Self-directed learning is generally considered a key competence in higher education. To enable self-directed learning, assessment practices increasingly embrace assessment for learning rather than the assessment of learning, shifting the focus from grades and scores to provision of rich, narrative, and personalized feedback. Students are expected…

The book examines the shift needed to our systems and society to enable lifelong, experiential, interconnected learning journeys. The book outlines the vision for a learning ecosystem that spans technology, learning science, policy, and organizational factors. "Modernizing Learning" is the outcome of a multi-year study recently completed…

Competency education is student-centric, personalizing student progress so that every child has adequate time and support to reach proficiency every step of the way. Competency education fundamentally changes the way the educational enterprise is organized around student needs, and thus must have a dynamic IT system to support it. Following an…

Diagnosing begins by generating an initial diagnostic hypothesis by automatic information processing. Information processing may stop here if the hypothesis is accepted, or analytical processing may be used to refine the hypothesis. This description portrays analytic processing as an optional extra in information processing, leading us to…

Provided are a procedural manual and a workbook for in-progress and post-assessment training of instructional supervisory competencies in special education. Five evaluation instruments are described, and directions for completing the instruments at the in-progress and post-assessment phases are given. Step-by-step procedures for analyzing…

Examines practical issues of measuring and reporting competencies. Explores the pursuit of common systems for counting, describing, and measuring competencies. Provides an overview of the role that validity and reliability play in the process of making competencies transportable, both within and outside postsecondary education. (EV)

A procedural manual and a workbook present information on assessing instructional supervisory competencies in special education. Reviewed in a section on data collection are the five instruments used to obtain performance estimates on the specified critical competencies, directions for self assessment, and directions for using the instruments in…

Described is the diagnostic assessment system for professional supervisory competencies developed by the Special Education Supervisor Training Project at the University of Texas at Austin. An introductory section reviews such aspects as the competency-guided training model and the rationale for self-assessment. Five instruments are reviewed, and…

This learning module, one in a series of competency-based guidance program training packages focusing upon professional and paraprofessional competencies of guidance personnel, deals with evaluating guidance activities. Addressed in the module are the following topics: writing evaluation questions, preparing an evaluation plan, selecting…

How is the concept "success" applied in postsecondary education? After a review of publications, case studies conducted at Empire State College's New Models for Career Education program are presented. NMCE is a career program that combines on the job experience with academic study and is based on students' needs, plans, and aspirations,…

This article presents the methodology used by the Finnish Education Evaluation Council in the national evaluation of social and communication skills in vocational education and training. The evaluation concentrates on key competences such as learning-to-learn skills, communication skills, social skills and entrepreneurship (Implementation of…

Describes differences between on-campus and distance learners by knowledge, skills, and abilities based on a comparative study of doctoral students at Texas A&M University. Highlights include student perceptions of their competencies; and the use of competency models as assessment tools for strategic decision making and development of courses…

An evaluation of group project activities in terms of participant acquisition of vocational skills and competencies was undertaken in secondary vocational and postsecondary vocational schools within Wisconsin and Minnesota. Questionnaires dealing with study objectives were administered to 234 students and 17 teachers involved in the activities,…

Words Work! is an approach to improving literacy outcomes for children through teacher development and parent engagement. In this article the authors describe the pilot phase of the project. The staff at Words Work! created an assessment system that aligns curriculum with assessment and collection of student data and teacher planning. Teachers use…

This annual report describes five projects of the Oregon Alliance for Program Improvement, which provides work-relevant education and training services in leadership, professional competence, and organizational effectiveness. First is an aggregated report of nearly 30 vocational education program improvement field study projects conducted between…