We identify literature that argues the process of creating knowledge-based system is often imbalanced. In most knowledge-based systems, development is often technology-driven instead of requirement-driven. Therefore, we argue designers must recognize that evaluation is a critical link in the application of requirement-driven development models…

On average the B.Sc. (Eng.) degree programmes in South Africa universities graduate about 50-60 per cent of the students admitted. Generally, the highest dropout occurs in the first year of registration. This article reviews admission and graduation statistics at the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) and assesses the impact of recent academic…

Actuarial risk assessment instruments are used increasingly in juvenile justice to classify youths according to their risk of recidivism. The purpose of this article is to describe the results of two studies of one instrument: the North Carolina Assessment of Risk (NCAR). In the first study, the inter-rater reliability of the risk assessment…

Performance/analysis discourse has largely overlooked one crucial area of potential relationship; that between music analysis and music education. After assessing the notion that music analysis may help performance teachers to fulfil their role as music educators, this article presents a study which would begin to assess (a) the effects of an…

The variety of problems identified with undergraduate education at large research universities may best be summed up by a disquieting portrait provided by the Boyer Commission. In its 1998 report, called "Reinventing Undergraduate Education", the commission described thousands of undergraduates receiving instruction from novice teaching…

Purpose: The study attempts to examine the viewpoints of those involved in evaluating the performance of section heads in Kuwait secondary schools; mainly section heads themselves, supervisors and principals. It sets out to determine the strength and weaknesses in the performance evaluation form designed for section heads.…

Purpose: To introduce the campus sustainability assessment framework (CSAF) as a campus sustainability audit methodology; to share student campus sustainability audit research; to reflect on using the CSAF for pedagogy; to review the usefulness of the CSAF as an action research instrument; to encourage other faculty/sustainability educators to…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to study the EFQM model self-assessment in a Spanish university. Design/methodology/approach: A case study methodology is used based on five services provided by a public university in Spain. Findings: The findings show the steps that one university can follow in order to apply this exercise in a successful…

The workforce development literature contains little scholarly work on how organizations in a community work together to develop a high-skilled workforce. This exploratory case study examined business and higher education partnerships that were instrumental in creating such an educational infrastructure for information technology in Tulsa,…

In the last decade, the debate over state-mandated standardized testing has become one of the most heated, political debates in education. Situated within that debate and drawing from it, this paper examines the relationship among teachers, teaching, and standardized testing, using the Michigan Educational Assessment Program (MEAP) as a case study…

Purpose: The authors investigate the impact of hearing loss on quality of life in a large population of older adults. Design and Methods: Data are from the 5-year follow-up Epidemiology of Hearing Loss Study, a population-based longitudinal study of age-related hearing impairment conducted in Beaver Dam, WI. Participants (N = 2,688) were 53-97…

The author began using student assistants when she arrived at the University of Wisconsin (UW)-Eau Claire in the fall of 1996. As a new faculty member, she found herself with a heavy teaching load and no graduate assistant. She observed that some of her colleagues employed undergraduate history majors as tutors for their introductory classes, and…

Effective professional development requires that the district take charge to develop a comprehensive strategy. Districts must be able to describe the strategy and organize to meet their goals. A balanced strategy includes compensation, planning time, teachers' job structure and responsibilities, and professional learning opportunities. Districts…

Purpose: To examine the validity of using scores from a clinical evaluation form as an assessment of clinical competence. Method: Investigators collected a longitudinal clinical skills assessment database that included scores reflecting performance on standardized patient interactions, case-based learning performance, scores on multiple-choice…

This article describes a change initiative which began in 2002: "Woolwich Reach and Plumstead Pathfinder Action Zones" (WRaPP). WRaPP has involved 17 primary, secondary and nursery schools in a deprived part of Greenwich, South London, and although nationally funded (through the UK Government's Education Action Zones), it has been…