Some insights from cognitive science that can be applied to professional education, particularly those relating to sources of dissonance in the traditional, linear educational model, are examined. They concern primarily the availability of information for clinical thinking and problem solving. Curricular structures facilitating implementation of…

Team teaching can be successfully used in first-year optometry. Conditions for success include a strong coordinator, mutual respect and participation of team members, and agreement about course philosophy, goals, and objectives. If organized well, a team-taught course offers consistency and integrity of topical areas and conceptual continuity.…

Methods for reevaluating student admission, clinical preparation, and clinical performance evaluation in optometric education are suggested. (MSE)

A study evaluated the use of the Kolb Learning Styles Inventory as a predictor of academic potential, for use in recruitment of optometry students. Although distinctive learning preferences were observed in low- and high-achieving students, correlations were not strong enough for predictive use. (Author/MSE)

A discussion of the optometric curriculum problems posed by the information explosion and technological advancement, broadening of the scope of practice, and changing societal needs looks at essential components of the curriculum and possible solutions. (MSE)

The hardware used in microcomputer/videodisk systems and the applications of videodisk technology to developing and using educational modules in optometric education are outlined and discussed. (MSE)

Research on the cognitive processes used by physicians during patient care (template matching, deductive logic starting with multiple hypotheses, and algorithmic logic) is examined for its applicability to optometrists and the problem-solving strategies used by optometric students in the classroom or clinic. (Author/MSE)

A specially designed patient assessment diagram is proposed as a means of helping optometric student clinicians develop integrative skills in the assessment and management of the patient's problem. A pilot study found students supportive of its use. (MSE)

Evaluation of optometry students in clinical settings is a complex management task involving an institutionwide feedback system requiring monitoring. Criteria and standards of demonstrable validity should be applied consistently and equitably, formal evaluation tools should use advanced technology and technique, but faculty should still be…

The evaluation of a tutorial program for a college of optometry that provides both group reviews and individual instruction and a discussion of the need for such services are presented. (MSE)

A national center for health professions education research is proposed to facilitate well-funded, peer-reviewed, academically credible research. Its goals would allow for testing of models to provide health professionals with education grounded in sound methodology and content. (Author/MSE)

An opportunity exists for the Veterans Administration, Association of Schools of Optometry, and American Optometric Association to establish a large-scale affiliated optometric education system, enhancing optometric care, education, and clinical research opportunities. These agencies can develop an efficient, cost-effective national model for eye…

Many state optometric licensing boards require a scaled or percentage score of 75 on each section. A study of multiple criteria and pass-fail rates suggests that high failure rates are a result not of candidate ability but of arbitrary classification of test content. State boards are encouraged to resolve these problems. (MSE)

Using several assumptions about the supply, productivity, and use of optometrists in Puerto Rico to 2000, several possible supply-demand situations are projected. The role of the Inter American University in these situations is discussed, based on graduates' probable practice locations and the school's program design. (MSE)

For the primary eye care practitioner in the 1990s and beyond, the basic biomedical sciences have supplanted physiological optics as the primary academic discipline underlying the practice of optometry. Several curriculum development options are available to incorporate the needed material, but a core curriculum is essential at all institutions.…