The need for higher enrollment, along with a greater focus on educational access and making college more accessible has created an urgent need for community colleges and universities to develop retention and persistence strategies for students who are not prepared academically and may lack the resources to be successful in college (Bailey &…

In recent work, the author has estimated the rate of return for several workforce development programs in the State of Washington, including secondary and postsecondary career and technical education (CTE; Hollenbeck, 2008). The returns are based on estimates of the net impact of CTE on individuals' labor market experiences and government income…

A new reform movement in Japanese tertiary education has emerged which is more economy centered, more market sensitive, and more influenced by a government shift towards decentralization. With the dramatic decline in the 18 year old population, a buyer's market has led to the introduction of student evaluation of teaching surveys (SETs) partly as…

Investigates whether scores on the Learning and Study Skills Inventory (LASSI) could be used to identify postsecondary students who had deficiencies in reading comprehension and vocabulary as measured by the Nelson-Denny Reading Test (NDRT). Finds that participants who obtained low percentile rankings on vocabulary and comprehension were most…

Summarizes 15 papers commissioned for the workshop on "Assessing Higher Order Thinking and Communication Skills in College Graduates," convened in response to National Education Goal V as presented in the America 2000 document. (RS)

Addresses the problem of how academic value can be determined. Reviews several sample situations involving judgments of the merits of teachers, graduate assistants, and undergraduate writers. Proposes a system of "value-sorting," which requires that competing entities be measured in relationship to each other rather than against some abstract…

This paper provides practical information to help experiential educators from varying backgrounds effectively use program evaluation. Program evaluation uses specific and systematic procedures that result in findings that are useful to decision makers for achieving program goals. The purpose of any program review process must be clear, including…

A study was conducted to determine criteria for use in evaluating Indiana local school districts' delivery of programs and services in vocational and technical education and steps for the use of these criteria. Data were gathered by a review of the literature from 1983-1989 and telephone interviews with state agency personnel, concentrating on…

Much of the evaluation of vocational education at the state and local levels has been conducted in response to federal legislation. Although some of the evaluative information has been useful for program improvement, much has been collected only for compliance with federal and state mandates. The educational reform movement has prompted school…

Examines the structure, validity, and reliability of Guglielmino's self-directed learning readiness scale. Reviews related literature and refutes Guglielmino's thesis. Reports data derived from an administration of the scale that reveal problems in wording and show that the scale measures a homogeneous construct not associated with readiness for…

According to a recent survey, the quality of educational software is the single most stated concern of computer educators in Canada. Only a small fraction of the educational software is evaluated. The evaluation approaches that have emerged to deal with this problem are subjective and unreliable, and they do not provide an overall impression of a…

The lack of consensus among researchers in defining the focal construct of rurality has led to contradictory conclusions of whether or not a rural-urban performance gap exists in higher education. Compounding this problem are the changing definitions of rural and urban, even among governmental agencies. Thus, this study used two different…

The Annual Performance Report submitted by each state to the Office of Vocational and Adult Education was used to monitor what states have developed and how and to what extent states have implemented their accountability system. The following findings of this analysis are synthesized in this report: (1) 32 states require evaluation of all programs…

When new educational technology is put into actual use, new ways of using the technology and new ways of organizing instruction can emerge. A critical feature of formative research conducted in actual settings is that the organization of instruction can change as the educational environment appropriates the technology to its own goals. Thus, the…

A study examined structures, processes, and practices of assessing competence in nursing and midwifery education programs in Britain. The methodology included documentation, interviews, and observations. Most interviewees were clear about the shortcomings of traditional assessment. In a satisfactory partnership, all the partners made a significant…