Daily participant observations of social development over two years at Family House, a residential treatment program, were coded into a narrative and analyzed using a phenomenological perspective allowing "native categories" of significance to emerge and guide the analysis. The strengths and limitations of this novel research strategy…

Describes immersion weekends sponsored by the University of Calgary. The discussion includes examples from actual weekends to describe the planning and implementation. A qualitative evaluation is also discussed. (Author/AMH)

Teachers, like athletes, are more likely to adopt new ways of doing their jobs if they are coached, and they are also likely to get worse before they get better. This article describes the coaching of teachers and includes an interview with a football coach to illustrate parallels with athletics. (PGD)

Describes the role of research and evaluation in the growth, evolution, and impact of developmental television in India. Eleven references are listed. (Author/LLS)

The role of faculty colleagues in the evaluation of college teaching is not defined adequately. A distinction needs to be made between summative evaluation conducted for administrative decisions such as pay increases, promotion, and tenure, and formative evaluations designed to improve teaching. (MLW)

Authors explore ways of helping students improve their self-esteem, interpersonal relationships, and value to an employer. Offers strategies from the world of work (customer satisfaction cards) and the world of dance (chorus line class that improves poise in job interviews). Suggests ways to find appropriate instructional materials for handicapped…

Randomly selected instructors were given feedback from midterm student ratings and met with the authors to discuss the ratings and strategies for improvement. More favorable student ratings at the end of the term, better final examination scores, and more favorable affective outcomes resulted. (Author/RD)

The shift to alterable variables (those that can be changed before or during the teaching and learning processes) enables researchers to move from an emphasis on prediction and classification to a concern for causality and the relations between means and ends in teaching and learning. (Author/IRT)

Discusses a series of year-long writing activities using portfolios in eighth-grade science class. Notes that students received feedback about their performance from multiple sources. Suggests that students found this formative focus productive and valuable, and took a more active role in mastering the course content than if the course had been…

Describes the development of the Cooperative Remotely Accessible Learning (CORAL) system on the Internet at National Chiao Tung University (Taiwan) that promotes cooperative constructive distance learning and provides the first comprehensive and networked courseware written in Chinese. Results of formative evaluation are described and future…

If faculty peer review of teaching is to overcome institutional marginalization, its formative and summative components must use rules, criteria, and standards for effective teaching that are agreed upon by faculty in the academic unit. This conversation clarifies expectations for curriculum, teaching, and student learning. Only such a process can…

Discusses the design of a series of case-based interactive videodiscs used for coaching preservice elementary science teachers to become reflective practitioners. Topics include HyperCard stacks; the formative evaluation process; and design features appropriate for materials developed in other content areas or with other technical platforms.…

The process of restructuring a higher education institution does not end with creation of a strategic plan; the plan's objectives and strategies must be monitored for effectiveness. Phases of creative strategy-making and plan formulation should be alternated with periods of assessment. The process is not a direct course, but dynamic progression…

A study investigated 292 British university students' attitudes about continuous assessment (formative evaluation) and examinations (summative evaluation). In many respects, students felt continuous assessment to be fairer and to measure a greater range of abilities. Responses varied by age and gender. Overall, students felt continuous assessment…

Discusses diversity in the workplace and offers guidelines for practitioners in designing, developing, and implementing diversity training. Highlights include linking the diversity initiative to the organization's mission, cultural climate assessments, reviewing policies and procedures, needs assessment, learner analysis, establishing objectives,…