The article identifies the validity of assessment of non-formal and informal learning achievements (NILA) as one of the key factors for encouraging further development of the process of assessing and recognising non-formal and informal learning achievements in higher education. The authors analyse why the recognition of non-formal and informal…

Exploring the formal and theoretical possibilities available in and through feminist inquiries, this paper investigates the possible impact of feminist theories on three areas of academic writing--the professional, the graduate, and the undergraduate--using a polylogic, polyvocal presentation. The paper explores the theoretical and formal…

Doubts and misgivings have resulted from the rapid growth and diversity of experiential programs and the use of experiential learning assessment as a recruiting and marketing device. The Council for the Advancement of Experiential Learning (CAEL) is the body examining what is being done about setting standards for the assessment of experiential…

Calls for a richer perspective in assessing prior experiential learning. Asserts that using Levi Strauss' totemism instead of metaphor (looking for similarity between experience and courses) may restore power, ownership, and centrality of the experience to the candidate for assessment, while allowing evaluators to engage in a novel but authentic…

This action research project sought to enhance assessment for learning, focusing on a "mini-viva" whereby students explained and justified to the instructor selected aspects of their assignment after it was submitted but before grading. Found that student reaction was generally positive but there were some limitations of the method. (EV)

Institutional affiliations of contributors to NCSS and AERA programs for 1975 to 1979 were compiled and compared with other indices of productivity such as journal article publication. Findings indicated that contributors to NCSS generally ranked high in productivity in social studies education. (DB)

Two teachers have developed a procedure for grading student compositions that seems fairer to both them and their students. The students are given a choice of which papers they wish to submit for grading, and when they do submit work, the papers are identified by a number only (chosen by the student and indexed in a class card file). Each teacher…

Evidence of biasing in judgments made by physicians was examined via individual interviews and written questionnaires from 38 university surgeons. Each surgeon estimated six quantities: his own number of major procedures during the past year, that of his specialty, and that of the entire service, as well as similar estimates for in-hospital…

Presents a quiz on science and technology for technical writing instructors to see for themselves how much information they have learned from teaching their students. (HTH)

Peer observation activities conducted by college faculty working collaboratively have the potential to improve instruction. (JD)

Notes the disagreements that occur between business communication teachers, their peers, and their students about the evaluation and grading of student work. Initiates a larger study of this problem by asking readers to rank seven business letters written by college students. (RL)

Presents a checklist of core behaviors for use in assessing students' strengths, weaknesses, and changes in thinking skills. Lists persistence, decreased impulsivity, flexibility, metacognition, checking for accuracy, problem posing, drawing on past knowledge and experience, transfer of skills to new situations, precision of language, and…

Cites three objections to an article discouraging a checkmark system of grading, including the fact that at times student work should not be judged on the basis of how completely the ideas were developed and the necessity of having other grades in addition to checkmarks and no checkmarks. (DF)

Noting that the term "assessment" sounds formal and institutional and frequently generates fear and anxiety, this book presents 14 essays that demonstrate that assessment can help students, teachers, and administrators in writing across the curriculum (WAC) programs learn about what they are doing well and about how they might do better. The first…

To assess the effectiveness of various composition evaluation methods, a study asked two freshman English classes to respond to three questionnaires on the writing of personal essays and methods of evaluation they had experienced. Responses indicated that all students had a fear of having their essays evaluated. Evaluation methods considered a…