Over the last 20 years, writing about technology (and more recently about its use in assessment systems) has been a joyful experience, in part because the author was usually right about how fast and how unexpected technology progress would be made. In this article, the author suggests to rethink assessment systems from design perspectives and the…

A participatory curriculum development process was undertaken to design and implement a university-level, community-based environmental education training course to target behaviors and thus increase the effectiveness of conservation programs in central Vietnam. The process included (1) stakeholder analysis, (2) training needs assessment, (3)…

Alternative assessment procedures have made consistent inroads into second and foreign language assessment practices over the last decade. The original impetus for alternative assessment methods has been predicated more on the ideological appeal this approach offers than on firm empirical evidence that alternative assessment approaches actually…

A university-wide project team of academic and administrative staff worked together to prepare, deliver and evaluate a number of diagnostic, formative and summative computer-based assessments. The team also attempted to assess the University of Southampton's readiness to deliver computer-assisted assessment (CAA) within the "Code of practice…

In a classroom, a teacher attempts to convey his or her knowledge to the students, and thus it is important for the teacher to obtain formative feedback about how well students are understanding the new material. By gaining insight into the students' understanding and possible misconceptions, the teacher will be able to adjust the teaching and to…

This study was carried out to examine students' responses to the use of on-line assessments that included feedback. First year BSc students taking a Cell Biology module undertook such an assessment and were then asked to evaluate the test by completing an anonymous questionnaire. Answers were analysed in light of the respondents' ethnicity and…

There has been a growing interest in issues pertaining to how a young person chooses to participate (or not) in youth programs, both school based (for example, sports, drama, yearbook) and community based (for example, Boys and Girls Clubs, Scouts, 4-H, sports, faith-based programs). Scholars, youth workers, policymakers, national organizations,…

In August 2000, twenty people met in a room in Boston to address two questions: (1) How can Boston create a network of community schools?; and (2) Does the action have to proceed one school at a time, or are there systematic changes that can advance the movement? For the next four years, these people worked together, without funding, a road map,…

The Schools Uniting Neighborhoods (SUN) Community Schools Initiative is a community-driven model that allows each school community to design the programs that fit neighborhood needs, while working toward core goals that stretch across all SUN Community Schools. In this article, the author describes the history of SUN Community Schools and its core…

Purpose: The use of e-learning in corporate universities enables access and broadens the curriculum. This paper assesses the use and implementation of e-learning through case material, and explores some of the challenges and emerging concerns. Design/methodology/approach: The paper reviews the corporate university concept and considers how an…

Purpose: To describe an approach to course redesign that may provide others in the field with a "template" to follow or modify when course redesign is necessary. Design/methodology/approach: Action research implies making a change and then observing and responding to the consequences of that change. Making the change in this course involved:…

This paper reports the development of an international Masters in Information Studies between the Universities of Parma (Italy) and Northumbria (United Kingdom). Rather than concentrating on a detailed discussion of course content, it considers the strengths of an international collaborative course development and delivery and the issues involved…

Recent results from the Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO)'s grade 9 applied mathematics assessment found that students are experiencing difficulty with the Ontario curriculum, specifically with written communication. Action research was conducted during the second semester of 2003/04 in a grade 10 applied mathematics class to…

This article deals with the possibilities of participatory action research in quality enhancement projects at the level of university departments. The projects, carried out between 2002 and 2004, were aimed at developing leadership and management, fluency and division of academic work, well-being, and the health of academic staff. Four departments…

The ways in which teachers and head teachers integrate external summative testing and formative assessment practices were explored by means of a questionnaire survey and a small number of case studies. A clear distinction was found between end of key stage tests and optional tests in the extent to which they could be used directly to support…