THE EVALUATION SYSTEM AT THE MEDICAL SCHOOL OF MAASTRICHT

The extensive scheme for both formative and summative assessment of medical students established at a new new medical school is described and discussed. The establishment of multi‐disciplinary project groups and the involvement of educationalists and psychometricians are unique features of the project. The wide range of testing procedures, including self‐assessment units, indicate the complexity of an evaluation program which attempts to cover ALL the competency domains relevant to medicine. The revelation of the incongruence of the program with the educational philosophy of the school shows the necessity for involvement of “consumers” in such programs.     

Teacher competency testing: what teachers of students with LD need to know

In 1964, North Carolina became the first state to enact a testing program for initial certification of teachers. Today, almost all states and the District of Columbia are actively planning or implementing teacher testing programs; six are administering tests in the specific area of learning disabilities. The objectives and content areas of knowledge included in competency testing programs within this specialized area of teacher competence were analyzed, and comparisons were completed across knowledge areas and among states. In general, much similarity exists in what teachers of students with learning disabilities in different states are expected to know. This information represents a strong foundation for planning, implementing, and evaluating training programs for all teachers.     

Supporting inclusive practicum experiences for international students across the social sciences: building industry capacity

Practicum experiences are critical learning environments for developing requisite skills, knowledge, behaviours and attitudes across the professions. Evidence suggests that international students in professional social and behavioural science programs struggle across a number of dimensions while on practicum. Key issues for these students coalesce around English language competency and cultural competency in the workplace. Research evidence likewise suggests that workplaces generally struggle to provide culturally inclusive practicum experiences for international students. This difficulty is evident at the level of individual supervisors, as well as at the level of schools and host organisations. This article reports on the capacity of host organisations to offer inclusive practicum experience for international students across professional programs in the social and behavioural sciences. The article reviews the literature in relation to the needs of international students and factors supporting inclusive practicum experiences, before outlining the method and findings of a needs analysis undertaken as part of a research project conducted in south-east Queensland, Australia. Suggestions are provided about how the capacity of host organisations can be developed to offer quality practicum experiences for international students.     

A DEAN'S AND DEPARTMENT CHAIR'S GUIDE TO DOCUMENTING COMPETENCY‐BASED PROGRAM ANALYSIS AND DESIGN IN THE 2‐YEAR COLLEGE

Changes in the new Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Applied Technology Education Act of 1990 have added to existing state and regional accrediting agency pressures for competency‐based instruction. Because of these increasing pressures, deans, department chairs, and administrators of federal vocational funds administered under the act are, and will continue to be, required to provide evidence that their programs are competency based. A three‐step model to competency‐based programs as well as administrator guidelines for needed documentation are presented.     

State Assessment Policies,Practices, and Language Minority Students

State assessment policies define the context for local school districts to identify language minority students who need language-based instructional services and to follow the performance of these students in school. This survey of state education agencies (SEAs) in the eastern half of the United States addressed two questions: What assessment policies are states using to identify and reclassify English language learning (ELL) students from special language programs, and what assessment policies are states using to determine the participation of ELL students in statewide testing programs? Results indicated that fewer than one third of the SEAs required assessment for identification or placement of ELL students through state law or policy, leaving most of the states without procedures that would prevent mislabeling and inaccurate student counts. Almost half the states required a minimum score on a statewide test for students to be eligible for a high school diploma, yet less than one fifth of these had some kind of alternative plan for students not obtaining the minimum score. Recommendations offered to states for designing accurate and equitable assessment practices for language minority students are (a) use uniform requirements for identification and reclassification, (b) monitor district-level assessment practices, (c) select ELL students for inclusion in statewide testing based on English language proficiency, (d) use statewide testing programs to monitor the progress of former ELL students, (e) use multiple assessment procedures in statewide testing, and (f) provide alternative procedures for ELL students to meet stare test requirements for high school graduation.     

Precision and Differential Item Functioning on a Testlet-Based Test: The 1991 Law School Admissions Test as an Example

Because citizens continue to demand educational accountability, it is unlikely that basic skills testing in the high schools will dissipate over the next few years. However, changes will be made in testing methodology and content. Educators and citizens will debate whether to raise minimum competency requirements as students' scores increase over time. Tests will be revised to include more than just reading, writing, and arithmetic. Advances will be seen in the collection and transmission of test data through new computer technology. Statewide student data bases will be developed. High-school course testing and state-by-state achievement testing will be introduced. The worth and financial cost of mandated testing programs will continue to be discussed.     

Culture and Technology: implications for multicultural teacher education

ABSTRACT

American classrooms are experiencing a rapid growth in cultural and ethnic diversity, as well as an increase in educational classroom computing. Because culture directly affects classroom organisation and classroom learning, teachers need to understand, incorporate, and support their students’ cultures. Furthermore, since educational computing is not culturally neutral, teachers in culturally diverse settings must integrate the computer culture, the classroom culture, and students’ learning preferences. To meet the need for culturally and technologically competent multicultural teachers, teacher education programs must first define both cultural competency and computer competency. After examining the relationship between culture and educational computing, the paper explores some essential components of cultural and technological competency for multicultural teachers. Finally, it indicates the need for further research on the interaction of culture and technology in the multicultural classroom.     

《计算机组装与维护》课程教学改革的探索

高职教育的目的是以就业为导向,以能力为本位。计算机的组装与维护作为计算机应用专业的一门工学结合课程,在信息技术飞速发展的今天已经显示出其重要性。将学习过程、工作过程与学生的能力和个性发展联系起来,探讨课程设计的理念与思路以及课程教学模式的创新,运用新的考试模式和实训方法,提高教学质量。     

Preparing Instructional Designers for Different Career Environments: A Case Study

The competency requirements, content, culture, and value systems of business and industry career environments can differ significantly from that of the higher education context where instructional design and technology (IDT) students receive their formal training. Therefore, faculty should consider how they might provide flexibility in their programs to allow IDT students to experience the contexts in which they choose to work following graduation. The article reports on the results of a case study of an exemplary IDT program identified through a national survey. The emphases and preparation practices of faculty in the case study program were noted to provide an example of how one program successfully prepares its graduates for a variety of career environments, and specifically for a business and industry environment. By studying the successes and challenges of specific programs, new or existing programs may gain ideas for building or re-working existing programs to better meet the needs of students desiring contextualized preparation for different career environments.     

Perspektivenübernahme als Kompetenz für den Geschichtsunterricht

This study addresses a competency of students’ historical thinking related to taking perspectives. We start by discussing socio-cognitive theories from psychology as well as approaches from history education that focus on this competency. We also present empirical findings concerning relationships between achievement, self-concept and interest in the subject of history and connect these findings with the competency to take historical perspectives. Our research questions target this relationship between indicators of achievement and motivation in the subject of history, the competency of historical perspective taking and students’ socio-cognitive ability to adopt social perspectives in their everyday lives. These questions are investigated using a cross-sectional design with 375 grammar school students in grades 7 and 10. Results indicate that in grade 7 the competency to take historical perspectives relates to students’ ability to coordinate social perspectives in their everyday lives. For 10th graders, however, the adoption of historical perspectives is closely related to subject-specific variables such as interest for history, self-concept, history grade and achievement in a test of historical knowledge. In the last section of this paper, we discuss challenges that arise when students’ competencies in a subject like history are assessed within the context of standard-based testing. Specifically, we raise the issues of reliability, validity, the context-specificity of measurements, the kinds of response formats used and the formulation of progression models of historical thinking.     

高职学生核心能力:概念、要素与基本特征——基于陕西省高职院校2097名学生的调查

当前,国内有关高职学生核心能力的理论和实践研究不足,核心能力概念要素的界定较为模糊,一定程度上影响了高职学生核心能力的提升。通过大量文献研究,结合我国高职教育发展的现状与特征,提出我国高职学生核心能力的概念和构成要素,设计高职学生核心能力的测量工具,并调查了陕西省6所高职院校的2097名学生,结果表明:当前我国高职学生核心能力水平不高,发展不均衡;学生核心能力存在明显的专业差异和生源差异。提升我国高职教育人才培养质量,促进学生核心能力发展需要健全体系,完善机制;在保持专业发展特色和优势的同时适当向弱势专业倾斜,全面推进;要通过调配资源,因材施教,促进学生全面发展。     

Incremental Cases: Real-Life,Real-Time Problem Solving

Abstract

Experiential learning programs, courses, and tasks create new opportunities for faculty and students to interact. Faculty roles may include one-on-one consulting, visits to off-campus sites to observe student work, and small group discussions. In addition to discipline content, discussions with students deal with their reactions to the experience, student anxiety over learning in new ways, doubts about their competency to do well, and other personal concerns. Three minicases of experiential learning in university settings are used to illustrate the nature of such programs and the issues teachers and students face when employing them to personalize teaching.     

Teacher competency testing: what are special education teachers expected to know?

Teacher competency testing (TCT) is a current manifestation of education reform; 48 of the 50 states are actively planning or implementing teacher testing programs, and 25 (plus the District of Columbia) are developing or administering tests in specific subject areas to include special education. This article presents the results of a nationwide survey that addressed TCT in special education. Responses were collected from 46 states and the District of Columbia. Analyses of results revealed that states vary in their use of teacher competency tests and that specific special education teacher competency tests are used or being actively studied in about half the states. Implications for the practice of special education are provided.     

An Assessment of the Relative Importance of Criminal Justice Learning Objectives

This study examines the relative importance of the different learning objectives for criminal justice education as identified by the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences (ACJS). Three different populations (students, faculty, and professionals) completed a survey exercise in which they were required to rank order hypothetical job applicants who varied in competency on each of the ACJS learning objectives. In addition, students completed the same exercise pre- and post-completion of their required internship to determine if experience in the field affected their responses. Conjoint analysis was used to identify the relative importance of different learning objectives. While results indicate some similarities in responses across all three populations, several interesting differences were observed, and these may have important curricular implications for criminal justice programs.     

Post-graduate student performance in ‘supervised in-class’ vs. ‘unsupervised online’ multiple choice tests: implications for cheating and test security

This research explores differences in multiple choice test (MCT) scores in a cohort of post-graduate students enrolled in a management and leadership course. A total of 250 students completed the MCT in either a supervised in-class paper and pencil test or an unsupervised online test. The only statistically significant difference between the nine test scores was for one test where the students scored significantly lower in the unsupervised online test. There was no increase in mean test scores over time and the mean test scores for the unsupervised online test were not significantly higher than the mean test scores for the supervised in-class test. The study suggests that unsupervised online MCTs can be a viable tool for assessing knowledge in post-graduate students provided they meet best practice standards for online assessment. Concerns about increased cheating in unsupervised online testing are not supported.     

Leveraging competency framework to improve teaching and learning: A methodological approach

A number of engineering education programs have defined learning outcomes and course-level competencies, and conducted assessments at the program level to determine areas for continuous improvement. However, many of these programs have not implemented a comprehensive competency framework to support the actual delivery and assessment of an individual course. This paper highlights how a competency framework can be used across the life cycle of a course to effectively deliver and assess course content, and give valuable, timely feedback to students thus, improving teaching, student motivation and learning. A framework for leveraging course competencies during course design and delivery is presented, and addresses the following five phases of a course, namely, content design, assessment design, content delivery and assessment, assessment results analysis and feedback, and content review. Using a large first-year core course of the BSc (Information Systems Management) program, at School of Information Systems, Singapore Management University, Singapore—called Information Systems Software Foundation (ISSF)—as an example, this paper shows how course competencies support the framework’s five phases. Data from a student survey indicates that the framework has contributed to enhancing their motivation to learn, provides enhanced learning experiences in terms of helping students prepare for each assessment, providing better feedback by raising awareness of what they know and do not know, and revisiting topics that relate to competencies that have not been fully acquired. Results from interviewing instructors revealed that the competency framework provides valuable and timely feedback on how students are performing, and additionally what changes are required to both the content and method of delivery in order to improve teaching. This contributes towards more effectively closing the “teaching and learning loop”.     

Competency Maps: an Effective Model to Integrate Professional Competencies Across a STEM Curriculum

Curricula designed in the context of the European Higher Education Area need to be based on both domain-specific and professional competencies. Whereas universities have had extensive experience in developing students’ domain-specific competencies, fostering professional competencies poses a new challenge we need to face. This paper presents a model to globally develop professional competencies in a STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) degree program, and assesses the results of its implementation after 4 years. The model is based on the use of competency maps, in which each competency is defined in terms of competency units. Each competency unit is described by a set of expected learning outcomes at three domain levels. This model allows careful analysis, revision, and iteration for an effective integration of professional competencies in domain-specific subjects. A global competency map is also designed, including all the professional competency learning outcomes to be achieved throughout the degree. This map becomes a useful tool for curriculum designers and coordinators. The results were obtained from four sources: (1) students’ grades (classes graduated from 2013 to 2016, the first 4 years of the new Bachelor’s Degree in Informatics Engineering at the Barcelona School of Informatics); (2) students’ surveys (answered by students when they finished the degree); (3) the government employment survey, where former students evaluate their satisfaction of the received training in the light of their work experience; and (4) the Everis Foundation University-Enterprise Ranking, answered by over 2000 employers evaluating their satisfaction regarding their employees’ university training, where the Barcelona School of Informatics scores first in the national ranking. The results show that competency maps are a good tool for developing professional competencies in a STEM degree.     

The impact of culture contact and desegregation on the whites of an urban high school

Conclusion Desegregation has generally been presented as an outgrowth of the civil rights movement and as an attempt to redress the educational disadvantages blacks have suffered as the result of a racial imbalance. Given the general theoretical considerations of resource allocation, the assumption has been that reallocations of resources to blacks would necessarily mean reallocation of these resources to blacks from whites. This view is also part of the popular culture where the process of desegregation has caused turmoil and disturbance among whites based, manifestedly at least, on the notion that improving educational benefits for blacks necessarily means a reduction in the same benefits for whites.Based on an analysis of the experiences of teachers and students at one polyethnic inner-city high school, we suggest that not only have whites at this school not been disadvantaged by the desegregation process but that there is evidence indicating that there have been more advantages for whites than for blacks. What, then, are the advantages of desegregation for whites, both students and teachers? In this school it was found that the advantages differed for white students and for white teachers, with white students experiencing more positive outcomes than white teachers experienced.     

In Practice: Using the “developing competency” vector to prepare students for competent academic major exploration

Though many programs for undecided students focus on the “developing purpose” vector, Mika Galilee‐Belfer argues that putting purpose before competency is putting the cart before the horse. Here she shares practical strategies she has used to help her students at the University of Arizona reach competence in understanding the academic world.     

Black and other minority admissions to large universities: A four-year national survey of policies and outcomes

A survey of 108 large universities indicated that median new black freshmen enrollment has increased nationally to 5% in Fall 1972, from 4% in 1971 and 1970 and 3% in 1969. Open admission for all students was employed by 16% of the schools in 1972 compared to 12% in 1971. Schools were generally employing fewer selection variables in 1972 than previously. Schools with special programs for blacks were down to 54% in 1972 from 60% in 1971, although more special programs for American Indian and Spanish speaking students existed (14% in 1972, 8% in 1971), while private universities cut back considerably in all special programs. Results are discussed in terms of literature on minority admissions and current social trends.This study was sponsored and partially funded by Commission IX (Assessment for Student Development) of the American College Personnel Association. Portions of this study were presented at the American College Personnel Association Convention in Cleveland, April 6, 1973.