ASC hosted a webinar on June 14, 2022, as part of its AI In Assessment Series. This edition is an interview with the father of computerized adaptive testing, Prof. David J. Weiss.
Learn more about his journey in the world of psychology, education, and assessment, from his initial interest in measuring individual differences to early exposure to computers, to the initial applications of item response theory in the development of the CAT approach as part of a research team at the University of Minnesota. He also discusses his recent research and expectations for the future of AI in Assessment.
Prof. David J. Weiss
Dr. David J. Weiss is widely regarded as the father of computerized adaptive testing (CAT) and is one of the first people to apply computers to deliver assessments. Dr. Weiss has been incredibly impactful in the field of psychometrics and assessment:
– Professor at the University of Minnesota, longtime director of the Psychometric Methods program, where he supervised 37 PhDs
– Founder of the journal: Applied Psychological Measurement
– Founder of the Journal of Computerized Adaptive Testing (JCAT)
– Co-Founder of Assessment Systems Corporation (assess.com)
– Co-Founder of Insurance Testing Corporation
– Co-Founder of the International Association for Computerized Adaptive Testing (iacat.org)
– Published hundreds of journal articles, reports, and conference presentations
Nathan Thompson, PhD, is CEO and Co-Founder of Assessment Systems Corporation (ASC). He is a psychometrician, software developer, author, and researcher, and evangelist for AI and automation. His mission is to elevate the profession of psychometrics by using software to automate psychometric work like item review, job analysis, and Angoff studies, so we can focus on more innovative work. His core goal is to improve assessment throughout the world.
Nate was originally trained as a psychometrician, with an honors degree at Luther College with a triple major of Math/Psych/Latin, and then a PhD in Psychometrics at the University of Minnesota. He then worked multiple roles in the testing industry, including item writer, test development manager, essay test marker, consulting psychometrician, software developer, project manager, and business leader. He is also cofounder and Membership Director at the International Association for Computerized Adaptive Testing (iacat.org). He’s published 100+ papers and presentations, but his favorite remains https://scholarworks.umass.edu/pare/vol16/iss1/1/.
