adam Edmett on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamedmett/ Connect with Tim Burnett on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tburnett/ If you would like to join Tim on a future episode or sponsorthe Test Community Network then get in touch with Tim to schedule a call: https://calendly.com/educationtech/15min-teams-chat Events: https://www.testcommunity.network/upcoming-events Podcasts: https://www.testcommunity.network/podcasts Marketplace: https://www.testcommunity.network/marketplace Subscribe to the Test Community Network here: https://www.testcommunity.network

  2. Oct 28

    29th Oct - Global Assessment News Update

    Read the collection in full: https://testcommunity.network/collections/29th-october-weekly-global-update This week’s round-up spans the globe, from Ofqual’s £185,000 fine against Innovate Awarding and QAA’s draft sector principles for assessment, to Vietnam’s push towards computer-based testing and the OECD’s plans to assess AI and media literacy in PISA 2029. We also explore governance frameworks for protecting assessment validity, the growing challenge of qualification fraud, proctoring models compared, and fresh research on gender representation in GCSE science. As AI reshapes how we design, deliver and secure assessment, what should the community be prioritising next? Disclaimer: This collection contains links to third-party websites and content provided for information only. The Test Community Network does not own, control or endorse these external sources and is not responsible for their accuracy, availability, content, privacy practices or any views expressed. Summaries are provided in good faith and may not reflect every detail of the original material. Inclusion of a link does not imply affiliation with, or recommendation of, any organisation, product or service. Readers access third-party sites at their own risk and should refer to the original source before relying on any information.

  3. Oct 22

    Why Test Security Needs the Whole Room, with Jim Wollack

    In this week’s episode, Tim Burnett chats with Jim Wollack, Professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and President of the Council on Test Security. They discuss:Why AI, proctoring and process data are the trending topics shaping test security in 2026How machine learning is being used to detect cheating patterns that human researchers would missWhat to expect from COTS 2026, the first Conference on Test Security to be held outside the United StatesJim has spent thirty years developing methodologies to detect and prevent cheating on tests. As a psychometrician and the current president of the Council on Test Security, he has been involved with COTS since its inception in 2012, back when it was known as the Conference on the Statistical Detection of Potential Test Fraud. In this conversation, Jim explains why testing programmes need to move beyond response time data and start using eye gaze, clickstream and biometric data to identify misconduct. He also shares his perspective on whether statistical evidence alone is enough to cancel a test score, and why the cat-and-mouse game between testing programmes and fraud rings is accelerating in the age of AI. With COTS 2026 heading to Cambridge for the first time, Jim is looking forward to new perspectives from UK and European presenters and a broader conversation about how the global community can respond to evolving threats.Read the article: https://testcommunity.network/test-security-in-the-age-of-ai-why-the-whole-community-needs-to-be-in-the-roomConnect with Jim Wollack on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-wollack-3a117620/Connect with Tim Burnett on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tburnett/Conference on Test Security (COTS) 2026: https://conferenceontestsecurity.org/If you would like to join Tim on a future episode or sponsor the Test Community Network then get in touch with Tim to schedule a call: https://calendly.com/educationtech/15min-teams-chatEvents: https://www.testcommunity.network/upcoming-eventsPodcasts: https://www.testcommunity.network/podcastsMarketplace: https://www.testcommunity.network/marketplaceSubscribe to the Test Community Network here: https://www.testcommunity.network

  4. Oct 21

    22nd Oct - Global Assessment News Update

    Read the articles in full: https://testcommunity.network/collections/22nd-october-weekly-global-update This week, AI tests the foundations of assessment: research questions whether coursework still proves learning, process-based approaches gain ground, cheating and identity fraud rise, and teens and employers ask if we’re measuring the skills that matter. Is assessment keeping pace? Disclaimer This collection contains links to third-party websites and content provided for information only. The Test Community Network does not control, and is not responsible for, the accuracy, availability or content of external sites. Inclusion of a link does not imply endorsement, and any views expressed are those of the original authors.

  5. Oct 14

    15th Oct - Global Assessment News Update - AI Glasses, Ofqual Fines, and the Return of Oral Exams — This Week in Global Assessment

    Articles in full: https://testcommunity.network/collections/15th-october-weekly-global-update The 15th October Weekly Global Update brings together 25 curated articles from across the assessment world — covering AI in assessment, test security, regulatory action, equity and inclusion, and emerging formats. From Ofqual fines and Turnitin contract reviews to AI glasses used for cheating and the return of oral exams at scale, this week’s collection captures what’s shaping the global assessment landscape right now. Disclaimer This collection is curated by the Test Community Network for informational purposes only. The articles linked are published by third-party sources and hosted on external websites. The Test Community Network does not control, endorse, or accept responsibility for the content, accuracy, or availability of any third-party material. Views expressed in linked articles are those of the respective authors and publishers and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Test Community Network. External links are provided for convenience and reference; accessing them is at your own discretion and risk.

  6. Oct 7

    8th Oct - Global Assessment News Update

    This week's global update brings together 21 stories from across the assessment world, covering AI-driven exam security threats, new invigilation platforms, international collaborations, and shifts in remote testing policy. From hardware cheating devices bypassing lockdown browsers to South Korea's ambitious IB rollout, and from AI-generated exam leaks to Kenya deploying over 340,000 officials for national exams — it's a packed week for anyone working in assessment, qualifications, and credentialing. Disclaimer: The links in this collection direct to third-party websites and content not owned or controlled by the Test Community Network. We do not endorse, guarantee, or accept responsibility for the accuracy, reliability, or content of any third-party sites. Views expressed in linked articles are those of their respective authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Test Community Network.

  7. Oct 1

    1st Oct - Global Assessment News Update

    This week's Global Update brings together 23 articles from across the assessment world — covering AI-powered cheating and detection debates, global-scale digital delivery with PISA 2025, exam security reforms in India, climate-driven scheduling changes in Tanzania, and South Korea's plans for AI-led language testing by 2029. You'll also find insights on formative assessment research, professional credentialing, Estonia's school AI strategy, AQA's upcoming format changes, and cyber resilience guidance from Ofqual. Whether your focus is K-12, higher education, professional certification or language testing, there's something here for you. The Test Community Network curates links to third-party content for informational purposes only. Inclusion does not imply endorsement, affiliation or approval by TCN. We are not responsible for the accuracy, content or availability of external sites, and all views expressed in linked articles remain those of the original authors and publishers. Links were valid at the time of publication but may change without notice.

  8. Sep 23

    24th Sept: Forget the Maths Gene: Ovidiu Bagdasar's Mission to Help Everyone Enjoy Maths

    In this week's episode, Tim Burnett chats with Professor Ovidiu Bagdasar, Professor of Mathematics at the University of Derby and founder of the Numeracy Without Borders initiative. They discuss: How well-designed, randomised e-assessment with instant feedback helped Ovidiu tackle maths anxiety and lift pass rates on his module from 85% to 90%, and to 97% for students who completed the full programmeWhy falling maths performance in PISA may be driven not only by COVID disruption but by teaching to the test and an over-reliance on AI shortcutsHow Numeracy Without Borders is bringing free, self-study numeracy courses to classrooms from India and Nepal to Ecuador and EthiopiaOvidiu shares how a year spent writing 800 questions for his students, and a chance meeting with the late Graham Orpwood, led to Elevate My Maths 2.0, a platform built with equality, diversity and inclusion by design and real-time dashboards for teachers and institutions. He explains why maths anxiety isn't a failure of ability, why the "maths gene" is a myth, and why the value of AI depends entirely on how you use it: ask it to show you another way, not just to give you the answer. Tim and Ovidiu also unpick a times-tables puzzle to show why understanding patterns beats memorisation. Ovidiu will be running a problem-solving workshop at the IAEA 2026 conference in Toronto. Find out more about the IAEA 2026 conference: https://iaea2026.org/ Connect with Ovidiu Bagdasar on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ovidiu-bagdasar-3541a46b/ Connect with Tim Burnett on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tburnett/ If you would like to join Tim on a future episode or sponsor the Test Community Network then get in touch with Tim to schedule a call: https://calendly.com/educationtech/15min-teams-chat Events: https://www.testcommunity.network/upcoming-events Podcasts: https://www.testcommunity.network/podcasts Marketplace: https://www.testcommunity.network/marketplace Subscribe to the Test Community Network here: https://www.testcommunity.network

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Welcome to the Test Community Network, your go-to weekly update on everything about assessment and testing. Tim Burnett and special guests will help you find the latest chances to explore and connect in the diverse world of assessment and testing. Discover new events, webinars, and podcasts, plus get inspiration from the Test Community Network marketplace. For more information visit: https://www.testcommunity.network

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