Motivation in distance education (DE) has been studied mostly at the postsecondary level with few studies having been conducted at the high-school level. This paper breaks with this tradition by reporting on the perspectives on motivation of 42 Canadian high-school DE teachers. Data collection involved one-hour long, semi-structured telephone…

Disproportionately large numbers of Black youth experience repeated encounters with the juvenile justice system, and often these same youth present with a variety of school-related difficulties. Data from a sample of 842 Black males, assessed in five Ohio juvenile courts using the Global Risk Assessment Device (GRAD), are used to describe the…

This paper discusses the development of an assessment to satisfy the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Language Proficiency Requirements. The Versant Aviation English Test utilizes speech recognition technology and a computerized testing platform, such that test administration and scoring are fully automated. Developed in…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to exhibit the integration of learning and study strategies inventory (LASSI) with the City University of Hong Kong information systems to promote teaching and learning within the university. Design/methodology/approach: From the 2006 entry cohort, all undergraduate freshmen at City University of Hong Kong are…

Preliminary pilot studies and a field study show how a generalizable conceptual framework calibrated with item response modeling can be used to describe the development of student conceptual understanding in chemistry. ChemQuery is an assessment system that uses a framework of the key ideas in the discipline, called the Perspectives of Chemists,…

The rationale behind the method of estimating the operating characteristics of discrete item responses when the test information of the Old Test is not constant was presented previously. In the present study, two subtests of the Old Test, i.e. Subtests 1, and 2, each of which has a different non-constant test information function, are used in…

Discusses microcomputer-based test types that can measure learning of classroom content: (1) objective examination, (2) hands-on examination, (3) power examination, and (4) take-home examination. Recommends that a combination of power, objective, and take-home examinations achieves representative results with a minimum loss of class time. (CH)

In this study a cumulative-sum (CUSUM) procedure from the theory of Statistical Process Control was modified and applied in the context of person-fit analysis in a computerized adaptive testing (CAT) environment. Six person-fit statistics were proposed using the CUSUM procedure, and three of them could be used to investigate the CAT in online test…

This book provides a general overview of computer based testing (CBT) and aims at an audience of practitioners and graduate students. The book discusses all aspects of BT without going into psychometric detail. This nontechnical and basic book is recommended as a textbook for students or new researchers. (SLD)

Considers the potential of computer adaptive testing (CAT). Discusses the use of CAT instead of traditional paper and pencil tests, identifies decisions that impact the efficacy of CAT, and concludes that CAT is beneficial when used to its full potential on certain types of tests. (LRW)

Examined the effects of model misspecification on the precision of decisions made using the sequential probability ratio test (SPRT) in computer testing. Simulation results show that the one-parameter logistic model produced more errors than the true model. (SLD)

Presents a variation of a "greedy" algorithm that can be used in test-assembly problems. The algorithm, the normalized weighted absolute-deviation heuristic, selects items to have a locally optimal fit to a moving set of average criterion values. Demonstrates application of the model. (SLD)

Compares four methods that map outlier statistics to a familiarity probability scale (a "P" value). Explored these methods in the context of computerized adaptive test data from a 1995 nationally administered computerized examination for professionals in the medical industry. (SLD)

Proposed person-fit statistics that are designed for use in a computerized adaptive test (CAT) and derived critical values for these statistics using cumulative sum (CUSUM) procedures so that item-score patterns can be classified as fitting or misfitting. Compared nominal Type I errors with empirical Type I errors through simulation studies. (SLD)

Examined the use of the generalized graded unfolding model (GGUM) in computerized adaptive testing, using simulation and attempting to minimize the number of items required to produce equiprecise estimates of person locations. Results suggest that adaptive testing with the GGUM is a good method for achieving estimates with an approximately uniform…