Welcome message from our Host

2015 Conference Program  

2015 Conference Abstracts Booklet

Dear Colleagues and Conference Delegates,
The Psychometrics Centre at the University of Cambridge is delighted to welcome you to the 5th IACAT conference. This is the first time the conference has been hosted by a University, and so it is a particular honour for us to have been chosen. Our primary CAT mission is the provision of open-source software and other online resources that will enable ideas-rich but money-poor individuals around the world to move to the forefront of developments in the field – both pure and applied. In short, we are aiming for a revolution in CAT. But it has to be recognized that this would not have been possible without the trail-blazing successes (and mistakes) made by the major CAT providers, who have struggled for decades, and against massive scepticism, to bring innovation to the psychological and educational testing world.

Our venue, Queens’ College Cambridge is conveniently placed on the banks of the River Cam in the heart of old Cambridge, and as well as an excellent academic programme and series of workshops we aim to complement the serious work with a plethora of social activities involving local museums, banqueting halls, and punting on the river. And if you feel this is all a bit too ‘back in the day’, the lights of London are only 47 minutes away by train. We are very much looking forward to seeing you in September.

Prof John Rust, Director, Psychometric Centre, University of Cambridge

Please see our conference flyer for a summary.


Welcome message from the IACAT President:

Dear colleagues and conference delegates,

On behalf of the International Association for Computerized Adaptive Testing I cordially welcome you to the fifth IACAT conference, taking place at Queens College, University of Cambridge, on September 14-16, 2015. Following our first conference in 2010 there has been a growing interest in computer adaptive testing and we have now found our rhythm of biennial conferences with the next conference already planned for Japan in 2017.

The IACAT conferences have become the global place to meet people interested in CAT and learn about advances in theory, research and applications; a place where professionals, scholars and students from all parts of the world share knowledge and experiences. We consistently have attendees from more than 20 countries around the world. During the conference you will have an opportunity to meet other people interested in adaptive testing and to share ideas and information.

What makes the conference especially attractive is the range of topics, including the pre-conference workshops, keynotes and all the presentations contributing to IACAT’s mission to advance the science of adaptive testing. It is gladdening to see the interest of early career researchers and students and the high level of their contributions. IACAT established a prestigious award in 2014, to further encourage young scholars in sharing their research. IACAT’s official peer-reviewed electronic journal, the Journal of Computerized Adaptive Testing (JCAT) also provides an excellent avenue to publish research.

Finally, I would like to sincerely thank our host, the Psychometric Centre within the University of Cambridge, the scientific and organising committees and our sponsors for their individual and collective contributions without which this conference would not have been possible.

Sincerely, Prof. John Barnard, President of IACAT