Alumni Spotlight: How an assessment specialist use his MEd in MESA knowledge daily

Russ Keglovits graduated with a UIC online Master of Education in Measurement, Evaluation, Statistics, and Assessment (MESA) degree in 2022 while working full-time and living in Nevada. Working for ACS Ventures, LLC, Russ works as an assessment specialist assisting organizations to ensure the validity, reliability, and fairness of their assessment programs. 

Russ feels fortunate to have a job that not only supported his education but a place he can routinely apply his new skills. Learn about Russ’ biggest takeaways from the program, which includes item response theory, and how his online Master of Education in MESA degree has positively impacted his career. 

What factors led you to choose the online MESA program at UIC?
I chose the online MESA program because of its highly regarded reputation and because of its convenience as an online program. My employer was also supportive of my Master of Education in MESA at UIC, because they were familiar with the program and knew that the content it covered would be useful to the work our company does. The UIC program is known to be of high quality and the partners of my company personally and professionally know many of the professors in the MESA program.  

How has your MESA degree impacted you in terms of your current position or a position you’d like to attain in the future? 
I am fortunate to work as an assessment specialist for a small consulting firm, ACS Ventures, LLC. One of the virtues of working for a small firm is that you will get exposed to a lot of different kinds of work. I apply specific skills I have learned at UIC over the course of two or three months. Work I have done for my employer that I was instructed on while at UIC includes performing statistical research, engaging in test development, performing classical test analyses, facilitating standard settings, and other tasks typical of a range of psychometric work. My degree has also increased my credibility with my clients. 

What was a challenge you faced during your program, and how did you balance working full-time and completing your weekly assignments? 
I found the volume of reading for some classes to be a challenge. This is an effortful practice for me. I had no help in overcoming this challenge because it was mine to conquer. 

As for balancing work and school, I chose to take one class a semester until I met the graduation requirements. The coursework was rigorous and required me to commit time to completing assignments, papers, and tests, so I found this to be the best choice for me.  

What was the biggest takeaway from your MESA degree or certificate program? 
Item response theory (IRT) was the most impactful thing I learned. One of the best parts about studying statistics is when mathematics and observations combine and become clear. In my opinion, once you understand statistical formulas, it really does add a new type of understanding that is unique to this type of study. Although I still struggle to understand some of the details of IRT, the idea that item difficulty can and should factor into a description of what someone knows makes so much sense, and to see how an IRT analysis is conducted brings the whole idea down to Earth. Then, to be able to put that information on a scale that then can be compared to other knowledge domains just makes the study that much more interesting. Math is cool. 

I also found the study of methodology interesting and powerful. I am fortunate to have a job in which I routinely apply these skills.  

MESA online graduates are in high demand. Receiving this graduate degree or certificate, students are ready to succeed in a variety of research settings and environments. Choose from two online programs, a Master of Education Degree or a Graduate Certificate in Measurement, Evaluation, Statistics and Assessment, and begin your journey today. Talk to an enrollment specialist to learn more about these online programs.