The Spellings Commission report stresses that higher education must become more accountable, more transparent, and more open to the scrutiny of its stakeholders. The key word is always "accountability," to which the canonical reaction among educators is a reaffirmation of the remarkable diversity of American colleges and universities and the…

In this article, the author explains the key differences among three kinds of instructionally relevant tests that can have a huge impact on what goes on in classrooms: "instructionally insensitive tests," "instructionally sensitive tests," and "instructionally informative tests." If educators understand the advantages and limitations of these…

Presents a cooperative education model that correlates the student's occupational objective with his/her training station. Components of the model discussed are (1) the task analysis, (2) the job description, (3) training plans, and (4) student evaluation. (LRA)

Discusses three major areas in which cognitive psychology and educational technology are affecting instructional design (ID) theory: (1) analysis of information, including content analysis and task analysis; (2) the means of evaluating learners; and (3) linking learning theory with specific instructional strategies through an integrated…

Because preparing people for the world of work remains the primary purpose of vocational education, the behaviorist approach is the preferred learning theory on which to base vocational instruction. Other instructional activities aligned with behaviorism that are regularly used by vocational educators are active responding, required practice, and…

Argues in favor of community-based vocational training for severely handicapped autistic adolescents and gives points to consider in establishing such a program in the school curricula. Offers suggestions for identifying and using community resources. Explains the use of task analysis in student training and discusses student and program…

Because it is a well-accepted fact that young persons have more than their share of automobile crashes and because the task of driving is a complex one that requires practice to be mastered, it is proposed that a careful human factors analysis of the task of driving be undertaken based on empirically demonstrated differences among driver groups.…

Vocational education is a major component of our educational systems at the secondary and postsecondary school level. The passage of the Vocational Education Act of 1963 broadened the definition of vocational education from training people for specific occupations to developing human potential and long-term employability. However, due to the…

Research has shown that tasks of intermediate difficulty generally elicit the greatest efforts on the part of students. For this reason, teachers are advised that the use of moderate goal setting is one of the most effective means of ensuring favorable vocational outcomes. The general paradigm of achieving vocational success through moderate goal…

The French employers federation (MEDEF) has taken the initiative to develop a joint inter-sectoral mechanism for accreditation of occupational competences. The approach analyzes occupations at a more abstract level than the tasks performed within a specific job to facilitate comparison of different occupations from different sectors and allow…