Exploring the formal and theoretical possibilities available in and through feminist inquiries, this paper investigates the possible impact of feminist theories on three areas of academic writing--the professional, the graduate, and the undergraduate--using a polylogic, polyvocal presentation. The paper explores the theoretical and formal…

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…

A study was made to determine the procedures which supervisors and instructors of counseling practica currently use to evaluate the counseling effectiveness of masters and doctoral level practicum students. Inquiry was also made about the solutions adopted when a student is considered ineffective. The survey elicited responses from 89 individuals,…

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…

The results from two informal measures (a cloze test and a group reading inventory and a standardized reading test were compared in a study of instruments available for measuring adult reading performance. The three instruments were administered to 158 undergraduates enrolled in reading improvement classes. From this group, 75 subjects were…

This document presents instructor's materials for a unit on use of tests and measures for conducting needs assessment. It also contains material for 11 transparencies and 4 exhibits (list of 20 informal measures; tips on selecting and using tests; tips on selecting measures; and tips on conducting the interview). It is assumed that needs…

Most English teachers probably find it difficult to develop a grading system that takes into account the problems of individual students and that effectively communicates to students the quality of their work. Educators have been experimenting with written grading systems since the first system, one of predetermined adjectives, was used at Yale…

The ratings of 43 third-year medical students were used to investigate a method of computing the reliability of ratings. The students were evaluated on a four-point rating scale along seven dimensions of clinical ability: diagnostic ability; motivation; sense of responsibility; oral-verbal ability; effectiveness with patients; ability to take a…

Conventional grading is so ubiquitous that it is tempting to see it as inevitable and to feel hopeless about making any changes. It is often not reliable nor does it have clear meaning. Also, it does not give students feedback about what they did well or badly. Even while operating under a conventional grading system, composition teachers can use…

This study examined teacher candidate classroom assessment practices from the perspective of supervising teachers. Using questionnaires, supervising teachers evaluated the student interns' use of various assessment techniques and interns' methods for determining whether they had achieved a direct impact on their students' learning. Participants…

Two studies were undertaken to investigate the effect of a tutoring practicum module. This module was designed to improve the performance of education undergraduates using the informal inventory (IRI) in making auditory discriminations during oral reading between departures from text that either could or could not be explained as phonological…

Thirteen alternatives to using competency based tests should be considered when diagnosing student competency in writing: teacher-made or departmental tests, teacher-student conferences, contractual grade agreements between student and teacher, student self-evaluation, individualized goal setting, keeping files or portfolios of student work,…

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'…