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. 3d ago

    28th May - Global Assessment News

    This week's collection brings together 18 items from across the assessment world. AI continues to dominate the conversation, with research warning that generative AI overuse may deskill graduates, a striking statistic showing student AI use in exams has risen to 92%, and several voices calling for a fundamental rethink of assessment design in response. Elsewhere, a teenage researcher's disclosure of critical vulnerabilities in India's CBSE marking portal raises urgent questions about exam system security, Pearson Edexcel has apologised for errors in a GCSE Computer Science paper, and there are calls for proposals from conferences in Kuala Lumpur and Sydney. On the professional side, the FAB Awards are open for entries, the e-Assessment Association is running its 2026 Online Proctoring Survey, and RCS England is recruiting a Director of Education. Podcasts this week cover serious games in credentialing, human-centred academic integrity, and whether AI literacy is substance or marketing. Whether you work in higher education, vocational assessment, professional certification or K-12, there is something here for you. The collection in full: https://testcommunity.network/collections/28th-may-2026

    7 min

  2. May 13

    14th May - Global Assessment News

    Assessment & Testing Updates Oxford seminar exploring how AI could transform examinations, personalised learning, authenticity, surveillance and inequality.https://testcommunity.network/a-new-examination-era-ai-and-the-transformation-of-educational-assessment Surpass Conference 2026 heads to Manchester with sessions on AI, digital assessment, skills and the future of qualifications.https://testcommunity.network/surpass-conference-2026-speakers IACAT invites proposals for its 2026 conference in São Paulo, covering CAT, IRT, AI in psychometrics and modern assessment research.https://testcommunity.network/iacat-2026-call-for-proposals Dr Luca Longo argues AI reveals deeper questions about what education and assessment are really measuring.https://testcommunity.network/e-atp-2026-conference-opening-keynote-cheating-or-revealing-what-ai-exposes-about-education Integrity Advocate explains why human-reviewed ID verification creates stronger evidence than automated confidence scores alone.https://testcommunity.network/why-automated-identity-verification-isnt-enough-for-high-stakes-exams A discussion on building academic integrity culture, Ireland’s education-first approach, AI, trust and transparency.https://testcommunity.network/the-opposite-of-cheating-the-opposite-of-cheating-podcast-season-2-episode-60-loretta-goff Charlie Burley shares why school wellbeing strategies fail and introduces the Six C’s framework for tackling teacher burnout.https://testcommunity.network/edufuturists-why-your-school-wellbeing-strategy-isnt-working-and-what-to-do-about-it-with-charlie-burley-343 This episode examines why more students are enrolling in college but failing to complete their degrees.https://testcommunity.network/education-insight-what-20-years-of-data-reveals-about-college-success UPESSC used AI-enabled surveillance and real-time monitoring for large-scale lecturer examinations in Uttar Pradesh.https://testcommunity.network/upessc-lecturer-exam-conducted-smoothly-under-ai-monitoring Indian students and educators raise concerns about cognitive fatigue in the revised CUET UG 2026 exam format.https://testcommunity.network/students-worried-over-no-break-3-hour-cuet-ug-exam-format A look at how classroom.cloud supports classroom management, safeguarding, BYOD and AI-driven risk analysis in schools.https://testcommunity.network/the-edtech-podcast-325-unlocking-the-power-of-classroom-cloud-the-ultimate-edtech-solution-for-schools Dr Ghulam Nabi Shakir argues that AI-assisted assessment could improve fairness, transparency and efficiency in Pakistan’s exams.https://testcommunity.network/from-e-assessment-to-ai-assisted-assessment Türkiye moves vocational qualification exams to digital e-exam centres, supporting national education and workforce transformation.https://testcommunity.network/vocational-qualification-exams-shift-to-e-exam-system-in-trkiye Two people were arrested in Kerala for alleged high-tech cheating using Bluetooth devices during a PSC exam.https://testcommunity.network/psc-exam-cheating-two-arrested-in-thiruvananthapuram-for-high-tech-malpractice Tim Burnett speaks with Lee Fawcett about cheap hardware, AI apps, online proctoring vulnerabilities and red-teaming assessments.https://testcommunity.network/test-community-network-7th-may-how-a-7-webcam-a-vibe-coded-ai-app-could-be-a-test-security-problem-with-guest-lee-fawcett

    9 min

  3. May 6

    7th May: How a £7 Webcam, + a Vibe-Coded AI App, Could Be a Test Security Problem with guest Lee Fawcett

    In this week's episode, Tim Burnett chats with Lee Fawcett, a counter-fraud and investigation specialist supporting the UK qualifications and assessment industry.They discuss:- How a £7.36 USB webcam and a vibe-coded cheating app scored 8 out of 10 on a GCSE algebra test — with almost no technical expertise required- Why online proctoring platforms still can't detect the full range of concealed hardware and AI-assisted cheating methods available today- The case for "red teaming" your assessments — thinking like a criminal rather than an exam owner to uncover vulnerabilities before bad actors doTim starts by demonstrating a live proof-of-concept: a tiny USB camera taped to a keyboard, feeding exam questions to an AI app built with Lovable, which reads the screen every ten seconds and whispers the answers back through audio.Lee shares his reaction and his experience investigating cheats and criminals who exploit test security vulnerabilities.The pair discuss the limits of remote proctoring, the commercial cheating industry, and why organisations need to start by assessing the real-world value of what their qualification represents — not just the security of the delivery method.They also flag the Conference on Test Security coming to Cambridge in November as a must-attend for the community.Connect with Lee Fawcett on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leefawcettuk/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-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

    23 min

  4. Apr 30

    30th April: ReadSpeaker: Rethinking Accessibility in Assessment with Hugh McNeela

    In this week's episode, Tim Burnett chats with Hugh McNeela, Sales Account Manager for Corporate Learning (UK & Ireland) at ReadSpeaker.They discuss:- Why text-to-speech in assessments isn't just an accessibility tool, and how a Universal Design for Learning (UDL) approach benefits all candidates, including the 70% of people with neurodiversity challenges who never disclose their condition to employers- How ReadSpeaker integrates directly into assessment platforms, from LMS environments like Moodle and Canvas through to high-stakes exam delivery, without compromising the security or integrity of assessments- The real-world impact of TTS on learning outcomes, including how Penn Foster improved their 30-day course completion rates by 54% simply by adding text-to-speech to their contentHugh and Tim explore what happens when accessibility is built into the design of an assessment from the start, rather than bolted on as a reasonable adjustment.From reducing the logistical burden on teachers during exam days, to eliminating the stigma that stops learners from asking for help, ReadSpeaker's approach treats voice support as a core part of fair assessment — not an optional extra.The conversation also touches on why deterministic TTS rendering matters in high-stakes exams, and how ReadSpeaker handles secure environments, including compatibility with safe exam browsers.Connect with Hugh McNeela on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hughmcneela/Learn more about ReadSpeaker: https://www.readspeaker.com/?utmsource=testcommunitynetworkConnect 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-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

    24 min

  5. Apr 21

    23rd April- Reliability, Validity, Fairness: with Mary Pitoniak

    In this week's episode, Tim Burnett chats with Mary Pitoniak, Assessment and Measurement Expert and President of Pitoniak Educational Measurement.They discuss:Why reliability, validity and fairness are the three pillars of good assessment — and how they connect, reinforce and constrain each other Whether personalised assessment powered by AI is really ready for prime time, especially for high-stakes tests like licensure and certification How AI is the "hot topic" at every conference right now, and why handing it to organisations without psychometric expertise is like "giving the keys to a Maserati to someone who barely knows how to drive"Mary brings nearly forty years of experience in assessment, including twenty-four years at ETS working on NAEP and auditing programmes to the ETS standards. She and her long-time collaborator Linda Cook were recently named the first women editors of Educational Measurement — now in its fifth edition — and won the National Council on Measurement in Education's Award for Exceptional Achievement in Educational Measurement. In a refreshingly plain-spoken conversation, Mary makes the technical accessible, explaining why standardisation has historically meant standardisation to the dominant culture, why the question isn't really "is the test valid?" but "are the interpretations of the test score for the proposed use appropriate?", and why the most exciting developments in AI and assessment still need to be anchored to the same enduring principles.Read the book: Educational Measurement (Fifth Edition) — Edited by Linda L. Cook and Mary J. Pitoniak (Oxford University Press, open access)https://testcommunity.network/content/educational-measurement-fifth-edition-edited-by-linda-l-cook-and-mary-j-pitoniakConnect with Mary Pitoniak on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mary-pitoniak-3560a691/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-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.networkFull Transcript here: https://testcommunity.network/download/6NGB7H

    34 min

  6. Apr 16

    Webinar: AI Superpowers - Vibe Coding, Cowork & AI Skills

    You don't need to be a developer to build software anymore — and this session proves it.In this hands-on webinar, Tim Burnett explores three game-changing AI developments that are reshaping how professionals work and build:🛠️ Vibe Coding — Learn how anyone can create functional apps and tools just by describing what they want in plain English. No programming experience required. We cover the real potential, the limitations, and why this trend is heading straight for the assessment industry.🤖 Claude Cowork — Anthropic's desktop agent that works alongside you to manage files, automate tasks, and handle complex workflows — all without writing a single line of code. Like having an AI colleague sitting right next to you.📋 AI Skills & Agent Workflows — Discover how reusable AI instruction files are turning assistants into specialist agents, and why this is a breakthrough for organisations looking to build scalable, repeatable AI workflows across their teams.Plus, Tim shares his regular Beyond Assessment AI Update — the latest AI tools, trends, and developments that matter most to the assessment community.Whether you're an assessment professional curious about AI's next leap, or someone who's always wanted to build tools but lacked the technical skills — this one's for you.🔔 Subscribe for more from the AI Superpowers series by the Test Community Network — the global platform for assessment professionals.

    46 min

  7. Apr 1

    2nd April: Exams, Coursework or Both? What the OECD Found Across 38 Countries with Lena Gray and Rebecca Frankum

    In this week's episode, Tim Burnett chats with Dr Lena Gray and Rebecca Frankum, a consultant assessment researcher and a policy analyst at the OECD respectively. They discuss:The findings from the OECD's major new report mapping 71 upper secondary certificates across 38 education systems worldwideWhy polarised debates around exams versus teacher-based assessment don't hold up in practice, and the four principles, relevance, credibility, fairness and manageability, for evaluating fitness for purposeHow higher education, assessment culture and political pressures shape reform, and why there is no single "perfect" approach to certificationThe report, The Theory and Practice of Upper Secondary Certification, is one of the most comprehensive international studies of high-stakes assessment at the upper secondary level. Rebecca explains how the OECD's mapping exercise revealed that the most common model worldwide is a blend of internal assessment and external exams working together, challenging the assumption that systems must choose one or the other.Lena explores why continuous assessment, often seen as reducing pressure on learners, can in fact create its own burdens, with students reporting they feel constantly assessed. Both highlight the importance of context: what works in one system may not translate to another, and deeply held assessment cultures can prove remarkably resistant to reform. Looking ahead, future research will focus on marking, moderation and standard setting, as well as the often-overlooked student experience of these high-stakes systems.Read the full report: The Theory and Practice of Upper Secondary Certification (OECD, published 28 January 2026)https://www.oecd.org/en/publications/the-theory-and-practice-of-upper-secondary-certification_b3fea5ba-en.htmlConnect with Dr Lena Gray on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-lena-gray-assessment-researcher/Connect with Rebecca Frankum on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebecca-frankum-81a444166/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-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

    28 min

  8. Mar 26

    Webinar: Using AI to Generate Question Items PLUS New Guide Published

    A Practical Guide to Authoring Test Items with Artificial IntelligenceTim Burnett, Founder of the Test Community Network, is publishing a brand-new guide: A Practical Guide to Authoring Test Items with Artificial Intelligence. In this live session, Tim will walk you through the guide, sharing the key findings, practical techniques, and insights gathered during a research sprint conducted with practitioners, psychometricians, and assessment professionals from across the international community.What the Guide CoversThe guide tackles one of the most pressing questions facing assessment organisations today: how do you use AI to generate high-quality multiple-choice items without compromising on validity, fairness, or security?Rather than treating AI as a magic button that produces ready-made questions, the guide sets out a structured, evidence-informed approach. It recognises that introducing AI into item authoring fundamentally changes the workflow — shifting the skill requirement from writing questions to instructing AI how to write questions well.What Tim Will Cover in the WebinarDuring the session, Tim will take you through the highlights of the guide, including:The two-stage prompt workflow — One of the guide's central recommendations is that item generation should not be treated as a single-step process. The first stage focuses on generating the question stem and correct answer, grounded in approved source material. Only once these have been reviewed and approved should distractors be generated in a second stage. This approach addresses a common pitfall: when stems, keys, and distractors are generated together, edits to one element can silently undermine the others.Different approaches to AI-assisted authoring — There is no single way to implement AI in your item development process. Tim will explore the practical trade-offs between using conversational chat assistants, configurable AI agents, and dedicated SaaS-based authoring platforms. Each comes with its own strengths and constraints, from the flexibility of building your own agent architecture to the structured workflows offered by embedded platforms.Tips and techniques from the research — Tim will share the practical lessons discovered during the sprint, including how to craft prompts that produce genuinely plausible distractors (not just random wrong answers), why uploading entire textbooks as context can do more harm than good, how to manage token costs without sacrificing quality, and why a "blind review" style SME answer check can prevent anchoring bias.Insights from the assessment community — The guide draws on contributions from practitioners across the sector. Tim will share some of the most valuable insights that emerged, from the challenges of keeping SMEs meaningfully engaged when AI drafts become increasingly polished, to the often-overlooked security risk of item pre-exposure when independent users generate similar items from similar prompts.

    49 min
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About

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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