The emphasis in this paper is on developing teacher awareness of how nonverbal communication fits into the classroom setting. Various positive and negative aspects of this phase of communication in the classroom are explored. A classroom teacher is observed closely by students every day, and her/his attitude, feelings, mood or state of mind,…

This paper responds to the demand generated among competency-based program participants and administrators for definitions of "competence" and new assessment techniques and instruments for its measurement. Discussion centers on three aspects of assessment: (1) the identification and definition of competencies relevant to life and work…

Although there have been numerous studies of the reliability, validity, and uses of student ratings of instruction, relatively few efforts have focused on the association of the combination of various student, instructor, and course characteristics in relation to such ratings. The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between…

One of a series of curriculum guides prepared for the building occupations cluster of the construction/fabrication occupational group, this guide identifies the essentials of the auto mechanics trade as recommended by successful auto mechanics. An instructional program based upon the implementation of the guide is expected to prepare a student to…

Intended for the vocational instructor, the booklet presents a task list and competency record for the occupational program of service center mechanic. The list was developed by a working committee of auto mechanics instructors and industry representatives throughout the state of Minnesota for use in program articulation between secondary and…

One of a series of nine reports of Project ACTIVE (Attaining Competence for Teaching in Vocational Education), this report focuses on the criteria for assessing mastery of the professional competencies (skills) important to vocational educators serving disadvantaged students. An overview of competency-based vocational teacher education (CBTE) and…

This paper: (1) examines the problems of teacher evaluation by college students; (2) underlines the difficulties of indiscriminant acceptance of raw data without considering the factors of teaching style, learning modalities, and educational goals; and (3) urges that evaluative instruments be used primarily for diagnostic purposes, for the…

Through the administration of standardized tests, questionnaires, and an inventory of educational progress designed to assess the application of skills, an effort is made to analyze the literacy, functional literacy, and factors related to achievement in a population of 181 eighth-grade students selected from an inner-city population and a…

Examines the role of "routines" and grammatical patterns in first and second language acquisition by children and adults, specifically with regard to syntactic structures. (Author/AM)

Describes the results of an extensive polling of students enrolled in the majority of courses offered by history and political science faculty at Nassau Community College, with regard to their satisfaction with the course, the teaching and examination techniques, and the curriculum. Provides student-opinion data for departmental planning. (TP)

Options examined were: programmed instruction, computer-assisted instruction, modular instruction, contingency management and contracting, personalized system of instruction, individually prescribed instruction, large lecture, and lecture-discussion. Results indicated differences in exposure to options and among areas of concentration. (Author/LBH)

Analysis of the performance of 257 adult English-as-a-second-language students on six language tests (multiple choice, cloze, listening, reading, structure) indicated that age was a significant factor on listening and structure tests and high school graduation affected performance on all tests but one listening test. (Author/CB)

Reported is a survey designed to assess the relationship between essential competencies as perceived by faculty, and job needs as perceived by graduates of the agronomy department at Pennyslvania State University. Results indicated that while various competencies were valued differently, raters did not disagree on what were important competencies.…

The relationship between characteristics of the preclinical curriculum and institutional performance on the Part I examination of the National Board of Medical Examiners at U.S. medical schools was analyzed. Total scheduled hours per week was the single curriculum characteristic having a positive and significant relationship with performance.…

Six evaluation methods are discussed: student ratings, colleague evaluations, definitions of good teaching, teacher-designed examinations, evaluation of research and scholarship, and the politics of evaluation. (Author/MLW)