Southern Illinois University School of Medicine's personalized teaching system has the following features: students are provided with behavioral objectives prior to instruction; passing levels for tests are set in advance and are independent of class performance; and the program is divided into small units and students are tested frequently. (LBH)

The purposes of this study are to develop a valid procedure for teaching students to use behavioral objectives and to determine minimal levels of competence in using objectives. It was hypothesized that when objectives are provided for a unit of instruction, subjects trained to use objectives will score significantly higher on an examination…

A new approach for teaching veterinary pathology instituted at the University of Georgia in 1970 is evaluated. Each student was told what was required in the form of behavioral objectives, given alternate sources of information in the form of autotutorial minicourses, and evaluated by formative, summative and mastery means. (Author/MLW)

Presents a rationale for using a Mastery Learning approach to competency-based education in public speaking. Identifies assumptions and applications of such an approach and describes procedures for teaching public speaking competence on this basis. (JMF)

Mastery criterion manipulation may produce dramatic behavioral effects. Results of a study investigating three undergraduate classes indicate that the 90 percent criterion class was inferior to both the 80 percent and the varied 60-90 percent criterion class on several measures, including degree of accuracy and final grade. (BJG)

An approach for developing competencies in media with a student centered, multimedia approach using modular learning units is described. (Author)

Presents an overview of the basic features of two highly related models of college instruction; the Personalized System of Instruction and the Contingency Managed Lecture. Both are based on behavioral principles and have been tested and implemented on a large scale. (Author/JEG)

Mastery learning is a systematic approach to instruction in which students are required to attain specified levels of competence. This paper provides a rationale for using mastery learning in the introductory public speaking course and clarifies the differences between traditional and mastery learning approaches by contrasting their assumptions…

An investigation was undertaken of end-of-course reactions of students who experienced varying numbers of test-taking failures during an introductory psychology course presented under two different formats: a mastery structure (multiple study/test options and absolute grading standards) and a conventional structure (one try on each midterm with…

During the past two decades, there have been several highly visible developments in education, including behavioral objectives, criterion-referenced test interpretations, the mastery model in instruction, performance-based instructional programs, competency testing, and accountability. This paper is an attempt to weave these various developments…

In response to Utah's establishment of state special education certification standards, the University of Utah has developed a teacher education program with two distinctive features: field experience as half the program, and mastery learning of specific objectives leading to endorsement. (MSE)

A basic writing course designed for college freshmen who do not score high enough on entrance examinations to qualify for regular composition courses emphasizes the positive aspects of a student's writing. The nongraded course consists of four components: journal writing, grammar instruction, in-class paragraph writing, and controlled composition.…

Two fundamental components of behavioral instruction were investigated: the reported testing feature and absolute performance standards. The component analysis was conducted by offering an undergraduate psychology course simultaneously along two dimensions: grading systems and number of study/test cycles. The 425 college student subjects were…

Teacher education programs in 63 New York state colleges and universities were surveyed to determine which elements of competency-based teacher education have been adopted and the degree of participant satisfaction. Results reveal that concepts such as mastery learning, criterion-referenced assessment, and performance-based measures that evaluate…

A research-oriented project to improve the effectiveness of undergraduate education at the state University of Antwerp, Belgium, is described, and the higher education system and conditions in Belgium are noted. Attention was focused on the outcome-based paradigm, according to which the primary goal of instruction is to ensure that all students…