The present research refers to the assigning of a hands-on group project to freshman engineering students, evaluating their performance, and deriving conclusions on student benefits and educational advances. The research procedure included action plans for the instructor and the students, instructions to the students on performing the work,…

Problem solving begins with problem identification. Conventional knowledge suggests that because patrol officers work specific geographical areas (beats) on a fairly constant basis, they come to see where the problems exist; thus, police experience alone can be relied on to identify crime problems. However, few have examined whether officers are…

These authors, who have managed a small, entrepreneurial applied-research firm for more than twenty years, share their reflections about what elements of organizational structure have worked best for them, and offer some observations on a personal level as well about how to optimize and remain viable in a volatile professional field. The term…

This paper presents a case study which illustrates the author's experience as a sole proprietor taking on the collegial roles of both learning partner and coach, using an evaluation capacity-building strategy she called an evaluation learning circle (ELC). Facilitating the ELC was one of a variety of tasks she conducted as part of a multiyear…

This research developed from the recognition that work-based placement briefing and debriefing sessions need to encourage reflection and student self-directed learning. An action research methodology was used to obtain students views of the value of briefing and debriefing sessions. Changes to session format were introduced and then in response to…

Until 1975 around half of all graduates from Dutch basic vocational schools finished a 3-year program, the other half finished a 4-year program. In 1975 all 3-year programs were extended to four years. This was accompanied by an increase of the compulsory school leaving age with one year. The authors evaluate the long-term wage effects of this…

"Open Doors" is a long-standing, comprehensive information resource on the 623,805 international students in the United States in 2007/08 and on the 241,791 U.S. students who studied abroad for academic credit in 2006/07. The Institute of International Education (IIE), one of the largest and most experienced U.S. higher education…

Work-based learning is a competency-based experience that integrates classroom instruction with structured work site experiences. Its purpose is to allow students to gain occupational and employable skills while applying and advancing their academic abilities. This guide contains strategies and resources to help educators involve the business…

This report summarizes presentations and discussions concerning student preparation for college and for the workplace. Three educational reform initiatives were addressed: reforming college preparation standards and admissions practices, establishing school-to-work and workforce readiness, and changing undergraduate curricula and standards. Topics…

The Task Force on Career Planning and Placement in the University of Florida's College of Agriculture (COA) reviewed career planning and placement services available to COA students and made recommendations to define, expand, and improve the COA career planning and placement program. COA has a strong need for a comprehensive career planning and…

The construct validity of two measures of employee job readiness was investigated by examining the relationships between job readiness and achievement motivation, and between readiness and the variables of education and work experience. The readiness, or maturity level, of employees is an important concept in the situational leadership model,…

The effectiveness of the Saturation Work Initiative Model (SWIM) was evaluated after its fifth year of operation in San Diego. Data on SWIM on participants' employment, earnings, and Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) receipt were compared to those persons in one of several control groups consisting of members of the AFDC-unemployed…

Serving as a substitute child caregiver can provide youth with an opportunity to sample the child care occupation while learning child care work skills. This report describes the Child Care Substitute Youth Internship Program, a community-based development project. Participating in the program in 1996 were fifteen 19- to 24-year-olds, 9 of whom…

This philosophical and empirical investigation explored whether cognitive skills can be acquired in a workplace setting. A preliminary investigation looked at views of knowledge in liberal humanism where knowledge is a matter for individuals with transcendent minds with objects of knowledge being matters for which there is clear perceptual…

In the face of chronic youth unemployment, decision makers in many countries are questioning the role and effectiveness of alternance between school-based vocational training and in-company work experience. This notion applies to three very different realities: training courses offered as an alternative to traditional school-based training for…