On the Integrity of Online Testing for Introductory Statistics Courses: A Latent Variable Approach

There has been a remarkable growth in distance learning courses in higher education. Despite indications that distance learning courses are more vulnerable to cheating behavior than traditional courses, there has been little research studying whether online exams facilitate a relatively greater level of cheating. This article examines this issue by developing an approach using a latent variable to measure student cheating. This latent variable is linked to both known student mastery related variables and variables unrelated to student mastery. Grade scores from a proctored final exam and an unproctored final exam are used to test for increased cheating behavior in the unproctored exam Accessed 4,410 times on https://pareonline.net from April 11, 2015 to December 31, 2019. For downloads from January 1, 2020 forward, please click on the PlumX Metrics link to the right

Investing in March Madness: An Examination of The Relationship Between Sports Betting and Portfolio Construction

This study focuses on three basic ideas: (1) sports betting should be considered an asset class; (2) sports betting contests, with two teams or contenders, are well described by a recently introduced probability distribution, the generalized Poisson binomial (GPB) distribution; and (3) Modern Portfolio Theory (MPT), Post-Modern Portfolio Theory (PMPT), and the Kelly criterion can be applied to yield optimal risk-return portfolios in such two contender environments. For the PMPT application, a unique quadratic-binary programming model is developed. March Madness data, based on the NCAA men’s annual championship basketball tournament, will provide examples of these portfolio theory approaches

THE PROBABILITY OF PLACEMENT BY THE PUBLIC EMPLOYMENT SERVICE

In a typical year, the United States Employment Service places over 4 million persons from among 16 million applicants. This investigation of which applicants are most likely to be placed shows that placement occurs in two labor market segments, corresponding roughly to the primary and secondary labor markets described in the economic literature. The equity and efficiency implications o f devoting a substantial percentage o f Employment Service resources t o secondary labor market placements are considered. Several states currently use Employment Service data as a source of local labor market information. An argument is made that these states are misusing this data and suggestions for improvements are offered. Copyright 1984 by The Policy Studies Organization.

WHY LEARNING STYLES MATTER FOR STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT IN COLLEGE ECONOMICS

This paper explores the link between student achievement and student learning styles in a college microeconomics course, based on the Dunn and Dunn model of learning styles. The Productivity Environmental Survey (PEPS) is utilized to measure learning style preferences for twenty elements. Factor analysis is applied to reduce the multidimensional preferences to a smaller set of common factors that identify analytic, global or indifferent learning styles. The common factors are used as explanatory variables to measure the correlation between student achievement and their learning styles. The empirical methodology developed in this study also provides a test of the internal validity of the Dunn and Dunn model, the construct validity of the PEPS instrument and the predictive validity of the model. The authors explain how the results of the current research could be utilized to more generally enhance student achievement in the instruction of introductory economics and potentially other subject matter.

THE PROBABILITY OF PLACEMENT BY THE PUBLIC EMPLOYMENT SERVICE

In a typical year, the United States Employment Service places over 4 million persons from among 16 million applicants. This investigation of which applicants are most likely to be placed shows that placement occurs in two labor market segments, corresponding roughly to the primary and secondary labor markets described in the economic literature. The equity and efficiency implications o f devoting a substantial percentage o f Employment Service resources t o secondary labor market placements are considered. Several states currently use Employment Service data as a source of local labor market information. An argument is made that these states are misusing this data and suggestions for improvements are offered. Copyright 1984 by The Policy Studies Organization.