Needs assessment, a procedure for obtaining and analyzing information for use in decision-making, consists of identifying the concerns of faculty, staff, parents, students, and community, and validating these concerns (which only then become "needs") by means of information derived from surveys and school records. The Worldwide Needs…

For twenty years, the DACUM (Developing a Curriculum) model has been used for the design of occupational programs at the secondary and postsecondary levels as well as the design of training programs for business and industry. Over the past five years, the Maryland DACUM Resource Center project has disseminated the DACUM model among the community…

A study examined ways of improving the response rates of employers to followup surveys collecting information on graduates of community colleges in Florida. Followup study procedures and instruments that had been used in the state were modified to provide for greater faculty involvement in placement of students and identification of employers and…

The 1983-84 evaluation of the secondary school science program in Orange County Public Schools, Florida was conducted to provide statistical data for use in program improvement. The data in the report were designed for use by district-based and school-based personnel. The purpose of the evaluation was to determine the extent to which secondary…

This report describes the library instruction program at the Technische Universitaet Wien (Technical University of Vienna) in Austria and proposes various program improvements, which are based in part on the results of a 1979 survey of over 2,600 faculty and students. An overview of the present state-of-the-art of library user education and…

The York County (Maine) Transition Project was designed to improve postsecondary education and employment opportunities for learning-disabled students. Three survey forms for evaluating the impact of the project comprise this document. The first survey is a six-page questionnaire targeted to practitioners. It gathers data on: (1) the project's…

This paper examines a systematic method of improving undergraduate education by using a variant of the academic program evaluation questionnaire, and offers a model for understanding program dynamics and choosing ways to improve academic programs. Analysis is based on mean ratings from an academic program evaluation questionnaire used to elicit…

This guide is intended to serve as a tool for use in examining Michigan's existing job placement program. The job placement status study and planning process outlined in the handbook and the related materials presented have been coordinated with other assessment and planning instruments currently in use by vocational educators in Michigan. The…

These planning guides are intended to help vocational rehabilitation programs and agencies identify important issues during preliminary discussions concerning possible use of assistive technology and technology-related services. They are designed to evaluate the effectiveness of current technology-related services, to implement or expand assistive…

This report reviews the program evaluation approaches used at three member colleges of the National Postsecondary Alliance (NPA), a consortium of postsecondary schools intent on achieving excellence in occupational education. The first paper, "Introduction" by Luene Corwin, discusses the goals and major activities of the NPA. The second…

This manual provides information for pastors, parents, and church members who are starting a child care program in their church, and for churches that are changing or expanding their child care program. Chapter 1 reports the results of a 1982 survey of child care in local parishes by the National Council of Churches. Chapter 2 explains four steps…

A study assessed cooperative vocational education programs since enactment of the Vocational Education Amendments of 1976. During the study, questionnaires were administered to training sponsors, teacher-coordinators, and students from 80 high schools in Arizona, Minnesota, Ohio, Oklahoma, and Virginia. All vocational program areas were included…

Based on studies of student attrition at Mid-Florida Technical Institute (MFTI) and Valencia Community College (VCC), this handbook presents an action plan model for the identification of reasons students fail to complete postsecondary vocational programs. Introductory material reviews the purpose of the handbook (i.e., to assist program…

Because of the poor response rate to St. Johns River Community College's follow-up surveys on program completers, the college decided to develop a postcard format survey form in the hope of improving survey response rates. After reviewing a similar follow-up survey postcard used by another two-year college in Florida, the project staff settled on…

This handbook is intended to assist in the assessment and refinement of teacher preparation for industrial technology education in Texas. The first section contains preliminary information on the significance, development, and use of the guidebook. Provided next is an industrial technology teacher preparation assessment instrument that is based on…