Used an innovative benchmarking research methodology including surveys and site visits to identify best practices at selected adult-centered institutions. Distilled findings into one overarching theme, "Adult learner centered institutions have a culture in which flexibility, individuation, and adult-centered learning drive institutional practice,"…

Highlights classroom techniques that educators can use to promote intelligent, probing discussions on topics such as technology, human society, group behavior, social change, social conflicts, and global interdependence. Describes the graded discussion method. (SAH)

Discusses the use of benchmarking in managing enrollment. Using a case study, illustrates how benchmarking can help administrators develop strategies for planning and implementing admissions and pricing practices. (EV)

Discusses the use of benchmarking in student affairs, focusing on issues related to student housing. Provides examples of how benchmarking has influenced administrative practice at many institutions. (EV)

A study of 20 graduate students learning distance education methods found that great variance in idnviudal competence at course begining moved to similar levels at course end. Open-ended verification of competence using behavioral anchors worked well as a self-assessment and benchmarking tool to document growth in learning. (Contains 19…

Factor and regression analyses of data from 241 business students found clear differences between grade point average (GPA) and Major Field Test in Business scores. GPA had strong internal validity and reflected performance in the context of institutional priorities. The test had greater external validity and enabled benchmarking against national…

Discusses the kinds of texts that are appropriate for students at various stages of their reading development and shares criteria for determining the difficulty levels of early reading materials. Lists five general considerations: vocabulary, size and layout of print, predictability, illustration support, and complexity of concepts. (SG)

We investigate the relationship between the widening participation performance indicators adopted in UK higher education (HE) and the government's objective of increasing overall HE participation rates. We critically assess the development of performance monitoring in HE and identify weaknesses in the current performance indicators from the…

The success of standards-based education systems depends on 2 elements: strong standards, and assessments that measure what the standards expect. States that have or adopt test-based accountability programs claim that their tests are aligned to their standards. But there has been up to now no independent methodology for checking alignment. This…

Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) is used to evaluate the performance of top US business school in maintaining reputation among members of the academic and business communities. The authors generate efficiency measures and identify peers against which underperforming schools should benchmark.

Purpose: To develop a method for benchmarking teaching and learning in response to an institutional need to validate a new program in Dentistry at the University of Sydney, Australia. Design/methodology/approach: After a collaborative partner, University of Adelaide, was identified, the areas of teaching and learning to be benchmarked, PBL…

Purpose: Laboratories typically consume 4-5 times more energy than similarly-sized commercial space. This paper adds to a growing dialogue about how to "green" a laboratory's design and operations. Design/methodology/approach: The paper is divided into three sections. The first section reviews the background and theoretical issues. A…

The qualitative study on which this article is based examined key individuals' perceptions, both within a research university community and beyond in its external governing board, of how to improve benchmarking as an accountability method in higher education. Differing understanding of benchmarking revealed practical implications for using it as…

There are over 200 identified community based indicator projects in the United States. This paper reviews the factors that contribute to the success and failure of community indicator projects and discusses the types of desired outcomes that communities are trying to achieve. Both organizational and political factors contributing to the success of…

In this article, the authors analyze the alignment between a released fourth-grade task from the 1996 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) and benchmarks and standards, and discuss whether the task elicits student thinking that matches the quality of the learning goals.