Presents a model for instructional design that highlights formative evaluation as the central process. Other models of instructional design are discussed; data collection methods are examined; the evaluator's role is considered; and the recursive nature of the design process is emphasized. (seven references) (LRW)

Video recordings are being used more and more in educational research; however, it is uncertain when they actually form the data and when they merely facilitate its collection. This and other issues related to the use of classroom video-recording as a data source for qualitative research are discussed in this paper. Research investigating the…

Describes the evaluation of a new model for software evaluation that emphasizes the collection of student performance data to determine the extent to which students learn the knowledge a software package intends to teach. Discussion covers the results of two studies, evaluation criteria and methods, evaluator subjectivity in decision making,…

Discusses the design of effective questionnaires based on the concept of a hierarchical classification of Levels of Information: global (Level I), general concept (Level II), and specific (Level III). By tying question types to the information desired, the entire questionnaire can be improved. (JJD)

John Goodlad and his associates have produced a report that provides a more comprehensive basis for understanding United States schools than any previously published. (Author/JM)

Analyzes data from a juvenile diversion program which seem to indicate that as program services increased, the likelihood of participant recidivism increased. Maintains that the unexpected findings resulted from flaws in data recording within the program and suggests that program designs should incorporate evaluation strategies in order to ensure…

Teaching is a reflective and deeply human activity, an ethical enterprise that involves the teacher as a person. The educational significance of autobiography lies in its ability to enable people to understand their present experiences and those yet to occur. Teacher-educators' interest in autobiography is very narrowly defined: the professional…

Offers an overview of trends and issues in student tracking, including methods of collecting data, determining which data should be gathered, obtaining follow-up data, and using results to inform decisions about institutional planning and improvement. (DMM)

When different individuals operating in different contexts implement similar innovations, they approach the various parts of the innovation in different ways. When assessed according to the research procedures used to study innovation implementation at the Research and Development Center for Teacher Education at the University of Texas at Austin,…

An instructor teaching a summer semester of freshman composition collected data for a descriptive study from five students in the class. Of the five students, one was Caucasian, and the other four were Hispanic; all had children. A central value of the study was its potential for demonstrating the benefits of teaching composition through…

It is recognized that growing management information systems will require increased user involvement in acquiring, maintaining, and manipulating essential institutional data. A technique called Service/Requirements Analysis has been developed for incorporating user input into system design and development. (MSE)

Reports on the work of the Center for the Study of Community Colleges in helping two-year colleges to define and establish their rates of transfer. Presents the outcomes of 1990 forums where study participants discussed problems and issues in data collection. (DMM)

This symposium report includes seven papers that address issues concerning the North American Collections Inventory Project (NCIP) Conspectus sponsored by the Research Libraries Group (RLG). Topics discussed include cooperative collection development; rigor and research in library and information science; decision making and uncertainty; and data…

A third followup survey within a National Longitudinal Study (NLS) of the high school class of 1972 finds that there is little difference in group variability in survey response when considering background characteristics, while significant differences in response rates are found when considering the group patterns of response to prior…

Discussion of journal pricing and its effects on academic libraries focuses on data from the Optical Society of America's pricing study that used price per 1,000 words as a quantitative evaluative tool. Data collection methodology is described, and implications of the results for library collection development are suggested. (eight references)…