Two teachers have developed a procedure for grading student compositions that seems fairer to both them and their students. The students are given a choice of which papers they wish to submit for grading, and when they do submit work, the papers are identified by a number only (chosen by the student and indexed in a class card file). Each teacher…

Peer observation activities conducted by college faculty working collaboratively have the potential to improve instruction. (JD)

Thomas A. Angelo and K. Patricia Cross have developed strategies for assessing classroom teaching effectiveness at the college level. The assessments are generally ungraded activities which focus on current course work. This paper examines the following assessment activities within the context of teaching and technology: (1) "Muddiest…

A case study examined the internship program in the communication major at Wesleyan College (Georgia), employing informal methods of student evaluation. Faculty sponsor/student discussions, journal entries, and phone calls to supervisors achieved an objective measurement of interns' progress and added an important dimension to the formal methods…

Three prior learning program directors relate their experiences with program implementation. Three different types of institutions are represented: Sinclair Community College, State University of New York at Cortland, and American University, Washington, DC. Vital statistics and program descriptions are presented. (MLW)

This article discusses the evolving need for identification of gifted and talented students in Hong Kong, assessment of intelligence, identifying the academically gifted, identifying the creatively gifted, and identification by informal measures. The use of multiple measures for identification used at the Chinese University of Hong Kong is…

Discusses the validity, reliability, and utility of portfolio assessment. Examines the differences between the application of portfolio assessment in the visual arts and traditional subjects. Although generally supportive of portfolio assessment, maintains that widespread acceptance of educational innovation is often difficult and compromised.…

This paper reports on a program that is developing assessment procedures to measure a student's preparedness for the professional year. This assessment technique seeks to capture an individual's teaching capabilities that may not be evident in traditional assessment methodologies, and to examine the development of teaching capabilities over time.…

Unobtrusive measures are recommended as a means of assessing educational outcomes of colleges. Such measures can counteract the response bias which is common in questionnaires and interviews. Outcomes researchers are, in fact, asked to supplement standard measures with unobtrusive measures. Interesting data may result from observation of students'…

Teacher education programs inadequately prepare teachers to teach students to participate in the many forms of cooperation which are inherent in life. Although teachers have the responsibility of helping students learn how to live and be productive in social groups, students in colleges of education are not usually trained to oversee and grade…

Describes the use of anonymous pop quizzes to measure student understanding, not simple memorization, and to gauge effectiveness of course instruction. Short-term teaching goals and long-term teaching performance can be assessed quickly without grading or recording. A quick look through the quizzes will inform an instructor whether students have…

Describes a teaching method that provides instant assessment of student learning and allows instructors to take corrective measures in the same class period. The method is based on asking a multiple-choice question after every 10-20 minutes of lecture and getting responses from students. This methods allows all students to actively participate and…

Alternative teaching strategies such as cooperative group work should be followed by cooperative assessment strategies. Teachers of teachers use various teaching models but may fail to also model a similar variety of assessment strategies. When the emphasis is on cooperative learning, especially with an issues-oriented approach, then the…

Many college and university teachers across the United States remain hostile, at least privately, to student evaluation of faculty performance despite the general use of such evaluation in the academy for the past three decades. However, professionals can use student evaluations to their advantage if they "stage a pre-emptive strike"--in other…

A teacher education program designed to select and retain students who have a probability for success is described. The program is a cooperative effort of the Department of Counselor Education and the Department of Elementary Education at Brigham Young University. The prospective teacher is provided experiences, both on campus and in the field,…