This paper describes an election simulation developed at Rutgers University (New Jersey) using Multimedia Toolbook. Toolbook has features which enable an information flow to be presented which mimics the flow of a campaign, using both text and video. Subjects are presented with textual information that flows across the screen, representing the…

A multimedia-style computer application is detailed that facilitates students' role playing in a simulated business situation. The incorporation of video footage lends a "face" to a theoretical client with which the student must interact to bring about the successful resolution of a potential "calamity." The process of video…

A field study with 178 candidates for a police promotional examination was conducted to investigate the effects of "untranslated" behavioral checklists on certain psychometric properties of an assessment center. The untranslated checklist used all behavioral responses elicited by the assessment center exercises, not just those that met a…

School-effectiveness research is constrained by ambiguous factors of effectiveness and a lack of theory. This paper presents findings of a study that used simulation to improve school-effectiveness theory. Simulation is also used to explore the direct effects of schools on individual learning. After introducing simulation models, the paper…

The contrasting groups method is one of many possible methods for setting passing scores. The most commonly used method is probably that developed by W. H. Angoff (1971), but it has been suggested that the Angoff method may not be appropriate for many standard setting applications in education. The contrasting groups method is explored as an…

This book presents simulation activities for significant events in U.S. history from 1787-1868. Intended for student involvement, the simulations require student research and practice in order to carry out the designated roles. The simulation and role play serve to involve the students actively in their learning, using both the affective and…

This paper describes a simulation in which students pretend to follow a favorite baseball team on the road and travel to major league baseball cities in North America. Students use the encyclopedia to answer questions about each city they "visit" and then report on what they have learned by designing a postcard to send back to the class.…

Computerized adaptive testing (CAT), while well-grounded in psychometric theory, has had few large-scale applications for high-stakes, secure tests in the past. This is now changing as the cost of computing has declined rapidly. As is always true where theory is translated into practice, many practical issues arise. This paper discusses a number…

In this study some alternative item selection criteria for adaptive testing are proposed. These criteria take into account the uncertainty of the ability estimates. A general weighted information criterion is suggested of which the usual maximum information criterion and the suggested alternative criteria are special cases. A simulation study was…

This publication is designed to introduce students and teachers to the Model United Nations experience. The Model United Nations is a simulation of the United Nations (U.N.) system in which students assume the roles of ambassadors to the U.N. and debate the current issues on the U.N.'s agenda. This guide is organized into three chapters. The first…

The quality of fit between the data and the measurement model is fundamental to any discussion of results. Fit has been the subject of inquiry since as early as the 1920s. Most early explorations concentrated on assessing global fit or subset fits on fixed length, traditional paper and pencil tests given as a single unit. The detection of aberrant…

Mock trials help students gain a basic understanding of the legal mechanism through which society chooses to resolve many of its disputes. While learning the details of trial process and procedures, students also develop a number of critical skills that are universally necessary: (1) critical analysis of problems; (2) strategic thinking; (3)…

In Los Angeles, racial demographics have changed radically in the past 30 years resulting in inevitable tensions in the school. This paper reports on a classroom simulation of ethnicity/race and class relations. Students adopted the roles of three polarized and rigid "color groupings": (1) Greens--ruling class, wealthy since birth; (2)…

Large sample standard errors of linear equating for the single-group design are derived without making the normality assumption. Two general methods based on the delta method of M. Kendall and A. Stuart (1977) are described. One method uses the exact partial derivatives, and the other uses numerical derivatives. Simulation using the beta-binomial…

Equating tests from different calibrations under item response theory (IRT) requires calculation of the slope and intercept of the appropriate linear transformation. Two methods have been proposed recently for equating graded response items under IRT, a test characteristic curve method and a minimum chi-square method. These two methods are…