This study explored the changing nature of post-secondary students' situational demands and how students of different ages cope with those demands. The study proceeded by tracking episodes of demands and coping throughout an academic year with a sample of 56 students enrolled at the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (Canada) in 2-year…

This report presents the primary papers given at a 1992 workshop to identify specific higher order thinking and communication skills and to develop appropriate indicators of collegiate outcomes as suggested by Goal 5.5 of the National Education Goals formulated in 1990. This goal addressed improvement in college graduates' ability to "think…

A study identified and analyzed exemplary and effective programs available in Canada for kindergarten students. The broad-based research team included members from faculties of education, boards of education, early childhood education programs, a research consulting firm, child development researchers, and teacher-practitioners. The study began…

The Perkins Act requires states to adopt systems of outcome-based standards and measures of performance for judging the success of local vocational programs and guiding program improvement. Criteria for the design of states' systems of performance measures and standards include the following: the measures should be defined clearly and precisely;…

Worcester Polytechnic Institute (Massachusetts) has developed a new freshman course titled "Computer Analysis in Civil Engineering" as part of a curriculum revision project which emphasizes critical thinking, cooperative group learning and problem solving, the integration of knowledge through projects, and student responsibility for…

The aims of this conference were to promote information literacy as a means of personal and national advancement in today's information-dependent society; to emphasize information literacy as an essential competency for lifelong learning; to ensure that all delegates understand information literacy and its importance for the economic and social…

This guide provides a framework for study circles to use in discussing the health care crisis in the United States. The guide begins with a background section that gives an overview of the health care crisis; then it presents a two-part framework for discussion. Part 1 focuses on the ethical issues that underlie any policy decisions. It points out…

This resource guide represents the first comprehensive guide to the innovative practices of accelerated schools. It is designed to be used by a wide variety of participants as a supplement for training, as well as for discussion and guidance in the move to transform schools nationwide. Eleven chapters include detailed descriptions of the…

Within the past several years of education reform, portfolios and other types of performance-based assessment have come to be recognized as viable alternatives to standardized tests. This report discusses insights gained through the use of portfolios at the university level with preservice students and their field-based experiences. Although…

In the spirit of educational reform, the purpose of this paper is to review the literature and present six empirically derived dimensions underlying the construct of teacher empowerment. The dimensions were obtained from a study conducted on school empowerment in nine school districts across the country from 1989 to 1992. Empowerment has been…

This paper discusses the competency space approach to diagnosing misconceptions, skill, and knowledge acquisition. In some approaches that combine misconceptions, skill, and knowledge acquisition, the latent ability theta is used more or less as an insignificant element, but in the competency space approach, a multidimensional latent space is…

This presentation focuses on ethical issues that need to be addressed within the gerontological nursing curriculum for preparing nurses to become change agents and catalysts in the health care of the older population. Ethics and ethical principles are defined, and three ethical principles are discussed: justice; beneficence; and autonomy.…

Traditionally, the knowledge base has been defined more as product than process and has encompassed definitions, principles, values, and facts. Recent reforms in teaching and teacher education have brought about efforts to redefine the knowledge base. The reconceptualized knowledge base builds upon the earlier model but gives higher priority to…

Paradigm Case Analysis (PCA) is a method of increasing instructor effectiveness through the gathering of narratives of critical teaching incidents and experiences from proficient instructors and their analysis in group discussions. Critical Incidents (CI's) may include those in which the instructor's intervention made a significant difference in…

This book illustrates the tools necessary to empower adults and children to help implement significant changes that will begin to eliminate some of the problems that plague the environment and threaten the legacy of a healthy, safe planet. The book tells how to turn creative ideas into action that can change laws, restore and preserve the oceans,…