Identifies some general maxims that shape instructional development activities, describes four major issues that must be addressed when planning and implementing formative evaluation as part of a large development project, and offers some practical procedures to guide overall formative evaluation efforts. (Author)

The instructional auditor reviews school district policies, job descriptions, budget allocations, contract provisions, internal and external communications, instructional monitoring and delivery systems, elections, student characteristics, personnel characteristics, and administrative authority as these factors affect a district's instructional…

Reviewed is the development and evaluation of the instructional quality inventory (IQI), a systematic methodology for reviewing the three major products of the Instructional Systems Design process--objectives, test items, and instruction--before conducting student tryouts. The empirically based instructional design support system aids developers…

Defines self-formative evaluation as the formative evaluation of instructional materials conducted during the development of the product by its users or developers. Topics discussed include the results of a study that examined users' attitudes toward such evaluation, their ability to execute it, and the effects of training on that ability. (CLB)

The goals of a series of simulation games devised for a graduate level course in leadership models and strategies were to aid students in understanding the process of change, conflict resolution, bargaining and negotiating skills, motivation and self-awareness techniques, and decision-making strategies. Four references are provided. (MER)

Developing instruction is a critical part of the education process. For instruction to be effective it should be organized and well planned. Development of an effective program should include careful consideration of the need for instruction, the audience, and the course content. Instruction delivered via telecommunications can be even more…

This booklet begins by examining the role played by evaluation in course and curriculum development, and then shows how the basic "error elimination" approach advocated by the philosopher Karl Popper can be used as a basis for the on-going evaluation of instructional systems. Next, two contrasting paradigms of evaluation are described,…

Examines an instructional systems design (ISD) model used by Bell Laboratories as an illustration of how heuristics can be brought to bear upon the design and development of instructional materials. Ten references are listed. (Author/MER)

Arguing that there is a current tendency among librarians to talk more about the evaluation of bibliographic instruction than to actually do anything about it, this paper examines limitations of and considerations pertaining to evaluation and includes: (1) a brief discussion of the history of bibliographic instruction; (2) discussion of types of…

This paper reviews the research on cooperative learning combined with technology and presents a formative report of those findings. The review focused on these questions: What are the benefits of cooperative learning in a multimedia environment? What benefits do computer-based training offer? What are the benefits of cooperative learning…

The College of Education and Human Services Professions at the University of Minnesota, Duluth, has undertaken to develop several videodisc programs to be incorporated into the undergraduate core curriculum and inservice education for teachers and human service professionals. "Understanding Groups," which is the initial curriculum disc…

This paper draws heavily on quantitative synthesis of empirical research on teaching, and for comparison, related influences on learning, such as the student's motivation, home environment, and exposure to television. The first section explains the techniques of explicit search and selection of evidence and the statistical evaluation and summary…

In this study two high school students participated in the revision of a technology curriculum. These students were paid to work through lessons with one of the original authors to provide input for final editing and rewriting. The students were matched to the intended population for which the materials were originally written--poorly motivated…

This report describes a three-year project at Hampton University (Virginia) to improve the core freshman year curriculum and, ultimately, to improve student learning outcomes. The project involved the development of annual week-long seminars on the teaching of freshman courses in composition, speech, history, and mathematics. Emphasis was on…

Developed from a review of research, policies, exemplary practices, and leading thinking, this guide addresses educational program design questions. The document is divided into two parts, Part One contains the recommended design features of career and technical education, including these 12 operational design features: learning context; audience;…