Attitude, experience and competence (broadly covered by the European Computer Driving Licence syllabus) in information technology (IT) were assessed in 846 1st-year Medical Sciences Division undergraduates (2003-06) at the start of their first term. Online assessments delivered during induction workshops were presented as an opportunity for…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to present the design and first results of the integration of a web-based system person-centred group-activity support system (PEGASUS) in university instruction, as a means for advancing person-centred learning by supporting group activity. The PEGASUS is expected to help students and teachers in two distinct…

This study implemented an online peer assessment learning module to help 36 college students with the major of pre-school education to develop science activities for future instruction. Each student was asked to submit a science activity project for pre-school children, and then experienced three rounds of peer assessment. The effects of the…

Nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) repeatedly has been shown to improve smoking treatment outcome. The major mechanism posited for this improvement in outcome is that NRT reduces nicotine craving and withdrawal. The authors tested this hypothesized mechanism of action using real-time data on craving and withdrawal, collected by ecological…

Educators in Europe are complaining about mishandled changes in a key English-language test and are demanding that the Educational Testing Service (ETS), which runs the examination, delay plans to introduce its new online format in March 2006 in more than 100 countries. Critics of the planned change in the Test of English as a foreign Language…

Thousands of older incarcerated youth (17-18 years old) pass through the juvenile justice system every year. Many are not viable candidates for traditional high school graduation because of limited earned credits and large gaps in education. The purpose of this study was to establish an effective and efficient means for determining students'…

The Grammar, Spelling, and Punctuation (GSP) test is administered to students in the College of Communication at the University of Texas, Austin, as a means of determining eligibility to register for certain courses in journalism, broadcasting, and advertising. The test was administered in a paper-and-pencil version to 16 students and in a…

This paper recounts the use of a computerized multiple-measures placement model at Yuba College in Marysville, California. Yuba began using computerized placement tests in 1994, based on suggestions from faculty and student assessment staff. Two years later, a set of multiple measures criteria, consisting mainly of self-reported high school…

While computer-based tests might be as simple as computerized versions of paper-and-pencil examinations, more innovative applications also exist. Examples of innovations in computer-based assessment include the use of graphics or sound, some measure of interactivity, a change in the means in which examinees responded to items, and the application…

This study investigated the relationship between examinee achievement-specific locus of control and the differences between self-adapted testing (SAT) and computerized adaptive testing (CAT) in terms of mean estimated proficiency and posttest state anxiety. Subjects were 379 college students. A disordinal interaction was found between test type…

This report illustrates one way in which the technologies of testing might combine with cognitive science techniques to help steer instruction. Steering testing is brief diagnostic testing that steers, or individualizes, the course of instruction. Steering testing uses simple heuristics for reasoning about the level of a student's competence in a…

To date, the majority of computerized adaptive testing (CAT) systems for achievement and aptitude testing have been based on the dichotomous item response models. However, current research with polychotomous model-based CATs is yielding promising results. This study extends previous work on nominal response model-based CAT (NR CAT) and compares…

The DX SYSTEM of Diagnostic Testing is an easy-to-use computerized system for developing and administering diagnostic tests. A diagnostic test measures a student's mastery of a specific domain (skill or content area). It examines the necessary subskills hierarchically from the most to the least complex. The DX SYSTEM features tailored testing with…

A brief overview of item response theory is provided, and a 186-item bibliography of books and articles on the subject dating from 1953 to June 1989 is presented. The overview includes a definition of the theory, a discussion of its development and application, and comparisons with classical test theory. All publications in the bibliography were…

This paper reviews 18 microcomputer software item banks on an individual basis. Software Programs reviewed are AIMS (Academic Instructional Measurement System); CREATE-A-TEST; Exam Builder; Exams and Examiner; MicroCAT; Multiple Choice Files; P.D.Q. Builder; Quiz Rite; Teacher Create Series (5 programs); TAP (Testing Authoring Program); TestBank…