Psychometric Externship

Cognia

5d • Hybrid

About The Position

Cognia is offering up to two (2) externships for students pursuing PhDs in relevant graduate programs. This program focuses on a research project chosen in consultation with Cognia psychometricians and researchers, targeting students interested in psychometric or measurement issues such as equating, item calibration, statistical models, response time, dimensionality issues, and scaling. Past projects have included evaluating raters of open-response items, aberrant response analyses, diagnosing student misconceptions, modeling response time behavior, detecting unusual item response behavior, item parameter drift, and routing accuracy in multistage tests. The externship also provides in-depth knowledge of Cognia's psychometric practices through a series of seminars. The 14-week program includes a research project eligible for national conference presentation, regular Zoom meetings with mentors, and seminars on psychometric applications in the educational testing industry. A significant portion of these seminars will occur during a one-week in-person visit to Cognia offices in Portsmouth, NH. Externs will work approximately 20 hours per week and will be provided with necessary psychometric resources via secure file-sharing or a Cognia laptop.

Requirements

• Current enrollment in a relevant doctoral program (psychometric, educational measurement, quantitative psychology, learning sciences, etc.) at a fully accredited university/college in the United States.
• Completion of at least 2 years of coursework toward the doctorate prior to the externship program start date.
• Currently residing in the United States.
• Submission of a resume or CV.
• Submission of a one-page research interest statement describing research interests, including potential topics and any relevant experience.

Nice To Haves

• Interests focused on psychometric or measurement issues such as equating, item calibration, statistical models, response time, dimensionality issues, and scaling.
• Interest in specific project areas such as Standard Setting (ID Matching method), Cognitive Diagnostic Models (CDMs), Aberrant Response Analyses, Technology Enhanced Items (TEIs), Calibration and Equating, Measurement Invariance, Multistage Testing, or Dimensionality.
• Interest in emerging areas such as applications of generative AI in educational measurement.

Responsibilities

• Conduct a research project or application eligible for submission for presentation at a national conference.
• Participate in regular Zoom meetings with mentors for goal setting, progress monitoring, and project completion.
• Attend a series of seminars to gain in-depth knowledge of psychometric practices in the educational testing industry.
• Work approximately 20 hours per week on externship projects.
• Engage in in-person networking and seminars during the 'Extern Festival Week' in Portsmouth, NH.

Benefits

• A stipend in the amount of $7,000.
• Costs associated with the Extern Festival Week, including flights/transportation to and from Portsmouth, New Hampshire, hotel accommodation, and all meals.
• Provision of a computer and associated hardware, including shipping to and from the extern's location.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Part-time
• Career Level: Intern
• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree