What it is for
The Standard defines AI literacy and the Competency Framework turns it into role-specific descriptors. The Development Protocol documents how the instrument that measures those competencies, the ALiF self-assessment questionnaire (ALiF-SAQ), is developed and first validated. The Standard refers to it as the source of the method behind its current evidence base.
Study design
The protocol is a pragmatic mixed-methods study across the five ALiF roles (learners, educators, researchers, clinicians and administrative staff). It deliberately trades speed against completeness: the aim is a working, face-valid instrument within about three months, together with the data infrastructure for longer-term validation.
| Phase | Weeks | Activity | Target sample |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 to 2 | Instrument development and expert review | 5 to 10 experts |
| 2 | 3 to 4 | Cognitive testing (think-aloud and interviews) | 10, two per role |
| 3 | 5 to 8 | Alpha implementation and technical integration | 20 to 30 |
| 4 | 9 to 12 | Launch within the AI Launchpad course, with opt-in research consent | 200 or more |
Participants are adults who identify with at least one of the five roles and can respond in English. There are no exclusion criteria, so people with no AI experience are included.
Outcomes and analysis
Primary outcomes are a working instrument, expert ratings of content and face validity, and feasibility (completion rates, time, technical performance). Secondary outcomes include internal consistency, user experience, response patterns across roles and whether the dual profile (core competencies plus role-specific application) works as designed. Analysis includes a content validity index from expert ratings, descriptive and basic item statistics and reliability by component.
The protocol is explicit about its limits: sample sizes follow established practice rather than power calculations. Confirmatory factor analysis and measurement invariance testing need 300 or more respondents and are left to continued data collection after launch (see SAQ validation).
Ethics
Ethical approval is sought from an institutional review board before any recruitment, with expedited review requested given the minimal risk. Taking the course never depends on research consent, participation can be withdrawn at any time, and all data are de-identified for analysis.
Versions
Draft versions were developed during 2024 and 2025, and the protocol was published as a preprint in November 2024. Version 1.0 (February 2026) consolidated it with ALiF Standard v1.0r1 as a Layer 1 companion document.