Theory-Based Task Design

EDMS738 -- Spring 2004

 

Professor Robert Mislevy

Benjamin 1230-C

rmislevy@umd.edu

 

This course explores theory-based design of educational assessment tasks.  We will use the framework of ‘evidence-centered assessment design’ (ECD) to analyze a number of examples, and create our own tasks.  Readings will address pertinent issues in cognitive psychology, assessment argumentation, psychometric modeling, knowledge representations, task schemas, and automated scoring.  To analyze existing tasks and design new ones, we will use the “design patterns” data structures developed under the NSF-supported project "Principled Assessment Design for Inquiry" (PADI).

 

The class meets once a week.  The beginning of the semester will have more presentations by the instructor and discussions of readings.  As we progress, more time will be devoted to discussions of class projects. Each student will be responsible for summarizing one of the readings for the class sometime during the semester, and leading the discussion. Assignments will be a series of short papers, every two or three weeks, and a final project that works through the design structures for an example of the student's choosing.

 

Prerequisites: EDMS 623 (intermediate-level measurement—e.g., test development, validation) or equivalent, or instructor permission.

 

Textbook:

 

Irvine, S.H., & Kyllonen, P.C. (Eds.), Item generation for test development.  Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.  ISBN 0-8058-0593-1