Although the primary advantage of having an in-plant audiovisual production unit is having creative and technical personnel on hand when you most need them, experience shows that such a unit can also provide real benefits to the company both in terms of higher quality and lower costs. (VT)

The authors recommend that a national system of accreditation be formulated to ensure quality control and professional integrity for doctoral programs in adult education. They present evidence from two recent surveys of doctoral programs that indicate a move toward the doctor of philosophy degree and little uniformity in curricula. (CH)

Reports research which used 18,814 performance records to generate error statisitics using the Mixed Standard Scale evaluation format. Reduction of system error rates following revision guided by statistical analysis is a clear indication that the quality control features of this format are useful in the management of performance evaluation…

The first of two articles presents basic selection criteria for desktop publishing software packages, including discussion of expectations, required equipment, training costs, publication size, desired software features, additional equipment needed, and quality control. The second provides a brief description of desktop publishing using the Apple…

Focusing on micrographics, this article discusses the role of the Association for Information and Image Management (AIIM) in the development and sponsorship of standards applicable to libraries. Standards relating to microformats, assessment of microform quality, and truly "archival" conditions are examined. A list of current AIIM…

Argues that the decline in the competitiveness of American industries arises from a failure to innovate in quality management rather than from a decline in product quality. Discusses the superiority of the U.S. in generating technological innovations and its lag in the commercialization of the fruits of that technology. (HB)

The author of "In Search of Excellence" states that the two most important characteristics of excellence are focusing on customers and providing superior quality and service. (MD)

This document summarizes an extensive study of policies and practices in adult literacy and adult basic education in a number of countries undertaken by Rosa McKenna and Lynne Fitzpatrick. The original study contains considerably greater detail and analyses issues on a country-by-country basis. The countries studied--Canada, the Republic of…

This "IssueTrak" discusses an increasing interest in verifying the installation and performance of building systems prior to delivery and final acceptance by the building owner. This interest in quality assurance has spawned a new and distinct professional construction discipline referred to as building commissioning. The principal objective of…

In 2005, Alberta's Minister of Advanced Education initiated a comprehensive exercise to establish a new vision for the province's advanced education system. Through the "A Learning Alberta" initiative, a revised vision and new policy outcomes for Alberta's advanced education system will be articulated. The "A Learning Alberta"…

In computerized adaptive testing, updating item parameter estimates using adaptive testing data is often called online calibration. This study investigated how to evaluate whether the adaptive testing data used for online calibration sufficiently fit the item response model used. Three approaches were investigated, based on a Lagrange multiplier…

This paper discusses the importance of documentation and records in the administration of a engineering program. The new trends in academic program evaluation for accreditation indicate an ever increasing role of documented procedures and systematic data collection and reporting to support curriculum reform. The paper also recommends a…

As the automated scoring of constructed responses reaches operational status, the issue of monitoring the scoring process becomes a primary concern, particularly when the goal is to have automated scoring operate completely unassisted by humans. Using a vignette from the Architectural Registration Examination and data for 326 cases with both human…

Through the implementation of the Word Processing/Administrative Support Movement, the use of production and quality controls, together with the development of a performance measurement system using MTM-Standard Data, secretarial performance can be increased to up to ten times that of the traditional seccretary. (KP)

Reviewed are accomplishments, problems, and frustrations faced by individual states in meeting requirements of P.L. 92-500, Federal Water Pollution Control Act Amendments of 1972. State Environmental officials complain the new law may be a hindrance to established cleanup programs. Statistics and charts are given. (BL)