What is Differential Item Functioning

The assessment of higher-order skills in higher education has gained popularity internationally. In order to accurately measure the skills required for working in the 21st century, a shift in assessment strategies is required. More specifically, assessments that only require the recall of factual knowledge have been on the decline, whereas assessments that evoke higher-order cognitive skills are on the rise. The purpose of this chapter is to discuss and offer strategies for mitigating bias for a computer-administered performance-based assessment of higher-order skills. Strategies to abate the effects of bias are discussed within the test design and test implementation stages. A case study of a successful adaptation and translation of CAE's Collegiate Learning Assessment (CLA+) is presented to guide the discussion throughout the chapter.