A 3-year evaluation is being undertaken to assess quality assurance processes for nursing and midwifery education in England. Issues that must be resolved are (1) the balance between qualitative and quantitative judgments of achievement of standards and (2) the tension between competency-based education and the development of professional…

Interviews with 29 policymakers involved in the development of the National Vocational Qualifications/Scottish Vocational Qualifications identified four factors influencing the reform initiative: pressure for vocational relevance, postindustrial nature of economic change and work, need to make training standards based rather than time served, and…

Community college mechanics students in a competency-based program were compared with those in a cohort-based program. The cohort group perceived a split between theory and practice. The competency-based group was less affected by literacy and language difficulties. They felt success depended on motivation, initiative, and maturity; the cohort…

In Indiana's system of performance-based licensure, beginning teachers must submit portfolios within 2 years of teaching for a 5-year, renewable license. University teacher education programs have implemented portfolio assessment to prepare future teachers for licensure. (SK)

Describes Baltimore Learning Communities, a school reform project that includes a competency-based model based on the competencies identified by the Labor Secretary's Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills (SCANS). (JOW)

Examines the critical connections between the skills and competencies that employers seek and student preparation for them. Suggests some of the fruitful connections that institutions might make with employers in the areas of national skill standards and career transcripts. (EV)

We are all accustomed to periodic summative testing for achievement, but in this chapter the importance of requiring mastery of fundamentals as the baseline for evaluation, regardless of the level of the class involved, is discussed.

The Model of Domain Learning (MDL) is an alternative perspective on expertise that arose from studies of student learning in academic domains, such as reading, history, physics, and biology. A comparison of the MDL and traditional models of expertise is made. The key components and stages of the MDL are then overviewed. Discussion concludes with a…

Two current directions: (1) field-responsive teacher education, and (2) outcome-referenced training competency are discussed. (DAG)

As the world economy continues to evolve, businesses and industries must adopt new practices and processes in order to survive. Quality and cost control, work teams and participatory management, and an infusion of technology are transforming the way people work and do business. Employees are now expected to read, write, and communicate…

This paper deals with a case study of Management Development (MD) practices at Malaysian Assurance Alliance (MAA). The aim of this research is to investigate how a large Malaysian insurance corporation developed and integrated MD initiatives with current organizational needs and tasks. Attempts were made to map and categorize the MD initiatives…

This article contributes to a discussion about educational leadership programs related to social justice and diversity. It focuses on the development of social justice leaders through a doctoral program that culminates in a Doctorate in Educational Justice. The program's design is intended to empower graduates to act with hearts liberated through…

The purpose of the National Institute for Performance-Based Teacher Education (PBTE) was to provide for improving the quality of vocational teacher preparation by developing the skill of selected teacher educators, staff development leaders, and other decision makers to adapt, utilize, and implement PBTE concepts and curricular materials.…

This chapter of "The Best of the Best of ERIC," Volume 2, contains 18 summaries of documents and journals on competency-based education, all of which are indexed in either "Resources in Education" or "Current Index to Journals in Education." The materials included deal with various aspects of the topic, such as…

This unit of the Flexible Learning System (FLS) provides training on how to use classroom planning to avoid management problems and techniques to reduce inappropriate behavior in the classroom. Management is approached as the process of organizing and structuring the classroom, its activities, and the responsibilities of staff and children.…