This project studied the feasibility of developing a computerized database of information about vocational and technical education curriculum materials. It was conducted in response to the need expressed by educators in the field for a comprehensive, centralized, computerized database of information on the availability of curriculum materials. The…

This exploratory investigation of the process of defining the information needs of computer users and the impact of that process on information retrieval focuses on communication problems. Six sites were visited that used computers to process data or to provide information, including the California Department of Transportation, the California…

This newsletter's first article is the director's report "Double Standards in Australian Family Policy" by Don Edgar. It asks for government support for families in the form of programs and funding, not just rhetoric. The next article, "IFS Research", also by Don Edgar, details the past, current and future research of the…

This report assesses the impact of instruction in online bibliographic database searching on high school students' use of library materials and facilities in three Delaware secondary schools (one public, one parochial, and one private) during the spring of 1984. Most students involved in the analysis were given a brief explanation of online…

The educational background and issues which shaped the design of the National Migrant Education Program Math Skills Information System are explained in this report, along with a full description of the features of the system and its operation. It discusses the variety of math skills information used to permit teachers to input and receive math…

This report describes a project designed to (1) develop models for use of vocational education data available from the Oregon Management Information System (MIS) to implement decision making at key points in program planning and curriculum development, and (2) design, develop, and test a system to improve the competencies of state and local…

While the emphasis in much recent research has been essentially on urban concerns, there are very substantial empirical data resources which are available for the study of nonmetropolitan social, political, and economic phenomenon. The sources of computer-readable data relevant to investigation of nonmetropolitan phenomena can be grouped into…

The purpose of the research described in the report is twofold. First, it is to analyze the relative benefits and costs of on-line computerized placement systems. The techniques developed for such an analysis which might be useful in evaluating other manpower programs are presented. Second, it is to provide a prototype model which shows how…

This study shows strategies which can be used to plan and implement the Canadian National Library's bibliographic data base and the systems which it is to support. The data base would be a subset of a national bibliographic data base which can be brought together in the context of the projected Canadian Library and Information Retrieval Center.…

LaGuardia Community College (LGCC) has recently initiated work on the development of a comprehensive system for computer storage, processing, and analysis of data pertaining to student performance, demography, and attitudes. This system is not yet wholly operative, but many of its components have been developed. This report presents the findings…

Computer-based bibliographic services are a response to a combination of trends and developments that are forcing major changes in the way libraries operate. With the financial encouragement of the National Science Foundation's Office of Science Information Service, there are now at least 40 abstracting and indexing services covering scientific…

Project BASICS attempts to determine which of the successfully demonstrated reading and mathematics strategies will produce mastery learning for different types of students in terms of their individual characteristics and needs. It focuses on the discovery and implementation of alternative strategies for mastery learning with an innovative school…

Strategies and systems for evaluating educational programs are detailed in an attempt to fulfill the need for a centralized evaluation capability. Since a fundamental prerequisite for program evaluation is a statement of the objectives of the educational system, a set of system goals is proposed. These goals would provide a framework of criteria…

The data processing activities to support a multimedia course in leadership (see the final reports which summarize the course development project, EM 010 418, EM 010 419, and EM 010 484) are overviewed in this document. A first section describes the type of flexible systems approach used in conjunction with a comprehensive data base and data…

The paradigm and model presented in this paper, influenced by the Havelock's "linkage" model and Chin's "changing" model, aim to assist educators in determing directions of change using a selection of managerial and behavioral techniques, and to regulate the rate of change using management information and control systems. The generic paradigm…