This paper presents the concepts and observations in the author's keynote address at the May 2019 "Opportunity versus Challenge: Exploring Usage of Log-File and Process Data in International Large-Scale Assessments" conference in Dublin, Ireland. This paper recaps briefly some key points that emerged at the December 2018 ETS symposium on…

As COVID-19 spread in early 2020, a lockdown was implemented across Canadian provinces and territories, resulting in the shuttering of physical post-secondary campuses. Universities quickly pivoted to remote learning, and faculty members adjusted their instructional and assessment approaches to align with virtual environments. Presumably to aid…

Assessment refers to a broad array of approaches for measuring or evaluating a person's (or group of persons') skills, behaviors, dispositions, or other attributes. Assessments range from standardized tests used in admissions, employee selection, licensure examinations, and domestic and international largescale assessments of cognitive and…

The United States is formally represented around the world by approximately 14,000 Foreign Service officers and other personnel in the U.S. Department of State. Roughly one-third of them are required to be proficient in the local languages of the countries to which they are posted. To achieve this language proficiency for its staff, the State…

It is one thing to produce an innovative, construct-based assessment task; it's another to produce 10 a year that are comparable in difficulty, measure the same competencies, are free of differential item functioning, and can be scaled and equated. These challenges contributed to the failure of the performance (or authentic) assessment movement of…

Authentic assessment is important in formal and informal learning. Technology has the potential to be used to support the assessment of higher order skills particularly with respect to real life tasks. In particular, the use of mobile devices allows the learner to increase her interactions with physical objects, various environments (indoors and…

Fifty children 7 years of age (29 girls, 21 boys), 53 children 10 years of age (29 girls, 24 boys), and 36 young adults (19 women, 17 men) performed a computerized event-based prospective memory task. All 3 groups differed significantly in prospective memory performance, with adults showing the best performance and with 7-year-olds showing the…

This article is based on an experiment designed to conduct an interpreting test for multiple candidates online, using web-based synchronous cyber classrooms. The test model was based on the accreditation test for Professional Interpreters produced by the National Accreditation Authority of Translators and Interpreters (NAATI) in Australia.…

The purpose of this study was to explore the experience of students with performance-based, in-class and learner-centered, online assessment and the effects of these formats on comprehensive exam scores in an educational psychology course required of participants in a teacher education program. In our quantitative analysis, we investigated the…

The TOEFL iBT[TM] has increased the length of the reading passages in the reading section compared to the passages on the TOEFL[R] computer-based test (CBT) to better approximate academic reading in North American universities, resulting in a reduced number of passages in the reading test. A concern arising from this change is whether the decrease…

The world in which learning and assessment must take place is rapidly changing. The digital revolution has created a vast space of interconnected information, communication, and interaction. Functioning effectively in this environment requires so-called 21st century skills such as technological fluency, complex problem solving, and the ability to…

It is difficult to ensure that incoming students enrol in first year courses at a level that is commensurate with their ability. Not only do students come from a diverse range of backgrounds, but mathematics at university is, in general, more rigorous and conceptual than it is at high school, and success at high school does not always guarantee…

This study explored the impact of performance assessment versus traditional paper-and-pencil assessment on graduate students' achievement and motivation to learn while enrolled in a 16-lesson course on program evaluation methods. Students in two sections of the course were exposed to the same content and instructional methods, with one exception:…

Explores the emerging interface between computer technology and cognitive psychology for performance assessment in science education. Discussion includes interface theories and interface technologies and prototype projects for building an alternative assessment technology. (50 references) (KRN)

Research on automated scoring is extended by comparing alternative automated systems for scoring a computer simulation of physicians' patient management skills. A regression-based system is more highly correlated with experts' evaluations than a system that uses complex rules to map performances into score levels, but both approaches are feasible.…