Used computer simulation methods to examine the sensitivity of model fit criteria to misspecification of the first-level error structure in two-level models of change and to examine the impact of misspecification estimates on the variance parameters, estimates of the fixed effects, and tests of the fixed effects. Discusses problems caused by…

Describes a cost-effective way to create an effective simulation for students that teaches them how personal computers are used in the workplace. (JOW)

A computer-assisted, K-fold cross-validation technique is discussed in the framework of canonical correlation analysis of randomly generated data sets. Analysis results suggest that this technique can effectively reduce the contamination of canonical variates and canonical correlations by sample-specific variance components. (Author/SLD)

Develops a cultural transmission model with the following variables: worker entry and exit rate, organization growth rate, recruiting selectivity, socialization intensity, and the rate that socialization decays if not reinforced. A computer simulation of the model found that cultural systems in organizations are highly robust and reach equilibrium…

Describes SimSum (Simulation of Summarizing), which simulates 20 real-world working steps of expert summarizers. Presents an empirically founded cognitive model of summarizing and demonstrates that human summarization strategies can be simulated. Discusses current research in automatic summarization, summarizing in the World Wide Web, and…

Computer simulations used to compare the Mahalanobis distance procedure with the Andrews-Pregibon statistic for identifying multivariate outliers result in the conclusion that the choice of procedure is not critical, since both identified valid data points as outliers. Results with false outliers as the dependent variable suggest the importance of…

Computer simulation indicated that reliability increased with the degree of similarity between underlying and observed distributions when the observed categorical distribution was deliberately constructed to match the shape of the underlying distribution of the trait being measured. Reliability also increased with correlation among variables and…

Previous computer conferencing research has been concerned with the organizational, technical, social, and motivational factors that support and sustain online interaction. This article studies online interaction from a different perspective. Rather than analyze the processes that sustain discourse, the following research examines how and why…

How do communities establish shared communication systems? The Common Knowledge view assumes that symbolic conventions develop through the accumulation of common knowledge regarding communication practices among the members of a community. In contrast with this view, it is proposed that coordinated communication emerges a by-product of local…

This article covers the application of virtual reality (VR) to training and lifelong learning. A number of considerations concerning the design of VR applications are included. The introduction is dedicated to the more general aspects of applying VR to training. From multiple perspectives, we will provide an overview of existing applications with…

One of the newest methodologies in nursing education is high-fidelity human patient simulation (HPS). Many nursing educators have embraced the method as it offers a strategy to facilitate cognitive, affective, and psychomotor outcomes. Despite their popularity, however, HPS systems are costly and, in an era of cost containment and tuition…

Approximately one third of the population of Louisiana is African American. According to federal reports, Blacks in Louisiana receive a poorer quality of healthcare compared to the White population. Occupational therapy is a profession of predominately White, middle class females who report in surveys that they are not adequately prepared to…

The paper presents a theoretical framework addressing three aspects of embodied pedagogical agents: visual static appearance, pedagogical role, and communicative style. The framework is then applied to a user study where 90 school children (aged 12-15) in a dummy multimedia program were presented with either an instructor or a learning companion…

According to the 2008 Community College Survey of Student Engagement (CCSSE): 82 percent of community college students surveyed have part-time jobs (and over half of this group works more than 20 hours a week); almost all (93 percent) reported commuting to campus and 21 percent said they spend between six and 20 hours a week in the commute;…

The purpose of this study was to examine students' learning of simple machines, a fifth-grade (ages 10-11) forces and motion unit, and student engagement using a teacher-created Multiplayer Educational Gaming Application. This mixed-method study collected pre-test/post-test results to determine student knowledge about simple machines. A survey…