If developmental studies programs are to successfully enhance affective and cognitive development in a non-competitive, supportive setting, they must abandon traditional A to F grading in favor of a descriptive, personalized feedback system that helps the student make intelligent decisions concerning his/her academic future. Indeed, research…

Describes educational systems in Norway, Sweden, and Denmark, touching on tuition costs, adult education programs, vocational education programs, folk universities, admission standards, certificate of completion, radio and television courses, study circles, no-grade system, and the international folk college. (TP)

In 1982, a survey of California community colleges was conducted to determine the formal and informal devices used to identify and assess learning disabled average (LDA) students; the characteristics, skills, and behaviors measured; the personnel who administered the assessment instruments; and the intake process and identification and assessment…

Offers an annotated bibliography concerning practical and theoretical considerations for two types of alternative assessment in community colleges and higher education: portfolios and capstone courses. Portfolios provide representative samples of student work and capstone courses review core concepts in a field. Cites 10 sources. (AUTH/NB)

In response to legislative mandate and pressure from its accrediting agency, Blue Ridge Community College (BRCC) began to develop a system to measure the effectiveness of its instructional programs. The system was designed to improve curricula, be managed by faculty, be inexpensive and uncomplicated, and focus on qualitative rather than…

Experiments at three community colleges were conducted to examine the relationships among anxiety, performance, and two different methods of informing students of their instructor's evaluation of in-class speeches. Subjects were 77 students in six speech classes. The three teachers of the classes gave traditional letter grades and comments on the…

In the San Jose/Evergreen Community College District (California), course and basic skills prerequisites have been established for all courses. Students with no record of completing these prerequisites cannot enroll unless they have been assessed by a counselor, have had their prerequisites verified in alternate ways, and have been granted…

In the San Jose/Evergreen Community College District, course and basic skills prerequisites have been established for all courses. Students who do not have a record of having completed these prerequisites cannot enroll unless they have been assessed by a counselor, have had their prerequisites verified in alternate ways, and have been granted…

In the summer and spring of 1980 Mercer County Community College undertook a large-scale employer needs assessment project, during which 1,140 Mercer County employers were contacted in order to: (1) assess employers' practices and preferences in the recruitment of personnel; (2) determine employer satisfaction with the College's ability to educate…

In the San Jose/Evergreen Community College District, course and basic skills prerequisites have been established for all courses. Students with no record of completing these prerequisites cannot enroll unless they have been assessed by a counselor, have had their prerequisites verified in alternate ways, and have been granted override status for…

While the concept of the teaching portfolio is variously defined, portfolios generally provide the opportunity to display teaching abilities and accomplishments, as well as reflect on one's teaching. In using teaching portfolios, the departmental chairperson must create a climate in which faculty understand that putting together a portfolio will…

Part of a series on implementing competency-based education, this monograph discusses some diagnostic and prescriptive techniques which can be used in the day-to-day management of performance learning to determine which students need remediation or enrichment. Using analogies from detective work, the monograph suggests ways of assessing students'…

Impelled by students' difficulties to learn new concepts from assigned readings, this paper examines effective literacy instruction in their respective classrooms. By targeting three linked areas of concern: students' motivation to read assigned texts, the learning strategies students bring to their reading experiences, and students' abilities to…

In the San Jose/Evergreen Community College District, course and basic skills prerequisites have been established for all courses. Students who do not have a record of having completed these prerequisites cannot enroll unless they have been assessed by a counselor, have had their prerequisites verified in alternate ways, and have been granted…

This paper reports on research in student self-evaluation processes. Student self-evaluation requires judgment of the "worth" of one s performance and the identification of strengths and weaknesses with a view to improving learning outcomes. Research was conducted at three sites: an Australian country secondary school; a suburban London…