These five papers are from a symposium that was facilitated by Michael Leimbach at the 1995 conference of the Academy of Human Resource Development (HRD). "Developing Systems Thinking Ability in Organizations" (Carol Ann Zulauf) reports a study that examined the relationship between cognitive complexity, locus of control, and selected…

Working with the Philadelphia-based Institute of Interactive Management, several teams at Jackson Community College (JCC), in Michigan, set out in 1994 to learn and apply an interactive design methodology to selected college subsystems. Interactive design begins with understanding problems faced by the system as a whole, which in the case of JCC…

This keynote address argues that policy makers should consider a project approach to implementation of research results regarding foreign language learning; they should pay attention to what is being revealed by a growing number of evaluation and impact studies concerning effective innovation and project effects. Second, language teaching research…

This report summarizes presentations and discussions concerning student preparation for college and for the workplace. Three educational reform initiatives were addressed: reforming college preparation standards and admissions practices, establishing school-to-work and workforce readiness, and changing undergraduate curricula and standards. Topics…

A study examined the vocational counseling needs of young residents of Portugal's Setubal Peninsula aged 15-27 years who were either in their ninth year of compulsory education or enrolled in a vocational training school course or some other alternative form of training organized by the Institute for Employment and Vocational Training. Data were…

The Vocational Teacher Education Project (VTEP) was a 4-year project designed to create a dynamic vocational teacher education model for use in vocational teacher education programs throughout Florida. The knowledge base requirements for effective teaching and Florida's vocational teaching education delivery models were reviewed. A VTEP model was…

Literacy policy has often developed independently of other social and employment programs. As a consequence, literacy tends to become an end unto itself, and assessment is directed more toward academic, archival ends than toward policy evaluation. Many justifications given for large-scale literacy programs are not based upon empirical data.…

Current research at Brigham Young University (BYU) determined that basic visual literacy instruction is needed in disciplines outside of the arts. Following a needs assessment survey of BYU's 83 departments, an honors general education Arts and Letters course in visual literacy was piloted in the 1996 winter semester. Lectures were presented by…

This paper describes the initial analyses needed to help institutions of higher education plan majors in nursing and allied health as institutions look for new markets based on demographic and employment factors. Twelve variables were identified and weighted to describe an ideal recruitment market. Using a three-phase process, potential U.S.…

In response to recommendations from an accreditation visit regarding improvements in the utilization of research findings, Washington's Bellevue Community College (BCC) developed this assessment inventory to give faculty and staff a more complete understanding of student outcomes and assessment efforts at the college. Following an executive…

In April 1996, a study was undertaken at Johnson County Community College, in Kansas, to determine students' use of and satisfaction with college services. Questionnaires were distributed to students in 50 classes, selected to approximate the overall demographics of the student body. Study findings, based on responses from 689 students, included…

A vital aspect of performance measurement is the assurance that the service provided by the library or information service is valued by the users. Profiles of information use can help in the analysis of performance at a more detailed level than is normally practiced. The quality assurance toolkit described in this paper was designed to facilitate…

The 1996 hearing of the Minnesota State Council on Vocational Technical Education included testimony from 13 individuals representing state agencies, local education agencies, professional and public policy organizations, and Minnesota State Colleges and Universities. Testimony indicated that secondary and postsecondary vocational and technical…

This report explores the efforts of the Colorado Department of Education in its Chapter 1 programs in 1994. Chapter 1 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act is the largest federally funded program designed to provide services to elementary and secondary school students. Chapter 1 provides financial assistance to meet the special educational…

This monograph, itself a suggested set of standards, is designed to help college personnel determine the college's state of readiness for extended work force development. Two questions about that role are offered: (1) is the college, and are community colleges nationally, prepared to become the central player in a comprehensive education and…