As university lecturers, we often struggle to provide our students with good quality feedback in a consistent manner. This is usually caused by the increasing imbalance in teacher-student ratios (Hounsell et al., 2008), as well as the pressure of academic life and the lack of time (Sadler, 2010). In addition, assessment practices should be…

Continuous professional development is essential for upgrading and updating teachers because the rate of social and educational change makes pre-service training an inadequate basis for long term professional competence. The design of these continuous professional development programmes must be informed by an effective needs analysis that…

The first step to meeting the fundamental aim of any educational institution is to understand clearly what the students need. Needs assessment is a tool educators can use to help meet this goal. Needs assessment data suggest the basis for plans, strategies, and practices that may ultimately lead to school improvement. This chapter reviews issues…

Reviews the needs assessment studies described in this journal issue. Concludes that (1) lessons from completed needs assessments can help continuing education practitioners plan and conduct future studies, and (2) a rational, need-reduction, decision-making approach can improve continuing education programs. (CT)

This article presents a review of the literature dealing with the unique career-related education needs of the gifted student. This review cuts across several disciplines and has been completed to inform industrial education personnel about gifted students, some of their unique characteristics, and how they may be integrated into industrial…

The monograph was designed for special educators working with the severely mentally retarded and it examines methods of providing vocational training and educational opportunities for this population. The first chapter, by D. Biklen and G. Dybwad ("A Perspective on the Social and Cultural History of Severely and Profoundly Mentally Retarded…

Fourteen research studies were conducted on exemplary practices in experienced teachers' centers, focusing upon specific interests or concerns of those operating or otherwise supporting the centers. Research was funded through small awards which would allow teacher center practitioners to collaborate with researchers to develop knowledge about…

This discussion of distance education needs from the point of view of the adult student focuses on learner needs. It is suggested that these needs will be met through improvement in program design procedures, increased student support through advising and guidance, and greater cooperation between existing educational agencies. (LRW)

The causal relationship among adult literacy, social evolution, and economic development has traditionally made adult literacy programs a priority in developing nations. To develop effective adult literacy programs, educational planners must consider a variety of linguistic, cultural, economic, and political needs. First of all, planners must…

Analyses of the service needs of various disabled groups indicate that the techniques of community psychology are relevant for developmentally disabled persons. Objective needs assessment contributes to effective community psychological interventions by providing valuable input to decisions on systems analysis, program design, evaluation,…

Evaluation research is no longer taught solely as a technical-scientific pursuit, but is now moving toward a policy-oriented discipline. Psychological skills in a political context can strengthen technical contributions of evaluators. (LMO)

Since its inception 20 years ago, adult basic education (ABE) has been implemented successfully at the state and local levels. The statute that originally authorized ABE has proven successful largely because of three factors--its tractability, its ability to structure implementation, and its success in gaining both sovereign and media support…

Focuses on growing companies in the areas of computers and semiconductors, health and medicine, instrumentation, and communications and telecommunications. The article argues that a knowledge of employment trends and workplace changes is important for those working with unemployed English-as-a-Second-Language learners. (25 references) (Author/CK)

A review is presented of recent literature concerning teachers' attitudes toward inservice programs. One of the studies concluded that items that teachers like at inservice meetings are: (1) active involvement; (2) teaching; (3) practical information; (4) meetings that are short and to the point; (5) in-depth treatment of one concept; (6) well…

This review and synthesis of the literature on correctional vocational education includes historical documents, recent surveys and reports, journal articles, dissertations, and speeches and presentations which were located by computer-assisted and manual searches of these data bases: Abstracts of Instructional and Research Materials in Vocational…