Describes PACE (Public Access Catalogue Extension), an alternative interface designed to enhance online catalogs by simulating images of books and library shelves to help users browse through the catalog. Results of a test in a college library against a text-based online public access catalog, including student attitudes, are described.…

Reports on the case study of a high school student using a computer-based tool called the Contour Analyzer to create graphs of height versus distance and slope versus distance for a flat board positioned with different slants and orientations. Focuses on visually recognizing the mathematical behavior of the slope versus distance function which…

This study tested the efficiency of two different body sites (the head and the left hand) for operation of a computer adaptive switch by an adolescent with spastic quadriplegic cerebral palsy. Data were collected during an assessment phase and a motor training phase. Results after analysis of the collected data were contradictory and inconclusive.…

Reports on the methodology used in an experiment whose objective was to discover whether information seekers display experimentally demonstrable preferences for index terms with particular properties, and if so, to analyze those preferences. Results provide strong evidence that it is possible to measure human preference for index terms.…

The purpose of this study was to organize menu items based on a user-process model and implement a new version of current software for enhancing usability of interfaces. A user-process model was developed, drawn from actual users' understanding of their goals and strategies to solve their information needs by using Dervin's Sense-Making Theory…

This study develops and tests an instrument useful for evaluating the quality of academic library Web sites. Discusses criteria for print materials and human-computer interfaces; user-based perspectives; the use of factor analysis; a survey of library experts; testing reliability through analysis of variance; and regression models. (Contains 53…

Described is a project involving the introduction of microcomputers into the laboratory portion of a college general physics course for data collection and analysis. The results of an evaluation of this program are presented. (CW)

This study uses the human approach to examine the sources and effectiveness of search terms selected during 40 mediated interactive database searches and focuses on determining the retrieval effectiveness of search terms identified by users and intermediaries from retrieved items during term relevance feedback. (Author/JKP)

Proposes a method of evaluating information retrieval systems by concentrating on individual tools (commands, their menus or graphic interface equivalents, or a move/stratagem). A user would assess the relative success of a small part of a search, and every tool used in that part would be credited with a contribution to the result. Cumulative…

Examines extent to which assessment of text comprehension involves knowledge of the properties of human cognition and the context of assessment. Shows that assessments of the quality of the answers varied based on the perceived human or artificial source of the answers. Provides copies of experimental questionnaires in the appendices. (DSK)

Reports some of the progress made over the years toward exploring information beyond the text domain. Describes the Multimedia Analysis and Retrieval Systems (MARS), developed to increase access to non-textual information. Addresses the following aspects of MARS: (1) visual feature extraction; (2) retrieval models; (3) query reformulation…

This study investigated graduate students gender-specific preferences for certain website interface design features, intending to generate useful information for instructors in choosing and for website designers in creating educational websites. The features investigated in this study included colour value, major navigation buttons placement, and…

The development of potentially powerful computer-based tools within rich learning environments is hampered by the constraints of delivery systems (specifically low-resolution, low-real estate displays). In designing a World Wide Web-based tool for manipulating time-based information, the authors have encountered a lack of guidelines or empirical…

This study evaluates the usability of the proposed MOA (mouse-over-abstract) interfaces that could be implemented in Web-based or stand-alone applications. The MOA designs provide users with an abstract that serves as context cues about the information presented in the linked page. The context cues are available in visual and/or audio formats.…

This study evaluates the use of graphing calculators in the science classroom within the context of a collaborative action research approach. A class of diversified middle-class students (n=650) defined by teachers and administrators as "above average" were studied. Initially, information was gathered on current classroom management techniques as…