Advanced Assessment Design: Evidence, Measurement, and Defensible Decisions

Designing an assessment means designing an argument: what a learner can do, what evidence supports that claim, and which decisions that evidence can justify. This advanced course develops a systematic approach to assessment across higher education, professional learning, and workplace certification. You will connect intended interpretations and uses to assessment blueprints, selected-response items, authentic performance tasks, and defensible scoring systems.

Through focused design exercises and analysis of a supplied pilot dataset, you will investigate reliability, validity, item functioning, standard setting, accessibility, and fairness. You will also address operational challenges such as formative feedback, assessment security, responsible AI use, and the consequences of assessment decisions. Examples distinguish low-stakes learning assessments from high-stakes certification rather than assuming that one design works equally well for both.

Your capstone is a review-ready assessment package containing an evidence-centered blueprint, representative assessment tasks, a scoring guide, a pilot and analysis plan, and a validity argument. The course includes approximately 9.75 hours of instruction and guided practice; conducting a live pilot with external participants is optional and requires additional time.