The POWERSOURCE[C] intervention is intended as a generalizable and powerful formative assessment strategy that can be integrated with any on-going mathematics curriculum to improve teachers' knowledge and practice and, in turn, student learning. Combining theory and research in cognition, assessment and learning (for both adults and students) with…

This final report of the Marketable Preschool Education Program (MPEP) discusses (1) a formative evaluation field test of Aids to Early Learning (AEL) materials and (2) the editing, revision and placement (with publishers) of the Home Visitor Training Package. Learning activities files for home and classroom use as well as several parent…

A review of the research literature on systematic instructional design indicates that few empirically supported guidelines exist for testing materials under development and for improving materials on the basis of feedback from potential learners. In an analysis of 17 textbooks on instructional design, eight specific aspects to be considered in…

Discusses highlights of a literature review on guidelines for formative evaluation of courseware and the development of a formative evaluation instrument by the Kanata High Technology Training Association (Ottawa). The eight dimensions of the resultant questionnaire are listed and a copy of the evaluation instrument is included. (MBR)

Describes a project at Bell Laboratories which sought a compromise between ideal formative evaluation procedures and more feasible procedures necessitated by restrictions on time and resources. Local-trial and field-trial stages of a phased approach are discussed, as well as the benefits of field-tests. (EAO)

Describes and compares formative evaluation approaches: expert review, developmental testing, three-stage model, learner verification and revision, and general approach to formative evaluation. Discussion of differences among approaches related to duration of try-out/revision cycle and recommendations for effective acquisition of data are…

A review of the literature on systematic instructional design suggests that few empirically tested guidelines exist for testing and revising materials during the development stages. The revision process can broadly be based on one of two distinct strategies, internal review or developmental testing. Internal review strategies include referring…

A series of videodisc-based mathematics products have been developed by the cooperative effort of the University of Oregon, Utah State University, and various school districts. The products were designed to: (1) achieve educationally significant changes in student achievement and attitudes; (2) be consistent with group and individual classroom…

This project's main objective was to field test competency-based vocational education (CBVE) student learning guides developed during 1979-1981 at Ridge Vocational-Technical Center (RVTC) (Florida). The learning guides were for six programs: clerical occupations, cosmetology, heavy duty truck/bus mechanics, industrial electricity, masonry, and…

In 1978 the Commonwealth of Virginia initiated a three-year plan to develop basal fourth- and seventh-grade Virginia studies materials utilizing the resources of public and private institutions. The plan involved three stages: planning (1978-79), materials development (1979-80), and field testing and revision (1980-81). This document reviews the…

The processes of instructional materials development and dissemination used in four Stanford Program on International and Cross Cultural Education (SPICE) projects dealing with Latin America, Africa, China, and Japan are described, and evaluative comments based on a review of the curriculum development process are made. The major purpose of the…

This paper reports on the development, design, and initial field testing of a narrative simulation, "'This Just Is!' Jeff's Story," that focused on homophobia and adolescent suicide. The initial field test was conducted with two user groups--a graduate class of professionals in the field of higher education student development, and a…