Institutional accreditation is a voluntary, non-governmental activity administered by the eight postsecondary accrediting institutions that are part of the six regional associations that serve colleges and universities in the United States. The author cites W. Edwards Deming's work on corporate quality improvement, and its applicability to…

Administrators, attorneys, and graduate students who are interested in law and education or in research methods will find this book useful. Rarely do researchers combine several methods for examining legal issues in education from multiple perspectives. Here four authors offer four different research methods that can be used in combination. Each…

An organizational blockage instrument was administered to measure the effects of administrative interventions by a new nursing dean prior to and following certain organizational changes. A significant reduction in perceived blockages and moderate prediction of the magnitude of specific changes prior to the second data gathering could be found.…

The author sees a need for quality outcome studies in marriage and family counseling and proposes several suggestions for improving research and practice in family counseling. (HMV)

Juvenile sex offenders require interventions and assessment approaches that are distinct from adult treatments. The purpose of this paper is threefold: (1) to provide an empirically based description of juvenile sexual offenders, (2) to review the empirical support of assessment and treatment methods utilized with this population, and (3) to…

Examines the constructivist theory of knowledge which basically proposes that knowledge is constructed in the mind of the learner. Particular emphasis is placed on how a shift can be made from someone who teaches to someone who facilitates learning in a classroom environment in which the students are active participants in the learning process.…

Three methods of estimating tobacco products experimentation were examined in 13 junior high and 6 high schools. The methods were aggregated students' self-reports of tobacco experimentation, school personnel prevalence estimates of student tobacco experimentation, and school outdoor refuse evidence. The school personnel method proved the most…

Reports on a study of peer teaching through small group instruction in a college level psychology program. Describes how upper level undergraduate students designed, implemented, and evaluated projects to teach psychology to introductory students. Finds that both the introductory and advanced students enjoyed the experience and recommended that…

Describes various tools, materials, and experiences used to facilitate critical reflection in teaching prospective science teachers. Tools discussed include portfolios, journals, learning maps, the use of metaphors, and proverbs. Such tool use may provide support to generate science-education reform. (AIM)

Practical programming is one of the basic skills pursued in computer science education. On programming courses, the coursework consists of programming assignments that need to be assessed from different points of view. Since the submitted assignments are executable programs with a formal structure, some features can be assessed automatically. The…

Literature suggests that developing a community of learners is the key to a successful online-learning experience. In this study, the instructor of a multimedia authoring course adopted a synchronous communication tool (Yahoo Messenger) to interact with learners orally on a weekly basis and, thereby, to establish a sense among the learners that…

Although drama has been used successfully in English as a second language and has been shown to have positive effects on achievement and on self-confidence and motivation in various studies, it has received little attention in French immersion context where subjects are taught in French, the second language of students. The objective of this study…

Many consider rich argumentation to be the core of quality discussions and view it as a vehicle to solving problems and clarifying content. This study examined the influence of a discussion leader intervention on the quality of online argumentation and interactivity. Subjects were 44 undergraduate students who participated in online discussions on…

Introduction: The American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) recognized that certification and recertification must be based on an assessment of performance in practice as well as an examination of medical knowledge. Physician self-assessment of practice performance is proposed as one method that certification boards may use to evaluate competence…

Traditional student evaluations of teaching do not adequately assess the essential constructivist-based practices that have been recommended for effective online instruction. There is a need for student evaluation of teaching instruments that are specifically designed to provide online instructors with valid feedback about the effectiveness of…