In 1985-1986 the Pima County Adult Education program conducted an adult basic education (ABE) curriculum project that was intended to devise materials for use in determining and remediating content gaps in the district's adult basic education and high school equivalency programs. The needs assessment instrument, which was designed to discover…

Executive summaries are provided of a variety of projects undertaken by the Maricopa Community Colleges related to the use of technology, and to the staff and students in the district. Reports are presented for the following activities and plans: (1) Maricopa Community Colleges/Digital Equipment Corporation/Information Associates Partnership, a…

The value of developing continuing professional education (CPE) programs at the department or program level was assessed at Pennsylvania State University. Four issues were explored: (1) the relationships between departments and traditional and emerging professions; (2) the degree of correspondence between the values and behaviors of department…

This paper (1) identifies strategies for assessing student instructional needs so that educational prescriptions can be developed to promote learning; and (2) relates the identification of student needs to the development of learning prescriptions. The population discussed includes high school and college students who because of social, economic,…

Designed to help librarians and trustees make informed planning decisions concerning the development or improvement of library literacy services, this manual discusses the following topics: (1) the problem of illiteracy; (2) identifying adult new learners; (3) providers of literacy services; (4) the library's role in literacy activities; (5)…

The 5-year plan of the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) is presented, and the four goals of the plan are summarized: (1) to contribute to the total professional development of academic and research librarians; (2) to enhance the capability of academic and research libraries to serve the needs of users; (3) to promote and speak…

This guide is designed for managers and supervisors so they can quickly understand the meaning of systematic training and of the practical steps to take to make training efficient. It is useful as a checklist for those responsible for organizing or advising on training and as a basis for meetings, training sessions, and discussions on systematic…

The proceedings of a seminar on factual and numerical data banks are described. Seminar objectives were to: (1) make potential users aware of the value of data banks in their respective disciplines and inform them of the tools available; (2) identify national and regional data bank requirements; and (3) define a strategy for development in this…

The National Research Council's Panel on Engineering Interactions with Society was formed to examine the functioning of the engineering profession in the context of, and in relation to, American society. This document presents the findings of the panel. The panel's inquiry was twofold. First, it examined the impact that engineering and technology…

This report identifies the major issues facing community colleges in California and presents the judgements of the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges concerning how these issues should be addressed, placing particular emphasis on what should be done during 1985. The issues constituting the basic agenda of the Board for 1985…

A study examined the nature and extent of programs and course offerings available in the United States to prepare education and training professionals and analyzed the offerings in terms of a 1983 study done by the American Society for Training and Development (ASTD). Colleges and accredited business schools from across the country were…

Current efforts and methodologies to evaluate vocational education programs are plagued by a number of problems. Included among these are the following: disagreement over the primary role and function of vocational education, too great an emphasis on summative and product evaluation as well as on labor market outcomes as indicators of program…

A study was conducted at Ricks College to determine how well the online public access catalog in the Learning Resources Center (LRC) met the needs of freshmen students. Following a comprehensive literature search, a task force of librarians and selected students participated in the development of a questionnaire, which solicited information on…

From 1979 to 1982 an extension education program provided assistance to the tourism industry in rural communities adjoining northeastern Minnesota's Boundary Waters Canoe Area (BWCA). Program activities involved needs assessment, educational and technical assistance to communities and tourism-related firms, marketing programs, grants management…

The concepts of need and needs assessment are examined in the context of information needs for college administrators. A description is included of the conceptual framework underlying the Needs Assessment Information System (NAIS), which was developed by the National Center for Higher Education Management Systems. Attention is directed to: (1)…