The University of Wisconsin-Parkside's comprehensive collegiate skills program is described from proposal to implementation. Junior year students must demonstrate competence in: writing, reading, mathematics, research paper writing, and library skills. (MLW)

Many states are turning to minimum-competency testing at the secondary school level. Although at least 17 states have enacted legislation that sets minimum-competency standards for graduation from public high schools, the basic skills testing movement at the postsecondary level is still in its infancy. (MLW)

Reports on a survey of 93 teachers of international financial management (IFM) courses who ranked validated IFM competencies for both the importance currently given them and the importance that should be given. All but one of the 93 competencies had a higher mean score for the importance that should be given than for the importance currently…

Describes one elementary principal's experience with implementing outcome-based education (OBE), which combines competency based education and mastery learning. The principal explains that he is not convinced that OBE is a worthwhile philosophy to pursue, and he lists problems and common objections from teachers and community members. (SM)

Six articles and case studies examine continuing education in the United Kingdom. Highlights include vocational education and training; the Professional, Industrial and Commercial Updating Programme (PICKUP); retraining in software engineering; Higher Introductory Technology and Engineering Conversion Course (HITECC); training needs in…

The mission of the library in the information age and the implications for human resources management are discussed in eight articles. Areas discussed include the role of library education, classification and integration of public and technical services staff, staff allocation, staff training, the role of the personnel officer, and accountability…

Issues involved in preparing personnel for intergenerational work include the following: (1) the scope of intergenerational practice; (2) expanded personnel roles in intergenerational programs; (3) competencies and skills identification; and (4) the need to integrate intergenerational preparation into formal human services training and education.…

A professor at the National Technical Institute for the Deaf (New York) describes an instructional approach used in a computer applications course. The approach employed classroom and individual interactions with deaf and hard-of-hearing students, personal computer demonstrations, laboratory sessions for hands-on learning, and criterion-referenced…

Mastery and performance goals can dramatically influence college students' self-regulated learning. These independent but complementary types of goals are shaped in important ways by how faculty organize and structure their classrooms for learning, particularly through the tasks assigned, development of student authority, and the focus of student…

A discussion of competency-based dental curricula describes broad changes in educational thought that heighten interest in competency-based education and offers suggestions: revise the teacher-student relationship; base curriculum development on heightened aspirations for students and dentistry; view dental schools as learning organizations; and…

Describes the Farm Management Home Study Program, a distance education program implemented in 1970 that has allowed over 10,000 farmers and land and business managers in rural New South Wales (Australia) to upgrade their skills through vocational programs in farm management, farm office management, and other vocational courses related to farming.…

Discusses the historical development of Australia's rural economy and examines ways in which Australia's economic development and current position are reflected in national education policies. Concludes that the current national agenda for education may not fully benefit rural people as it is based on urban models that neglect specific needs and…

Describes a criterion-referenced format to nurture and assess secondary mathematics student teachers. The format intertwines areas of knowledge (mathematics, school mathematics, and teaching pedagogy) with the participants in the teacher education process (student teachers, supervising teachers, and university coordinators). Provides examples of…

Discussion of quality assurance in U.S. pharmaceutical education looks at the Total Quality Management approach to measuring quality, recommendations of the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy concerning general and pharmacy-specific professional competencies, and other systems to ensure quality, including accreditation, the federal role,…

A survey of 54 pharmacy schools' experiential learning programs found that most either were reviewing or had adopted nationally recognized competencies into their experiential programs, but a third had made no such effort. Almost all used a formative or interim evaluation process and a student performance evaluation process, some with written…