Redesign of human-computer interface for users of computerized information systems can make substantial difference in training time, performance speed, error rates, and user satisfaction. Information and computer scientists are using controlled psychologically oriented experimentation, and evaluations during system development and active use to…

Term papers written by 42 students in two subjects were assessed by their classmates and by lecturers in the relevant subjects. No difference occurred between lecturers and students in average marks, variations in marks, agreement in marks (reliability), or relationship between marks and performance in final examinations (validity). (Author/MSE)

Reports on a study in which attempts were made to instantiate the same task in a series of classroom lessons and activities and which used two process coding systems to evaluate teacher performance. Discusses the strengths and weaknesses of each type of coding system. (FL)

Individualized education requires special attention to be given to the role of the professor-student relationship in the learning process. Two case studies highlight the issue of quality in these relationships, and suggest questions for future research. (Author/MLW)

This is a preliminary report on an ongoing study of relationships between education majors' learning style preference (for concrete or abstract stimuli) and (1) the grade levels at which they choose to teach and (2) their evaluation of their instructor's teaching effectiveness. (Author/SJL)

Examined relationships between various supervisor behaviors and trainee perceptions of supervisor expertness, attractiveness, and trustworthiness. Results showed when trainees (and to a lesser extent supervisors) perceived supervisors as engaged in evaluative supervisory behaviors, they also tended to perceive the supervisor as more expert,…

Discusses difficulties in perception of English /r/ and /l/ and concludes the error pattern is not predictable on the basis of contrastive phonological analysis but might be the result of acoustic-phonetic factors. (EKN)

Several simple performance tests are described for assessing an athlete's major energy-producing capabilities. The tests are suitable for mass screening because they are easy to administer, require no sophisticated equipment, and can be done quickly. Information for evaluating test results is included. (PP)

College freshmen wrote behavior contracts detailing changes they would make in their lifestyles as part of a personal health course, while control group students wrote a term paper. Students who wrote behavior contracts showed greater gains in health knowledge during the semester than did control group students. (PP)

The mastery approach was taken with physical education majors at the sophomore level. The approach was based on several considerations which included the achievement of a minimum competency level. The students were allowed to select one of three options to achieve this level. (JN)

Academic deans from 550 accredited, undergraduate, private liberal arts colleges responded to a questionnaire concerning their faculty evaluation methods. Comparison of this 1978 data to that from a similar 1973 study indicates significant trends toward more structured procedures and increasing use of student, peer, and self-evaluation. (SJL)

Analyzes the past decade as a period of learning and experimentation in occupational alcoholism and employee assistance programming (EAPs). Suggests future EAPs will place less emphasis on supervisory confrontation than on broader types of casefinding; and early identification, prior to a decline in job performance, will take place. (Author/RC)

Describes a study in which semantic differential scaling was used to quantify students' perceptions of courses in five Colleges of Education in England. Factor analysis reveals four main dimensions in semantic space: value of the course; intellectual breadth and depth; lively approach to teaching; and organization of the course. (AM)

The relationship between the frequency of college students' informal nonclassroom contact with faculty for each of six purposes and their generalized perceptions of instructional quality were assessed. The frequency of contacts for discussing intellectual or course-related matters made statistically significant contributions in predicting…

Analyzed the following teacher communication behaviors: nonverbal immediacy, interpersonal solidarity, and communicator style. Studies suggest that perceptions of instructor communication variables differentiate effective and less effective instructors. (PD)