This article examines the intersection of service-learning with complex systems theory. It is based on a research project we undertook to explore whether complex systems theory might be useful for better understanding the dynamics of service-learning practice and thus for assisting in the design, running, and evaluation of service-learning…

University early childhood programs attempt to balance a traditional tri-part mission: service to children and families; professional development of caregivers/teachers, clinicians, and researchers; and research on child development, learning, and/or education. Increasingly, infants receive care and education on university campuses, yet little is…

Networks aiming for fundamental changes bring together a variety of actors who are part and parcel of a problematic context. These system innovation projects need to be accompanied by a monitoring and evaluation approach that supports and maintains reflexivity to be able to deal with uncertainties and conflicts while challenging current practices…

In 1983, after over 10 years of working on mathematics education reform in the Philippines, I wrote a paper for a Tokyo conference arguing that education reform in developing countries such as the Philippines should begin by working on macro-problems, namely the social, political, and economic environment of the schools, as a context for the…

In a case study of a large Australian university the metaphor of panarchy is used as a means of describing and understanding the complex interrelationships of multi-scale institutional projects and the influences of a variety factors on the potential success of e-learning initiatives. The concept of para-analysis is introduced as a management…

A methodical, goal-oriented system for identifying and correcting the weaknesses of institutional management without undermining that institution's strengths and general character is described. The program, developed by the United Negro College Fund, is called the Integrated Systems Approach to Improving Management. (Author/MLW)

Describes the evaluation procedure for Treatment Alternatives to Street Crimes (TASC) in Marin County, California. The TASC program was developed to identify drug users shortly after their arrest and refer them to appropriate treatment modalities. (Author/HMV)

Addresses clinical and methodological issues in conducting the Marital Systems Study, a research project evaluating the efficacy of systems-oriented conjoint treatment with couples in which one spouse is abusing alcohol. These include standardizing and monitoring the intervention and developing an interactional perspective on the alcohol-related…

Discusses a creative engineering systems design program developed at the Clarkson College of Technology with the support of the Sloan Foundation. Indicates that the program leads to greater undergraduate use of computational facilities and more faculty research toward design applications. (CC)

The report provides a summary of the independent, third party evaluation of the 1972-73 funding year of the Guided Occupational Orientation Project of the Syracuse City School District. A systems approach to evaluation was utilized in this effort. The funded project involved all three grade populations--elementary, junior high school, and senior…

This report evaluates the Systems Advocacy Model embodied in the operation of the Connecticut Child Advocacy Center (CCAC). The study was undertaken in order to: (1) describe the advocacy model used and compare it with other models in terms of relative effectiveness in meeting specific objectives; (2) determine the means used by the CCAC to arrive…

This paper describes an approach which can be used by the agency training specialist to assess the effectiveness of many internally developed and conducted training courses. It offers a conceptual framework for evaluation, the essential steps in developing training objectives, an in-course training evaluation process, and a description of the…

Discusses implementation of Sloan Foundation projects at the Case Western School of Engineering, including the development of a computer assisted mechanical structural design course, the establishment of a complex systems laboratory, and personnel views of industry-university design projects. (CC)

The 30th annual American Industrial Arts Association (AIAA) Convention was held in Minneapolis in 1968. Topics for the AIAA general session addresses were: (1) "A Fresh Look at Industrial Arts," (2) "New Curricular Concepts," (3) "Making Education Relevant," (4) "Industrial Arts in an Educational System for the Seventies," (5) "New Concepts in…

A comprehensive school planning tool is available from General Learning Corporation and the Center for the Advanced Study of Educational Administration at the University of Oregon. This School Planning, Evaluation and Communication System (SPECS) provides a deliverable system of training, implementation strategies and materials and technical…