This report discusses advances in computer-based technologies that can be used for teaching limited English proficient (LEP) minority students. These technologies offer multisensory delivery, increased self-expression and active student learning, cooperative learning, communication skill practice, multicultural education, and enhanced motivation.…

This study investigated the characteristics of Computer-based Case Simulations (CCS) that may be associated with case difficulty. Difficulty was defined as the average rating by physicians of examinee performance on a nine-point scale or the passing rate on the cases. Two data sets were used, one from an administration of 18 cases to 201 medical…

One important and promising application of item response theory (IRT) is computerized adaptive testing (CAT). The implementation of a nominal response model-based CAT (NRCAT) was studied. Item pool characteristics for the NRCAT as well as the comparative performance of the NRCAT and a CAT based on the three-parameter logistic (3PL) model were…

This document on contingent student assistance repayment plans in Ontario universities contains a paper on policy options for repayment plans and the manual for a simulation model for testing policy options. The policy options paper begins by describing the contingent repayment concept in which the test for receiving a public subsidy is shifted…

The following seven statistical procedures are compared in terms of the ability to recover a unidimensional latent trait from Likert-type data: (1) factor analysis based on Pearson correlations (FA-PR); (2) factor analysis based on polychoric correlations (FA-PL); (3) the graded response model in item response theory (IRT-GRM); (4) internal…

A two-stage testing strategy is one method of adapting the difficulty of a test to an individual's ability level in an effort to achieve more precise measurement. A routing test provides an initial estimate of ability level, and a second-stage measurement test then evaluates the examinee further. The measurement accuracy and efficiency of item…

Hypermedia applications have presented information through a variety of visual media, but the aural channel for information delivery has not been well developed. To reduce the likelihood of overloading the visual channel of communication in a program that presents a great deal of information through graphic illustration and animation, the…

This paper discusses the development of computer-based business simulations designed to prepare high school students for entry-level jobs in business, and explores the implementation of feedback mechanisms in simulations. Reasons why simulations are an appropriate type of media for this application, the nature of feedback, and research on feedback…

This paper discusses four areas in the psychology literature that have important implications for the instructional design of microcomputer-based simulations. The first one examined is cognitive structures, and the following suggestions for instructional design are offered: simulations should be appropriate for students' level of understanding;…

This paper discusses two software packages used in kinematics courses at Purdue University, Calumet (Indiana) and some algorithms written by students for cam design. The first software package, 4BAR, requires the user to define the particular four bar linkage in terms of lengths of the individual links and the angle and distance to the coupler…

This paper focuses upon the research and development (R&D) process associated with developing automated feedback materials for the SIMulation NETworking (SIMNET) training system. This R&D process involved a partnership among instructional developers, practitioners, and researchers. Users' input has been utilized to help: (1) design the…

Three methods of estimating test score distributions that may improve on using the observed frequencies (OBFs) as estimates of a population test score distribution are considered: the kernel method (KM); the polynomial method (PM); and the four-parameter beta binomial method (FPBBM). The assumption each method makes about the smoothness of the…

Part 1 of this two-part document reviews efforts to develop computer-based case management simulations for use in rehabilitation education. It examines both single-case management simulations which concentrate on clinical problem-solving skills required to serve a single client and multiple-case management simulations which focus on skills…

The nine articles in this collection were selected because they represent concerns central to computer science, emphasize topics of particular interest to mathematicians, and underscore the wide range of areas deeply and continually affected by computer science. The contents consist of: "Introduction" (S. V. Pollack), "The…

This study aims to report the effort on teaching vector algebra using free open source software (FOSS). Recent studies showed that students have difficulties in learning basic physics concepts. Constructivist learning theories suggest the use of visual and hands-on activities in learning. We will report on the software used for this purpose. The…