Discusses the use of educational impact statements and presents a functional process model for change facilitation. A specific example of the adaptation of this process is provided, going through the steps of: preplanning, strategy selection, implementation, and adoption, evaluation, research, and modification, monitoring, and follow-up. (RAO)

Identifies five basic assumptions of the "proactive approach" to instructional development and argues for the use of that approach by instructional technologists in training developed for business organizations. Four tactics for moving an organization in a proactive direction are described, and guidelines followed by a large California bank are…

Includes a review of the elements of ideal project contracts, some suggestions concerning contract negotiation, and a sample contract from a recent development project. (Author/JEG)

Concepts and methods for analyzing the social system and recent advances in the technical functions of development are discussed. Four development functions are highlighted: management of the development process, formal analysis, strategy specification, and evaluation. (Author)

Notes the difficulties of conducting meaningful research in formative evaluation; reviews issues in the administration, breadth of applicability, and theoretical bases of formative evaluation; and suggests areas where research is still needed. (Author/JD)

The role of educational technology, the cautionary use of instructional development in higher education change, and various personal glimpses in educational technology are discussed. (RAO)

Discusses the relationship between instruction and motivation, describes Keller's ARCS model of motivational design and Gagne's instructional design theory, and explains how they can be integrated and used by instructional developers and designers. An example is given where motivational strategies are matched with appropriate instructional events.…

Based on a review of the literature and input from stakeholders, we developed a conceptual framework of self-advocacy involving four components: knowledge of self, knowledge of rights, communication, and leadership. This article summarizes the definitions and components of self-advocacy found in the literature that were used to develop this…

Across the United States, school districts are adopting benchmark assessments to help teachers modify instruction over the course of a school year. Yet many teachers remain wary. In this article, the author presents views from teachers regarding the benchmarks.

Educators of adults are often urged to use the prior personal experience of their students as a pedagogic resource. Students have expectations that their narratives will be heard and valued. Whether this can--or should--be achieved in a particular discipline, in a course with a relatively fixed curriculum and formal assessment, is the issue…

Support from school partners is absolutely necessary. Every teaching artist knows this, and every arts education organization strives to cultivate this support. In this article, the authors create some powerful strategies for achieving this support, such as agreeing at the outset about the focus of the residency. Lessons that develop meaningful…

With the advent of web-based programs that automate the scoring of exercises, materials are now being developed from the outset with the capabilities of the web in mind. Materials developed without consideration of the web's capabilities, on the other hand, must be retrofitted. Texts that are retrofitted to the web have the advantage of being…

This article provides an overview of one Canadian provincially initiated curriculum reform effort in which several generic learning outcomes were established. It also presents a flexible, practical, and integrated framework for the development, implementation, and evaluation of program-level learning outcomes in undergraduate curricula contexts.…

Starting from a framework that emphasizes indigenous heritage, high school teacher Curtis Acosta and students in the Chicano/Raza Studies classes engage with literature that reflects the students' lives, families, and histories. Doing so encourages students to visualize and affirm academic identities while they confront current issues of…

Current high school reform often focuses on small schools, small learning communities, and alternative paths to post-secondary education. While these reforms are necessary, recent evaluations of improving high-poverty high schools in urban districts (American Institutes for Research & SRI International, 2004 & 2005) suggest these changes are not…