Michael Callans | Vice President, Research and Development

Since coming to Wonderlic 16 years ago, Michael Callans has worked extensively in the area of personality measurement and has developed a method of measuring personality traits in terms of the job requirements determined by the U.S. Department of Labor in the O*Net job descriptions.

Michael Callans has experience working in the inpatient and outpatient psychiatric units of two major Chicago hospitals and has also run an Employee Assistance Program.

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Are Your Students Learning What Employers Need?

by Michael_Callans on Tuesday, May 21, 2013 - 11:00pm

Your students come to school to gain an education that will lead to gainful employment. But how can you make sure you’re giving your students all the skills they will need to thrive in the workplace?

Traditional Grades are Meaningless
From an employer’s perspective, having a degree or certificate and a good GPA is necessary, but not enough. Just because a person graduated from college doesn’t mean they actually learned and retained what they need to know. Read more about Are Your Students Learning What Employers Need?

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Gainful Employment

Education

Learning Outcomes

Higher Education

Work Readiness

The Difference Between Engagement and Satisfaction

by Michael_Callans on Monday, February 25, 2013 - 9:03am

If you’ve ever had a job where you felt the best part of the day was quitting time, you’re not alone. According to recent survey data, about 81% of U.S. employees report being satisfied with their jobs, but only about 64% consider themselves to be engaged. That may not seem so bad at first glance, but if you crunch a few numbers, you’ll see that it means millions of people are disinterested or dissatisfied at work.

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Employee Engagement

Employee Satisfaction

Engagement

Hiring

Non-Proctored vs. Proctored Assessments

by Michael_Callans on Friday, December 28, 2012 - 9:04am

Now more than ever, efficiency is at a premium for employers and educational institutions, as both are trying to find ways to do more with less time and fewer resources. To meet this demand, institutions might consider using a non-proctored assessment (vs. a proctored one), meaning they can be taken from any location with a high-speed Internet connection, and at any time convenient to the test taker.

Non-Proctored Testing Read more about Non-Proctored vs. Proctored Assessments

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Reliability and Validity in Testing - What do They Mean?

by Michael_Callans on Friday, October 19, 2012 - 9:48am

It is a common mistake to assume the terms “reliability” and “validity” have the same meaning. While they are related, the two concepts are very different. In an effort to clear up any misunderstandings, I have defined each here for you.

Reliability Read more about Reliability and Validity in Testing - What do They Mean?

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Assessments

Employment

I/O Psychology

What is an Effective Leader?

by Michael_Callans on Friday, September 28, 2012 - 8:30am

Howard Schultz, CEO of Starbucks, gives his opinion on the value of leadership and how it relates to employee engagement in the 1999 book Lessons From the Top: The Search for America's Best Business Leaders. In it he says, "I think it's very difficult to lead today when people are not really truly participating in the decision. You won't be able to attract and retain great people if they don't feel like they are part of the authorship of the strategy and the authorship of the really critical issues. Read more about What is an Effective Leader?

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Leadership

Hiring

Employee Engagement

Improving Student Engagement Tip #1: Friends and Family Make a Difference

by Michael_Callans on Friday, August 10, 2012 - 2:30pm

As you may already know, Wonderlic and the Imagine America Foundation (IAF) recently conducted a study to determine what factors influence student engagement. We discovered that student engagement occurs when students make a significant, psychological investment in their learning. Engaged students put a large amount of effort into learning, and they take pride in incorporating what they learn into their lives.

But what makes a student engaged vs. disengaged?

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Student Outcomes: Action Items

by Michael_Callans on Monday, July 16, 2012 - 8:45am

Earlier this year Wonderlic teamed up with the Imagine America Foundation (IAF) to conduct the Educational Benchmark Study. This study was designed to identify the factors that influence educational outcomes. More than 3,500 students participated. Read more about Student Outcomes: Action Items

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Student Satisfaction as it Relates to Outcomes

by Michael_Callans on Wednesday, June 20, 2012 - 3:57pm

Earlier this year, Wonderlic and the Imagine America Foundation (IAF) teamed up to jointly conduct a research project on factors that influence student engagement. Results from this study will be used to develop educational benchmarks of student attitudes, opinions, performance, and satisfaction. These benchmarks will provide schools with ideas and markers to help their students have the best overall educational experience possible.