Reference intervals, or reference ranges, aid medical decision-making by containing a pre-specified proportion (e.g., 95%) of the measurements in a representative healthy population. We recently proposed three approaches for estimating a reference interval from a meta-analysis based on a random effects model: a frequentist approach, a Bayesian…

This study examined the semantic features of the simulated mini-lectures in the listening sections of the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) and the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) based on automatized semantic analysis to explore the content validity of the two tests. Two study corpora were utilized, the IELTS…

Purpose: The objective of the current study was to investigate the short-term test-retest reliability of contralateral suppression (CS) of click-evoked otoacoustic emissions (CEOAEs) using commercially available otoacoustic emission equipment. Method: Twenty-three young normal-hearing subjects were tested. An otoscopic evaluation, admittance…

Model selection is important in any statistical analysis, and the primary goal is to find the preferred (or most parsimonious) model, based on certain criteria, from a set of candidate models given data. Several recent publications have employed the deviance information criterion (DIC) to do model selection among different forms of multilevel item…

Model selection is important in any statistical analysis, and the primary goal is to find the preferred (or most parsimonious) model, based on certain criteria, from a set of candidate models given data. Several recent publications have employed the deviance information criterion (DIC) to do model selection among different forms of multilevel item…

The top-down approach to designing a multistage test is relatively understudied in the literature and underused in research and practice. This study introduced a route-based top-down design approach that directly sets design parameters at the test level and utilizes the advanced automated test assembly algorithm seeking global optimality. The…

There is a demand for an overhaul of undergraduate nursing education curricula to better prepare students who can provide safe, quality care in an increasing complex health care system. Simulation use has provided an avenue for nurse educators to consider when deciding appropriate and reliable teaching and learning strategies to guide students…

Meta-analyses are often used to synthesize the findings of studies examining the correlational relationship between two continuous variables. When only dichotomous measurements are available for one of the two variables, the biserial correlation coefficient can be used to estimate the product-moment correlation between the two underlying…

Metrics including Cohen's kappa, precision, recall, and F[subscript 1] are common measures of performance for models of discrete student states, such as a student's affect or behaviour. This study examined discrete model metrics for previously published student model examples to identify situations where metrics provided differing perspectives on…

The education system evolves and transforms towards interactive and immersive learning tools in this digital age. Augmented reality has also evolved as a ubiquitous, robust, and effective technology for providing innovative educational tools. In engineering education, many abstract concepts require technological intervention for conceptual…

This study examined the effect of a virtual reality intervention on the symptoms of music performance anxiety among university-level music majors. During the two sessions, subjects (N=12) reported anxiety levels and symptoms before and after performing a short piece or excerpt. I measured treatment (n=6) and control (n=6) groups' heart rates prior…

Although inter-rater reliability is an important aspect of using observational instruments, it has received little theoretical attention. In this article, we offer some guidance for practitioners and consumers of classroom observations so that they can make decisions about inter-rater reliability, both for study design and in the reporting of data…

Collaboration is a complex skill, comprised of multiple subskills, that is of growing interest to policy makers, educators and researchers. Several definitions and frameworks have been described in the literature to support assessment of collaboration; however, the inherent structure of the construct still needs better definition. In 2015, the…

We review the GIDNA and CDM packages in R for fitting cognitive diagnosis/diagnostic classification models. We first provide a summary of their core capabilities and then use both simulated and real data to compare their functionalities in practice. We found that the most relevant routines in the two packages appear to be more similar than…

One of the key trends in learning technology in recent years has been the growing interest in simulations and serious games. Much of the research into simulations and serious games has tended to focus on aspects of fun and engagement rather than on what is happening in the process to cause transferable learning. Much of it has been based on small…