Results of a formative evaluation of a decision aid for students of taxonomic domains such as statistics or biology are reported. The tool, XPT-EASE, is designed to allow a student to search a taxonomy by traversing its branches in an arbitrary order, presumably the order simplest for the student, rather than by starting from the root node and…

The formative evaluation of the Self-Directed Literacy Distance Learning for Developmental Disabilities Workers project is intended to assess the effectiveness of the course materials, operations process, and implementation. Designed to provide 96 hours of workplace literacy training to 426 developmental disabilities workers in about 80…

The Second Step program has been evaluated through formative evaluations of the curriculum versions before publication and outcome evaluations of the published versions. One outcome evaluation assessed student aggression and positive social behavior in students from 12 schools in Washington state in grades 1 through 3. It is concluded that the…

Use of complementarity as a deliberate and necessary program evaluation strategy is discussed. Quantitative and qualitative approaches are viewed as complementary and can be integrated into a single study. The synergy that results from using complementary methods in a single study seems to enhance understanding and interpretation. A review of the…

Instructional development provides a procedure and framework for systematically planning, developing, and adapting instruction based on identifiable learner needs and content requirements, a process essential in distance education. Although instructional development models and processes abound, the majority follow the same basic stages of design,…

Finding ways to accurately document and record faculty performance can be difficult and time-consuming for the department chair. However, if performance reviews are viewed as a system for improvement, they can provide constructive feedback to the faculty member and offer the opportunity for goal-setting and mutually-supported professional growth.…

Project SPECIAL was undertaken as a pilot test of the application of computer/communications technology to problems in special education information management. The objective of the project was to create a prototype county-wide system for special education administrators at the local, county, and state levels. The system was intended to meet the…

This report outlines specifications for the online transaction monitoring and questionnaire administration features of the University of California's (UC) Prototype On-Line Catalog, known as MELVYL. The development and testing of these features by the UC Division of Library Automation (DLA) is also described. This document is the final report…

A description of ecologically valid, authentic, and integrated performance-based assessment instruments of different lengths was undertaken to measure the extent by which students meet Connecticut's Common Core of Learning (CCL) objectives. The description focuses on the students' knowledge and general understanding of science and mathematics;…

The work of the 1984-1987 California Commission for the Review of the Master Plan for Higher Education (which spelled out how the function of each of its three public higher education segments would be differentiated, governed, and coordinated) is reviewed with focus on its effectiveness. Members of the Commission were asked to determine their…

When new educational technology is put into actual use, new ways of using the technology and new ways of organizing instruction can emerge. A critical feature of formative research conducted in actual settings is that the organization of instruction can change as the educational environment appropriates the technology to its own goals. Thus, the…

The Magazine and Journal Instructional Kit, Part 1 (MAJAK/1) is a HyperCard introduction to: (1) periodical indexes; (2) procedures for using the University of Maryland, College Park (UMCP), Serials List to locate specific articles; and (3) the arrangement of periodicals in the seven libraries of the UMCP Libraries System. Designed, developed,…

This evaluation assesses Linking Up, a demonstration program investigating the process and consequences of mentoring. The program matched seventh- and eighth-graders with adult mentors in a small, rural junior-senior high school and an urban junior-senior high school. Student participants were selected to reflect the risk levels of each school's…

This paper describes formative evaluation procedures of a collaborative program developed by the University of Georgia's Rural Revitalization Initiative. The initiative represents a collaboration of units at the university and among local people from several different areas and disciplines. Twelve Georgia counties participated in the project,…

This report describes the formative evaluation of Project CHILD (Computers Helping Instruction and Learning Development), a project that: (1) integrates computer technology into the curriculum areas of reading, language arts, and mathematics, and (2) includes primary (K-2) and intermediate grade (3-5) learning-center clusters taught by…