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Full-Text Articles in Education

The Case Against Percentage Grades, Thomas R. Guskey Sep 2013

The Case Against Percentage Grades, Thomas R. Guskey

Educational, School, and Counseling Psychology Faculty Publications

It’s time to abandon grading scales that distort the accuracy, objectivity, and reliability of students’ grades.


Impact Of Different Item Location In Common-Item Test Equating, Luc Le Jun 2013

Impact Of Different Item Location In Common-Item Test Equating, Luc Le

Dr Luc Tu Le

This study used real data and simulation data to investigate the impacts of different item location in common-item test equating. The real data set included responses of about 150 000 students to a generic skills test from a university survey in Columbia in 2011, where each student was assigned randomly to one of four linked test forms. Each form consisted of two of three Critical Reasoning clusters and two of three Quantitative Reasoning clusters (20 items in each cluster). The results of an analysis using Item Response Theory clearly showed that items could become more difficult when located towards the …


Designing Online Assessment For Improved Student Learning And Experience, Roy Wybrow, Pauline Taylor, David Smorfitt Jun 2013

Designing Online Assessment For Improved Student Learning And Experience, Roy Wybrow, Pauline Taylor, David Smorfitt

Associate Professor Pauline Taylor-Guy

Australian universities are experiencing a period of unprecedented complexity in providing quality higher education experiences for an increasingly diverse student body. Institutions are grappling with ways to tackle and respond to conflating pressures of reduced resourcing, Federal government participation targets, flexibility of provision and increased accountability. Universities are increasingly turning to online learning spaces as a solution to these challenges. This paper first provides a rationale for the conceptual frameworks used in the research design. It then presents the findings from the first phase of a mixed-method study which investigated first year students' experiences of online assessment at an Australian …


Students' Perceptions Of On-Line Assessment : Financial And Educational Implications, David Smorfitt, Roy Wybrow, Pauline Taylor Jun 2013

Students' Perceptions Of On-Line Assessment : Financial And Educational Implications, David Smorfitt, Roy Wybrow, Pauline Taylor

Associate Professor Pauline Taylor-Guy

Increasing regulatory and financial pressures combined with heightened demand for education brought about by the faster paced economic development of India and China and proliferation of multiple social media is placing enormous pressure on tertiary education organisations to provide a quality, low cost education to the masses. Online offerings play an important role in this regard, as does the associated online assessment. The introduction of wholly online Bachelor of Business offerings at an Australian university in 2013, combined with a lack of studies into students' perceptions of on-line assessment stimulated this research. This paper compares the initial results of the …


Why Facebook Is (And Isn't) A Pre-Service Teacher's Friend, Pauline Taylor Jun 2013

Why Facebook Is (And Isn't) A Pre-Service Teacher's Friend, Pauline Taylor

Associate Professor Pauline Taylor-Guy

There is increasing interest in the use of social media networking sites such as Facebook in engaging higher education students in learning and the broader university experience. Research indicates that Facebook has over 100 million active users worldwide, over half of whom log on to the site twice per day. The potential reach and opportunities for wide engagement in using social media is clear. However, institutions have approached its use with understandable caution given the very public and interconnected nature of these "risky" virtual spaces. Many universities have specific and explicit reference in their communications and code of conduct policies …


Student Retention And Learning, Current Research And Practice: Fourth Annual Graduate Student Conference, 4 June, 2013, Learning, Teaching, Technology Centre, Roisin Donnelly Jun 2013

Student Retention And Learning, Current Research And Practice: Fourth Annual Graduate Student Conference, 4 June, 2013, Learning, Teaching, Technology Centre, Roisin Donnelly

Graduate Student Conferences

Proceedings and abstracts of the 4th. annual graduate student conference, 4 June, 2013 held in DIT, Aungier Street, Dublin.


Iccs 2009 Encyclopedia : Approaches To Civic And Citizenship Education Around The World, John Ainley, Wolfram Schulz, Tim Friedman May 2013

Iccs 2009 Encyclopedia : Approaches To Civic And Citizenship Education Around The World, John Ainley, Wolfram Schulz, Tim Friedman

Dr John Ainley

The International Civic and Citizenship Education Study (ICCS 2009) investigated the ways in which countries prepare their young people to undertake their roles as citizens. It studied student knowledge and understanding of civics and citizenship as well as student attitudes, perceptions, and activities related to civics and citizenship. ICCS also examined differences among countries in relation to these outcomes of civic and citizenship education, and it explored how differences across countries relate to student characteristics, school and community contexts, and national characteristics. Thirty-eight countries participated in ICCS 2009. Among these were five from Asia, 26 from Europe, six from Latin …


Iccs 2009 Encyclopedia : Approaches To Civic And Citizenship Education Around The World, John Ainley, Wolfram Schulz, Tim Friedman May 2013

Iccs 2009 Encyclopedia : Approaches To Civic And Citizenship Education Around The World, John Ainley, Wolfram Schulz, Tim Friedman

Dr Tim Friedman

The International Civic and Citizenship Education Study (ICCS 2009) investigated the ways in which countries prepare their young people to undertake their roles as citizens. It studied student knowledge and understanding of civics and citizenship as well as student attitudes, perceptions, and activities related to civics and citizenship. ICCS also examined differences among countries in relation to these outcomes of civic and citizenship education, and it explored how differences across countries relate to student characteristics, school and community contexts, and national characteristics. Thirty-eight countries participated in ICCS 2009. Among these were five from Asia, 26 from Europe, six from Latin …


Iccs 2009 Encyclopedia : Approaches To Civic And Citizenship Education Around The World, John Ainley, Wolfram Schulz, Tim Friedman May 2013

Iccs 2009 Encyclopedia : Approaches To Civic And Citizenship Education Around The World, John Ainley, Wolfram Schulz, Tim Friedman

Dr Wolfram Schulz

The International Civic and Citizenship Education Study (ICCS 2009) investigated the ways in which countries prepare their young people to undertake their roles as citizens. It studied student knowledge and understanding of civics and citizenship as well as student attitudes, perceptions, and activities related to civics and citizenship. ICCS also examined differences among countries in relation to these outcomes of civic and citizenship education, and it explored how differences across countries relate to student characteristics, school and community contexts, and national characteristics. Thirty-eight countries participated in ICCS 2009. Among these were five from Asia, 26 from Europe, six from Latin …


Snapshot Of School–Community Partnerships In Australian Schools, Sharon Clerke May 2013

Snapshot Of School–Community Partnerships In Australian Schools, Sharon Clerke

Policy Analysis and Program Evaluation

Schools across Australia are increasingly connecting and engaging with community groups to create opportunities for their students. From marine parks to art galleries, radio stations to local councils, aged care to football clubs, neighbourhood houses to garden centres, the possibilities for collaboration are endless. Schools are reaching out into the broader community to build exciting and innovative relationships that are designed to have a positive impact on student learning.

This report describes some of the ways that schools and community groups are collaborating using information contained in Impact Award applications submitted by schools in 2010 and 2011. The NAB Schools …


Improv(Ing) Students: Teaching Improvisation To High School Students To Increase Creative And Critical Thinking, Beth D. Slazak May 2013

Improv(Ing) Students: Teaching Improvisation To High School Students To Increase Creative And Critical Thinking, Beth D. Slazak

Creativity and Change Leadership Graduate Student Master's Projects

This project focuses on teaching High School students improvisational techniques to increase their creative and critical thinking skills. This covers tools of Creative Problem Solving, rules and concepts of improvisational theater, and affective thinking skills. The finished project includes lesson plans, a workbook, and a video that will assist students and educators in teaching these skills.


In Their Own Words: Using Students’ Writing To Develop A Digital Manual For New College Students, Kristen Di Gennaro, Agie Markiewicz Apr 2013

In Their Own Words: Using Students’ Writing To Develop A Digital Manual For New College Students, Kristen Di Gennaro, Agie Markiewicz

Cornerstone 1 Reports : Expansion and Enhancements of the Thinkfinity Platform

No abstract provided.


Large-Scale Group Score Assessments: Past, Present, And Future, B Naemi, E Gonzalez, J Bertling, A Betancourt, J Burrus, P Kyllonen, J Minsky, Petra Lietz, E Klieme, S Vieluf, J Lee, R Roberts Mar 2013

Large-Scale Group Score Assessments: Past, Present, And Future, B Naemi, E Gonzalez, J Bertling, A Betancourt, J Burrus, P Kyllonen, J Minsky, Petra Lietz, E Klieme, S Vieluf, J Lee, R Roberts

Dr Petra Lietz

he influence of large-scale group score assessments on research, policy, and practice in education has increased dramatically over the past few decades. The goal of this chapter is to provide an overview of the value and scope of this program of research. The chapter begins by providing an overview of the history of large-scale assessment. Next, it focuses on current research and development surrounding the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP, a government-mandated assessment in the United States) and the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA, a large-scale survey and assessment commission by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, …


Resilience In School, Milka Ndura Jan 2013

Resilience In School, Milka Ndura

Master's Capstone Projects

This study explores the factors that motivate students to perform well in the national examination at their basic primary education level despite the unlikely environment to support this success in Kibera slums, Kenya. In the current situation in Kenya, national examinations are used as a basis of distributing the fewer than students slots in secondary school, despite the different circumstances facing each candidate, passing of the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education is still an important factor that determines a child’s eligibility to attend secondary school. Students enrolled in Kenyan primary school system take the same national exams regardless of the …


Engaging Lecturers As Students: Building Sustainable Professional Development, Jen Harvey, Roisin Donnelly, Claire Mcavinia Jan 2013

Engaging Lecturers As Students: Building Sustainable Professional Development, Jen Harvey, Roisin Donnelly, Claire Mcavinia

Other resources

No abstract provided.


Iccs 2009 Encyclopedia : Approaches To Civic And Citizenship Education Around The World, John Ainley, Wolfram Schulz, Tim Friedman Jan 2013

Iccs 2009 Encyclopedia : Approaches To Civic And Citizenship Education Around The World, John Ainley, Wolfram Schulz, Tim Friedman

Civics and Citizenship Assessment

The International Civic and Citizenship Education Study (ICCS 2009) investigated the ways in which countries prepare their young people to undertake their roles as citizens. It studied student knowledge and understanding of civics and citizenship as well as student attitudes, perceptions, and activities related to civics and citizenship. ICCS also examined differences among countries in relation to these outcomes of civic and citizenship education, and it explored how differences across countries relate to student characteristics, school and community contexts, and national characteristics. Thirty-eight countries participated in ICCS 2009. Among these were five from Asia, 26 from Europe, six from Latin …


Digital Representation Of Visual Artworks For High-Stakes Assessment, Christopher P. Newhouse Jan 2013

Digital Representation Of Visual Artworks For High-Stakes Assessment, Christopher P. Newhouse

Research outputs 2013

The collection and marking of student artwork across a large jurisdiction such as Western Australia is challenging where the work is submitted to a central location to be marked by experts and returned to students. An alternative approach would be to submit digital representations of the artworks online for marking. However, to give a valid and reliable measure the representations would need to be of adequate quality. Further, judgements of artworks are necessarily subjective giving concern about the reliability of marking for high-stakes assessment. The comparative pairs method of marking lends itself to addressing this problem and is feasible where …


As Seen Through The Lens: Students’ Encounters And Engagement With Science During Outdoor Field Trips, Jonathan Z. Boxerman, Victor R. Lee, J. R. Olson Jan 2013

As Seen Through The Lens: Students’ Encounters And Engagement With Science During Outdoor Field Trips, Jonathan Z. Boxerman, Victor R. Lee, J. R. Olson

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.