This research explores the suitability of system-based simulation analysis for higher education (HE) policy-planning. A dynamic system model of the Finnish university funding system covering bachelor-level students is presented. The results show that the model captures the nature of the current funding system, which can be considered a zero-sum…

The purpose of this study is to explore the nature of complex adaptive systems (CAS) and network dynamics in international education (IE) programs in a U.S. higher education institution. I analyze the IE programs through a lens of complexity and network theories and ask how measures of engagement in complex networks affect performance in the IE…

Classification evaluation metrics are often used to evaluate adaptive tutoring systems-- programs that teach and adapt to humans. Unfortunately, it is not clear how intuitive these metrics are for practitioners with little machine learning background. Moreover, our experiments suggest that existing convention for evaluating tutoring systems may…

To date, evaluation research and policy analysis have focused mainly on average program impacts and paid little systematic attention to their variation. Recently, the growing number of multi-site randomized trials that are being planned and conducted make it increasingly feasible to study "cross-site" variation in impacts. Important…

Using exogenous characteristics to identify endogenous subgroups, the approach discussed in this method note creates symmetric subsets within treatment and control groups, allowing the analysis to take advantage of an experimental design. In order to maintain treatment--control symmetry, however, prior work has posited that it is necessary to use…

This article proposes an innovative approach to estimating the counterfactual without the necessity of generating information from either a control group or a before-measure. Building on the idea that program participants are capable of estimating the hypothetical state they would be in had they not participated, the basics of the Roy-Rubin model…

This study uses a multi-level multivariate propensity score matching approach to examine the synthetic cohort design (SCD) in estimating the schooling effect on mathematics proficiency of the focal cohort 2 (8th graders). Collecting 7th and 8th graders at the same time point, the SCD is sufficient in estimating the schooling effect under the…

An exemplary project was funded in North Dakota to develop, implement, and evaluate a versatile office simulation program that would meet the needs of secondary students in varying situations. The Occupational Model Plan can substitute for, or complement the cooperative method in vocational office education. (Author/KP)

Shows how one can combine a large-scale planned variation experimental design and multilevel analysis to address research questions that go beyond the issue of overall treatment effectiveness. Uses data from a simulated field experiment to describe the multilevel models that can be used. (SLD)

This chapter considers the history of instructional development (ID) in the military, with particular emphasis on the U.S. Navy. The ID process used at the Navy's Instructional Program Development Centers is presented, including the process for simulator development. An in-depth analysis of the problems encountered with educational technology…

The preparation of this simulation material package is guided by the concept of an evaluator as a decision-maker, based on the definition of evaluation as a continuous assessment concerned with answering decision-making questions. The continuous concept of evaluation is based on the model created by Egon Guba and Daniel Stufflebeam, named by its…

Three examples of genetics and evolution simulation concerning Mendelian inheritance, genetic mapping, and natural selection are used to illustrate the use of simulations in modeling scientific/natural processes. First described is the HERED series, which illustrates such phenomena as incomplete dominance, multiple alleles, lethal alleles,…

The jackknife is a general inferential technique intended to ameliorate the problems associated with inadequate sampling theory. The research reported herein is directed at investigating the utility of the jackknife for establishing confidence intervals on and testing hypotheses about the disattenuated correlation coefficient for small samples. A…

Dynamic analysis offers a comprehensive view of the cost benefit and cost effective dimensions of policy problems. It also provides the computational power to investigate the long term effects of policy decisions on the flow of resources in organizations and government agencies. (Author/MV)

The purposes of this terminal evaluation report are to determine the extent to which the major goals of the Skyline Wide Educational Plan (SWEP) project were achieved, to evaluate the utility of the products of SWEP studies, and to communicate the results to appropriate audiences. Information relative to four major project components is presented;…