JSM 2005 Online Program

Abstract #304331

This is the preliminary program for the 2005 Joint Statistical Meetings in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Currently included in this program is the "technical" program, schedule of invited, topic contributed, regular contributed and poster sessions; Continuing Education courses (August 7-10, 2005); and Committee and Business Meetings. This on-line program will be updated frequently to reflect the most current revisions.

To View the Program:
You may choose to view all activities of the program or just parts of it at any one time. All activities are arranged by date and time.

The views expressed here are those of the individual authors
and not necessarily those of the ASA or its board, officers, or staff.

The Program has labeled the meeting rooms with "letters" preceding the name of the room, designating in which facility the room is located:

Minneapolis Convention Center = “MCC” Hilton Minneapolis Hotel = “H” Hyatt Regency Minneapolis = “HY”

Back to main JSM 2005 Program page

Legend:

= Applied Session,

= Theme Session,

= Presenter

Activity Number:	272
Type:	Contributed
Date/Time:	Tuesday, August 9, 2005 : 10:30 AM to 12:20 PM
Sponsor:	Section on Teaching Statistics in the Health Sciences
Abstract - #304331
Title:	Using Item Response Theory and an Anchor Item Test Design to Develop Local Test Score Norms and Content Evaluations for an Introductory Biostatistics Course
Author(s):	Gerald Arnold*+
Companies:	American College of Physicians
Address:	190 N Independence Mall West, Philadelphia, PA, 19106-1572, United States
Keywords:	Item Response Theory ; Anchor Item Design ; Test Equating ; Course Evaluation
Abstract:	Item Response Theory (IRT) is used in instructional settings to model student answers to test questions. The Rasch model is a logistic model predicting probabilities of correct item response given ability estimates of subjects and difficulty estimates of items. A biostatistics course serves as a core course for a master's of public health program and a service course for health professionals at an urban-based university. The same instructor has taught the course seven times throughout the last six years to classes of 11 to 19 students (total N = 97). The final examination for the course has 45 to 50 multiple-choice items with about 75% of items common (anchors) between any two adjacent administrations. Anchor items enable the instructor to equate test performance across classes, develop student norms of performance, and evaluate content areas that students seem to grasp and areas where students have had difficulty. The paper explains IRT assumptions, test equating, and normative processes and describes performance on course content areas. IRT allows instructors of small classes to develop objective measures for course evaluation.

The address information is for the authors that have a + after their name.
Authors who are presenting talks have a * after their name.

Back to the full JSM 2005 program