Describes a staff training program for the use of the online catalog at Southern Illinois University. Planning the training program is discussed; objectives are explained; training methods and materials are described; and results of an evaluation of the training program are reported. (seven references) (LRW)

Twelve specific suggestions for evaluators concerning development, presentation, and followup of improved evaluation recommendations are discussed. Offering effective recommendations requires special skills that need to be recognized, studied carefully, and passed along to practitioners and students. (TJH)

A principal need not be a musician to supervise a music program. Supervisory emphasis should be on elements of the musical process that can be taught, reinforced, and evaluated. At the core of the instructional program, there should be a method book, behavioral objectives, and a graded course of instruction. (MLH)

A benefit-cost analysis of the first year of a statewide supported employment initiative involving 394 Illinois individuals with handicaps found that society received a $.75 return for every $1.00 invested, taxpayers received a return of $.66, and supported employees earned an average of 37 percent more in supported employment than in alternative…

Outlines the kinds of issues technical communicators should address in a valid assessment. Notes the kind of assumptions and ensuing questions that will surround a thorough assessment of programs, classes, teachers, and students. (RS)

Describes difficulties of Saint Paul's Saturn School of Tomorrow from planner, implementor, and evaluator viewpoints. The plan for a citywide, ungraded, downtown middle school called for an extended school year and the latest technology in a completely redesigned building with 4 teachers, 4 interns, and 162 students. Teachers were overworked, test…

In spite of the scarcity of empirical studies of evaluation, such studies are critical to development of evaluation theory. Illustrative examples are given of studies of evaluation practice that operationalize theory. Although practitioners should continue public reflection, they must also focus on the independent and empirical study of…

A set of criteria is proposed by which development projects can be selected for purposes of ex post assessment to determine their effects and outcomes. Arguments are advanced as to the importance of these criteria, and observations are made about their current use by international aid agencies. (SLD)

A researcher observed older adults participating in planning meetings and a Search Conference to identify community needs. Participants were successfully engaged in addressing important health and social needs. Participant observation was validated as a flexible, effective means of collecting data on older persons whose circumstances might make…

Surveyed 37 child welfare workers who participated in a 2-day continuing education program on substance abuse. Found that, after they completed the program, the workers appeared to be more willing to work with their clients' addiction problems and had more confidence that they could make a difference in their clients' lives. (MDM)

Examines the accreditation process in higher education and the development of the curriculum revolution in nursing as the historical and social background of the 1991 National League for Nursing Criteria for Evaluation of Baccalaureate and Higher Degree Programs in Nursing. (JOW)

Suggests that not everything in education has to be evaluated in terms of cognitive outcome measures. Describes a computer-mediated communication project that involved sixth-grade students in a private school in Montreal and slightly older students in a mainly Inuit town in the far northern part of Quebec. Discusses the actual benefits of the…

A standardized training valuation system (TVS) is built around a set of analytic tools and employs a four-step process: situation, intervention, impact, value. The methodology identifies specific, current, and potential values as well as value obtained. It also helps determine why a training program failed. (JOW)

Presents an informal evaluation of the Science as a Way of Knowing Project started in 1983. (PR)

Part-time youth workers (n=128) participating in a youth leadership training program in Northern Ireland evaluated their training, which integrated traditional curriculum with competency-based methods. A synthesis of the two methods effectively met learning needs and also led to improvements in the youth program. (SK)