Will Thalheimer to Present New Research at Users Conference

For Immediate Release

Dr. Will Thalheimer to Present New Research at
Questionmark Users Conference

NORWALK, CT – April 18, 2007 – A new research report on the use of assessments in learning will be unveiled by consultant and researcher Dr. Will Thalheimer during the Questionmark 2007 Users Conference in New York City April 24-27.

Dr. Thalheimer will deliver a keynote address on his recent analysis of assessments from the standpoint of human learning, exploring how to craft assessments so that they take into account the human learning system instead of relying on long-held assumptions.

“My presentation may raise more questions than answers,” says Thalheimer. “The premise is this: that our assessments—to be truly effective—must be designed with the human learning system in mind. I’m going to argue that our assessment designs can be improved if we design them not to look backward, but to look forward, to modify our assessments to be more predictive of our learners’ ability to retrieve information in the future. After all, our ultimate goal in education and in training is to prepare our learners to be able to retrieve what they’ve learned in appropriate future situations.”

A podcast interview with Dr. Thalheimer is available on the Questionmark website at www.questionmark.com/go/podcast. His new research report is entitled, Measuring Learning Results: Creating fair and valid assessments by considering findings from fundamental learning research.

Dr. Thalheimer will also give a presentation about how to help people learn through the use of feedback on assessments. This will be a preview of an additional paper, Providing our Learners with Feedback on Questions: What the Research Says. Both this and the paper on Measuring Learning Results will be available for download from the Questionmark website following the conference.

Users of the Questionmark™ Perception™ assessment management system meet yearly to hear case studies, network with fellow learning professionals, receive technical training, discuss best practices and provide input regarding future product features. Complete details about this year’s conference are available at www.questionmark.com/go/conference

About Will Thalheimer
Dr. Thalheimer is President of Work-Learning Research. He has worked in the learning-and-performance field since 1985 as consultant, researcher, instructional designer, trainer, and in a number of other roles as well. He was the keynote speaker at the first Questionmark Users conference, when he released the white paper, The Learning Benefits of Questions. Will began his research efforts in 1990 at Columbia University's world-renowned Teachers College and has devoted more than 9 years to understanding how research can improve the practice of learning and performance. He writes the popular blog, Will At Work Learning, accessible at www.willatworklearning.com.

About Questionmark
Questionmark has been providing testing and assessment software since 1988, and over 2,500 customers in 50 countries now use Questionmark products. The Questionmark Perception assessment management system enables educators and trainers to create, securely administer and report on surveys, quizzes, tests and exams. Multiple authors can work together in a distributed learning environment with seamless connections to existing systems and infrastructure.
Options include a secure browser and proctoring security. Perception applications include pre/post tests, practice quizzes, course evaluations and certification exams. The software can be licensed or used as a hosted solution. Questionmark provides extensive documentation for users of the software in addition to comprehensive learning resources focusing on the effective use of assessments. Complete details are available at www.questionmark.com.

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