A University of Portsmouth (England) study assessed the utility of students' group assessments of courses in generating appropriate feedback. It considered the effectiveness of student consultation meetings, usefulness of the results in course development, how this group process compares with schoolwide course evaluation surveys, and how students…

Describes the development of Model-It, a ScienceWare software tool developed by the University of Michigan in collaboration with high school science teachers to support learners in building qualitative models and then move to more quantitative models. Highlights include modeling versus simulation and assessing the impact of Model-It. (LRW)

Discusses academic library funding and suggests the use of management techniques by instructional librarians for developing new curriculum. Topics include techniques of instructional administration; collaboration between instructional librarians and faculty; needs assessment; strategic planning; pilot projects; implementation and evaluation; and…

The Personal Progress Index, designed to assess students' knowledge at regular intervals, is administered at the McMaster University (Ontario) Faculty of Health Sciences three times annually. Feedback is provided to students, and accumulated student performance is determined for summative evaluation. Results over 4 classes (n=400) show it to be…

Describes the inclusion of critical thinking and information retrieval in an undergraduate business program utilizing active learning techniques. Presents a model assignment, outlines a library workshop, offers an evaluation of the project, and discusses librarian-faculty collaboration in creating an appropriate assignment. (Author/LRW)

Discusses use of teacher talk about innovation as an alternative to journal entries in eliciting reflective behavior. Describes a study that investigated whether teachers assembled to discuss portfolio assessment would spontaneously engage in four levels of action (describing, informing, confronting, and reconstructing). Analysis of transcripts…

Describes the use of Big6 strategies in guiding student research projects as part of a cooperative program between teachers and the school librarian. Topics include information seeking strategies; evaluating information sources; locating information using search engines; analyzing information sources; and achieving information literacy and…

Describes the types of state assessment and accountability policies in place when Congress enacted the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001, noting how districts in eight states responded to these policies and identifying four challenges facing states and districts as they implement the NCLB (e.g., the need to expand the size and scope of state…

This article explores the relationships between vocabulary knowledge and text readability. It discusses how procedures used by readability formulas to assess the vocabulary factor can over- or underestimate text difficulty by counting syllables rather than assessing what the reader knows about the words in a text. (Contains references.) (Author/CR)

Looks at health education content in primary schools in Africa and India. Argues that health education is vital because it links home with school. Notes that curriculum planners have difficulty planning and delivering health education because they cannot work across the curriculum and rely on textbooks and examinations. (CAJ)

Discusses an evaluation of WebCT (Web Course Tools) in practice at University of New South Wales (Australia) to assess the accessibility of WebCT for people with sensory, cognitive, and physical disabilities. Topics include evaluation methodology; learner-centered courseware design model; course evaluation by students; staff perceptions; and…

The journals of six special education graduate students were examined in order to define operational categories of reflective thought. The development of reliable and operational definitions for classifying, coding, and evaluating written journals of preservice teachers is described. Past research on the importance of reflective teaching is…

Focuses on the assessment of writing skills of incoming English-as-a-Second-Language college students in the United States and Canada. The article discusses the traditional impromptu essay and its alternatives, portfolio assessment and the Undergraduate Academic Writing Assessment (UAWA). The UAWA reveals students' previously unknown strengths and…

Argues that although computers may promote the early childhood educator model of teaching, there are reasons for concern in the classroom with computers. Cautions against using a child's computer competence to measure developmental and intellectual abilities and levels. Argues that education is a social experience which computers cannot simulate.…

Describes how the Michigan City Area Schools adopted a consultation model for identifying preschoolers with disabilities. Under the model, when teachers observe children with learning or behavior problems, they refer them to school counselors. It is then determined if they would benefit from the model's collaborative, multidisciplinary team…