Over a decade ago, concerns about fraud and abuse by some correspondence schools led to federal restrictions on, among other things, the percentage of courses a school could provide by distance education and still qualify for federal student aid. This study reviewed the extent to which the restrictions affected schools? ability to offer federal…

Evaluation management requires a system for measuring, improving, and accounting for quality. The Institute for Program Evaluation in the United States General Accounting Office is developing such a system. (Author)

Colleges can and should do much to improve the management of financial aid offices in a time of reduced funds. Exemplary programs provide a framework for improvement, consisting of two key elements: assessment of office management needs based on the overall campus structural development and good basic management procedures. (Author/MSE)

Early Reagan Administration budget and program messages and other developments are examined in relation to social welfare and social work education. Some dimensions of educational quality are suggested, and the complex relationships between levels of support and quality are analyzed. Elements of a strategy for maintaining quality are assessed.…

A program in peer review and quality assessment at the University of Michigan denture department is described. The program exposes students to peer review in order to assess the quality of their treatment. (Author/MLW)

Conducted a survey of the commissioners and directors of several Rehabilitation Counselor Education (RCE) programs of the Council on Rehabilitation Education (CORE) to determine their preference for using weighted standards in accrediting RCE programs. Results indicated an agreement that standards should be weighted. (Author)

Common pitfalls in technical writing and how to avoid them are outlined. These pitfalls include goobledygook words and phrases, plodding style, failure to follow the prescribed format for publication or proposals, misuse of words, inconsistencies, and failure to edit or proofread adequately. (MSE)

Suggests that faculty advisers to student literary magazines attend to three areas (fiction content, feature materials, and page layout) to ensure a more balanced and successful student publication. (RL)

The self-study has been increasingly used as an aid to accrediting reviews but has rarely been used as a tool for ongoing systematic internal quality assurance. Attention to the purposes and functions, the processes, and the dynamics of self-studies so used can yield great benefit for modest cost. (Author/MLW)

A major effort by higher education institutions to raise standards is required. Changes in accrediting, in informing consumers more effectively, and in the internal processes of self-monitoring will be needed to support the press toward improved teaching and learning. (Author/MLW)

North Carolina has begun a comprehensive, systematic approach to the reevaluation and assessment of the teacher education process. (Author/MLF)

A system for grading student work based on contracts is examined. Types of contracts, methods for controlling quality as well as quantity of work, advantages of the contract grading system, and the results of research into the use of grade contracts--including student reaction to the system--are some of the topics discussed. (JMP)

Reviewing training and performance support materials ensures quality and builds the developer's skills. Examines the review process, reviewing to build skills, self-reviewing, technological aids, and feedback; provides guidelines for reviewers and developers; and suggests techniques for development improvement. Outlines suggested review stages and…

The author argues that, in a team-based business culture where good service is a minimum and professionalism is a given, information experts need to move beyond the service era and distinguish themselves by creating an "information experience." Describes how corporate information experts can adapt to what John Naisbitt has called the…

Discusses outsourcing in the information industry. Highlights include information technology; special libraries; outsourcing in Australia; public librarians; benchmarking and quality control; online searching; and outsourcing as a threat to information professionals. (LRW)