Accreditation is a process by which programs demonstrate their academic quality; that is, they demonstrate that they are making decisions for programmatic changes based on: (1) a sound theoretical foundation; (2) clearly stated mission, goals, and objectives; (3) a comprehensive self-study and thoughtful use of best practices; and (4) consistent,…

Undergraduate students pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Forestry (BSF) at Stephen F. Austin State University (SFA) within the Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture (ATCOFA) attend an intensive 6-week hands-on instruction in applied field methods. The second week of field station is focused on land measurement activities to introduce…

The development of a standards-based assessment policy represented a significant cultural shift in assessment practice at one university. Concurrently, the implementation of a policy framework represented a significant procedural shift in policy development and review. The assessment policy was the first policy scheduled to be reviewed through the…

While focus on quality in Danish higher education has been growing in recent years, limited attention has been devoted to developing and thoroughly validating instruments that allow collecting data about university students' perceptions of the teaching-learning environment. Based on data from a large sample of Danish university students, a Danish…

Across K-12 education, there has been recent attention to the learning opportunities available to students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) learning. Early childhood education (ECE) has been excluded from this process. The scholarly literature contains good evidence for including science teaching and learning at the ECE…

In the 1990s, the Academic Senate collaborated with the Chancellor's Office and other leadership groups in the state to revise Title 5 regulations, to draft "The Model District Policy on Prerequisites, Corequisites, and Advisories on Recommended Preparation" (Board of Governors, 1993) and "Prerequisites, Corequisites, Advisories, And Limitations…

This book presents a compilation of 28 issues of the newsletter, "How To Evaluate Education Programs" from the first one published in September 1977 through the issue of December 1979 on the topic of evaluating educational programs. The subject is covered in the following chapters: (1) How to Choose a Test; (2) How to Rate and Compare…

This document reports the activities of the Southeastern Teacher Corps Network's May 1979 conference on the validation of programs and the dissemination of information. Concerns of the meeting were: the establishment of procedures for program validation processes, the increased awareness of naturalistic data-gathering techniques for educational…

Using an abbreviated version of Levenson's (1981) locus of control scale, we examine change over time in the locus of control of displaced steelworkers. The first data collection occurred approximately six months after plant shutdown, the second occurred a year later. Utilizing a multidimensional measurement model, we test the major assumption…

The goal of the Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) is long-term employability. To obtain feedback on the effectiveness of JTPA programs in promoting retention in the labor force, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) requires states and service delivery areas (SDAs) to collect information on the postprogram outcomes of JTPA participants. This…

Possible reasons for conducting evaluations of college and university courses are outlined, and the evaluation system developed at the Australian National University is described. Sources of information for teachers to use in making course improvements are suggested. (MSE)

Multiple matrix sampling is a data collection technique that ensures accuracy and efficiency in group performance. It has been widely used in large-scale curriculum evaluation since the 1980s. However, the design does not always fully embrace the dynamics of local evaluation demands. The purpose of this study is to introduce a modified matrix…

Based on reviews of the final performance and evaluation reports of 81 career education projects funded by the U.S. Office of Education during 1976, this comprehensive report seeks to identify ways of making future evaluation efforts in this area more fruitful. The introduction consists of definitions of key terms and a clarification of the source…

In this book, which applies the state of the art in qualitative research to special education, qualitative research is used as a generic term for investigative methodologies described variously as ethnographic, naturalistic, anthropological, field research, or participant-observer research. Chapter 1 introduces and defines qualitative research and…

Seven Wisconsin school districts formed a consortium to improve district level implementation of career education, K-12. Each district developed assessment and/or evaluation instruments to meet their specific needs, and circulated these instruments among all seven districts for review and feedback. After revision and field testing, these…