  Research-based assessments represent a valuable tool for both instructors and
researchers interested in improving undergraduate physics education. However,
the historical model for disseminating and propagating conceptual and
attitudinal assessments developed by the physics education research (PER)
community has not resulted in widespread adoption of these assessments within
the broader community of physics instructors. Within this historical model,
assessment developers create high quality, validated assessments, make them
available for a wide range of instructors to use, and provide minimal (if any)
support to assist with administration or analysis of the results. Here, we
present and discuss an alternative model for assessment dissemination, which is
characterized by centralized data collection and analysis. This model provides
a greater degree of support for both researchers and instructors in order to
more explicitly support adoption of research-based assessments. Specifically,
we describe our experiences developing a centralized, automated system for an
attitudinal assessment we previously created to examine students'
epistemologies and expectations about experimental physics. This system
provides a proof-of-concept that we use to discuss the advantages associated
with centralized administration and data collection for research-based
assessments in PER. We also discuss the challenges that we encountered while
developing, maintaining, and automating this system. Ultimately, we argue that
centralized administration and data collection for standardized assessments is
a viable and potentially advantageous alternative to the default model
characterized by decentralized administration and analysis. Moreover, with the
help of online administration and automation, this model can support the
long-term sustainability of centralized assessment systems.
