Using the same data, which could come from local databases or external sources, such as the Web, virtual museum designers can build different hyperspaces. It is possible that visitors would find some of them more useful than others. Virtual museums designers should be equipped with a tool by which various hyperspaces for virtual museums can be…

One of the challenges limiting the capability for analysis of educational issues is that data on school enrollments, staffing, and financing are collected through separate but annually conducted universe surveys. Because the data are collected and provided by separate agencies, the available data from the nation's school districts are often…

Knowledge discovery in databases (KDD) revolves around the investigation and creation of knowledge, processes, algorithms, and mechanisms for retrieving knowledge from data collections. The article is an introductory overview of KDD. The rationale and environment of its development and applications are discussed. Issues related to database design…

Discusses important factors to consider before deciding on hardware or software to use in building qualitative databases. Examines using the computer to store and retrieve text, store and retrieve graphics, analyze text, analyze graphic materials, distribute data stored on one machine to others, allow researchers access to data from remote sites,…

High schools are increasingly expected to use data for improvement and to provide evidence that programs and instructional practices are preparing all students to develop essential knowledge and skills. This publication describes how schools can develop the capacity to analyze and use data as a core component of improving secondary schools using…

Seven articles discuss research by and for practitioners. The topics include demystification of research for practitioners, experiences with helping teacher researchers, an application of a collaborative action research model, one health practitioner's experience, creating a dance research database, basic data analysis for nonresearchers, and why…

The paper addresses the potential of informatics to patient care quality assurance curricula, focusing on (1) terminology and developments related to quality of care evaluations; (2) criticisms of traditional approaches; (3) limitations of existing data sources for quality assurance in dentistry; and (4) quality assurance considerations in…

This handbook was undertaken in response to the needs expressed by the higher education community for a common language--common data categories and definitions--to describe the human resources of postsecondary education institutions, and is intended as a basic guide to help institutions develop analytically useful databases of faculty and staff to…

Describes the methodology and results of the log analysis for the Alcohol Studies Database (ASDB), a domain-specific database supported by the Center of Alcohol Studies at Rutgers University Libraries. The objectives were to better understand user search behavior, to analyze failure rates, and to develop approaches for improving the user…

The Comparative Database System (CDS) provides a means for coding and using data on U.S. and international postsecondary educational activity and behavior. CDS permits education-data users to obtain accurate and reliable comparative data on postsecondary education questions. This document contains a discussion of the development of CDS, a detailed…

This conference paper presents a description of how faculty workloads are assessed for fiscal and other purposes at Northern Arizona University (NAU). Following a discussion of workload issues, the paper examines: (1) definition of workload; (2) methodology for data collection; (3) development of a faculty full-time equivalency database and two…

Activities of the Special Issues Analysis Center (SIAC), a technical support center providing assistance to the Department of Education in serving the needs of limited-English-proficient (LEP) students through the Bilingual Education Act of 1988, are summarized. In the third year of its contract, SIAC performed these services: creation of a…

A 5-year study of the Illinois Eastern Community College District 529 Information Referral and Retention (IR&R) Project was conducted. Its purpose was to evaluate demographic and educational information regarding 888 students enrolled in the IR&R Public Assistance Program from November 1983 through June 1988. As part of the study, an…

This monograph, based on a conceptual model called an information support circle, describes a structured management process that can be used by higher education institutions to add value to institutional data and information. The model offers a sequence of (1) thinking about the management and use of data, (2) considering problems in providing…

As part of its Priorities, Quality, and Productivity (PQP) initiative, the Illinois State Board of Higher Education asked institutions to address issues associated with faculty roles and responsibilities. This paper describes the statewide information collected, how the data are used in Board reports, and how improved data collection might…