The purpose of this study was to develop, scale, and validate assessments in engineering, science, and mathematics with grade appropriate items that were sensitive to the curriculum developed by teachers. The use of item response theory to assess item functioning was a focus of the study. The work is part of a larger project focused on increasing…

Given limited funding for school-based science education, non-school-based programs have been developed at colleges and universities to increase the number of students entering science- and health-related careers and address critical workforce needs. However, few evaluations of such programs have been conducted. We report the design and methods of…

We hereby present the main conclusions and perspectives obtained by the Group of Teaching Innovation in Electronics (Grupo de Innovación Docente en Electrónica, GIDEN) of the University of Valladolid (UVa) with regard to its main areas of work. This group comprises teachers of the "Specialty in Industrial Electronics" degree, and the…

This study designed and developed a CP-MCT (content-rich, photo-based multiple choice online test) to assess whether college students can apply the basic light concept to interpret daily light phenomena. One hundred college students volunteered to take the CP-MCT, and the results were statistically analyzed by applying t-test or ANOVA (Analysis of…

The study reported in this article draws upon data collected for the programme "Increasing the Efficiency of Mathematics and Science instruction" (SINUS-Transfer), a professional development project in Germany. This programme's approach requires teachers to improve their teaching in a cooperative manner and with regard to pedagogical…

This study is concerned with different forms of assessment of pupils' skills in experimentation. The findings of three studies are reported. Study 1 investigates whether it is possible to develop reliable multiple-choice tests for the skills of forming hypotheses, designing experiments and analysing experimental data. Study 2 compares scores from…

This usability study evaluated users' perceptions of a multimedia prototype for a new e-learning tool: Anatomy of the Central Nervous System: A Multimedia Course. Usability testing is a collection of formative evaluation methods that inform the developmental design of e-learning tools to maximize user acceptance, satisfaction, and adoption.…