This Policy Research Brief proposes an organizational framework for understanding the characteristics of Postsecondary Education (PSE) programs for persons with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD) and the relationship of those characteristics to outcomes. The adoption of such a taxonomy could increase understanding of the variety of…

This study examined the consequences of classifying postsecondary students as learning disabled (LD) using five objective sets of criteria: IQ-achievement discrepancies (1.0 to 1.49 SD, 1.5 to 1.99 SD, and greater than or equal to 2.0 SD), DSM-IV criteria, and chronic educational impairment beginning in childhood. The participants were 378…

As the use of web-based homework delivery and checking systems expands, we have greater need to evaluate how students engage with these systems and how changes in the systems influence student behavior. Reported here is the assessment of WeBWorK, an open-source web-based homework program used largely in postsecondary math and science courses, with…

Discusses a new model of concept learning called prototype theory and describes an experiment with nursing education students in which the differential effects of prototype formation on classification were explored through an instructional program on the concept of shock. Hypotheses tested are discussed and results of pretests and posttests are…

This discussion of the relationship between two related disciplines--cognitive psychology and instructional design (ID)--characterizes instructional design as a more applied discipline, which concerns itself more with prescriptions and models for designing instruction, while instructional psychologists conduct empirical research on learning and…

In this report, the authors aim to review and advance knowledge of systematic ways of classifying thinking skills. They concentrate on taxonomies and theory-based frameworks, in the belief that studying and using them will promote better understanding of how people think and learn at the age of 16 or above. Their overarching interest is in how…

This directory lists materials and products useful in the professional development of teachers and other providers of transitional services to young people with disabilities. Materials and products were identified through requests to state and local educators, state systems, change and model demonstration transition projects, regional resource…

A study focused on defining what is needed to build an occupational classification system using a skills-based concept. A thorough analysis was conducted of all existing classification systems and the new Dictionary of Occupational Titles (DOT) content model so recommendations made regarding the revisions of the Standard Occupational…

Presents a knowledge representation model that was designed for instructional decision making. Topics discussed include classification models for instructional design; artificial intelligence; semantic networks; natural language; and data models, including network and hierarchical models. An example is given of knowledge analysis for a secondary…

Many researchers are attempting to develop automated instructional development systems to guide subject matter experts through the lengthy and difficult process of courseware development. Because the targeted users often lack instructional design expertise, a great deal of emphasis has been placed on the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to…

The distinctions between types of open and distance learning broadly equate to the concept of learning at a time, place, and pace that best suits the learner. Distance learning refers to geography, whereas open learning refers to time. Flexible learning is a generic term referring either to geography or time. Combining these distinctions allows…

This document offers six one-day workshops intended to help state, regional, and local organizations develop the knowledge and skills of educators and others providing transition services to young people with disabilities. Workshop content is based on the "Taxonomy for Transition Programming," a model of effective transition practices based on…

After conducting a comprehensive evaluation of its curriculum, staff at the Westinghouse Nuclear Training Center in Zion, Illinois, undertook a research and development project aimed at upgrading the center's curriculum to the competency-based format. Included among the main activities of the curriculum development process were the following:…

Counselor trainees learn about various theories, models, and career assessment measures during their training. However, the transition to practicum and internship often challenges trainees to decide when to apply career theories and measures to specific problems. One proposal is for counselor educators to adopt a taxonomic approach for teaching…

In the design and implementation of the Council on Postsecondary Accreditation's (COPA) Project to Develop Evaluative Criteria and Procedures for the Accreditation of Nontraditional Education, a taxonomy for the classification and determination of the nature of nontraditional institutions has been developed. The objective of the study was to…