Identifies research topics related to outcomes assessment in a networked environment and discusses issues affecting these topics. Proposes a framework to relate traditional evaluation components and terminology to the networked environment and identifies factors in the networked environment that affect assessment methods. Suggests outcomes…

Investigates the distance education and information technology literature in an attempt to develop a model to measure quality and learning in online courses. The resulting model is the first proposed to address issues of flexibility, responsiveness, interaction, student learning, technical support, technology, and student satisfaction…

Although economic analysis is complicated and has limitations, it is a workable method capable of producing a great deal of information about the value of early interventions. Procedures for conducting a cost analysis, cost-benefit analysis, or cost-effectiveness analysis are outlined, along with a review of the approach's advantages and…

When New Jersey passed the Quality Education Act to equalize expenditures between rich and poor school districts, it increased regulatory oversight for its 30 poorest districts. The oversight system, the burdens it created for districts, and the political control are described. The new system is evaluated as moderately effective. (SLD)

This letter reports on a research study in which five students (initially identified as severely mentally retarded and/or autistic) were tested with and without the use of facilitated communication while facilitators were prevented from hearing the test questions. Positive results for four of the students raise issues about accurate educational…

Describes the process used to evaluate the writing across the curriculum (WAC) program in the Minnesota Community College System, focusing on evaluation components (i.e., workshop surveys, faculty and student surveys, faculty interviews, student compositions, and subject experiments). Considers programmatic and evaluation coordination. Reviews…

An external evaluation of team training and program evaluation processes addressed California teacher educators' concerns that evaluators of teacher credentialing programs were unprepared, making the process ineffective. Surveys of higher education institutions raised concerns about the benefits of increasing external scrutiny of teacher education…

Four studies found serious problems with components of the federal Medicaid program's survey process for evaluating intermediate care facilities for the mentally retarded--surveys did not discriminate between certified and noncertified units, direct-care staff behavior was very reactive to the survey's presence, and service providers had divergent…

Budget-conscious Americans are increasingly asking that staff developers provide hard data about program effectiveness. The concept of return on investment (ROI) is useful in documenting the effectiveness of staff development programs. To calculate ROI, baseline data must be compared with results realized by the organization. (SM)

This article describes efforts to develop measurement instruments that can be used to evaluate outcomes of a variety of stuttering treatment approaches by measuring changes in speakers' affective, behavioral, and cognitive reactions to stuttering, effects of stuttering on functional communication abilities, and the impact of stuttering on quality…

Discusses the distinction between student evaluation and program assessment; the development of assessment methods for library instruction; and the various steps taken in the writing, testing, revising, and use of an assessment instrument for the Schurz Library instruction program at Indiana University South Bend. Library instruction guidelines,…

Examines the integration of a systematic in-house certification framework and outlines an evaluation model to validate and justify certification as a performance management tool of value to organizations and individuals. Discusses the six elements of effective competency certification programs: competency analysis; training for certification;…

Describes some of the ways in which the federal government has decentralized responsibility for national evaluations of federally-funded early childhood programs. Details the methods used in local evaluation studies, and the strengths and weaknesses of centralized and decentralized national evaluations. (Author/KB)

Investigated the usefulness of retrospective self-assessments by participants in a faculty development program in combination with independent ratings of their teaching performance by their trainees. Found that both the retrospective self-assessments and the independent ratings by trainees showed post-program improvements and were positively…

Peer assessment is understood to be an arrangement with students assessing the quality of their fellow students' writings and giving feedback to each other. This multiple-case study of seven designs of peer assessment focuses on the contribution of peer assessment to the acquisition of undergraduates' writing skills. Its aim is to arrive at an…