Describes practical methods for designing courses and measuring student growth. Indicates the importance of clear course objectives and suggests techniques to assist in guiding student nurses to an acceptable level of competence. (JOW)

Describes the drama program at Wykeham Rise School, Washington, Connecticut, which provides three hours of class time each day. The instructor describes her use of improvisation in preparing the students and developing the characters in the productions. Comments by two students are included. (JMF)

Excessive emphasis on objectives can lead to teachers who are good compliers, not necessarily good teachers. Teachers can become so preoccupied with evaluations, record keeping, and paperwork deadlines that they haven't time or energy to reflect on their teaching. (MT)

In 1991, in response to a mandate from the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education, Cameron University developed a Communication Assessment Program to measure and assess the competency level of students in writing and speaking. The communications assessment sub-committee considered several options for assessing student skills in writing,…

Provides an overview of a content-based postsecondary German language course that uses youth literature to teach about the Holocaust. Philosophical as well as pedagogical problems of dealing with the Holocaust in DaF instruction are included in the curriculum. Curricular considerations are presented that deal with course objectives, learning…

The essay test has the potential to remedy the discrepancy between announced course objectives and the objective test items that supposedly measure attainment of those objectives, according to the authors. Guidelines are provided for developing and administering essay tests. (Author/PGD)

Discusses student evaluation in foreign-language courses and argues that passing a multiple-choice test should not be a course objective. Suggests that achieving such an objective does not ensure that students understand the topic or that they will use their new knowledge in new situations, nor that they know how to analyze to the appropriate…

Examines instructional design (ID) courses offered in instructional technology masters program at San Jose State University. Course objectives, participants' needs assessment, resources and study methods, and student evaluation are discussed for introductory ID course; learning activities of advanced ID seminar are outlined. Sample student…

Social work educators must be familiar with issues related to social work, as well as issues from a wider context of education that impact the profession. A practical consideration for academically-based courses involves the relationship between what is taught and what is tested in the social work classroom. Social work educators must decide what…

The author believes too much time is spent teaching students to compete for good grades and to prepare for entrance into a good college, and not enough time spent educating for good character, thoughtfulness, and cooperation. He suggests that individuation of learning fosters independence, cooperation, and mutual respect. (KC)

A quality assurance model for assuring quality in the development of course objectives and classroom and exit examinations is presented. Called the Course Development Model, it was an outgrowth of a 1985 pilot study conducted at the University of Central Florida. The study found that more than 100 faculty who completed a questionnaire did not…

In this discussion of ethics instruction in a distance education course the question is raised of how to develop a "fit" between the objectives of a course and the strategy for instruction, interaction, and evaluation. The paper discusses specific problems confronting distance education course planners. First, while the objectives of…

A brief overview of trends in assessment in psychology degrees is presented. Both natural evolutionary changes in education and external, professionally-based forces have exerted considerable influence upon both the psychology curriculum and the methods of assessment to which psychology students have been subjected. (MLW)

Traditional, product-oriented testing must be abandoned if instructors in college reading and study skills programs are to effectively evaluate student educational outcomes. Such tests are hardly compatible with the way the brain functions, in that they require precise answers to precisely worded questions which are the product of the test-maker's…

This paper discusses the author's personal experiences in developing and implementing a problem-based college mathematics course for liberal arts majors. This project was initiated in response to the realization that most students are dependent on "patterning" learning algorithms and have no expectation that self-initiated thinking is a…