Design a computer adaptive cubic enumeration test based on Virtual Item Bank Theory

Spatial ability is not only the daily necessity of our life but also an important skill for mechanists, architects, chemists, surgeons, surveyors and cartographers. At present, whether within our country or abroad, the mathematical programs of elementary and junior high schools both list spatial ability as one of the geometry course materials. Spatial ability correlates with the concept of volume, and cubes are the basic units of volume, therefore cubes are frequently used to introduce and explain the concept of volume. Also, Cubic Enumeration Tests are often used to estimate or further one´s mental ability and operational skills of 3-D geometric objects. Cube Enumeration Tests are usually kept confidential and exempt from public access. Ordinary people recognize it only from the limited resource from the practice exams the bookstores offer. The main reason to keep the exam confidential is to maintain the objectivity of the assessment. In this research, we will combine techniques of Virtual Item Bank Theory and Item Response Theory (IRT) to establish a whole set of adaptive Cube Enumeration Tests. Replaced by a Virtual Item Bank system, this exam collection will no longer consists of any substantial forms of the items. Within this system, all data bases will only consist of basic components: cubes. Consecutively, this Virtual Item Bank will no longer encounter the risk of the item exposure due to the fact that the exam questions will be generated by basic components and IRT. With advanced technology in Computer Science, this research combines IRT, Computerized adaptive testing theory (CAT), Virtual Item Bank theory and related knowledge about Cube Enumeration Tests - designing a whole set of evaluating tools of convenience, in hopes of making some contributions to e-learning.