This dissertation compares the performance of equivalence test (EQT) and null hypothesis test (NHT) procedures for identifying invariant and noninvariant factor loadings under a range of experimental manipulations. EQT is the statistically appropriate approach when the research goal is to find evidence of group similarity rather than group…

A recent review found that 11% of published factor models are hierarchical models with second-order factors. However, dedicated recommendations for evaluating hierarchical model fit have yet to emerge. Traditional benchmarks like RMSEA <0.06 or CFI >0.95 are often consulted, but they were never intended to generalize to hierarchical models.…

Compared with the application of Digital Twin (DT) in the industrial field, the application of DT in the field of education is still in its infancy. In this paper, a Digital Twin Campus (DTC) for teaching and learning is proposed. It is argued that DTC possesses two characteristics. First, DTC has a wide variety of employment orientations for…

Due to the unprecedented growth in available data collected by e-learning platforms, including platforms used by massive open online course (MOOC) providers, important opportunities arise to structurally use these data for decision making and improvement of the educational offering. Student retention is a strategic task that can be supported by…

This study explores the establishment of communities of practice within teaching and learning centres (TLC) as strategies for advancing faculty development in higher education, examining their implementation in the US and Europe, with a specific focus on Italy. Utilising organisational benchmarking, we employed an explanatory, comparative, and…

Background: It has repeatedly been reported that, when making decisions under uncertainty, groups outperform individuals. Real groups are often replaced by simulated groups: Instead of performing an actual group discussion, individual responses are aggregated by a numerical computation. While studies have typically used unweighted majority voting…

To provide context surrounding the history of single-case research and to act as a benchmark for which future changes across the fields and disciplines that use single-case methods may be compared, we conducted this study to serve as an update and extension on the trends and prevalence of single-case research in the peer-reviewed literature. Our…

Quality assurance (QA) studies have introduced different strategies and standards established to help higher education institutions (HEIs) meet their goals. However, in Saudi Arabia, insufficient data on the National Commission for Academic Accreditation and Assessment (NCAAA) and its practices regarding establishing quality standards after the…

The main objective of the current study is to establish a justifiable data-driven students-faculty ratio (SFR) benchmark for higher education institutions (HEIs) in the Sultanate of Oman. This is established based on analyzing selected secondary data from three sources using purposive sampling. This study reflects quantitative research adopting…

After years of noticing the challenge our students have with fraction operations, we decided to implement a scaffold approach that focuses on using benchmarks to better develop both students' understanding of a fraction as a quantity and their ability to think about fraction operations meaningfully. While we found this approach supported students…

Since the advent of massive open online courses (MOOC), it has been the focus of educators and learners around the world, however the high dropout rate of MOOC has had a serious negative impact on its popularity and promotion. How to effectively predict students' dropout status in MOOC for early intervention has become a hot topic in MOOC…

Factor analysis is often used to model scales created to measure latent constructs, and internal structure validity evidence is commonly assessed with indices like SRMR, RMSEA, and CFI. These indices are essentially effect size measures and definitive benchmarks regarding which values connote reasonable fit have been elusive. Simulations from the…

It is of critical importance to be aware of the historical discrimination embedded in the data and to consider a fairness measure to reduce bias throughout the predictive modeling pipeline. Given various notions of fairness defined in the literature, investigating the correlation and interaction among metrics is vital for addressing unfairness.…

One of the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic was the rapid shift to replacing traditional, paper-based tests with their computer-based counterparts. In many cases, these new modes of delivering tests will remain in place for the foreseeable future. In South Africa, the National Benchmark Quantitative Literacy (QL) test was impelled to make this…

Athens State University (ATSU) is one of the few remaining upper-division institutions of higher education in the United States. At the undergraduate level, only students who have earned 36 transferable semester hours from an accredited institution are eligible for admission to ATSU. Athens State University strives to provide quality teaching and…