Spring
2000
1. Director's Forum: Shaping
the Future of the ERIC System
2. E*Subscribe
3. New ERIC/ACVE Publications
4. Adult Basic and Literacy Education Guide on the Web
5. Share Your Materials through ERIC
by Susan Imel
The ERIC system is experiencing one of those rare opportunities that will enable it to plan strategically for the future through an evaluation of its products and services. Late in 1999, five papers were commissioned as a means of establishing a foundation for a future evaluation:
• ERIC: Mission, Structure, and Resources by Jane B. Robbins, Florida State University
• Database and Operational Processes of ERIC by Stuart A. Sutton, University of Washington
• Technology and the ERIC System by Clifford Lynch, Coalition for Networked Information
• ERIC User Services: Evaluation in a Decentralized Environment by Ingrid Hsieh-Yee, Catholic University of America
• ERIC Products and Information Dissemination by Iva E. Carruthers, Nexus Unlimited, Inc.
Following the commissioning of the papers, funds for the purpose of evaluating the ERIC system were set aside by Kent McGuire, Assistant Secretary, Office of Educational Research and Information (OERI), U.S. Department of Education. The papers will provide an important framework for designing the evaluation.
At a recent meeting, ERIC Clearinghouse staff, ERIC and National Library of Education program staff, and other OERI staff engaged in dialogue with the authors of the five commissioned papers to begin providing direction for the evaluation study. All of the authors work in the field of library and information services and had some knowledge of the ERIC system. However, they were able to bring an “outsider” perspective to this project.
All writers had high praise for the ERIC system, with one calling it a “national treasure.” According to the authors, ERIC’s strengths lie in the many innovations developed at the Clearinghouse level, its dedicated staff, its comprehensive program of user services, and the decentralized nature of the system. Although the authors were impressed with ERIC’s ability to provide cost-effective educational information services to an increasingly diverse audience, each challenged the ERIC system to look to the future.
To design an effective and strategic evaluation process for the ERIC system, it was suggested that, rather than thinking about what needs fixing in the ERIC system, the focus should be on building a product that will be useful today and tomorrow. In terms of technology, the ERIC system needs to take a serious look at the context in which it operates because the environment is changing in fundamental ways that affect how it can reach its audiences and what services it can deliver.
The suggestions and challenges raised by the authors of the five commissioned papers are setting the stage for revision of ERIC’s mission. This is a particularly exciting time to be part of the ERIC system and, as usual, I welcome your comments and suggestions about future directions for the ERIC system and the ERIC Clearinghouse on Adult, Career, and Vocational Education (ERIC/ACVE). You can contact me via e-mail at imel.1@osu.edu or by sending comments to Susan Imel, ERIC/ACVE, 1900 Kenny Road, Columbus, OH 43210-1090.
The ERIC Document Reproduction Service (EDRS) has been producing ERIC documents (EDs) in electronic format for several years. Now it is possible to get a subscription to selected EDs through E*Subscribe. Used primarily by Standing Order Customers (folks who get EDs in microfiche format), E*Subscribe allows subscribers to receive all documents produced since 1996 in electronic format. They soon will have those back to 1993 available as well.
These papers will be available from Publications, Center on Education and Training for Employment, 1900 Kenny Rd., Columbus, OH 43210-1090. Available online in PDF format: http://ericacve.org/majorpubs.asp.
Using National and State Skill Standards for Vocational–Technical Education Curriculum Development by Charles L. Losh, Vocational-Technical Education Consortium of States (order no. IN 379, $8.50)
This paper was developed to provide assistance to state and local vocational-technical educators in the development of curriculum based on national and state skill standards. It provides guidance and models for using these workplace-derived measures of competent performance in the preparation of students for the world of work. The paper begins with guidelines for determining the usefulness of existing standards sets. It discusses criteria for evaluating their validity, the performance indicators used, the credibility of the developers, and civil rights concerns. The typical steps in the process of developing standards-based curriculum are discussed. Standards-based scenarios provide a rich context for the integration of academic and vocational education. The last chapter describes how to develop scenario-based instruction through the use of a scenario planner and development and review rubric. The appendices contain sample skill standards, model scenarios, a checklist for instructional/assessment criteria, a sample scenario planner, and a blank master.
Defining the Future or Reliving the Past? Unions, Employers, and the Challenge of Workplace Learning by Howard Harris, Pennsylvania State University (order no. IN 380, $8.50)
Within the context of the changing workplace in the late 20th century, this paper examines the current state of workplace learning. It explores the assumptions that new skills are being required, that many workers lack these skills, and that employers must maintain control over the scope and content of work-related education. The paper begins with an overview of the evolution of employer-dominated training from Taylorism to the economic upheavals of the 1970s and 1980s. It discuses the rise of human resource development and the concept of the learning organization. Next, the paper describes the extent of workplace reorganization in the United States, the current scope of private sector training and organizational learning, and the congruence between the purpose and implementation of training. The need for workplace learning to be worker centered is presented next, addressing the roles of workers, labor unions, and adult education. Examples of specific initiatives of organized labor are used to explore the question of whether labor’s participation changes the scope and nature of workplace learning. Finally, implications for workers, employers, and policymakers are presented.
Using Authentic Assessment in Vocational Education by Rodney L. Custer, editor, Illinois State University; John W. Schell, University of Georgia; Brian McAlister, University of Wisconsin-Stout; John Scott, University of Georgia; and Marie Hoepfl, Appalachian State University (order no. IN 381, $9.75)
This monograph addresses different aspects of authentic assessment related to its use in vocational education. Following an overview and definitions of terms by Custer, Schell discuses the theoretical foundations of authentic assessment, reviewing psychological, cognitive, and sociological views of learning. He provides an extended example of an authentic assessment practice that connects authentic teaching, learning, and assessment with learning theory. Next, McAlister explores the questions of the inherent value of authentic assessment and its effectiveness in promoting learning. He presents the claims made on its behalf and the research evidence related to those claims. Scott then details authentic assessment strategies and tools, including those that students can use to assess their own learning. In the concluding chapter, Hoepfl discusses federal and state initiatives for using authentic assessment, presenting the issues, obstacles, and challenges surrounding its use on a large scale.
From the Learning Organization to Learning Communities toward a Learning Society by Victoria J. Marsick, Jeanne Bitterman, and Ruud van der Veen (order no. IN 382)
The impetus for this monograph is the profound transformation that communities and societies are undergoing. It explores a common assumption: that education must be made an open, interconnected chain of learning opportunities available to people from cradle to grave, what some are calling a learning society. The paper attempts to answer the questions: How do these social units collectively learn? And how can adult educators work with these social units to enhance their learning? Learning is examined in three distinct, but interrelated, domains: the domain of work, both for-profit and not-for-profit organizations; the domain of the community, groups organized for leisure, personal goals, and interpersonal relationships; and the domain of politics, especially Western post-welfare states that are searching for effective solutions for governing the state, protecting the social environment, keeping peace, and combating poverty. The focus is on four key elements of the learning process: collaboration, communication, critical thinking, and creativity.
The Indicators of Program Quality Resource Guide is a collection of effective practices for implementing the Indicators of Program Quality. The practices, being used in Ohio adult basic and literacy education (ABLE) programs, were identified by a project funded by the Ohio Department of Education’s ABLE Program Office. The guide can be used a source of ideas and practices as well as a staff training manual. It provides measures, standards, practices, references, and resources for seven indicators: student achievement, physical environment, program planning, curriculum and instruction, professional development, support services, and recruitment. The guide is available on the World Wide Web in PDF format: http://literacy.kent.edu/Oasis/indicators/index.html. It will also be available from the ERIC Document Reproduction Service this spring.
If you have created education-related materials in the fields of adult, career, or vocational education, please consider submitting them to the ERIC Clearinghouse on Adult, Career, and Vocational Education. Types of materials considered include: conference papers, research reports, completed manuscripts, instructional materials, annotated bibliographies, lesson plans, manuals, and handbooks. All materials accepted by ERIC are announced in the abstract journal Resources in Education and authors receive a complimentary copy of the document in microfiche. By sending your materials, the educational community will have access to your work via the Internet and at more than 1,000 locations throughout the world. In addition, the ERIC Document Reproduction Service (EDRS) can make your materials available in paper, microfiche, and electronic forms. The ERIC database is used by teachers, counselors, students, administrators, policymakers, researchers, parents, and the general public.
To submit materials, please send them to the acquisitions coordinator, ERIC/ACVE, 1900 Kenny Road, Columbus, OH 43210-1090. Each item should include a reproduction release form. The form can be obtained from the Clearinghouse’s website at http://ericacve.org/submit.asp or by calling 800/848-4815, extension 26991, or by e-mail: chambers.2@osu.edu. Please contact us if you have any questions.
This project has been funded at least in part with Federal funds from the U.S. Department of Education under Contract No. ED-99-CO-0013. The content of this publication does not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the U.S. Department of Education nor does mention of trade names, commercial products, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.