Continuing education can be looked at as a living system and, as such, assessment is viewed as an integral part of the control function. The use of control functions models of assessment provides a living systems point of view and allows for such new and different questions to be posed as: (1) What are the significant levels of perception and…

This discussion of different approaches to clarifying problems in the instructional development process defines what a problem is and the types of problems typically faced by instructional developers; presents a rationale for suggesting the use of evaluation models for finding development problems; and suggests ways in which the use of a…

The major research question addressed by the "Exhibit Development Survey 1986" was whether major American museums were using the instructional development process to develop their exhibits. Approximately 24% of all major American museums representing a broad cross section of museum types responded to the survey. Their responses indicate that the…

Needs assessment is a fundamental part of evaluation, and yet it has not developed as rapidly in sophistication as other evaluation methodologies. This is largely due to the difficulty in measuring real needs, as opposed to wants, interests, etc. This paper discusses some of the critical issues in needs assessment, and outlines some of the…

A process of formative evaluation which considers moral, scientific, and social values as its criteria and which is conducted by project staff is proposed for the evaluation of educational television (ETV) programs produced by the South African Broadcasting Corporation. The theoretical framework of ETV evaluation is outlined in the first section,…

This paper provides strategies and insights that should be weighed and perhaps included in any proposal for integrating computers into a comprehensive school curriculum. The strategies include six basic stages: Initiation, Needs Assessment, Master Plan, Logistic-Specifics, Implementation, and Evaluation. The New Brunswick (New Jersey) Public…

Interactive videodisc training will only come into its own when its effectiveness for improving performance in the workplace is documented through carefully planned and implemented evaluation activities. This paper suggests a model for thorough, fool-proof evaluation to enter each phase of training course production and the rationale for each…

What reading consultants do varies considerably from person to person as there is variability in the role each reading consultant perceives as his or her responsibility. To assist reading consultants in prioritizing their roles to meet their constituents' needs, 113 elementary teachers enrolled in graduate reading classes at the University of…

Having subject matter experts (SMEs) identify the skills and knowledge to be taught is among the more difficult and time-consuming steps in the training development process. A procedure has been developed for identifying specific tactical decision-making knowledge requirements and translating SME knowledge into appropriate multimedia…

This paper makes a distinction between the formative evaluation that can be carried out in the early stages of the development of educational television programs, i.e., from the emergence of the idea through the development of a script, and those that have to be executed in the later stages of development, i.e., during the production process. The…

This description of a method for using task analysis information to derive skill and knowledge requirements in the development of a training course begins by considering two important aspects of deriving skill and knowledge requirements. First, it is argued that task description is an important part of system design and training development in…

At the Conrad N. Hilton College of Hotel and Restaurant Management at the University of Houston (Texas), the faculty and administrators made a conscious effort to take a broad, extensive approach to designing and implementing a fully online masters program. This approach was entered in a comprehensive needs assessment model and sought input from…

This study examines the gap between instructional development (ID) theory and practice, then proposes a conceptual framework to illuminate how expert ID practitioners work in the corporate world. Historically, the bulk of instructional development research has focused on model-building: identifying critical ID component tasks and organizing and…

The first phase of the process of developing a plan to promote increased use of educational technology by the instructors and students of the U.S. Navy's Surface Warfare Officers School (SWOS) in Newport, Rhode Island, began with a needs assessment which focused on the mission and organization of the school; the SWOS curriculum and the teaching…

Reviews problems involved in analyzing data on educational or training needs and details use of the proportionate reduction in error (PRE) approach (Hildebrand, et al., 1977), which predicts the probability that certain combinations of a joint distribution will occur, then tests to see how closely the prediction matches the observation. (MBR)