PERC 2009 Abstract Detail Page
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| Abstract Title: | Using Item Response Models to Build a Hierarchy of Concepts and Gauge Instructional Effectiveness |
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| 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 |
