This packet of materials contains law-related materials for students to conduct a mock trial. In this case a faulty water system, containing the parasite Pindia, contributed to the death of an AIDS patient. Statements from the plaintiff, a representative of the Metro City Water Department, health officials, and others are presented. New releases,…

In computerized adaptive testing, updating parameter estimates using adaptive testing data is often called online calibration. In this paper, how to evaluate whether the adaptive testing model used for online calibration fits the item response model used sufficiently is studied. Three approaches are investigated, based on a Lagrange multiplier…

This paper discusses the use of games, role playing, and simulation to teach English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) learners, particularly to reinforce new knowledge or expand emerging knowledge and skills. An introductory section looks at game theory and the ways in which it can inform the construction of classroom activities. Distinctions are made…

This report documents the construct validity and reliability of the Professional Development Inventory (PDI), an assessment center sponsored by the National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP). The assessment center provides a means for assessing participants in situations simulating those confronted by principals on the job. The…

This book is a comprehensive and practical guide to the use of computers across a wide age range. Extensive use is made of photographs, illustrations, cartoons, and samples of children's work to demonstrate the versatility of computer use in schools. An introduction by Rob Crompton placing computer use within the educational context of the United…

This simulation exercise is designed to provide students at the intermediate and secondary education levels with an experimental or discovery exercise in cross cultural relations. The simulation is designed to be a part of a more extensive study of cultural perceptions and can be used in an exploration or one's own community as well as in more…

This paper argues that Merrill's instructional transaction theory provides a framework that can decrease learners' problems in using computer simulations by specifying transaction shells rather than frames in designing interactive courseware. The three types of data used in a transaction, i.e., an instructional algorithm, are identified as a…

To help Hispanic Americans wishing to enroll in the Santa Ana (California) Police Department, this paper presents an Advancement of Ethnic Representation Opportunities (AERO) Police Success Communication Skills Competency Based lesson that focuses on expressing ethical values during police oral interviews. After providing background information on…

This unit is designed to investigate the reasons for international trade and the issue of trade protectionism by focusing on the case study of the U.S. trade relationship with Taiwan. The unit begins with a simulation that highlights the concepts of global interdependence, the need for international trade, and the distribution of the world's…

Mock negotiations are used as part of an undergraduate course in international business management at Lebanon Valley College (Pennsylvania) in order to introduce students to the process of negotiating for advantage in foreign countries and to emphasize the importance of an individual nation's customs, culture, and ways of transacting business in…

By employing a concomitant variable, researchers can reduce the error, increase the precision, and maximize the power of an experimental design. Blocking and analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) are most often used to harness the power of a concomitant variable. Whether to block or covary and how many blocks to be used if a block design is chosen…

Arguing that what sets the computer apart from all other teaching devices is its potential for interactivity, this paper examines the concept of interactivity and explores ways in which its power can be harnessed and put to work. A discussion of interactivity in human-to-human communication sets a context within which to view human/computer…

This paper explores a logistic regression procedure for estimating item parameters in the Rasch model and testing the hypothesis of item parameter invariance across several groups/populations. Rather than using item responses directly, the procedure relies on "pseudo-paired comparisons" (PC) statistics defined over all possible pairs of…

Studies of differential item functioning (DIF) under item response theory require that item parameter estimates be placed on the same metric before comparisons can be made. Evidence that methods for linking metrics may be influenced by the presence of differentially functioning items has been inconsistent. The effects of three methods for linking…

This paper identifies, structures, and defines a list of cost elements that is intended to describe fully the life-cycle cost of any formal program, course, or device for individual training of Department of Defense personnel. It was developed to provide consistent, comparable, and credible evaluations of the cost-effectiveness of alternative…