CER Projects

In collaboration with Regis Komperda (Chemistry) at San Diego State University and Jordan Harshman (Chemistry) at Auburn University

The CHemistry Instrument Review and Assessment Library (CHIRAL) project is an NSF-funded initiative to develop and build a centralized assessment instrument resource. This project is cataloguing the assessment instruments being used within the chemistry education community and providing insights and reviews of the evidence that supports the validity and reliability of the data they generate.

CHIRAL Web portal: https://chiral.chemedx.org

In collaboration with Suazette Mooring (Chemistry) at Georgia State University

This project builds on Carol Dweck’s seminal work on mindset to produce chemistry-specific measures of students’ implicit beliefs about intelligence. Our process is informed by student interviews and pilot studies in order to develop measures that target what students enrolled in chemistry courses believe it means to be successful within the discipline.

In collaboration with Alissa Hartig (Applied Linguistics) at Portland State University

Interactive peer discussions have been shown to increase the outcomes of active learning and can be influenced by both the structure of a learning activity and how it is facilitated. This project uses observations of student interactions and discourse analysis to understand these influences and how best to support high levels of cognitive engagement during POGIL-like learning activities.

In collaboration with Eshani Lee (Chemistry) at Pennsylvania State University, Hazelton

To support the success of all learners, the Equitable Framework for Classroom Assessment (EFCA) is used to make assessment items more linguistically accessible without reducing the difficulty of the items. Assessment results from English Language Learners are compared to those of Native English speakers using Rasch analysis to explore the differential item functioning of EFCA revised items. 

Researchers: J.D. Young and Rachael Mayhew

This new Barbera group project seeks to investigate what goal orientation looks like in higher education STEM settings and then rethink how researchers and practitioners might better operationalize and measure this construct.

Researchers: Sarah Abdo and Courtney Murphy

This new Barbera group project seeks to investigate two key factors for success in General Chemistry - namely students' math and study skills. The project will entail the development and evaluation of course-based interventions, with impacts monitored through the measurement of key constructs for learning.

Researcher: Elizabeth Vaughan

The achievement of learning outcomes within teaching laboratories can be influenced by any number of factors. This project measures student expectations, buy-in, and engagement and then models their relations to better understand the impact of various laboratory learning environments.

The psychometric evaluation of assessment instruments is at the heart of every project within the Barbera CER group. The group utilizes qualitative and quantitative studies to investigate measurement data for the evidence in support of validity and reliability. Their practices are guided by the Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing.