Many students are capable of reading a chapter, doing the end-of-chapter questions, studying a little bit, and passing the chapter test. Many teachers are in the habit of using a textbook as a crutch to fall back on when creativity is lacking. Others are capable of teaching incredibly creative lessons based on state standards but are bound by the…

Explains how cost-utility analysis can be applied to the selection of curriculum and instructional methods. Describes the use of multiattribute utility models of decision making as a tool for more informed judgment in educational administration. (SK)

At the direction of the Superintendent of Schools of the Charleston County School District (South Carolina), the organizational structure and staff of the District's Division of Curriculum and Instruction was analyzed. The analysis was to focus on the assessment of organizational effectiveness in providing adequate support services, describe…

Describes a project at Bell Laboratories which sought a compromise between ideal formative evaluation procedures and more feasible procedures necessitated by restrictions on time and resources. Local-trial and field-trial stages of a phased approach are discussed, as well as the benefits of field-tests. (EAO)

The experiences of course teams in developmental testing for credit between 1976-79 are described. The term "developmental testing," as used at the Open University, is defined as a stage in the course development process in which draft learning materials are tried out on students (or surrogate students) to obtain feedback before…

New curriculum materials are necessary to improve vocational education. Even when new materials are developed, however, they often fail to improve programs, either because teachers are not taught how to manage and use the new instructional materials, or because the environment does not allow change. The role of administrators is to encourage…