Reflects on what has transpired in the second language (L2) testing field in relation to technology and situates developments within the larger language testing, general measurement, and educational contexts. (Author/VWL)

Presents the rationale for and the results of a pilot study attempting to document in detail how automatization takes place as the result of different kinds of intensive practice. Results show that reaction times and error rates gradually decline with practice, and the practice effect is skill-specific. (36 references) (CK)

Describes the wireless local area network at Carnegie Mellon University. Highlights include classroom applications, particularly in the Business School; the use of laptop computers configured with wireless technology; handheld computers, including use for testing; and assuring appropriate uses of wireless technology. (LRW)

Studied the use of adaptive testing when examinees are classified into three categories. Established testing algorithms with two different statistical computation procedures and evaluated them through simulation using an operative item bank from Dutch basic adult education. Results suggest a reduction of at least 22% in the mean number of items…

A study involving 72 children (ages 4-8) investigated the effects of computerized presentation of the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-Revised Form M that used two computer-based response formats. Results found no difference in performance when students responded using standard presentation--direct pointing, computer presentation--trackball, or…

Focusing on whether computer-based study tasks should use multiple-choice or constructed-response (CR) question formats, this study hypothesized that a CR task with feedback would be superior to multiple-choice study tasks that allowed either single or multiple tries (STF, MTF). As hypothesized, CR scores were larger than MTF and STF scores,…

Reports on the administration and grading of automated tests in five successive semesters of a course in genetics and evolution. Students showed a gain in learning. Suggests that gains in learning will vary with discipline, teaching technique, and student background. (Author/MM)

Assessment and learning are two sides of the same coin (Ramsden, 1992, Biggs, 1999) and their relationship has also been likened to the participants in a three-legged race (Harding & Craven, 2001). The aim of this article is to explore the potential of e-assessment to provide solutions to some of the challenges for e-learning. Drawing on…

In this study, we investigated possible context effects when students chose to defer items and answer those items later during a computerized test. In 4 primary school reading tests, 126 items were studied. Logistic regression analyses identified 4 items across 4 grade levels as statistically significant. However, follow-up analyses indicated that…

This article describes a SAS macro to assess model fit of structural equation models by employing a test of the model-implied vanishing tetrads. Use of this test has been limited in the past, in part due to the lack of software that fully automates the test in a user-friendly way. The current SAS macro provides a straightforward method for…

Most educators today would agree that the mission of the teaching profession has become more complex and much more challenging than ever before. Changes in district demographics, societal pressures that require more personalized student attention, evermore stringent governmental demands, and constant budgetary concerns all have an impact on…

Research suggests screen reading is slower and possibly less accurate than reading from paper. Six study and test sessions over 10 months examined correct scores and retrieval responses for learning material presented via these two media. Correct scores did not differ suggesting that close matching of material can eliminate any decrement in…

Can computers help with one of the most persistent challenges of large classes: the accurate and efficient measurement of student learning?

Item response theory (IRT) has become one of the most popular scoring frameworks for measurement data. IRT models are used frequently in computerized adaptive testing, cognitively diagnostic assessment, and test equating. This article reviews two of the most popular software packages for IRT model estimation, BILOG-MG (Zimowski, Muraki, Mislevy, &…

This paper describes a new ICT assessment tool that reduces multihandling of marks, comments and scores specifically where professional judgement is involved. Whereas previous ICT applications in most fields of education have focused on student learning, this tool focuses on the lecturer task of the assessment process. Unlike many ICT based…