Discussion of multimedia courseware development focuses on a framework of ways of thinking, modeling, working, and controlling the development process to derive criteria for a comprehensive method. Separate quality assurance of both product and process is proposed, and a case study involving second-language learning is presented. (Author/LRW)

Examines how benchmarking, a continuous quality improvement process, can be used to define and improve the quality of school-to-work curricula. Provides a set of standards developed by the National Consortium of Product Quality that can be used to guide curriculum review. Describes a six-step benchmarking process. (AJL)

Reviews dimensions of quality and ways of assessing these in counseling settings, with particular emphasis on the development of ongoing programs of quality improvement. Programs are described as mechanisms for science-practice integration within counseling settings, providing decision-support tools for triage, treatment planning, and the…

Alternative certification programs are needed to address the projected teacher shortage by 2000. Only two-thirds of prepared graduates enter the profession, half who do enter leave after five years, and teacher salaries are 25 percent lower than the salaries of college graduates in other fields. Afternoon, evening, and weekend preparation programs…

The only way to improve schools is to ensure that faculties judge local work using authentic standards and measures. Concrete benchmarks are needed that obviate both eccentric teacher grading and simplistic standardized testing. A school has standards when it adopts high, consistent expectations of all learners in all courses. Includes 11…

Higher education quality control structures emerging in West European countries are examined, and the current trend toward definition of quality predominantly from one central power center is criticized. Methodological and substantive weaknesses in this system are discussed, and an approach taking into account other interests and perspectives is…

Steps in establishment of Indiana University School of Dentistry's quality assurance program included gathering existing information on quality assurance; ascertaining administrative support; appointing a committee; defining terms and setting goals; raising awareness and commitment; designing a patient satisfaction survey; undertaking a chart…

Discussed is the Taguchi method for reducing variance by experimental design. Some examples in quality control in Japan and America are presented. Some criticisms of the method are summarized. (YP)

Recent establishment of degree programs in quality and reliability at several leading American academic institutions provides evidence that quality is making ivory tower in-roads. One critical difference in the orientations of U.S. and Japanese firms is in the shouldering of responsibility for product/service quality and reliability. (MLW)

Explores issues related to bibliographic database authority control, including the nature of standards, quality control, library cooperation, centralized and decentralized databases and authority control systems, and economic considerations. The implications of authority control for linking large scale databases are discussed. (18 references)…

The debate over quality assurance in higher education is extended to quality control in work experience programs, particularly regarding program accreditation. The importance of precision in specifying anticipated learning outcomes, which is characteristic in evaluation of work-based programs, is seen as useful in managing the quality of…

Examines eight reasons why Total Quality Management cannot succeed in education and shows how one Florida elementary school surmounted these obstacles and implemented Deming's quality principles. Principal Nancy Duden overcame resistance to change, leadership misconceptions, reliance on external motivators (promotions and grades), increased…

Discusses issues involved in creating educational hyperdocuments at the University of Kent (England) and examines whether the costs are justified by the benefits. Concludes that the key to making a cost-effective hyperdocument is to have widespread usage over a long period of time and to ensure portability, maintenance, and quality assurance. (JMV)

Based on effective-schools research and organizational theory, a curriculum-management audit examines school practices and policies for curriculum design and delivery and draws conclusions about curriculum quality control. District performance is measured against five standards: control, direction, connectivity and equity, feedback, and…

This article proposes that the quality review procedures currently favored in Australian higher education, at institutional and national levels, are inappropriate for Australian education's goals, processes, and outcomes. Procedures better suited to higher education's culture are recommended. Guidelines for accomplishing this in an atmosphere of…