This paper uses rich administrative data from Chile to estimate teacher value added (TVA) on test scores and on an educational attainment index. We allow each teacher to have a different TVA for male and female students and show that differences in TVA explain an important part of the gender gaps we observe in test scores and postsecondary…

Background: Modeling and simulation practices have become commonplace in modern engineering, but in-depth research on the development of modeling and simulation expertise is needed to identify the learning processes involved in successfully acquiring these skills. Purpose: This study investigated student dimensions of expertise when engaged in…

This paper addresses a common challenge with computational cognitive models: identifying parameter values that are both theoretically plausible and generate predictions that match well with empirical data. While computational models can offer deep explanations of cognition, they are computationally complex and often out of reach of traditional…

The Cattell-Horn-Carroll (CHC) model presently serves as a blueprint for both test development and a taxonomy for clinical interpretation of modern tests of cognitive ability. Accordingly, the trend among test publishers has been toward creating tests that provide users with an ever-increasing array of scores that comport with CHC. However, an…

Computer modeling promotes mechanistic reasoning when learners build and analyze models of complex systems to explore causal mechanisms and use models to generate patterns. StarLogo Nova (SLN), an agent-based modeling (ABM) environment, enables novice programmers to model a system's individual components and investigate its emergent, collective…

Most springs do not simply obey Hooke's law because they are constructed to have an initial tension, which must be overcome before normal elongation occurs. This property, well known to engineers, is universally neglected in elementary physics courses. In particular, the standard simple harmonic motion experiment omits any discussion of this…

At some point in the future, if mankind hopes to settle planets outside our solar system, it will be crucial to determine the range of planetary conditions under which human beings could survive and function. In this article, we apply physical considerations to determine the limitations that gravity imposes on several systems governing the human…

This article describes a method for using the United States Census data to open a differential equations course. The question of finding a model for the United States population data gives students a first experience with creating a model using differential equations, and also understanding derivatives, what they mean, and how to calculate them in…

This paper describes an activity using a dog treat ball to introduce systems of first-order differential equations. Beads are placed in the first of two hemispherical chambers of a food-dispensing dog toy. As the ball is turned, students track the number of beads in the first chamber, the second chamber, and the exterior of the ball. Students…

In the first part of the dialogue between theories, which gave rise to a paper in this journal, we discussed the role played by normativity in didactics. In this work, with the aim of taking a step forward in this dialogue, we state explicitly some of the postulates of the anthropological theory of the didactic. They shape the object of study, the…

Educational stakeholders would be better informed if they could use their students' formative assessments results and personal background attributes to predict the conditions for achieving favorable learning outcomes, and conversely, to gain awareness of the "at-risk" signals to prevent unfavorable or worst-case scenarios from happening.…

The article makes a number of critical remarks concerning Linda Zagzebski's exemplarism. On the positive side, I argue that one of its strengths is the focus on motivation as an important factor in moral education whilst, on the negative, I draw attention to two issues. The first is that Zagzebski's notion of moral exemplars is insufficient since…

We share our experience and lessons learned from using Systemic Initiative for Modeling Investigations and Opportunities with Differential Equations (SIMIODE) modeling scenarios in our Differential Equations I class at Middle Tennessee State University. Specific projects with Python codes are presented. Discussions are brought forth on how to…

This paper discusses, compares, and contrasts 4 different models for bringing evidence from randomised controlled trials (RCTs) into practice and into practical reasoning. I look at what questions the models can and cannot answer, what role they accord to RCT evidence, and what their possible attraction for practitioners might be. The models are…

Purpose: Many language tests use different versions that are not statistically linked or do not have a developmental scaled score. The current article illustrates the problems of scores that are not linked or equated, followed by a statistical model to derive a developmental scaled score. Method: Using an accelerated cohort design of 890 students…