The study examined use of a curriculum-based measurement computer program to first, evaluate phonetic patterns in four spelling curricula and second, help special education teachers (N=27) identify students' phonetic spelling errors. Results indicated similarities among curricula and effectiveness of the ongoing feedback on teachers' skills. (DB)

Describes the workings of computerized adaptive testing (CAT). Focuses on the key concept of information and then discusses two important components of a CAT system: the calibrated item bank and the testing algorithm. Describes a CAT that was designed for making placement decisions on the basis of two typical test administrations and notes the…

Over four weeks, 81 secondary students with learning disabilities were tested on four parallel mathematics performance assessments, each under a different condition: standard administration, teacher-read, computer-read, and computer-read with video. Results indicated that providing a reader, either human or computer, increased scores on…

This article describes a technology tool integrated into course content at Iowa State University that enhances instruction for the group as well as the individual student in teacher preparation classes. "Discourse" is a group response program that links a teacher-station computer to individual student terminals via infrared networking. (Contains…

General self-efficacy (GSE), individuals' belief in their ability to perform well in a variety of situations, has been the subject of increasing research attention. However, the psychometric properties (e.g., reliability, validity) associated with the scores on GSE measures have been criticized, which has hindered efforts to further establish the…

The Internet has become an inevitable tool for collecting health and health behavior questionnaires. This study compared the feasibility, presence of score differences, and subjective evaluations by children between Internet and identical paper (asthma/fruit) questionnaires in elementary schools. A randomized crossover design was applied, with…

Gateway tests provide a means of assuring that students in reformed precalculus and calculus courses acquire the algebraic and computational skills needed in courses following these, while allowing the focus of the course to be on the conceptual understanding intrinsic to the reformed courses. However, logistical difficulties plague the…

Over the last 20 years, writing about technology (and more recently about its use in assessment systems) has been a joyful experience, in part because the author was usually right about how fast and how unexpected technology progress would be made. In this article, the author suggests to rethink assessment systems from design perspectives and the…

The development of e-learning has opened up new opportunities for innovation in assessment practices in higher education. This descriptive case study draws upon staff and student experiences of teaching and learning on a web-based Masters programme in primary health care to explore how specific features of the online environment can be exploited…

A university-wide project team of academic and administrative staff worked together to prepare, deliver and evaluate a number of diagnostic, formative and summative computer-based assessments. The team also attempted to assess the University of Southampton's readiness to deliver computer-assisted assessment (CAA) within the "Code of practice…

This study was carried out to examine students' responses to the use of on-line assessments that included feedback. First year BSc students taking a Cell Biology module undertook such an assessment and were then asked to evaluate the test by completing an anonymous questionnaire. Answers were analysed in light of the respondents' ethnicity and…

There is a dearth of research involving advanced second language (L2) learners in the USA [Brantmeier, C., 2001. Second language reading research on passage content and gender: challenges for the intermediate level curriculum, Foreign Language Annals 34, 325-333; Young, D.J., 2003. Workshop on overcoming anxiety in the foreign language classroom.…

Although computer-assisted interview tools have much potential, little empirical evidence on the quality and quantity of data generated by these tools has been collected. In this study we compared the effects of using Virre, a computer-assisted self-interview tool, with the effects of using other data collection methods, such as written responding…

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…

We assessed choices on a computerized test of self-control (CTSC) for a group of children with features of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and a group of controls. Thirty boys participated in the study. Fifteen of the children had been rated by their parents as hyperactive and inattentive, and 15 were age- and gender-matched…