These proceedings contain 17 papers from plenary sessions, workshops, and other presentations at a conference to consider and clarify major issues in assessment and standards in vocational education and training, including identification of problems and suggested solutions. A summary of discussions follows most presentations. Plenary session…

People use and extend their knowledge of the physical world constantly. Understanding how this fluency is achieved would be an important milestone in understanding human learning and intelligence, as well as a useful guide for constructing machines that learn. This paper presents a theoretical framework that is being developed in an attempt to…

This collection of abstracts is part of a continuing series providing information on recent doctoral dissertations. The 19 titles deal with a variety of topics, including the following: (1) factual, elaborative, and inferential levels of text processing; (2) the effect of explicitly and implicitly presented rhetorical functions on the…

A comprehensive, interactive conference was designed to help improve the quality of external degree programs and adult education. Sixteen papers are presented as follows: (1) "Designing Self-Instructional Print Material for the Adult Learner" (Diane J. Davis); (2) "Degrees by Alternative Delivery for U.S. Soldiers and Sailors"…

A total of 50 papers are presented from the George Mason University (Virginia) fourth annual conference on nontraditional and interdisciplinary programs. They are grouped in the following major categories: adjunct faculty, corporate/university linkages, experiential learning, graduate nontraditional programs, interdisciplinary program issues,…

A handbook for the adult student returning to college is presented. Attention is directed to the pros and cons of reentry; how to choose a program; options for financing an education; admissions applications; maximizing preentry credits; colleges, credits, and degrees; coping with academic demands such as exam-taking; and achieving a balance…

Stephens College Without Walls will grant college credits for prior experiential learning, if properly documented. Proficiency examinations, non-college transcript credit, work experiences, volunteer activities, homemaking, workshops or seminars, recreational activities or hobbies, independent reading, or licenses are categories of experiences for…

Designed for use by student personnel workers in Georgia's postsecondary vocational schools, this guide describes the recommended activities, standards, and procedures that can be used to grant advanced placement to entering students. It begins with brief overview of articulation. The next section describes the Student Assessment System, steps in…

Path analysis examines an analytical model of decision making by lending officers of 211 Texas banks when recommending agricultural technology to farmer-clients. Model analyzes effects of loan officers' ascribed/achieved personal characteristics and perceptions of organizational constraints during three stages of decision process: using…

A study extended studies on use of prior learning assessment and recognition (PLAR) by concentrating on learners/students outside of the college system and exploring student experience with all dimensions of the use of PLAR. Fourteen university students were interviewed. Findings indicated respondents had re-entered formal education by novel means…

This teacher's guide is designed to assist in teaching an eight-level supplemental reading series to help students learn and practice a variety of reading comprehension strategies. It explains the format of the eight student books; provides a complete scope and sequence chart for the series; and includes a brief introduction to reading…

The paper describes the rationale and 10-day implementation in a 5th-grade classroom (n=19) of an experimental ratio-and-proportion instructional design. In this constructivist-phenomenological design, coming from our theoretical perspective, design research, and domain analysis, students: (1) link "real-world" and "mathematical" objects…

Analysis of reading comprehension errors made by 22 Spanish-speaking fourth-graders in decoding English text found that comprehension "errors" began at the word level and advanced to larger misinterpretations at the sentence level. The cognitive processes of English language learners when comprehending English texts showed individual differences,…

Describes a study that examined various characteristics of undergraduate students enrolled in a computer skills course. Variables considered include gender, college major, high school computer courses, other prior computer experience, computer self-efficacy, computer attitude, computer anxiety, and cognitive style. (Author/LRW)

Discussion of the emergence of nontraditional doctoral pharmacy programs looks at three areas of particular concern: (1) faculty time required; (2) availability of physical and financial resources; and (3) assurance of program quality. Challenges to creating quality programs, development of standards, documentation of quality, treatment of prior…