In this paper, problems with the philosophy and research relating to various interpretations of 'closing the gap' are used to open up a discussion of, and illustrate, the process whereby a narrow interpretation of 'science' and neglect of systems thinking result in the generation of huge amounts of dangerous and misleading misinformation and…

Political calls for accountability reflect a desire for real evidence on effective teaching, but these proposals tend to focus on the teacher, not teaching. Educators should create their own structure for the intraprofessional evaluation of teaching, emphasizing empirical examination of teaching intentions, processes, and outcomes. (SJL)

Reviews techniques for evaluating teachers in Britain and other countries, as well as personnel evaluation in industry. Examines the linking of appraisal with pay, promotion, or dismissal. Argues against the accountability model of appraisal and makes a case for formative evaluation. (SK)

Discusses teacher evaluation in Great Britain, abandoning some common assumptions about "correct" teaching methods and hierarchical and "outside" appraisal systems. Advocates peer evaluation, flexible criteria, faculty discussion, and staff development as a primary purpose. Describes an evaluation sheet to be used by observing…

Five arguments commonly used in support of the use of student ratings of teachers are critically examined with the conclusion that while most of them suggest the possible utility of reports of student observations, none justifies student evaluative ratings. Five conditions of student reports are identified which make them useful to teaching…

The American system of assessing teacher competence by student rating is evaluated and found to be unsatisfactory for two reasons: a single scale cannot be used to compare teachers doing different tasks; and the scales may not measure 'good teaching' but some other more general social competence. An alternative to the American approach is…

Describes three teaching appraisal strategies based on the theory of Personal Construct Psychology. Their objective is to raise perceptual awareness of further education (FE) teachers to facilitate the improvement of teaching effectiveness. (JOW)

This handbook is intended to provide some specific and practical suggestions for those involved in the education of adults. It is concerned with the ways that people learn as adults and with how teachers and tutors can help them learn more efficiently. The first of two main sections deals with adult learning and is concerned with the…

Historical information concerning Centres of Excellence in British Universities and the concept of excellence in relation to the roles and functions of the universities, the elements of excellence, and equality are considered. The term "centre of excellence" may be applied to an institution or department that has successfully specialized…

Professionalism and flexibility in learning are considered in five seminar papers. In "Recommendations for Learning," Donald Bligh offers 17 recommendations for learning, based on the final discussions of a seminar of the Society for Research into Higher Education. The principles of professionalism and flexibility are applied to course…

Describes a pilot study intended as the basis for the Oxford Education Research Group Project which examines the values of teaching English literature, teachers' opinions toward and practices in their work, and the lack of knowledge about alternative approaches or student perceptions of the benefits received. (CK)

The instructional system used by the Open University in Great Britain is discussed. This paper describes the system's characteristics and the major learning resources available to Open University students, and indicates how the course units in particular have been developed. The integration of these resources into an instructional system providing…

Intended for inexperienced teachers in higher education to be used in conjunction with a staff training program, information is presented on: teaching and learning principles; teaching methods; tutoring, counseling and student problems; student assessment; behavioral objectives; designing a course; and evaluation of teaching. Focus is on teaching…

Discusses the importance to science departments of processes used to track student performance and how assessment data are used. Adding value has two principal aspects. The first is quantitative, where gains in knowledge, skills, and understanding demonstrated by students are measured. The second is a cross-curricular aspect, evaluating the…