Discussed are the processes involved in course evaluation to promote course improvement, some problems of the methodology employed, including the psychometric and illuminative methods, and implications for universities. (JMD)

Problems encountered in large-scale educational evaluations are discussed using the evaluation of the Emergency School Aid Act as an example. This extensive article focuses primarily on methodological issues. (JKS)

Open University students, adults in working life, are given several opportunities to mark stages in their progress during each course by graded assignments and final examination. One course teams' introduction of two-stage assignments is reported that includes an optional non-graded first stage. (Author/LBH)

At the University of Minnesota Affiliated Hospitals Residency Training Program in Family Practice and Community Health, internal investigators examined the entire affiliated program (the largest family practice residency program in the U.S.) from such aspects as a description of the residents to the administration of affiliated units. Methods and…

The issue of faculty development is examined with regard to important differences in the perceived needs of staff over the early years of their careers in a polytechnic. Less importance is attributed to short-term aims and greater to more fundamental issues over the longer term. Behavioral and attitudinal factors are discussed. (LBH)

This article describes the process used by a university committee which, in an effort to increase student enrollment, was given the task of studying what an introductory course in political science should include. (Author/RM)

The value of intensive commentary by subject expert teachers on Open University course materials is emphasized. The insights of someone who can alternate the role of reading as a student with that of reading as an expert and teacher are seen as significant in making substantial improvements to course material. (Author/LBH)

Teacher educators of the Instructional Leadership Program at the University of Vermont used interactive evaluation procedures (including numerical, process, and summative approaches) to inform their decisions about program improvement through a new training option for regular and special education leaders. (CB)

While the "Standards for Evaluations of Educational Programs, Projects and Materials" provides a good checklist of prerequisites, such standards do not guarantee indisputable outcomes. Reanalysis of reading comprehension and mathematics mean achievement data from an international evaluation study illustrates how political bias can…

Results from "Campus Trends, 1987," a sample survey of colleges and universities, indicate that 75 percent are discussing assessment, half are developing assessment procedures, and the great majority expect to introduce some form of assessment in the next few years. (MLW)

The Self-Report Depression Questionnaire (SRDQ), a measure of depressive symptomatology in persons with mental retardation, was administered to 89 mentally retarded adults living in community-based settings. The SRDQ demonstrated high internal consistency reliability, as well as moderate stability over an 11-week period. Content validity and…

There is no one test or approach that is sufficient to serve all the objectives and purposes of assessment within the major. A multidimensional approach combining locally developed procedures such as theses, portfolios, orals, external examiners, with standardized tests is an effective strategy. (Author/MSE)

An inservice training program was designed to assist early interventionists in assessing family needs and setting family goals for Individualized Family Service Plans required for handicapped infants. The training increased interventionists' use of family assessment tools and increased the proportion of family goals written as part of a…

A new system in which French higher education policy is evaluated through the policies of each institution is described. Characteristics of the French university and university system are examined, the national evaluation committee's structure is outlined, and the logistics of the evaluation process are discussed. (MSE)

Description of study to determine the impact of management training on student performance focuses on the need for proper evaluation. Pre- and posttraining evaluative tools for rating managers are described, differences in ratings are analyzed, and implications for evaluating management training on interpersonal skills are discussed. (LRW)