Renewal in Career Guidance and Counseling: Rationale and Programs

This article provides a strong rationale for renewal programs in career guidance and counseling. The rationale is based on the expressed needs of counselors, counselor educators, and supervisors, and the needs of clients, as well as on major position papers of APGA, ACES, and NVGA. The APGA Counselor Renewal and Development Professional Preparation and Standards Committee has clearly stated that counselor renewal is a professional imperative for those who seek to remain effective helpers. The ACES position paper, “Counselor Preparation for Career Development/Career Education”, also clearly points out the need for renewal in career guidance and counseling. In addition to the rationale, the article describes several career-counseling-oriented renewal programs that are currently available for counselors and counselor educators and supervisors who would like to upgrade their skills in this area.     

Teaching the Design of Manufacturing Systems Using Simulation

This article describes a course in simulation for students at Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden. It is given during the third year of a 4½year programme in industrial engineering and management, and the objective is to introduce computer simulation as an advanced tool for the design of manufacturing systems. During the 8-week course the student gains the knowledge and skill to conduct a small-scale simulation project, consisting of input data analysis, model building and validation, and finally interpretation of output data. The course is divided into two main parts. The first consists of theory on statistics, input data analysis and basic concepts of modelling and simulation. In the second part, a general simulation language, SIMAN, is introduced, and used in case studies     

CUSUM: Computer Simulation for Statistics Teaching

The use of computers for simulation can be used not only to introduce CUSUM (cumulative sum) techniques but also to improve students' understanding of statistical inference and decision making.     

CLIENT 1: A Computer Simulation for Use in Counselor Education and Research

CLIENT 1 is an interactive program that was designed to simulate client behavior in an initial interview and to provide a standardized environment for training and research on counselor problem-solving strategies. Through interaction with the computerized client, counselors attempt to facilitate client movement toward the goal of verbalizing a specific problem statement. Client movement is a function of the appropriateness and accuracy of counselor statements, the threat value associated with both client and counselor statements, the strength of the relationship between the counselor and client, and an index of counselor expertise. The uses of the simulation in counselor education and research are discussed.     

A Structural Model for Identifying Counselor Skills

An analysis of the counseling process and the various clients a counselor might serve has yielded a structural model for identifying the knowledge and skills required of the counselor. The model specifies skill domain, targets of skill, and attained skill level. Developmental in nature, the model is seen as a first step toward providing a base for more systematic assessment, training, and evaluation in counselor education.     

EFFECTS OF DIFFERENT SAMPLES ON ITEM AND TEST CHARACTERISTICS OF CRITERION-REFERENCED TESTS

Although many have rejected classical test construction and analysis procedures for criterion-referenced tests, the present study was concerned with the possibility that classical procedures are both applicable and appropriate when samples of both mastery and nonmastery examinees are employed. A rationale for using these samples was presented, and empirical evidence was gathered which supported the practice of combining samples to increase the variance of test scores and thereby permit the proper estimate of reliability and item validities.