To determine the appropriateness of existing writing assessment instruments, to set directions for future assessment, and to ensure that assessment instruments are consistent with the requirements of the new English curriculum of the Northern Territory (Australia), teachers were sampled to determine how they used the booklets of moderated writing…

This article describes a writing-across-the-curriculum project that was born of one university's commitment to writing and ubiquitous computing. Faculty members across the disciplines, seeing an opportunity to re-introduce WAC on its campus through a curriculum development initiative funded out of an internal teaching, learning, and technology…

A handbook for teaching assistants (TAs), teaching fellows, and graduate student assistants at the University of Pittsburgh (Pennsylvania) is presented. After a brief history of the university and an overview of the school's organization, the teaching assistantship role is considered. The official Policy Statement for TAs is included, along with…

An brief overview of the Achievement Testing Program conducted by Alberta Education (AE) during 1980-90 is provided. The program provides AE, jurisdictions, schools, and the public with information about students' knowledge and skills in relation to objectives in the provincial program of studies. Program tests are administered every 4 years on a…

Ways that U.S. programs for the study of higher education monitor and evaluate the progress of their doctoral students through the dissertation stage were studied in 1986. Fifty-seven program directors responded to a questionnaire, and 50 responded to a followup questionnaire that solicited information about the social context for the doctoral…

The University of Pennsylvania's foreign language requirement self-study resulted in re-evaluation of the existing language program. It revealed that most freshmen were not exempted from college second language study by standardized test scores and that the university's required courses were not producing the desired results. These findings…

Efforts to train graduate student instructors (GSIs) at the University of California, Berkeley, are considered in this newsletter issue. Administrative changes and ways to improve GSI selection, training, and evaluation are considered, along with: proposed changes in graduate student teaching titles, grants to help faculty and departments…

This curriculum guide presents both general information on K-12 social studies curriculum development and information specific to designing an 11th and 12th grade sociology curriculum. A foreword and preface describe Hamilton Township's (New Jersey) K-12 social studies program sequence, curriculum and instruction design criteria, and support…

Perspectives on testing and grading are considered; and strategies, reference materials, and sample test items are presented. Attention is directed to specific impacts of testing and grading on students and teachers, purposes of testing and grading, and common complaints of students and teachers. Extra activities proposed for the teacher include…

Summaries are presented of three papers presented at a summer workshop on Quality Assurance in Teacher Education conducted by the Association of Teacher Educators. The general topic covered by these presentations was teacher candidate selection and evaluation. Papers focused upon the following questions: (1) What entry level criteria should be…

This document contains 13 research abstracts reported by the 1976-77 standing Research Committee to the Texas Association of Junior College Instructional Administrators. Study topics included are: (1) collective bargaining; (2) educational programs for nontraditional students; (3) verbal interaction between instructors and students; (4) an…

This is a study of the Piedmont Schools Project, an experimental educational program that was conducted in School District of Greenville County, South Carolina. The study is presented in three parts. Part I describes the school district and the design of the project. Part II examines the nature and effects of the change strategy with specific…

The state of the art of behavioral instruction and examples of successful implementation of behaviorally-based college teaching are provided in this book. In Chapter 1, the Personalized System of Instruction (PSI) is covered, including a discussion of the problems inherent in traditional teaching methods that led to the development of personalized…

A survey of 831 two-year colleges was conducted in January, 1979, to gather data on physical education (P.E.) programs and requirements, grading practices, course offerings, P.E. faculty, and physical facilities. Survey findings, based on a 53% response rate, indicate that 93% of the responding colleges offered physical education classes and that…

PROGRAMED MATHEMATICS INSTRUCTION WAS USED OVER A TWO-YEAR PERIOD IN THE HIGH SCHOOL AT DES MOINES, NEW MEXICO. THE MAIN PURPOSE WAS TO OVERCOME MATHEMATICS LIMITATIONS OF THE COLLEGE-BOUND STUDENT FROM SMALL SCHOOLS AND TO OFFER NON COLLEGE-BOUND STUDENTS A SOUND MATHEMATICS BASE CURRICULA. THE TEST GROUP OF 46 STUDENTS BEGAN AT 3 DIFFERENT…