Why Membership Bodies Need to Get Serious About AI with Richard Gott

4th June Weekly Global News Update

This week's global news collection brings together 21 stories from across the assessment and education technology landscape. Test security dominates, with CBSE's On-Screen Marking crisis in India unfolding across a coordinated cyberattack, a vendor under scrutiny, and a sharp argument that the real failure is one of governance rather than technology. Leaked Cambridge International papers, glitches in Pearson's SATs marking system, and a look at how China, India and South Korea defend their high-stakes entrance exams round out the integrity theme. Artificial intelligence runs throughout: Surpass Assessment's ISO/IEC 42001 certification, Ofqual's concluding webinar on AI in awarding organisations, fresh thinking on assessment design for an AI-enabled future, and a CoSN report capturing how K-12 IT leaders are weighing AI adoption against cybersecurity risk. Elsewhere, the collection examines declining student literacy and attention, the "devices down" debate, the STEM versus STEAM question, the human cost of Kenya's exam culture, Portugal's move to digital assessment, AQA's new e-marking partnership, and three podcasts exploring integrity, security and safer digital learning. Together, the stories trace a single thread — how assessment protects its integrity, embraces technology, and keeps learners at its centre. Disclaimer: The links in this collection direct to external, third-party websites that are not owned or controlled by the Test Community Network. We share them for information and convenience only; their inclusion does not imply endorsement of the views, products, or services they contain. We are not responsible for the accuracy, content, or availability of external sites, and summaries are our own interpretation of the original sources. Please refer to the original article for the full and definitive account.

Why Membership Bodies Need to Get Serious About AI with Richard Gott

In this week's episode, Tim Burnett chats with Richard Gott, Chair and Founder of the MemberWise Network — a professional network for over 8,000 membership and association professionals across the UK and EU. They discuss: Why membership organisations are moving from piloting AI to needing proper integration — and why only around 20% have got there so far The gap between AI adoption and AI strategy, with only a minority of membership bodies having digital, data or AI strategies in place despite growing usage How organisations can create a "Netflix Plus" personalised member experience — using AI to surface the right content, cross-sell services and turn passive subscribers into active advocates Richard shares findings from the MemberWise Digital Excellence Report, including the statistic that properly integrating AI into a membership department can increase capacity by around 35%. He explains how organisations like the Institution of Engineering and Technology are already using bespoke AI tools to inform decisions — from where to hold conferences to how to optimise content — while many smaller bodies are still taking a more DIY approach. The conversation also explores subscription fatigue, the importance of evidencing member value, and why the shift from transactional to relational engagement is critical for growth. Connect with Richard Gott on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/memberwise/ 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

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 [https://testcommunity.network/collections/28th-may-2026]

14th May - Global Assessment News

Assessment & Testing Updates 1. 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 [https://testcommunity.network/a-new-examination-era-ai-and-the-transformation-of-educational-assessment] 2. 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 [https://testcommunity.network/surpass-conference-2026-speakers] 3. 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 [https://testcommunity.network/iacat-2026-call-for-proposals] 4. 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 [https://testcommunity.network/e-atp-2026-conference-opening-keynote-cheating-or-revealing-what-ai-exposes-about-education] 5. 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 [https://testcommunity.network/why-automated-identity-verification-isnt-enough-for-high-stakes-exams] 6. 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 [https://testcommunity.network/the-opposite-of-cheating-the-opposite-of-cheating-podcast-season-2-episode-60-loretta-goff] 7. 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 [https://testcommunity.network/edufuturists-why-your-school-wellbeing-strategy-isnt-working-and-what-to-do-about-it-with-charlie-burley-343] 8. 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 [https://testcommunity.network/education-insight-what-20-years-of-data-reveals-about-college-success] 9. 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 [https://testcommunity.network/upessc-lecturer-exam-conducted-smoothly-under-ai-monitoring] 10. 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 [https://testcommunity.network/students-worried-over-no-break-3-hour-cuet-ug-exam-format] 11. 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 [https://testcommunity.network/the-edtech-podcast-325-unlocking-the-power-of-classroom-cloud-the-ultimate-edtech-solution-for-schools] 12. 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 [https://testcommunity.network/from-e-assessment-to-ai-assisted-assessment] 13. 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 [https://testcommunity.network/vocational-qualification-exams-shift-to-e-exam-system-in-trkiye] 14. 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 [https://testcommunity.network/psc-exam-cheating-two-arrested-in-thiruvananthapuram-for-high-tech-malpractice] 15. 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 [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] 16.

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 do Tim 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-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