Factors influencing assessment quality in higher vocational education

The development of assessments that are fit to assess professional competence in higher vocational education requires a reconsideration of assessment methods, quality criteria and (self)evaluation. This article examines the self-evaluations of nine courses of a large higher vocational education institute. Per course, 4–11 teachers and 3–10 students participated. The purpose of this article is to critically examine the quality of assessment in higher vocational education, to identify critical factors influencing assessment quality and to study whether self-evaluation leads to concrete points for improvement. Results show that strong points are fitness for purpose, comparability and fairness. Weak points are reproducibility of decisions and development of self-regulated learning. Critical factors are the translation of competences into assessment criteria to be used in daily lessons and the involvement of the work field. The self-evaluations generated many points for improvement, but not all were translated into actions. Altogether, this article provides a rich picture of assessment quality in higher education and identifies quality aspects that need improvement, (partly) confirming other research on current assessment methods.     

Involving Students in Natural Resource Decision-Making Groups

Ensuring a qualified teacher in every classroom is a central part of the latest agenda to strengthen public education and maximize student achievement. Effective teaching and delivering quality instruction are lifelong and critical goals of professional development of teachers. High-quality induction programs support qualified teachers for every child. We evaluated perceptions of beginning teachers relative to the effectiveness of induction activities, assistance, and support provided within their school districts. Overall, this group indicated that induction programs were sufficient for them to succeed during the first years of teaching. Implications for improving practice and recommendations for continuing research are discussed in this article.     

ACADEMIC ADMINISTRATORS AND FACULTY RETIREMENT IN A NEW ERA

ABSTRACT

More than a decade ago, as the end of mandatory retirement for faculty approached, many academic administrators were concerned about its negative impact on their institutions. With the assistance of a variety of incentives put in place to encourage voluntary retirement, a significant number of senior faculty retired during the 1990s. Now, the looming loss of millions of “baby boomer” faculty requires rethinking faculty retirement. Administrators have two urgent issues to address: defining and maintaining a balance of junior and senior faculty, and designing and implementing effective retirement programs for this new generation of aging faculty. Important differences between previous and future generations of faculty suggest that retirement programs that worked in the past may no longer be effective for the institution—and may not appeal to the faculty. Federal and state governments, businesses, and organizations are preparing to respond to the forthcoming biggest wave of retirement in our country's history. Academic administrators, who pioneered phased-retirement programs, will want to stay on top of this wave too.     

Caution: Classroom under observation

In this article, it is argued that there are serious difficulties in observing someone else teach for the purpose of providing evaluation or corrective feedback on their teaching. The article reports on responses from a group of teacher educators who watched a videotaped classroom lesson. Their written critiques were surprisingly contradictory, so much so as to call into question the reliability of lesson critiques. It is suggested that, where observation and critique of classroom teaching are used, summative judgements be avoided, and that a major goal of observations be to stimulate debate about different teaching styles and individual and cooperative reflection. Most importantly, observers must acknowledge the variety of intentions and perspectives of classroom teachers.     

Taking a Second Look: Expert and Novice Differences when Observing the Same Classroom Teaching Segment a Second Time

Expert and beginning principals viewed a classroom teaching episode of a seventh grade mathematics classroom for teacher supervision purposes. After the first viewing participants were asked questions about classroom management and instruction, about the skills of the teacher, and about recommendations they would make for improvement. After a second viewing, similar questions were asked. Differences between groups were found in their understanding of classroom teaching and their abilities to evaluate and make recommendations for the improvement of teaching. This study indicates that important differences will occur in the supervision experience for teachers depending on whether an expert or novice principal supervises them. Findings from this study have implications for the development of preservice and inservice training programs and induction experiences for new principals.