Reports on the increasing use of virtual-reality devices at Pennsylvania State University's Milton S. Hershey Medical Center and other institutions that allow medical residents to practice their skills in simulated operations. Notes that both students and professors are enthusiastic about the simulations but that the necessary technology and…

Discusses problems associated with organizational or technological change. Presents the results of learning experiments in experimentaria, rooms for experiments removed from the daily activities of an organization. Concludes that experimentaria seem to create a higher level of self-respect and respect for others' skills and knowledge as well as a…

Developed models to investigate the fit of parametric item response models by comparing them to models fitted under nonparametric assumptions. Illustrated these techniques through simulation studies and real-data examples. Discusses the identifiability and estimation consistency of item response theory models. (SLD)

Presents a new nonparametric method for constructing a spatial representation of multidimensional test structure, the Conditional Covariance-based SCALing (CCSCAL) method. Describes an index to measure the accuracy of the representation. Uses simulation and real-life data analyses to show that the method provides a suitable approximation to…

A workshop for Australian nursing students used simulation to impart information about illicit drug use and enhance nurses' ability to care for patients who use drugs. Simulations challenged attitudes, beliefs, and stereotypes and expanded students' knowledge about health promotion and patient care. (Contains 18 references.) (SK)

In this paper, we present our experiences in using two automatic assessment tools, TRAKLA and TRAKLA2, in a second course of programming. In this course, 500-700 students have been enrolled annually during the period 1993-2004. The tools are specifically designed for assessing algorithm simulation exercises in which students simulate the working…

According to temporal distinctiveness models, items that are temporally isolated from their neighbors during list presentation are more distinct and thus should be recalled better. Event-based theories, by contrast, deny that time plays a role at encoding and predict no beneficial effect of temporal isolation, although they acknowledge that a…

Multidimensional unfolding methods suffer from the degeneracy problem in almost all circumstances. Most degeneracies are easily recognized: the solutions are perfect but trivial, characterized by approximately equal distances between points from different sets. A definition of an absolutely degenerate solution is proposed, which makes clear that…

This article considers the problem of power and sample size calculations for normal outcomes within the framework of multivariate linear models. The emphasis is placed on the practical situation that not only the values of response variables for each subject are just available after the observations are made, but also the levels of explanatory…

Teachers spend a great deal of time trying to capture student interest because motivation is the beginning of learning. One effective way to do this is through the use of games in the classroom. Games provide a natural motivation, are part of good teaching strategies, and, fortunately, there are many that can be used to help build concepts.…

Hydrogen activation on the (100) surface of MoS[2] structures was investigated by means of density functional theory calculations. Linear and quadratic synchronous transit methods with a conjugate gradient refinement of the saddle point were used to localize transition states. The calculations include heterolytic and homolytic dissociation of…

This article explores the use of simulations and games in tertiary education. It examines the extent to which academics use different simulation-based teaching approaches and how they perceive the barriers to adopting such techniques. Following a review of the extant literature, a typology of simulations is constructed. A staff survey within a UK…

In this extended earth science activity, students create a hands-on model of a volcano to achieve an understanding of volcanic structure, lava flows, formation of lava layers, and the scientific work of archaeologists and geoscientists. During this simulation activity, students have opportunities to learn science as inquiry and the nature of…

A comprehensive theoretical description of thermal protein unfolding coupled to ligand binding is presented. The thermodynamic concepts are independent of the method used to monitor protein unfolding but a differential scanning calorimetry is being used as a tool for examining the unfolding process.

Although cognitive diagnostic models (CDMs) can be useful in the analysis and interpretation of existing tests, little has been developed to specify how one might construct a good test using aspects of the CDMs. This article discusses the derivation of a general CDM index based on Kullback-Leibler information that will serve as a measure of how…