home - login - register

PERC 2009 Abstract Detail Page

Previous Page  |  New Search  |  Browse All

Abstract Title: Using Item Response Models to Build a Hierarchy of Concepts and Gauge Instructional Effectiveness
Abstract: We analyze FCI data from three different instructors using an approach based on standard tools of IRT (Item Response Theory) using variables such as student proficiency, question difficulty, and a concept's 'learning probability' after instruction. Results allow us to hierarchically classify concepts by their 'difficulty', find the likelihood a concept will be acquired at a given proficiency level and find how strongly a question discriminates between proficiency levels. We also demonstrate the potential of such deeper statistics to illuminate differences between classrooms by decomposing instructional effectiveness into appropriate vectors.  The result is a visual and intuitive portrait that informs us about the FCI, and how students acquire concepts in different instructional settings.
Abstract Type: Contributed Poster

Author/Organizer Information

Primary Contact: Douglas Van Wieren
School of Engineering & Applied Sciences, Harvard University
Co-Author(s)
and Co-Presenter(s)
Ahmed Ibrahim, McGill University
Nathaniel Lasry, John Abbott College, Physics Department and Center for the Study of Learning and Performance and School of Engineering & Applied Sciences