The purpose of this study is to determine an efficient way to reduce the bias in estimates of the Rasch model parameters due to aberrant response patterns. First, the benefits of using one- or two-sided goodness-of-fit tests of patterns with the model are discussed. Then, the consequences of removing non-fitting patterns from Rasch model data are…

Many companies using Statistical Process Control (SPC) in their manufacturing processes have found that, despite the training difficulties presented by the technique, the rewards of successful SPC include increased productivity, quality, and market leadership. The Ford Motor Company has developed its SPC training with interactive video, which…

Mothers' behavioral intentions about using physical punishment were examined to reveal influences on their selection of responses to child misbehaviors. Participants were 55 middle-class, mostly college-educated mothers of 3-to-4-year-old children. A total of 31 children were girls. Mothers operated a computer program which presented, in a random…

The effects of variations in degree of range restriction and different subgroup sample sizes on the validity of several item bias detection procedures based on Item Response Theory (IRT) were investigated in a simulation study. The degree of range restriction for each of two subpopulations was varied by cutting the specified subpopulation ability…

This courseware evaluation rates the Interior Design Simulator program developed by Orange Juice Software Systems. (This program--not contained in this document--allows the user to design a room of any shape with maximum dimensions of 14 x 26 feet.) Part A describes the program in terms of subject area (furniture arrangement) and hardware…

The computational problem-solving mode of thought that has become widespread since the computer revolution has two aspects. The first aspect is the organization of one's view of the world into "context-free" terms and uniform relations between these terms. The relations that are to hold among these terms are taken to be standardized, and…

This courseware evaluation rates "The Place Setting Simulator" program developed by Orange Juice Software Systems. The courseware was rated by a team of home economists participating in a network designed to identify and evaluate courseware and disseminate reviews for vocational and technical teachers, media staff, and administrators.…

The aim of a teacher is to guide a student or group of students to observe, do, and discover what is essential in the curriculum's content, and to create a comfortable context and emotional state for learning. This paper puts forward the theoretical underpinning and central aspects of the development and application of the orientation assistant…

Describes an interactive video system of animated programs developed at Stanford University that enables drama students to design and stage their own versions of scenes, and learn about the theatrical process quickly and inexpensively. The discussion covers the development of the programs and examples of their implementation. (CLB)

Seven data sets (namely, clinical data on children) were subjected to clustering by seven algorithms--the B-coefficient, Linear Typal Analysis; elementary linkage analysis, Numerical Taxonomy System, Statistical Analysis System hierarchical clustering method, Taxonomy, and Bolz's Type Analysis. The little-known B-coefficient method compared…

Describes a microcomputer-based software package, Online Search Tutor (OST), which is designed to teach users online bibliographic searching. Modeled on software previously developed for the European Space Agency Information Retrieval Services (ESA-IRS), OST includes a database of 600 bibliographic records which will simulate actual search…

Delineates the differences between simulators and training devices, and discusses the possibility of inadequate training when simulators are used as training devices. Guidelines for appropriate training device development using a behavioral learning approach are presented. (13 references) (CLB)

Description of Atenea, the Spanish National Project for Computers in Education, focuses on the use of computer simulation and modeling in elementary and secondary education. Highlights include system dynamics, training courses for teachers, a microcomputer-based software package called System Dynamics Simulator for Education (SDSE), and a list of…

Describes Teacher Development Decision Exercises, a computer-based method of diagnosing abilities of elementary and secondary school supervisors (principals, staff developers, curriculum coordinators) to make professional preactive or planning decisions. This approval simulates assessment of supervisors' abilities to use professional knowledge to…

Explains the computer-based modeling "language" of Structural Thinking and Experiential Learning Laboratory with Animation (STELLA) and its applications to environmental education. Describes STELLA's interactive capabilities through an example of a program on predator-prey interactions. Recommends the use of STELLA for clarification of…