Interactive videodisc technology (IVD) is an educational tool with enormous potential to help instructors help learners realize their full potential. Anyone who tries IVD is impressed by its power. (A companion article lists where to find information on interactive video.) (Author/JOW)

Task lists created by private companies, consortia, state departments, and universities have caused difficulty for occupational instructors. A careful analysis of task structure shows a continuous hierarchy in cumulative learning, wherein each task becomes part of a whole. A task charting system can improve the efficiency of instruction. (SK)

Examines the logical and psychological aspects of competency-based staff development programs. Analyzes myths of competency-based learning (CBL) and indicates that incorporating principles of CBL with those of adult learning may be a way to improve staff development programs. (JOW)

We need to get clear agreement in the United States on what students should know and be able to do. We also need to invest in education. An initiative filed in Colorado earmarks a one-cent sales tax for education. (MLF)

Competency-based training is not a singular model; it embeds radically different conceptions of competence, depending on whether delivery and assessment of training incorporate industry standards. Models that maintain a tension between the outcomes and processes of education and training, rather than a focus solely on outcomes, are most…

Suggests that practical and emancipatory knowledge (Habermas, 1971) have been underemphasized in dental curriculum, and that until they are fostered, visions of competency and the joining of theory and practice will be difficult to achieve. Highlights strategies to foster such knowledge within competency-based curricula: problem-based learning and…

Misconceptions about competency-based assessment in National Vocational Qualifications include the following: they focus only on workplace performance; they are appropriate only at vocational-technical, not higher/professional levels; they are concerned only with practical skills; and they do not encourage further development. Case study of…

The issue of adopting information technology (IT) based education and performance-based education in schools is debated. The arguments supporting each of the education policy are presented.

This article discusses advantages and disadvantages of competency-based education and training (CBET), with emphasis on its application to vocational and higher education in Australia. Argues that, although CBET model is suitable for most vocational programs, the very nature of higher education prohibits its use at colleges and universities. (MDM)

Four criteria for evaluating the appropriateness of units of analysis for task analytic research are proposed. Meeting all four criteria and thus recommended for use in behavior analytic work is percentage correct with competent performance coded and a task analysis grid showing individual step performance. (Author/DB)

Definitions of specific medical competencies to be acquired by medical students in the course of their studies may be derived from the juxtaposition of a list of generic competencies with a list of appropriate subject areas. The operation of the method is demonstrated in relation to the curriculum of The Beer Sheva Medical School, Israel.…

Describes the features and programs of area vocational-technical schools, one of the principal systems for delivering vocational and technical education in the United States. (SK)

Discusses competency-based education programs and offers evaluation criteria for measuring the effectiveness of such programs. (FL)

It is proposed that high school diplomas be awarded based on specific competencies in broad subject areas (e.g., academic, business, fine arts, service, and technical skills), and that required coursework be developed in each competency area, defined by the school district, and combined with general education in the curriculum. (MSE)

If law schools and the legal profession are to contribute as much as they should to the development and maintenance of a proficient profession, they must: develop a definition of the proficient lawyer, allocate responsibilities between law schools and profession for educational programs, design programs, and obtain resources. (MLW))