Explains the Palladian Alliance Project of the Associated Colleges of the South (ACS) that is designed to provide member institutions with an effective means to enhance information access through electronic resource sharing of indexes and journals. Planning, individual library needs, evaluation of possible sources, and implementation are…

Describes a successful early start, long sequence Japanese foreign language in the elementary school (FLES) program that was identified as one of seven model programs in a national project funded by the U.S. Department of Education. Highlights literacy instruction in Japanese, student assessment, language camps, visits to Japan, parent…

This article provides guidance on the use of functional behavioral assessment (FBA) techniques to identify the function of problem behaviors by recording antecedents and consequences of each behavior. It includes a case study illustrating application of FBA as well as a sample form for recording observations, developing a behavioral hypothesis,…

Presents a methodological framework for practice-based research in the field of networked learning, based on a case study evaluation of a networked professional development initiative for information services staff in higher education. The theoretical case for the framework is made with reference to principles associated with contructivist program…

The study of 35 posttreatment stutterers found that magnitude estimation and interval scaling were both valid procedures for measuring speech naturalness. Speech of nonstutterers was judged more natural than speech of treated stutterers. The acoustic parameters most highly correlated with speech naturalness were voice onset time measure and…

Methods of assessing the general goals for the Pediatric Dentistry Department at the Medical College of Georgia School of Dentistry are discussed. Goals are: (1) to prepare dentists to provide comprehensive dental care for the pediatric patient; (2) to create positive attitudes toward pediatric dentistry; (3) to encourage students to seek to…

Issues in measuring language proficiency of monolingual and bilingual persons are discussed. Psychometric procedures in developing both English- and Spanish-language proficiency instruments are illustrated through development of the New York City Language Assessment Battery, an assessment of proficiency in both languages used to screen eligibility…

Examples of innovative program evaluation techniques developed in several foreign and international settings are presented in a collection of 10 essays. Methods for understanding programs to be evaluated, focusing evaluation, gathering information, analyzing information, and communicating findings and recommendations are discussed. (TJH)

The University of Iowa College of Medicine developed an independent study component for its Introduction to Clinical Medicine course. An evaluation of instructional software in order to determine its value to the course is described. (Author/MLW)

Seven papers are presented that demonstrate new directions and practices in the evaluation of training programs. Different perspectives and approaches are represented, but in each case the evaluation described has been successful in making trainers more effective and accountable. (SLD)

College instructors (N=24) responded to a questionnaire on educational measurement instruction provided to students in preservice teacher education programs. Roughly half the students received measurement and evaluation as separate courses; the rest received them as part of another course. Many students are inadequately prepared for classroom…

Demonstrates that the common procedure of using examination results as performance indicators based upon residuals from regression analysis when applied to aggregated data gives unstable results. Suggests that aggregate-level analyses are uninformative and that useful comparisons cannot be obtained without employing multilevel analyses using…

Discusses techniques for improving training program design and administration through effective evaluation. Describes three sample case studies that compare trainers, facility/location, and course content; trainee reactions are plotted on a graph. Presents trainee feedback forms that identify aspects of a session, rate effectiveness, and record…

Quality evaluation refers to computer operations for categorizing the relative quality of creative work. It can be used in college instruction to involve students and instructors in contrastive perception and distributed judgment of student work, assigning a quantitative measure to group conclusions about the relative quality of a member's work.…

The evolution of the field of program evaluation is discussed, assuming that current major trends will continue, especially the trend toward theory-driven evaluation. Participating in planning without compromising evaluators' integrity will be an important and challenging task for the future. (SLD)