Development and Evaluation of the Nebraska Assessment of Computing Knowledge

One way to increase the quality of computing education research is to increase the quality of the measurement tools that are available to researchers, especially measures of students’ knowledge and skills. This paper represents a step toward increasing the number of available thoroughly-evaluated tests that can be used in computing education research by evaluating the psychometric properties of a multiple-choice test designed to differentiate undergraduate students in terms of their mastery of foundational computing concepts. Classical test theory and item response theory analyses are reported and indicate that the test is a reliable, psychometrically-sound instrument suitable for research with undergraduate students. Limitations and the importance of using standardized measures of learning in education research are discussed

EDPS 870: Introduction to Educational and Psychological Measurement—A Peer Review of Teaching Project Benchmark Portfolio

This portfolio was compiled at the completion of the Peer Review of Teaching Project, professional development available to faculty at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. The purpose of the project is to support faculty in evaluating and documenting the effectiveness of their teaching. The main objective of this portfolio is to summarize the results of my participation in the project during the 2015/2016 academic year. The portfolio summarizes key features of the course and my teaching methods, along with examples of student work

equate: An R Package for Observed-Score Linking and Equating

The R package equate contains functions for observed-score linking and equating under single-group, equivalent-groups, and nonequivalent-groups with anchor test(s) designs. This paper introduces these designs and provides an overview of observed-score equating with details about each of the supported methods. Examples demonstrate the basic functionality of the equate package

EDPS 870: Introduction to Educational and Psychological Measurement—A Peer Review of Teaching Project Benchmark Portfolio

This portfolio was compiled at the completion of the Peer Review of Teaching Project, professional development available to faculty at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. The purpose of the project is to support faculty in evaluating and documenting the effectiveness of their teaching. The main objective of this portfolio is to summarize the results of my participation in the project during the 2015/2016 academic year. The portfolio summarizes key features of the course and my teaching methods, along with examples of student work

Immediate Effects of Cervical Spine Thrust Joint Manipulation on Gait Parameters in Individuals with Neck Pain

Purpose/Hypotheses: 1. To investigate for any change in gait parameters in individuals with neck pain while walking with different functional neck conditions immediately following cervical thrust joint manipulation (TJM) versus a sham intervention. 2. To investigate any association between Global Rating of Change (GROC) scores and gait parameters immediately following cervical thrust joint manipulation versus a sham intervention. The hypotheses were that, a) cervical TJM would have an immediate effect on gait parameters during walking with the neck in at least one of three conditions (neutral, flexion/extension and rotation) among individuals with neck pain; and b) higher scores on the GROC would be associated with improved gait parameters post-intervention. Subjects: Convenience sample of 40 individuals (30 female; mean age 24.5 ± 6.78 years) with neck pain. To qualify, subjects had to have a score \u3e0 on the question of pain intensity in the neck on the Neck Disability Index (NDI) questionnaire and have no contraindications or precautions for cervical TJM. Materials/Methods: Subjects walked on a Zeno Walkway under the following conditions: 1) head in neutral; 2) head rotating from side-to-side, and 3) head nodding up and down. After completing 30 practice trials (10 in each condition), pre-intervention trial 1 gait parameters were recorded for each of the three neck conditions in a randomized order. After a 5-minute rest period, pre-intervention trial 2 was conducted for each condition in same order as trial 1. Subjects then received one of two randomly assigned interventions: cervical spine TJM or active cervical rotation. Immediately after the intervention, the subject returned to the Zeno Walkway for the post-intervention trial 3 in each of the three conditions, in the same order as their previous trials. Gait parameters of average step length, stride length, stride width, velocity, and cadence were analyzed using a 2x2 repeated measures ANOVA (of trials 2 and 3), as well as independent and paired t-tests, to determine if there were any significant changes based on intervention when comparing TJM to sham groups. Results: The results of the 2x2 ANOVA revealed significant interactions between group and time on average gait velocity (p=0.008), step length (p=\u3c0.001), and stride length (p=0.009) when the head was in a neutral position. The TJM group experienced significant increases from pre to post-intervention as shown by paired samples t-test for average gait velocity (p=0.003), step length (p\u3c0.001), and stride length (p=0.008). The sham group however, experienced no significant change in gait velocity (p = 0.290), average step length (p = 0.299), and stride length (p = 0.292). There was also a significant decrease in the Numeric Pain Rating Scale (NPRS) (mean decrease of 1.25; p=0.003) and the group that received cervical TJM reported an improved perception of change demonstrated by an average increase in GROC score by 2.85 (p=0.001). Conclusions: Although our results demonstrate a statistically significant improvement in three gait parameters following TJM while walking with the neck in a neutral position, the improvements are not clinically significant. At this time, there is no evidence-based indication for the clinical use of cervical TJM to improve gait parameters in individuals with neck pain. Our findings cannot confirm clinical significance for reduction of neck pain with cervical TJM based on NDI, NPRS, or GROC questionnaires

Five-Minute Cognitive Test as A New Quick Screening of Cognitive Impairment in The Elderly

This study aims to develop a new evaluation method for quickly and conveniently screening cognitive impairment in the elderly. The five-minute cognitive test (FCT) was designed to capture deficits in five domains of cognitive abilities, including episodic memory, language fluency, time orientation, visuospatial function, and executive function. Subsequently, FCT efficiencies in differentiating normally cognitive ability from cognitive impairment were explored and compared with that of the Mini-Mental Status Evaluation (MMSE). Equipercentile equating method was utilized to create a crosswalk between scores of the FCT and MMSE. Further, the association of scores of the FCT and MMSE with hippocampal volumes was investigated. There were 241 subjects aged 60 years or above enrolled in this study, including 107 adults with cognitive abilities in normal range, 107 patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and 27 patients with mild Alzheimer disease (AD). The AUC of FCT for detection of cognitive impairment (MCI and mild AD) was 0.885 (95% CI 0.838 to 0.922). The sensitivity and specificity of FCT for the diagnosis of cognitive impairment were 80.6% and 84.11 %, respectively. FCT’s diagnostic performance was superior to that of MMSE in the same cohort. Mean completion time of FCT was 339.9 ± 67.7 seconds (5-6 min). In addition, a conversion table between scores on the FCT and MMSE was created. Further, the FCT scores were positively correlated with hippocampal volumes. The FCT is a novel, reliable, and valid cognitive screening test for the detection of dementia at early stages