This report shares the findings and lessons learned from an investigation into the economics of disaggregated models for assessing and accrediting informal learners undertaking post secondary education. It presents some key economic and governance challenges for universities to consider in implementing OER assessment and accreditation policies. It…

The Berry Informational Technology (B.I.T.S.) program at Berry College (Georgia) is an apprenticeship opportunity associated with student work. The program gives students the opportunity to seek technological training in areas, such as building computer systems, trouble-shooting, networking, Web development, and user and technical support. In…

A study analyzed student delays in flight certification at 106 University Aviation Association (UAA) member postsecondary institutions. After a pilot survey of 5 institutions, questionnaires were mailed to the 101 remaining UAA administrators; 80 responses were returned. Correlations of items in the survey were analyzed and significant…

Traditional electronics engineering technology (EET) graduates have a broad and general background in EET, but they encounter difficulty when faced with the modern computerized working environment. The EET curriculum trains students to be broad-spectrum, general electronic technicians rather than specialized ones. EET graduates are competing in…

Discriminant analysis was used to predict the performance of medical students on a certifying examination, using available measures approximately seven months in advance of the examination. The purpose was to identify those students having the greatest chance of failing in order to provide them with remedial help. The linear discriminant function…

Certain issues are relevant to the international recognition of vocational qualifications: (1) the assumption that each country does or should value vocational education and training; (2) the quality of the national system and the implications for international recognition of qualifications, including recognition of the accrediting and awarding…

This paper offers a brief outline of the training curriculum developed by the National Association for Search and Rescue (NASAR) for its Wilderness Medicine Programs. The training modules are designed for wilderness search and rescue units, rural emergency medical services (EMS) squads, military medics, backcountry rangers, epedition leaders,…

The policies/practices of the New Zealand School Certificate--a summative examination taken by students after three years of secondary school--are reviewed. The examination is likely to be discarded because of the many mechanisms used to buffer scaling effects and equate distributions. New assessment methods may better reflect student achievement.…

The implicit definition of competence and the inferential chain that links the standard-setting process to the decision outcomes of the method are considered for two classes of standard-setting procedures: those involving data-free judgments of items and those involving data-based judgment of items. The major underlying assumptions of competence…

Tech prep is an alternative to the traditional college preparatory course of study. It is a 4-year sequence of study encompassing Grades 11 and 12 through 2 years of postsecondary occupational education culminating in a certificate or associate degree. The Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Applied Technology Education Act of 1990 is the catalyst for…

A variety of methods are used to assess secondary school seniors in Australia to determine college admission: locally-developed achievement tests in curricular subjects; external achievement tests; and general aptitude tests, such as the Australian Scholastic Aptitude Tests. Testing problems include aggregating and rescaling of scores. (GDC)

This collection of conference papers examines some of the broad issues as well as specific institutional approaches to postbaccalaureate certificate programs. The first paper, "A Survey of Graduate Certificate Policies, Procedures, and Programs" (Wayne Patterson), reports on a survey of the members of the Council of Graduate Schools…

An evaluation focused on an analysis of the policy, procedures, and methods for the assessment of students in Technical and Further Education (TAFE) and Senior Colleges in Queensland, Australia. A multiple case study methodology was used. Data were collected from a literature review, college visits, visits to other TAFE authorities, group…

In 1975 California became the first state to offer an "early exit" proficiency test from high school to persons 16 years of age or older (California law normally requires young persons to attend school until they reach 18 or graduate regularly from high school). More than 87,000 persons have passed the early exit examination; a pass rate…

An initiative was undertaken to develop cooperation with higher vocational qualifications between two "new" universities that were formerly polytechnics: City University of Hong Kong (CUHK) and the University of Northumbria at Newcastle (UNN) in England. The higher vocational qualifications were the Higher Diploma (HD) from CUHK and the…