Within the higher education context, capstone units can be viewed as a significant means of assuring intended learning outcomes for programmes. They provide students with the opportunity to consolidate and apply prior and new disciplinary learning, as well as employability skills and graduate attributes. This paper describes the first stage of an…

This paper suggests rethinking the doctoral examination process in Australia to enable a closer alignment with the aims of the learning programme. The doctoral examination processes generally aim to assess the candidate's research capability, the quality and originality of the candidate's contribution to knowledge, and to authenticate that the…

This article presents generalisations drawn from experience gained designing and renewing study programmes so that the use of learning outcomes became the underlying principle of curriculum organisation. Conceptions of a purpose (profile), aim and outcomes of a study programme are presented, their formulation requirements are discussed and…

In order to assess how completely a Small Learning Community (SLC) and/or Career Academy is implemented in any given site, and to connect the degree of implementation with the amount of improvement in student performance, two kinds of information are needed. The first is information on the quality of implementation, which can be collected by…

In response to a 1983-84 school board mandate to evaluate its K-12 science program, a Maryland public school system invited local scientists, administrators, science teachers, parents, students, and graduates to serve as evaluators. The same community-based model was subsequently used to evaluate the mathematics program. (MLH)

This document summarizes the Public Community and Technical College Institutional Effectiveness Process sponsored by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. The Institutional Effectiveness (IE) process was implemented in response to the Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Technical Education Act, which stipulates that public institutions of…

This document was designed to assist members of a program review team in conducting a program review and to assist school staff and parents in conducting a self-study in preparation for a formal review. The program review process is designed to evaluate the effects of curriculum, instructional methodologies, and effectiveness strategies on…

The Program Evaluation Process described in this report was initiated at Hudson Valley Community College (HVCC) in spring 1981. Section I of the report presents the philosophy supporting the evaluation process which emphasizes program quality, cost effectiveness, and assistance with program improvement. Section II outlines the Program Evaluation…

Described is a study intended to evaluate a simulation exercise which was part of an environmental education program integrating courses and mini-courses for environmental awareness into existing curricula. Nine teachers and the associated 17 classes and 413 eleventh-grade biology students made up the study population. Techniques of treatment,…

The AP Course Audit utilizes a criterion-based professional judgment method of analysis within a nested multi-step review process. The overall goal of the methodology is to yield a final judgment on each syllabus that is ultimately valid. While reviewer consistency is an important consideration, the most important goal is to reach a final judgment…

Recent funding changes in Great Britain have shifted the purpose of evaluation to serve the ends of government. Government now has the power to define and prioritize key categories in education and provide a mechanism for control. Claims that evaluation is now little more than consultancy and monitoring and is not research-based evaluation. (NL)

Discusses four critical questions raised in curriculum planning, based on cooperative librarian/teacher efforts at Miliani Mauka Elementary School (Hawaii). Questions focus on what to assess (knowledge or skills, process or product), reasons for assessing, when and how to assess, and who should do the assessing. Includes a sample assessment form…

In this paper, we present a framework for evaluating commercially developed mathematics programs. This framework is based on principles of instructional design derived from a Direct Instruction approach to education. Given the role that instructional programs play in the classroom, especially for teachers who have not been well prepared to teach…

A project was conducted to examine vocational education curriculum materials developed through state and federally funded projects to determine principles and methods used and to examine strengths and weaknesses of each. A survey instrument was disseminated to all Pennsylvania schools with vocational programs. Consultants were utilized to develop…

Describes, compares, and evaluates available syllabi for biology instruction in England and Wales. Provides a checklist to be used in the analysis of syllabuses and summarizes main features of assessment schemes employed in the different options. (ML)