This paper reports the latest stage of a research project focused on developing students' understanding of assessment criteria, the assessment process and assessment standards. It explains the theory of a social-constructivist assessment process model and details one particular module where the authors have tried to put it into practice. In…

This study, using a test group of five colleges--2 state colleges, a liberal arts college, a multipurpose college, and an urban community college--investigated the effects of student feedback on improving teaching at the college level. Students rated instructors with a 23-item "Student Instructional Report," which included course objectives,…

This article describes and analyzes an alternative supervision model at the Master of Education Programme at the University of Bergen aimed at improving research supervision. A three-pronged approach was introduced, combining supervision groups, student colloquia and individual supervision. The supervision groups consisted of two supervisors and…

Two instruments were used to discover current faculty practices and attitudes about student writing at a college that was about to begin a college-wide writing program. The attitude survey included a number of items about writing as a college-wide enterprise, relating instruction in writing to the goals of a liberal arts education, and concerning…

The effect of offering respondents feedback on questionnaire results was investigated in a national mail survey of college-bound secondary school students. It was found that offering feedback had a significant positive effect on response rate. (Author/MLW)

Analyzes responses of 106 gay men and 156 lesbians to an anonymous questionnaire about how their sexual orientations affected their experiences in school. Few had disclosed their sexual orientation in school, but those who did received some positive feedback and reported both positive and negative consequences of coming out. (SLD)

Investigates the effects of individualized relationship assessment and feedback, in relation to simply completing written questionnaires, on the couples' (n=48) satisfaction and commitment. Assessment-feedback couples improved more over time than did written-assessment-only couples. (JPS)

Education is criticized for producing inert knowledge and for paying too little attention to skills such as cooperating and problem solving. Powerful learning environments have the potential to overcome these educational shortcomings. The goal of this research was to find out ways in which a "learning enterprise" can best be supported (coached) in…

Feedback is considered a critical teaching function, and researchers in sport pedagogy have shown interest in verifying its importance in physical education. Many observational studies have found that boys receive more attention and feedback, particularly praise, criticism, and technical information, than girls. Nevertheless, little is known about…

Second language acquisition researchers have claimed that feedback provided during conversational interaction facilitates second language (L2) acquisition. A number of experimental studies have supported this claim, connecting interactional feedback with L2 development. Researchers have suggested that interactional feedback is associated with L2…

The Faulkes Telescope Project and its educational aims are briefly summarised. Research to evaluate its impact in inspiring excitement and interest among students is described. The Faulkes Telescope in Hawaii was used to provide images for assessed coursework based on two of the Faulkes "education/research" projects on galaxies.…

Outlines a pilot study undertaken by staff of the Open University (Great Britain) to gain feedback from students on the effectiveness of support of their students' learning as an aid to staff development. The use of questionnaires is explained, and tutor responses to students' comments are discussed. (Author/LRW)

This paper describes an extended action research project run in a large secondary school over an 18-month period. The work was part of a wider strategy for change within the school. The data presented here describes some of the features of the change process and reflections on its impact. A key aim was to challenge and enable teachers to modify…

This study examined the features of peer argumentation in middle school students' scientific inquiry. Participants were two boys and six girls in grade 8 of a middle school in Seoul, Korea. Students engaged in open inquiry activities in small groups. Each group prepared the report for peer review and then, during the peer discussion, presented…

Faculty and student perceptions of the feedback they provided or received during the clerkships in all clinical departments at a university hospital were investigated. The results indicated that both faculty members and students differed substantially in their ratings of the feedback provided or received. (Author/MLW)