Teaching Assessment Professionals to Work with AI

How I developed a practical training series that helps educators integrate artificial intelligence into formative assessment design

When Cambridge Assessment Network asked me to develop a workshop on AI in assessment design, I knew we needed to address a fundamental misconception. Over 70% of assessment professionals in their October 2024 survey wanted to learn more about AI, but many assumed the technology was meant to replace them. The truth is far more nuanced.

I’ve spent the past year working at the intersection of AI and education as Product Lead in Education Futures at Cambridge. What I’ve learned is this: AI isn’t here to replace assessment specialists. It’s a tool with genuine potential to enhance the work these professionals already do, streamlining processes and standardising question generation whilst preserving the expert judgement we can’t afford to lose.

The Questions Everyone’s Asking

When I speak with teachers, learning designers, and assessment managers, three questions come up repeatedly. Will using AI save time and resources? What about security and privacy risks? Is AI-generated content biased? These concerns are valid, and they’re precisely what we address in the three-session workshop series I developed.

The sessions run online, each lasting two hours, with participants working hands-on with AI tools throughout. I’ve structured the series to build progressively, starting with foundational concepts and moving towards practical application. We focus on formative assessment, though the principles scale to summative contexts as well.

Building a Practical Foundation

In the first session, we explore how AI works at a fundamental level. Participants learn about large language models, their role in question generation, and the ethical considerations you need to keep in mind. I’ve found it helps to ground these discussions in real examples, showing both what AI does well and where it falls short.

The second session gets into workflow development. We create structured processes for designing, refining, and improving AI-generated assessment items. Participants generate questions based on spreadsheet inputs, working through the entire cycle from initial prompt to polished output. This hands-on approach helps people understand not only what AI can do but how to direct it effectively.

By the third session, we’re ready to tackle quality assurance and risk management. We look at identifying and mitigating bias, ensuring alignment with curriculum standards, and understanding the limitations and scalability challenges you’ll face. Participants evaluate their own AI-generated questions, developing the critical eye needed to spot hallucinations and other issues.

Who Benefits from This Training

The workshops serve anyone involved in developing, reviewing, or managing assessments. I’ve worked with learning designers, instructional designers, online learning developers, teachers, lecturers, publishing professionals, and subject specialists from schools and ministries. Assessment managers, subject leaders, and heads of department have all found value in the practical skills we cover.

You don’t need prior AI experience to benefit from the series. The content assumes you’re starting from scratch or have limited exposure to these tools. What you do need is access to an AI platform during the sessions and a willingness to experiment with new approaches to familiar problems.

What You’ll Take Away

By the end of the three workshops, participants can diagnose issues with AI-generated content, analyse the risks involved in using these tools, and develop effective workflows for assessment design. They’re able to plan and generate high-quality formative assessments, including distractors and feedback, using structured methods we develop together.

I’ve also created resources to support ongoing learning after the workshops end. These materials help participants apply what they’ve learned to their own contexts and structure their future AI needs. The goal isn’t to turn anyone into an AI expert, but to provide enough knowledge and confidence to integrate these tools thoughtfully into existing practice.

The Demand for AI Literacy

Due to the relevance of this topic, we’ve seen significant demand for the workshop series. Assessment professionals recognise they need to understand AI, not because it’s trendy, but because it’s becoming part of the educational landscape whether we’re ready or not. The question isn’t whether to engage with these tools, but how to do so responsibly and effectively.

Looking Ahead

As AI capabilities continue to develop, assessment professionals need foundations they can build on. The workshop series provides those foundations, focusing on core principles applicable to any large language model rather than training people on specific tools. This approach means the learning remains relevant even as the technology changes.

If you’re involved in assessment design and wondering how AI fits into your work, the series offers a structured way to explore the possibilities whilst developing the critical perspective needed to use these tools wisely. The technology isn’t going away, and the sooner we learn to work with it effectively, the better positioned we’ll be to maintain quality and fairness in educational assessment.