A survey was conducted of expert instructional design practitioners about their use of developmental testing and revision procedures. The degree of correspondence was examined between published recommended practice and actual practice, as reported by 90 respondents to a questionnaire. The surveyed sample were members of the National Society for…

This paper examines the evolution over three decades of the educational development (ED) movement in Canada. An informal history of ED was constructed, using published documents about ED and personal interviews with 8 educational developers who played key roles in programs and ED centers; e-mail responses were received from ten other developers.…

Changes within Offices of Research in Medical Education are reported, based on surveys conducted in 1979 and 1983. Thirty-nine of 53 offices responded. Most were state-supported institutions: 32 were U.S. medical schools, and 7 were Canadian schools. Office directors provided information on goals, organizational relationships, funding, effort…

This SPEC (Systems and Procedures Exchange Center) Kit presents the results of a survey of Association of Research Libraries (ARL) member libraries. The survey was designed to gather information about the changes that have taken place in the last five years in the services libraries offer to support instruction on campus and in the library, as…

Briefly reviews recent innovations in economics instruction including simulations and materials from the Internet. Provides an annotated bibliography of relevant citations from the ERIC database. Noted materials include journal articles, research reports, articles on how to find information, and discussions about the Internet. (MJP)

The planning, design, development, and implementation of a conference of Canadian German teachers to promote a collaborative, decentralized approach to professional development are described. The report begins with an overview of the professional development situation among German teachers in Canada. Particular focus is on efforts to make…

This booklet is designed to help teachers integrate curriculum, strategies, evaluation, and learners' needs within the context of the larger education picture and to encourage teachers to revisit the fundamentals of education in light of professional teaching experience. The booklet includes places for the reader to record his/her own thoughts and…

Summarizes a Canadian study that attempted to determine how a diverse group of high school students identified and understood events of historical significance. The students' responses ranged from generally objective and analytical to wildly subjective. Includes a recommended exercise for establishing students approaches to and definitions of…

A survey of all Ontario's school boards and a random sample of 1,062 teachers was used to assess the effects of declining enrollment on the capability of school boards to offer programs of recognized quality. School boards were provided actual and projected enrollment figures on which to base their responses. While only one third of the boards has…

This sourcebook for kindergarten and grades one and two presents a balance between the theory and practice of education in the early years. The sourcebook supplements Manitoba Education curriculum guides. Emphasis is given to models of organization and methods of teaching that guide teachers in their efforts to help children develop happily at…

A survey of instructional development practitioners at 51 Canadian universities investigated the perceived potential of 36 specific practices for improving teaching. Greatest potential was seen in faculty incentives (appointment, tenure, promotion). Administrator support of effective teaching was viewed as important, as were support structures…

This booklet, which is intended for literacy practitioners and other educators across Canada, synthesizes the experiences of Literacy Link Eastern Ontario and the Huron-Perth Literacy Committee in working with learning outcomes. After a brief discussion of the booklet's organization, a three-level system of foundation outcomes is proposed as the…

This paper describes ways in which preservice students in an elementary education four-year degree program at the University of Regina (Saskatchewan) learn about and learn with information technology. Students learn specific skills and concepts related to informational technology (IT) and its uses and application to the classroom in specific ways…

The research on effective schools has identified the superintendent's role as critical in the success of school improvement efforts. The New Brunswick school improvement program is featured as an example of a successful program. In 1980 the New Brunswick school system selected a new superintendent who faced a district with myriad problems…

This booklet, the first in a series of four volumes on the Designing a Curriculum (Dacum) process, is intended to explain to Dacum workshop participants exactly what Dacum is and why it was created. The first section of the guide traces the development of Dacum as a program planning model that was established in the late 1960s in response to the…