A model combining formative and longitudinal program evaluation was applied to two programs (economics/business administration and engineering) at Uppsala University (Sweden) in which students are brought together after two years in regional institutions. Useful features of the evaluation method are discussed and results of job market follow-up…

Discussion of performance appraisal and evaluation focuses on a peer review and evaluation process of reference services that was developed at Louisiana State University. Formative evaluation principles are discussed, user survey results are reported, and a checklist for implementing a peer desk review process is provided. (20 references) (LRW)

One educator's experience suggests that having graduate teaching assistants use classroom assessment techniques (CATs) in structured assignments is a good way to develop teaching assistants' ability to look beyond their classroom survival concerns in that it provides a safe way for them to engage students in dialogs about learning. Examples of…

Asserts that assessment requires measuring of results, evaluation of the processes that lead to results, and a commitment to promote change for the better. Describes several formative tools that have been used in both laboratory and lecture geology classes, shows how they complement the fairly universal summative evaluation, and demonstrates how…

Reports on the design and formative evaluation of interactive multimedia instruction to develop reflective thinking in preservice student teachers at the University of Ottawa (Canada). Highlights include ease of use, including navigation; instructional design; program effectiveness; and suggestions for further research, including the application…

Drawing on the idea that a constructivist classroom is very different from a traditional setting, this article presents a rubric based on current understanding of constructivist theory and education. The rubric is designed as a formative assessment of teachers to stimulate thinking and improve methods related to constructivist teaching. (SD)

Discussion of assessment in online distance education focuses on network-delivered model answers and peer review as additional formative feedback on assessment. Concentrates on the development of a critical approach to writing and the ability to communicate within a discipline in a course at the United Kingdom's Open University. (Author/LRW)

Harm reduction is fundamentally a movement intended to empower the patient and consumer of health services. This project applied harm reduction theory as a strategy to empower collaborating community partners and researchers to overcome their preconceptions about each other in order to create a successful HIV prevention intervention and evaluation…

The debate on the unidimensionality versus multidimensionality of students' ratings of teaching performance, and the relationship of this dilemma to summative and formative uses of these instruments is reviewed, with special attention to the implications of their development and application in the Spanish university system. A comprehensive…

Electronic portfolios are becoming more prevalent on colleges and universities and can be a valuable tool in assessment efforts on campus.

In this case study our aim was to gain more insight in the possibilities of qualitative formative peer assessment in a computer supported collaborative learning (CSCL) environment. An approach was chosen in which peer assessment was operationalized in assessment assignments and assessment tools that were embedded in the course material. The course…

Purpose: To share the experiences gained during the migration of library data from one library management system (LibSys[TM]) to another (e-Granthalaya[TM]). Design/methodology/approach: The paper describes the step-by-step approach taken to migrate the existing library data to the new software. The paper also discusses the peculiarities of the…

Over the last 20 years, writing about technology (and more recently about its use in assessment systems) has been a joyful experience, in part because the author was usually right about how fast and how unexpected technology progress would be made. In this article, the author suggests to rethink assessment systems from design perspectives and the…

A participatory curriculum development process was undertaken to design and implement a university-level, community-based environmental education training course to target behaviors and thus increase the effectiveness of conservation programs in central Vietnam. The process included (1) stakeholder analysis, (2) training needs assessment, (3)…

Alternative assessment procedures have made consistent inroads into second and foreign language assessment practices over the last decade. The original impetus for alternative assessment methods has been predicated more on the ideological appeal this approach offers than on firm empirical evidence that alternative assessment approaches actually…