Cynthia Parshall

About Cynthia Parshall

You know that your exams have a high impact on your stakeholders and you put considerable effort into creating a strong program. You’ve built some great materials. Now it’s time to address your candidates’ entire experience. Innovative item types can increase the scope of what you measure, enhancing the value of your exams to your test-takers. Usability can make every aspect of your program more intuitive for your test-takers. And behavioral design can give your stakeholders the right nudges to follow-through on tasks they need to do. I specialize in bringing creative solutions to my clients, working at the intersection of assessment, learning, and technology to solve intractable problems.

Experience

1. Principal Consultant

   Touchstone Consulting

   Jan 2004 — Present · Washington, DC, US

   Provide consulting services for testing companies, credentialing boards, software agencies, and state departments of education.• Apply behavioral design techniques in applications designed for exam program to encourage stakeholders in ways that improve the exam program• Support the design and development of innovative item types appropriate to the assessment of the relevant construct.• Contribute to software improvements through interface design, software evaluations, and usability studies.

Education

• University of South Florida

  Master of Education (MEd)

  1984 — 1985

• University of South Florida

  Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

  1989 — 1992

Skills

• Program Evaluation
• Online Testing
• Staff Development
• Testing
• New Item Development
• Statistics
• Instructional Design
• User Experience
• Analysis
• E-Learning
• User Interface Design
• Analytical Skills
• Technology Needs Analysis
• Program Management
• Behavioral Research
• Teaching
• Research
• Higher Education
• Computer-Based Testing
• Training
• Data Analysis
• Research Design
• Action Design
• Process Improvement