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In the course of PISA and TIMSS a lot of out-of-school lab days have been established; as non-formal extracurricular learning environments they shall provide an efficient addition to formal learning at school. The "ELKE" project is a non-formal extracurricular learning lab that aims at linking curricular content and competence-centred activities. This makes it an effective addition to chemistry education at school. Additionally, "ELKE" is a teaching/learning-environment for university teacher training. The poster illustrates the general concept as well as the contextual design of "CSI Vienna", the Viennese experimentation day. Furthermore, it shows first results concerning the effectiveness of the "ELKE" student lab on learning. These results will also be related to the outcomes of studies on "ELKE" as a teaching/learning-environment for future chemistry teachers. [This paper was published in: "Research on Outdoor STEM Education in the digiTal Age. Proceedings of the ROSETA Online Conference in June 2020," edited by M. Ludwig, et al., WTM, 2020, pp. 205-208.]

This study analyzes the possible influences of some individual variables related with the attendance of specific online laboratory activities on the academic retention and achievement of a group of freshmen attending the first year of the Bachelor of Education. Online platforms allowed students both to use a supporting network and autonomously taking advantage of suitable materials to achieve their learning goals and to bridge an orientation gap that often, in Italy, is present in the transition between high school and University. In general, we can say that the experience of the online laboratory was positive and represented a supporting element for these students. [For full proceedings, see ED571332.]

The document is a summary of the conference proceedings for the 23rd Annual Farmingdale State College Teaching of Psychology Conference held on March 20-21, 2009 at the DoubleTree Hotel in Tarrytown, New York. The conference featured a keynote address by Dr. Jeffrey Nevid on Reaching and teaching the millennials: Helping today's students become more effective learners. Participants also had 24 presentations from which to choose and many colleagues, new and old, with whom to network. Seven of these presentations are included in these proceedings: (1) A Student Perspective on Tradition, Hybrid and Distance Learning Courses (Katherine Zaromatidis and Patricia Oswald); (2) Neighborhood Environments as Learning Laboratories for 21st Century Undergraduates (Joan F. Kuchner); (3) Do Clickers Click? A Classroom Experience with Student Response Systems (Celia Reaves); (4) The Use of Online Resources on Student Attendance and Academic Standing (Linda L. Dunlap and Jeffrey D'Angelo); (5) Moving Classroom Discussions Online (Jeffrey S. Baker); (6) Collaborative and Original Research in 21st Century Undergraduate Experimental Psychology (Rachel T. Bowman, Nina Tarner, and Christina J. Taylor); and (7) Simulation of Initial Assessments in Classroom Settings via Role-Play (John Theodore). [Abstract modified to meet ERIC Guidelines. For the 2008 proceedings, see ED504072.]

Male and female college students in Saudi Arabia study and work in a segregated (gender-based) environment. King Saud University (KSU) has 50,000 students on 3 campuses each of which is 35 kms away (Diri'ya Male-Students, Campus, Olaysha Female-Students Campus and Malaz Female-students Campus). Due to increasing student enrolment, all departments for female students are understaffed. The three campuses (Diri'ya, Olaysha and Malaz) were upgraded and are now connected through fibre optics with a LAN. The Olaysha campus, hosting women's colleges of Education, Arts, Administrative Science, Languages, and Graduate college, has installed a new videoconferencing (distance education) lab and two large-lecture halls (auditoriums). Through these, female students and instructors can attend conferences, classes, meetings, thesis defenses, workshops, and other university live events simultaneously with men. However, the videoconferencing facilities are not optimally used. This article gives a description of the infrastructure of the distance learning lab and videoconferencing halls at KSU, their setup, equipment, applications/software, capacity, hours of use per semester; how graduate and undergraduate lectures, conferences, presentations by invited speakers, graduation ceremonies are broadcast; how workshops and thesis defenses are conducted; and how interaction takes place; limitations of videoconferences; what problems are solved by the videoconferencing technology. The uses, causes of under-use, and male and female students and faculty's views on the benefits and limitations of the videoconferencing technology used, and effect of videoconferencing on student-instructor and student-student interaction are reported.

Texts of conference papers and summaries of colloquia on computers and second language learning are presented, including: "Computers, Language Learning, and the Four Skills" (summary of a session with Steve McGuire, Albert Dudley, Patricia Thornton, Paul Jaquith, Jay Lundelius, Steve Tripp); "Creating Your Own Software--The Easy Way" (Steve McGuire, Marion M. Flaman); "Multimedia for EFL Learners: Implications for Teaching and Learning" (L. M. Dryden); "The Effects of Learning Strategies in a CALL Laboratory: A Report from Tokyo Kogei University" (Yuka Shigemitsu, Hiroshi Tanabe); "An Adjunct Model in the Computer Classroom" (Katharine Isbell); "Using Computer Networks To Facilitate Communication: Network Projects at Chubu" (Tadashi Shiozawa, Hiromi Imamura, Stephen Briss, Shuji Ozeki); and "CALL: Its Scope and Limits" (Frank Berberich). Individual papers contain references. (MSE)

This study is designed to document and evaluate how one program is attempting to transform a long established training model to meet current standards for training licensed professional counselors and for continuing program accreditation. A formative, or process, evaluation method has been implemented to evaluate and, simultaneously, to improve the on-campus practicum laboratory at Eastern Michigan University. One type of program evaluation involves the collection, analysis, and interpretation of data about an already existing program to determine the ways in which the program is and is not operating as planned and to fine-tune the program. Both qualitative and quantitative data have been collected in the current study. Several themes have emerged from the data analyzed thus far. These include: (1) the resilience of the original practicum model, which has remained in place since the early 1960's; (2) the need for developing a service mission for the practicum, as well as clarification of how that service interfaces with other university services; and (3) increased need for departmental, as opposed to individual faculty, responsibility in defining standards. Minimum hourly requirements for counseling and supervision, as well as the "nature" of the practicum experience, must now be defined by departmental faculty as a whole. Continued research is recommended. Contains 11 references. (TS)

Motlow State Community College (MSCC) in Tullahoma, Tennessee, received a federal grant to develop and implement an electronics computer-assisted instruction (CAI) classroom and an electronics computer-controlled laboratory (CCL). A portion of a complete CAI/CCL electronics curriculum developed by NIDA Corporation was developed, implemented, and evaluated at MSCC for use in teaching a total of 504 competency-based objectives in courses in direct current (DC) circuits, alternating current (AC) circuits, and digital circuitry. MSCC is now in its fourth year of using the CAI/CCL system and regularly offers basic electronics classes covering the 504 objectives through a combination of the CAI/CCL, a textbook developed by NIDA Corporation, and daily lectures. The MSCC program features 12 IBM-compatible personal computers that are each connected to a NIDA 130C trainer and that each have DC, AC, analog, and digital software and supporting experiment cards. The CAI/CCL system generates tests for almost every lesson that are instantly graded by the system. The system software has proved nearly error free and the NIDA trainers have been very dependable. Student satisfaction with and success in the program have been near the 100% level. (MN)

The effects of an integrated language arts instructional program on reading comprehension skills of learning lab students were examined using the Analytical Reading Inventory, and their attitudes toward recreational and academic reading were assessed using the Elementary Reading Attitude Survey. Subjects were at-risk fifth and sixth grade students, ranging in age from 12 to 16 years, who were enrolled in a single, self-contained learning lab class in southeast Mississippi. The integrated language arts instructional treatment period lasted for 9 months, with students responding to pre- and post-measures in September and May, respectively. Results of correlated t-tests revealed significant improvement in five out of six comprehension areas: ability to recall main ideas, ability to recall factual information, vocabulary development, inferential skills, and drawing conclusions. Ability to recognize cause-effect relationships was not significantly affected. Also, students improved significantly in their oral, independent-reading performance as well as in their word recognition skills. Students did not improve significantly in their attitudes toward recreational and academic reading. (One table of data is included; 14 references are attached.) (Author/RS)

This paper outlines a framework designed to help school districts evaluate themselves during the implementation of systemic change. Based on the experiences of districts that participated in the NEA Learning Laboratories Initiative, a process called "rapporteuring" was developed. The process provokes the particular site into serious reflection through tapping the organization's "grapevine." Data on nine participating school districts were obtained from interviews and site visits. Twelve systemic change principles emerged from the data: (1) the purpose must be clearly articulated and widely "known and owned"; (2) the purpose must be based on a consciously developed philosophy and rooted in shared theory; (3) the need for change must be understood and accepted; (4) the "top" must demonstrate the envisioned change; (5) significant new investment must be made in educating/training prospective participants in the new philosophy/theory and relevant skills; (6) participation in the new processes and approaches must be voluntary and active; (7) power sources and relationships must be visibly altered; (8) partner-customer-supplier relationships must be consciously developed; (9) individual affirmation must be balanced with collaboration; (10) processes at all levels must be emphasized over end results; (11) communication barriers must be eradicated; (12) data-based decision making must be required and enabled; and (13) efforts to learn and improve must be total, dynamic, and generative. Eight tables are included. Appendices contain a comparison of evaluation paradigms and a copy of the rapporteur schedule and interview guide. (LMI)

Noting that one model for providing programs and individualized support to at-risk students is the oral communication laboratory, this paper describes the research and development of pilot programs within the laboratory setting for students at-risk at a four-year academic institution. The paper begins with a brief review of literature, a description of the communication laboratory at University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, how the lab was funded, and the approach taken to assessing the communication needs of students at risk. The results of that needs assessment are outlined in the paper, and a description of Individual Assistance Programs (IAPs) developed by Communication Department faculty and staff in response to the needs survey is presented. Next, the paper reports the results of pre- and post-assessment of at-risk students who completed a basic public speaking course and compares the results of students not at risk. The paper presents single case scenarios of at-risk students who have used the lab and the IAPs, as well as the results of students' evaluations of laboratory programs. The paper concludes with a discussion of future directions for the University's communication laboratory as a resource for the student at risk. (Six tables of data are included; 21 references are attached.) (Author/RS)

A study described and assessed a working experiential learning model used since 1976 as an adjunct to the basic speech communication course at the University College of Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, Canada. In addition to class attendance, students in the basic course meet in a communication laboratory for one hour per week. The overall functioning of the model was evaluated by studying the day-to-day operation of the lab; surveying peer facilitator selection, training, and appraisal procedures; and examining experiential learning and student journal grading methods. Determining if students actually improved their mastery of speech communication was estimated by analyzing student journal entries and lab/facilitator evaluation forms. Results indicated that: (1) day-to-day operations of the lab function fairly smoothly; (2) limitations on funding and space seem to be an ongoing challenge; (3) hiring, training, and appraisal standards for peer facilitators have worked well; (4) because of the large number of students taking part in the lab, the lab coordinator is forced to share grading responsibilities with inexperienced peer facilitators; and (5) students find the lab encounter to be a useful one. Findings suggest that the model is effective in its delivery of experiential learning as an adjunct to the basic speech communication course. (RS)

For the past 5 years at Boonsboro Middle School in Washington County, Maryland, a full-time lab coordinator has been responsible for all aspects of running the school's computer facilities. In a survey conducted at the end of the current school year, students, teachers, administrators, and district-level supervisors had the opportunity to evaluate the lab's success and the lab coordinator's effectiveness. Their written comments revealed the importance of the coordinator as mentor (to students), as role model (to teachers), and as strategist (to administrators and supervisors). (Author)

The effects of a teacher-training program on the reading scores of 49 students enrolled in special learning-center classes were investigated in a sample of 49 seventh- through twelfth-grade students. Four reading teachers who participated in inservice training classes were pre- and posttested to determine attitudes toward child-centered educational policies and practices and toward progressive educational practices. Students were pre- and posttested using the Comprehensive Tests of Basic Skills and the Slide-O-Gram Individualized Perceptual Program. Results indicated that teachers were biased toward progressive, child-centered approaches at both pre- and posttesting. Students showed an average gain of one year in reading skills. (Author/AA)

To help an elementary-level reader in a secondary school learn to read, the program must not threaten the student's ego or undermine peer approval, and it must be individualized, in the diagnostic-prescriptive mold. Any organizational plan that meets these criteria should be workable. The characteristics of several possible approaches are described, including reading labs, tutorial situations, resource teachers, homogeneous groups in one-teacher classrooms, and heterogeneous groups in one-teacher classrooms. (AA)

In order to establish the effects of three different levels of writing lab use on the writing proficiency and attitudes of remedial freshman composition students, three instructional modes were used. Writing lab students spent two hours a week in small group discussions and four hours in the lab, using autotutorial materials. Classroom lecture students attended a large lecture class four hours a week. Lecture-lab students attended the lecture four hours a week and spent two additional hours in the writing lab. Assessment of writing proficiency by means of the Subject A Diagnostic Essay Test included both the larger considerations of composition, such as evidence of critical thinking and organization and development of topic, and the more mechanical aspects of composition writing. The assessment showed no significant difference in student writing proficiency among the groups. However, attitudes of the writing lab group were significantly more favorable toward the Subject A instruction. (Tables of findings and a list of references are included.) (Author/JM)

The learning resource center is a place where learning materials and students are brought together under some kind of human mediation. The instructional interaction is primarily between students and materials. In planning a learning resource center, the first step is to survey the needs the center should satisfy. In part this can be done by using the checklist included in this paper. This checklist is divided into categories that examine the physical characteristics of the learning resource center, the people, the functions, the materials, any special factors, and evaluation and revision. Each of the categories is subdivided into several sections, with each section covering a number of specific details. (TO)

This paper describes the Pre Technical Learning Lab at the Utah Technical College at Provo which is aimed at providing individualized instruction and tutoring to meet the varied needs of the students. The contents include: "Assessment of Student Needs," which discusses pupil teacher conferences, initial reading assessment, reading tests used for assessment, use of the test results, and instructional activities; "Hourly Schedule for Student Class Work," which reviews appropriation of instructional time, grouping criteria, assignments and learning tasks, student teacher conferences, reading activities, student evaluation of the reading program, and an example of a form used for recording learning activities; and "Conclusions," which presents the two main overall objectives of the reading program and specific activities for improving student reading skills. (WR)

A national survey of learning laboratories in institutions of higher education, conducted in 1974, is reported in this document. Questionnaires consisting of 70 items on administration, budget, other programs, facility, staffing, services, clients, hardware and software, and evaluation were sent to all college and university learning centers in the United States. Responses were received from 1,258 of the 3,389 campuses listed in the "Educational Directory." Tables show both the responses to 13 of the questions and the returning institutional variables such as level, student population, name of program center (learning center, learning resource center, reading/writing lab, tutorial program, and other), and type of offering. Survey results show that more than half of the program centers are less than five years old, 85 percent are less than 10 years old, program centers have diversity of functions, and 61 percent of all respondents have program centers. The academic background of program administrators and funding of learning program centers is noted. (MKM)

Leadership persons responsible for budget planning of learning assistance centers should have a knowledge of the budgetary process. Considerations in budget planning--establishing clear goals, using a team approach, collecting output indicators, having a bookkeeping system, and maintaining budgetary flexibility--are discussed in this paper. Since the budgetary process differs from situation to situation, specific recommendations on how to plan a budget for a learning assistance center are not provided. Instead, general guidelines for the development of any such budget are presented. (TO)

When the learning assistence center's origins and development, beginning with the yen to be scientific and continuing to the rewards of combining technology with humanism, are considered in retrospect, they show the evolution and the revolutionary realignment of many very basic educational concepts. The historical irony of the learning assistance center is that, while it embodies most of the educational philosphies theorized since 1900, it works actively for futuristic education. Its present status reflects the diverse range of its origins and the snowball sequence of its development. The next stage in the history of the learning assistance center may well be its systematic integration into the campus as a whole, with the center taking its rightful place as the support service for the academic community. (Author)

The basic structure of a writing laboratory at Purdue University, Indiana, is described in this paper. Physical facilities, record keeping plans, instructional approaches and materials, and evaluation methods are discussed. As a laboratory situation, the course was intended as a supplement to regular composition classes. Five graduate students and a director provided individualized instruction according to a mastery approach in which students progressed at their own rates. Material costs were kept to a minimum through the use of short review handouts based on textbook research. Extensive record keeping charted student progress, and evaluation of staff effectiveness was performed by classroom instructors and the students themselves. Appendixes include sample record keeping materials such as study plans and instructor evaluation forms, sample instructional materials, and student evaluation forms. (KS)

This paper describes the rationale and procedures used in identifying and retraining illiterate or semiliterate high school students in an alternative high school. The program focused on decoding skills taught through SRA materials in a reading skills laboratory. Because many of the students had had many years of unsuccessful remedial reading instruction, the program attempted to retrain them, as though they had never previously tried to learn to read. After one year, 39 of the 59 students who attended the course had completed the decoding phase and were able to read all of the spelling patterns covered by the SRA series. All but one of the students advanced at least two levels in the SRA series and were evaluated by teachers as having considerably improved their decoding skills. (AA)

This paper describes a developmental writing course at Purdue University. The author argues that the basics of such a course as far as the student is concerned are motivation and a desire to learn writing, communication, careful diagnosis, organized plan for student mastery, provision for transferral, and reward. Helping students develop a desire to write depends on such factors as a congenial atmosphere, fostering the teacher's belief in the student's ability to think and to write, and providing an outlet for students' writing such as a school newspaper. The process necessary for publication is reviewed and the role of the writing laboratory is discussed. Also examined are such topics as faculty education, the testing program, administration mechanics, and student evaluation. (TS)

The discussion in this paper involves a description of the physical aspects of eight basic skills centers located in area vocational-technical schools across Kansas. These centers are evaluated according to student progress in relation to objectives set by the state in reading, mathematics, technical writing, and oral and written communications. The reading specialists in the centers are important for helping remedial students learn to read materials in their technical areas. Answers to questionnaires provided the information in this study concerning materials and equipment, physical plants, location of center, instructional procedures (basal, individualized, language experience, related skill approach, tutorial, and lecture), scheduling, and testing. Included in the paper are diagrams of centers, lists of equipment and teaching materials, and a proposed evaluation sheet of existing communication skills. (JM)

This paper discusses learning skills centers in Kansas connected with area vocational-technical schools and community junior colleges. These centers are designed to offer basic skills instruction in reading, composition, math, and study skills areas to students who cannot succeed in a vocational program because of deficiencies in one or all of these areas. The students who use these centers are classified as educationally disadvantaged by the fact that they cannot succeed without special help with skills traditionally classified as academic. Each of the basic skills centers is different and each strives to make its curriculum meet the needs of the vocational students and instructors it serves. There are, however, characteristics that are present in all basic skills programs. They are to accept the students for what they are, to tailor the instruction to fit the individual needs of the students, and to provide basic skills instruction relevant to help students find success in their chosen vocational fields. (TS)

The Learning Skills Center (LSC) at Los Angeles City College is an individualized learning laboratory which offers assistance to students in communication skills and quantitative skills, and provides tutoring in all college-level courses. ISC's programs are diagnostic and prescriptive, and services are available to students on both voluntary and referral bases. This document describes the establishment of an evaluation and management control system for LSC, and presents the results of the first evaluation. Basically, the evaluation involved a comparison of dropout rates between those LSC students who were enrolled in basic English or mathematics classes, and Los Angeles City College students who had been involved in a baseline dropout study. The baseline persistence study showed a dropout rate of 42.8 percent for students in basic English. The dropout rates for the LSC program participants enrolled in basic English, on the other hand, were 16 percent for the fall semester and 6.6 percent for the spring semester of 1974-75. The baseline study showed a 45 percent dropout rate for basic mathematics, as compared to 22.1 percent for the LSC participants during the fall semester and 10 percent for the spring semester. Data are organized into tables, and a bibliography of references for educational program evaluation and audit is appended. (Author/NHM)

The Learning Resource Center (LRC) at the Baraboo campus of the University of Wisconsin was designed to be an integral part of the teaching program, and to embody the multimedia approach to individual self-paced learning by using the most appropriate medium or combination of media for a given instructional situation. The collection includes books, periodicals, microfilm, records, audio-tapes, (reel and cassette), sculpture, films (cartridge, reel, super 8 and 16mm), slides, filmstrips, teaching machine programs, videotapes and cassettes, and all the necessary supporting play back and production equipment. The automated circulation procedures include a Standard Register Source Record Punch model which reads badges coded for students, faculty or special users. The LRC is used as a testing center for both the self-paced and traditional courses, thus freeing instructors' time enabling them to have extra class sessions and discussions. Various innovative testing formats on teaching machines are also used. In addition, the production facilities for audiovisual materials are available to instructors. (HB)

Language-disabled students who have experienced difficulties in the process of language acquisition and who may show talent in some academic areas yet fail miserably in others are increasingly able to attend college because of "open door" policies. How will colleges traditionally rooted in textbook-centered lecture courses deal with the language-disabled student? Several possible program organizations exist that involve learning laboratories which provide diagnosis, remediation, counseling, and tutoring by both subject-area instructors and peers. A varied media format of instruction is suggested to meet a variety of learning styles. Services to the faculty in the area of group reading scores and evaluating textbook readability are suggested. Colleges should accept responsibility for the language-disabled student so that the "open door" does not become a "revolving door." (MKM)

This paper describes several learning laboratory program approaches to teaching students how to prepare for professional school admission exams. That these exams are true aptitude tests is a myth repeatedly deflated when students study for the tests and manage to score significantly higher on a second testing. Factors in addition to intelligence which can influence the outcome on these standardized tests are familiarity with the exam and type of question likely to be encountered; practice in taking a mock exam under timed conditions, since working speed is a vital consideration; and reduction of anxiety level. The skills tested tend to be in two general categories for most qualifying exams, verbal and math. Specific suggestions for teaching these skills, such as practice in working analogies, are given. A program offered by UCLA's learning skills center to prepare students for the Law School Aptitude Test is described. It consists of the following five parts: a trial test using an old LSAT examination, a seminar providing general information about the test, a demonstration of how to prepare for the test (recommended study guides are listed), a cases-and-principles workshop, and essay preparation tutoring. (MKM)

The thirty-five papers in this volume were presented on the theme "Reading--Update: Ideals to Reality." The keynote address, delivered by Leland L. Medsker, was entitled "Postsecondary Education in the Decade Ahead." Titles of other papers include "Characteristics of Community College Students,""A Key to Unlock Aphasia,""The Realities of a Learning Skills Center In a College Without a Campus,""The Microcounseling Training Model: Interviewing Skills For the Reading Instructor,""Through Federal Funding land With Gun and Camera,""Active Listening,""Survey of Functions of Learning Programs in California's Two- and Four-Year Public Colleges and Universities,""The Minority Student in Teaching Communication Skills,""Using Experiences for Language Learning at the College Level,""Reading and Study Skills at the University of Kentucky Medical Center,""Getting Your Ideas into Print,""Dynamics of TNT (Teaching Notetaking Techniques),""A Learning Center at Stanford?,""Screening for Vision and Perception Disabilities,""Personalizing Reading Instruction in the Conventional Classroom,""Freshman Orientation: A Study Skills Approach," and "Implementing the Learning Resources Center: Who, Where, How, and With What?." (MKM)

This document reproduces a filmstrip and accompanying narrative describing the Allied Health Learning Center at New York City Community College. Using a team of content faculty, specialists in learning methodology, and a media production staff, the Center serves 1,800 students and 180 faculty members in seven career departments. The primary goal of the Center is to facilitate the mastery of necessary learning skills in order to support and advance the instructional objectives within the career curricula. Diagnostic testing is provided and a comprehensive student data system has been developed. A Professional Learning Systems course was implemented to apply basic skills to a target freshman science course. In order to provide supplementary support to individual courses, the Center provides modules of instruction, multi-media aids, study group sessions and peer assistance in an open lab learning environment. Seminars are given to increase student proficiency in skills specifically related to licensure and certification examinations, and career information is disseminated. Faculty workshops and seminars are conducted to promote professional development. The continuous increase in student contact hours over a three year period indicates the effectiveness of the Center in meeting the needs of the diverse student population. (NHM)

The history of the founding and first five years of operation of Pima Community College in Tucson, Arizona is presented in this paper. Following a brief description of the entire college program, philosophy, and physical plant, the reading program is discussed. The reading area is an independent academic area within the general studies division. Enrollment in a reading course is voluntary, and credit obtained is applicable toward the A.A. degree. The Alternative Learning Center (ALC) is an offspring of the reading program and provides individualized instruction in various subject areas. Designed to supply alternative methods of learning, the center uses individualized, modular, multimedia, and personal methods to aid learning and can be used to obtain tutoring and supplemental help for classes. The ALC may provide complete course work in some areas, with students allowed to work through subjects at their own pace. The ALC offers instruction in writing, math, reading, English as a second language, and study skills. Counseling services also are provided. (TO)

Reading students whose reading skills are being improved need to learn expository writing in order to be able to organize and express thoughts on paper. This document presents a systematic approach for teaching writing as part of the total communication process and consists of five units. "The Expository Paragraph," designed for use in a skills laboratory, includes an outline, supplementary material, and exercises. "The Interior Development of the Paragraph" may be used in the English classroom or the skills laboratory and does not rely on any audiovisual aids. "The Expository Essay," for use in the junior year of English, is self-paced, based on personal experience rather than on literature, and uses no audiovisual materials. "Structure of Expository Composition" diagrams the relationship and similarities between the paragraph and the essay, and "Composition Materials" lists materials appropriate to particular skills which are available in the skills lab of the author. (JM)

Articles in this publication were presented at the 1975 eighth annual COnference of the Western College Reading Association, the theme of which was "College Learning Skills Today and Tomorrowland." The keynote address presented by Gene Kerstiens was titled "The New Learners: Focus for the Future." Titles of some of the other 36 articles are: "College Learning Skills: Yesterday's and Tommorow's Skills Today,""Dynamics of a Successful Tutorial Program,""Cloze Procedure and the Affective Domain,""Standardized Reading Testing in College: Some Cautions,""Re-Entry Women: Some Programmatic Considerations,""Monolingual and Bilingual Perception of Vocabulary Usage,""A Survey of Learning Program Centers in U.S. Institutions of Higher Education,""Miscue Analysis: Some Diagnostic and Instructional Implications,""Interfacing Tutoring and Reading Programs: Training Tutors To Do My Job,""Tools for Training Instructors of Adult Reading: Fantasy or Reality,""Self-Paced Instruction--Is It Really Individualized?""The Effect of the Cloze Procedure in Teaching Comprehension to Culturally Different College Students," and "Alternative Learning and Reading." (JM)

The papers presented at this conference focus on instructional technology in community/junior colleges. The keynote speaker, F. Elkins, addresses the problem of involving faculty in a Learning Resources Program--teaching faculty to utilize available media materials and to develop their own materials, in order to provide students with alternate learning experiences. D. Perrin discusses several models of media center operation and calls on media personnel to become actively involved in curriculum and instruction. B. Folks discusses two new programs at Guilford Technical Institute, a campus-wide peer-tutorial program and self-instructional courses offered for credit through the Learning Resources Center. M. Vollum presents an annotated list of nonprint materials on instructional accountability, objectives, development, and other teaching related topics. J. Craig describes a model for the term approach to instructional development. G. Cook presents a staff development module on competency-based learning systems. H. Field describes Northern Virginia Community College's Extended Learning Institute, which is designed for students unable to take part in regular campus courses. Finally, V. Trowbridge discusses evaluation of instructional development. (MJK)

The intent of this annual conference is to provide a medium of exchange for practitioners in the field, with each person acting as a resource person for the others. To provide topical focuses, two presentations were made: Dr. Joan Roloff discussed "The Place of the Learning Center in Remedial/Compensatory Education in Community Colleges," and Dr. Henry Fea discussed "The Affective Component of Study." Dr. Roloff typifies the new wave of remedial instruction, personalization of teaching. The concept of incorporation of the classroom setting with individualized instruction i n the learning center, utilizing the discipline instructor, as well as the specialist, widens the impact of educational aid available to the student. Dr. Fea examines six affective elements of study which yield evidence that the affective component may be more potent than the cognitive component. His categorizations include: the unfinished task, busy work, remebering and forgetting, time planning, rationalization, and personalization of material. The majority of the conference was planned as group discussion with four designated topics: reading, mathematics/science, English, and developmental centers. Two paper s are included on reading. The first discusses content areas and informal diagnosis of level of reading attainment, and the second provides a confluent reading/writing fundamentals curriculum. (NHM)

The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) and the Speech Communication Association (SCA) initiated a pilot study to test the feasibility of assessing speaking and listening skills. A pool of 56 items was developed and then field tested at four sites which represented a variety of national regions, of size and type of cities, and of racial and ethnic populations. There were significant differences between the responses of minority and nonminority students. A panel of speech communication experts hypothesized that minority students might have less specialized vocabulary knowledge, a lower tolerance for long materials perceived as boring, and less experience listening to the accents and speaking rates of white speakers. The results of the NAEP/SCA project suggest a clear need for further development and research in this area. In addition, three guidelines were developed for researchers in the area of listening ability: (1) focus on skills that are unique and central to listening, (2) use short, interesting listening stimuli, and (3) consider extraneous factors which might contribute to item bias; these suggestions are intended to aid researchers rather than act as a definitive guide. (JF) Primary type of information provided by report: Procedures (Feasibility Study).

Debate can provide a format for the development of communication skills to aid students in managing conflicts, because an understanding of rule-governed communication in conflict situations is invaluable in constructive conflict management. Since in debate procedural rules restrict discussion primarily to substantive and procedural topics, debate practice enables students to argue in a rule-bound context. An awareness of communication rules alerts the students to the expectations of appropriate behavior and equips him or her to deal with them. Approaching the argumentation and debate course in a learning laboratory orients students to the basic concept of debate as a rule-governed conflict in substantive and procedural areas. Debate skills need not be limited to the public forum, but can be usefully adapted and applied to a range of interpersonal situations in which conflict is primarily in substantive and procedural areas. Laboratory situations range from informal dyads and groups (in which participants discuss, negotiate, and decide on the rules to be followed) to the formal debate (in which two or four people interact in role-assigned ways following the more formal rules of organized debate). (DF)

This proceedings, which includes 52 papers and abstracts of 13 invited and nine tutorial sessions, provides an overview of the current status of computer usage in education and offers substantive forecasts for academic computing. Papers are presented under the following headings: Business--Economics, Tools and Techniques for Instruction, Computers in Humanistic Studies, Computer Literacy, Science and Engineering, Structured Programming, ACM Elementary and Secondary Schools Subcommittee, Computer Science Education, Integrating Computing into K-12 Curriculum, Mathematics, Testing-Placement, Pre-College Instructional Materials, Minority Institutions--ECMI, Computer Laboratories in Education, Computer Games in Instruction, and Computing Curricula. Abstracts are provided for 13 invited sessions dealing with such topics as microcomputers in education; research in microcomputer uses; personal computing; educational computing: past, present, and future; the Open University; CAUSE program and projects; funding academic computing programs; computer-based resource sharing; computers and instruction; improving utilization of 2-year college computer centers; teaching computer ethics; data sets available from the federal government; and MIS education, as well as nine tutorial sessions designed to provide attendees with the opportunity to expand their appreciation of and involvement in educational computing. (CHC)

University and college reading improvement teachers need a repertoire of techniques designed to guide carefully students' growth in developing independent comprehension strategies. Such strategies should avoid use of prepackaged commercial kits and collections of articles (content-simulated materials) and should stress the application by students of comprehension strategies directly to the narrative and expository materials that they are required to use in their academic course work. This approach facilitates transfer of instruction and prevents assumptive teaching often found in college reading improvement programs. One strategy for guiding growth in comprehension is the guided writing procedure, which is designed to encourage active comprehension and recall of content area material through a writing and discussion exercise. A second strategy is a brainstorming activity in developing content area vocabulary that emphasizes the active learning and retention of technical vocabulary from a content area unit. (Author/TJ)

The techniques used for teaching college economics have remained relatively unchanged over the past few decades. These techniques do not give the students an opportunity to apply, to develop, or to practice the economic theory they read about and hear in lectures. They tend to reinforce student assumptions about the subject's "givenness" and de-emphasize the discipline's dynamic nature. The recent revolution in micro technology and the availability of software have teachers of economics with an opportunity to let students in on the work of their profession, that is, "doing" economics. A computer laboratory provides students with a space within which to work closely with their professor or a graduate student. The increased availability of the instructor and the increased interaction with the material can help students learn more and learn more effectively. Even at the undergraduate level science can be exciting when both anticipated and unanticipated results arise during the experimentation process. Since undergraduate would-be economists rarely experiment, the thrill that comes with discovery is missing. Only by adopting a lecture/laboratory format can theoretical knowledge and experimental discovery be brought together to enhance student learning. This type of approach is being tried at Denison University (Ohio). A 51-item bibliography is included. (JB)

This report summarizes the major features of a 1973 summer conference (at the New York State University at Buffalo) on listening as an essential feature of communication and problems relating to students' listening skills. The conference was held because of an awareness that little attention is being paid to listening comprehension in the educational process, even though students spend much of their educational time in listening activities. Conference participants discussed current research on time-compressed speech, listening comprehension, current audio-tutorial programs, and the possibilities for future emphases on listening instruction. The authors have included copies of the papers they presented as well as an extensive bibliography entitled "Listening and Technology." (RN)

The twenty-two papers included in this volume on the theme "Interdisciplinary Aspects of Reading Instruction" represent the views of reading/study specialists and directors for twelve junior-community colleges, two four-year colleges, five state and private universities, one hospital, and two companies which deal in educational products and services. Titles of papers include "The Use of Tutors in the Santa Barbara City College Reading Lab,""The Training and Use of Paraprofessionals in the College Reading Program,""Training Communication Specialists for the Metropolitan Innercity Junior College,""Learning Center Concept in Action,""The Student-Development Center: A Ten-Week Experience in Re-education,""Systems for Learning Assistance: Learners, Learning Facilitators, and Learning Centers,""Reading/Study Skills in a Two-Year College,""Effect of Media and Publishing in the Learning Process,""A Comparison of the Reading Abilities of a Junior College Population and the Readability Levels of Their Texts,""The Relationship of Affective Changes to Cognitive Skills Development,""A Behavior Management Program for Teaching Introduction to Composition,""Cultural Linguistic Approach to the Teaching of Reading," and "A University Learning Center." (MKM)

The procedures utilized by the Learning Assistance Center at the University of California, Davis Campus, to evaluate its programs and the subsequent ongoing evaluation process were described in this paper. In order to gather the needed information, four different evaluation techniques were utilized. The first technique was to collect general demographic information from IBM cards filled out during the student's first visit to the Learning Assitance Center. The second method was directed specifically toward those people starting a program but attending two times or less. The third method was to invite a random sample of the Center users to spend an hour one evening discussing their experiences in depth. The fourth source of feedback was to send a four-page survey to all students using the Learning Assistance Center facilities for the year. The format of this survey encouraged comments and suggestions regarding experiences at the Learning Assistance Center, funding cost/benefit ratio, and recommendations for new areas and programs. These procedures endeavored to maximize student input in assessment, which proved useful in setting priorities for current projects and directing future program development. (TS)

A workship program, designed as a noncredit adjunct to composition classes, was developed in order to serve the individual needs of college students. Close communication between regular course instructors and workshop staff was maintained, and the attempt was made to substitute a developmental philosophy of learning for the usual connotation of remediation. Students, self-referred or referred by composition instructors, received help with composition basics, fundamental concepts, course-specific writing problems, and organization of ideas. A special attempt was made to achieve relevance for foreign students and those from minority backgrounds. In addition, the workshop served a smaller group of creative writers in search of a source of feedback. Tutors provided immediate, specific commentary in the presence of the student, diagnosed problems, and organized the individualized instruction process. (KS)

This paper offers many specific suggestions for improving community college reading instruction through counseling and content. Such topics are discussed as reading and writing laboratories; multimedia instruction; group instruction classes in basic reading skills, vocabulary and study skills, and analytical and critical reading; individualized instruction; training tutors to work in the labs; individual conferences; materials for reading instruction; the role of tutors; the cloze method for instructional and testing purposes; the Fernald tracing method in a beginning reading program; and oral reading. (TS)

The studies in this monograph are designed to examine the implementation processes of an innovative instructional program and the relationship between the implementation process and the achievement of certain program goals in school settings. The monograph is a contribution to the technical aspects of designing and implementing innovative educational programs in general, and the implementation of individualized instructional programs in school settings in particular. The studies reported were conducted in two public elementary schools, one located in an inner city neighborhood in Pittsburgh, and the other located in a working class neighborhood in a suburb of Pittsburgh. Specifically the monograph is a series of research studies carried out during the developmental stages of an instructional learning management system, the Self Schedule System. It includes: (a) a brief description of the conceptual design of the Self Schedule System, which was created to implement the individualized instructional programs developed at the Learning Research and Development Center (LRDC) of the University of Pittsburgh; (b) the documentation of the implementation processes adopted to field test the Self Schedule System in school settings; (c) research findings on the effects of the Self Schedule System on student and teacher classroom behaviors, as well as student learning outcomes; and (d) evaluation of the Self Schedule System from the teacher's perspective. (DMT)

In assessing the evaluation of student compositions, it is evident that even when objectives for freshman composition are established, there is little agreement or consistency among faculty regarding the transfer of these objectives into operational terms. A study conducted at Eastern Kentucky University compared the long term effects of two instructional methods on the achievement and attrition rate of 244 students enrolled in the 1970 fall freshman class. Subjects, first semester freshmen who had scored in the bottom decile on the English section of the American College Test, were randomly enrolled in the writing lab--a lengthened time, tutoring approach--or in remedial English, taught by lecture and discussion in one semester. Effects of these courses showed no difference between the two methods with regard to attrition, but significantly greater achievement by students in the writing laboratory, indicating that transfeered writing skill does assert itself after the freshman year. (Tables illustrating the study are included.) (JM)

Presented in condensed form, this document represents the general and concurrent session presentations offered to 191 participants attending the 1975 Tenth Annual Small Schools Summer Institute held in Oregon. Identified as major speakers and resource people in attendance at the Institute are: representatives from nationally validated Title III projects, exemplary programs in Oregon, Oregon College of Education, and the State Department of Education. Major presentations include: "Message from Superintendent Verne A. Duncan"; "Pacesetter for Small Schools"; "Legal Survival Skills for Educators"; "Preventing Reading Failure"; "Developments in Special Education in Oregon"; and "Constructuve Rebellion". Among the concurrent presentations recorded here are speeches dealing with: law; teaching language arts; early childhood education guidelines and programs; new graduation requirements; minimum standards; budgeting and accounting; department of education guides; the metric system; 1975 legislation; school faculties and the decision making process; special vocational programs for small schools; career and community awareness; learning centers; aids for teachers of the handicapped; resources for learning disabled children; value clarification; alphaphonics; gaining support for innovative ideas; a communications curriculum; and model career education reports. (JC)

Learning centers should be considered a fundamental strategy in the instruction of language skills, functioning more in the mainstream of the language arts curriculum than on the periphery. In view of the fact that language is founded on thought that is derived from the learner's experience, learning centers provide a language experience approach, featuring the use of the learner's own language and thought as a foundation for instruction. In learning centers children are taught real uses of real language, not given dry-run drills. The use of learning centers also affects the role of the teacher, who assumes the position of guide and co-learner rather than that of source and dispenser of knowledge. The teacher circulates among the centers, sits in on discussions, reads written work, and gives editorial help. Teachers discover that such a classroom setting allows them more freedom with their classroom time. (JF)