This study focused on misspecifications in composing parcels to represent a latent construct. Two measurement design factors, item reliability and intercorrelations among parcels, defined 12 true unidimensional parcel models. Deviations from the true model were examined via a 2-facet measurement model in which items and parcels represented the 2…

By studying recipients of aid under the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) welfare scheme, the effect of time limits of welfare schemes on forward looking recipients is assessed using a discrete-choice dynamic programming framework model. The policy simulations for the preferred specification of utility reveal that two year time limits…

In this article, the author discusses the importance of Homeland Security in community colleges as a counter terrorism solution. Homeland Security, a phrase born after September 11, 2001, has entered the nation's vocabulary and is now becoming part of the curriculum at hundreds of colleges and universities. No sector of higher education is…

For many students macroeconomics is very abstract; it is difficult for them to imagine that the theories are fundamentally about the coordination of human decisions. The author developed a simulation game called Steer the Economy that creates the possibility for students to make the decisions of the firms that are implicit in macroeconomic models.…

This paper provides the results of a literature review on the use of practical, hands-on training experiences in evaluation course work and training programs. The review spans the years 1965-2003. I identified 18 articles that encompass four basic approaches for practical evaluation training: simulation, role-play, single course projects, and…

This article applies a weighted maximum likelihood (WML) latent trait estimator to the generalized partial credit model (GPCM). The relevant equations required to obtain the WML estimator using the Newton-Raphson algorithm are presented, and a simulation study is described that compared the properties of the WML estimator to those of the maximum…

The person-response function (PRF) relates the probability of an individual's correct answer to the difficulty of items measuring the same latent trait. Local deviations of the observed PRF from the expected PRF indicate person misfit. We discuss two new approaches to investigate person fit. The first approach uses kernel smoothing to estimate…

In this study, we explore an alternate mode for teaching and learning the dynamic, three-dimensional (3D) relationships that are central to understanding astronomical concepts. To this end, we implemented an innovative undergraduate course in which we used inexpensive computer modeling tools. As the second of a two-paper series, this report…

In this study we investigated the design of assignments by students as a knowledge-generating activity. Students were required to design assignments for 'other students' in a computer simulation environment about electrical circuits. Assignments consisted of a question, alternatives, and feedback on those alternatives. In this way, subjects were…

In the novel noun generalization task, 2 1/2-year-old children display generalized expectations about how solid and nonsolid things are named, extending names for never-before-encountered solids by shape and for never-before-encountered nonsolids by material. This distinction between solids and nonsolids has been interpreted in terms of an…

The authors describe instructional methods used to teach comprehensive and individualized case conceptualization and treatment planning in a graduate-level Advanced Counseling Procedures course. Students participate in a theory-driven, simulated multidisciplinary treatment team and meet with recruited client actors to bring "to life" the…

The purpose of this research was to explore how adult users interact and learn during an interactive computer-based simulation supplemented with brief multimedia explanations of the content. A total of 52 college students interacted with a computer-based simulation of Newton's laws of motion in which they had control over the motion of a simple…

This article explores the uses of a simulation model (the two bucket story)--implemented by a stand-alone computer program, or an Excel workbook (both on the web)--that can be used for deriving bootstrap confidence intervals, and simulating various probability distributions. The strengths of the model are its generality, the fact that it provides…

In this article, the authors describe an e-mail-based simulation that helps students experience the fast-paced, complex world of the middle manager. In this electronic in-basket exercise, students assume the role of a district manager in a doughnut company as they respond to a rapid series of high- and low-priority e-mails ostensibly sent from…

A structure for learning the connections among standard deviations, z-scores, and normal distributions is presented. The components of this structure are classified into intuitive or previously learned conceptual knowledge, computational knowledge, and formalized conceptual knowledge. (Contains 1 figure.)