In educational and psychological measurement, a person-fit statistic (PFS) is designed to identify aberrant response patterns. For parametric PFSs, valid inference depends on several assumptions, one of which is that the item response theory (IRT) model is correctly specified. Previous studies have used empirical data sets to explore the effects…

In this commentary, we complement other constructive critiques of educational randomized control trials (RCTs) by calling attention to the commonly ignored role of context in causal mechanisms undergirding educational phenomena. We argue that evidence for the central role of context in causal mechanisms challenges the assumption that RCT findings…

The Community of Inquiry framework is a collaborative-constructivist process model that describes the essential elements of a successful online higher education learning experience. This history column entry briefly describes the 20 years of progress in the framework. The column is divided into two decades, first, explaining the establishment of…

Structural equation modeling is an ideal data analytical tool for testing complex relationships among many analytical variables. It can simultaneously test multiple mediating and moderating relationships, estimate latent variables on the basis of related measures, and address practical issues such as nonnormality and missing data. To test the…

One of the most widely used communication tools in evaluation is the logic model. Despite its extensive use, there has been little research into the visualization aspect of the logic model. To assess the impact that design modifications would have on its effectiveness, we applied established visualization principles to revise a program model.…

Recently, as low-cost microcontrollers such as those developed by Arduino and Raspberry Pi have become widely available, the term maker education has emerged as a hot topic in education. Teachers are increasingly using low-cost microcontrollers in their classes, but conducting a class that focuses on using a microcontroller may cause difficulties…

The aim of this study is to identify different learning styles in university students in the frame of university teaching carried out through innovative proposals for work and research projects, with inverted classroom dynamics (active and cooperative) and adopting a formative assessment that focuses on both the process and the students' outcomes.…

We evaluate the feasibility of developing predictive models of rater behavior, that is, "rater-specific" models for predicting the scores produced by a rater under operational conditions. In the present study, the dependent variable is the score assigned to essays by a rater, and the predictors are linguistic attributes of the essays…

Academic communities of practice (ACoPs) are formed in collaboration with professionals from industry and the community with the aim of providing innovative solutions to real-world problems. There are no adequate frameworks and clear support structures for managing academic communities of practice (ACoP). The main aim of this paper is to develop…

Scholarly discourses call for curriculum development to be democratic and collaborative, include multiple stakeholders' perspectives, and aligned to values that promote the professional, social, and public good. Despite this, curriculum development remains an internal process: a situation challenged by a greater emphasis on employability. This…

In this digital ITEMS module, Dr. Brian Leventhal and Dr. Allison Ames provide an overview of "Monte Carlo simulation studies" (MCSS) in "item response theory" (IRT). MCSS are utilized for a variety of reasons, one of the most compelling being that they can be used when analytic solutions are impractical or nonexistent because…

The main purpose of this research is to identify the problems of traditional internship programs conducted at tertiary level educational institutions and propose a practical model of the internship entrepreneurship program. The qualitative research method has been used here to explore the existing problems of traditional internship programs, and…

In this paper we provide a framework for conceptualising transitions from Vocational Education and Training (VET) programmes to Higher Education (HE), by bringing together Bourdieu's and Bernstein's theoretical approaches with the view to attend to the often side-lined epistemic and pedagogical parameters. We utilise the Bourdieusian tools of…

Emotional intelligence is a learned ability that can bridge emotions and decision making to help improve Extension program participant outcomes. Because decision making is not based on information and facts alone, emotional intelligence has the power to transform the way individuals think about, plan, and execute behavior changes as well as make…

Scholars have lamented that current methods of assessing student performance do not align with contemporary views of learning as situated within students, contexts, and time. Here, we introduce and describe one theoretical--psychometric paradigm--termed "dynamic measurement"--designed to provide a valid representation of the way students…