My job is similar to many other jobs in my field in that it requires a Ph.D. in Quantitative Psychology, Educational Measurement, or Psychometrics, and that my work requirements include both theoretical research and (primarily) operational duties. Translated, that means I must work with others to devise new ways of assessing people and also make sure that the current tests we use get administered and scored on time.
For those of you interested in more detail about my work, I am primarily responsible for managing the operational issues of several high-stakes licensure exams, including one that is a rather unique performance assessment. I am involved with many aspects of the exams, including standard setting, equating, scoring, and operational research. Other projects on which I have previously worked include an investigation into the possibility of using computer algorithms to score written performance assessment notes, the feasibility of using video equating on performance-based assessments, an investigation of predictors of item difficulty on performance-based assessments, and investigations into how examinees use their time during exams. In general, I'd say I'm interested in a lot of issues surrounding equating, standard setting, and perfomance-based assessments.
For two years I served as the book review editor for the Journal of Educational and Behavioral Statistics, and enjoy attending the conferences of Psychometric Society and the National Council for Measurement in Education.
I'm currently a faculty advisor for the Graduate Student Issues Committee for NCME. In my previous job, I was mainly responsible for coordinating a team that was developing the various prototypes for a computer-adaptive (CAT) test form. The work that I did for this project included the specifications of the functionality and features of these prototypes, the design of multiple graphical user interfaces, usability testing, field testing, and producing research reports of the development and testing. I have participated in a great deal of interface design and usability testing training through Human Factors International, and have been able to learn a great deal about the field of Human-Computer Interaction through my membership in the Association of Computing Machinery and my attendance of the ACM SIGCHI (Special Interest Group - Computer-Human Interaction) conferences.
In the past, I have taught statistics as a graduate student, as a paid tutor and consultant, and as an adjunct professor of Behavioral Statistics. I plan to teach again in the future, although teaching is more time consuming than I thought it would be! I do enjoy the chance to work with undergraduates.
Other interests of mine include herpetology; animal care; politics (mainly conservative and libertarian); religious studies (especially the non-theistic religions); criminology and ballistics; science fiction; handicrafts such as card-making, calligraphy, and cross-stitch; photography; Goth fashion and culture; and interior decorating.