The Teacher Load Index, a simplified method of comparing the teaching load of individuals in the California junior and community colleges, is presented in this report. First, the load measurement problem is addressed, revealing the inadequacies of the Credit Unit and the Weekly Student Contact Hour systems for measuring teacher load. Then, a…

A state-level library acquisitions model is described, and the results of a two-year implementation by Colorado appropriating agencies are analyzed. The model was developed to address two problems: (1) determining library collection standards for each campus; and (2) presenting campus acquisition needs in a way that differentiated campus roles and…

The use of data on longitudinal student attendance patterns to determine variances, and hence confidence bounds, on student enrollment forecasts, in addition to finding the forecasts themselves, is demonstrated. The formulation of the enrollment model based on longitudinal student attendance patterns is described step by step, presenting the…

The use of high school transcipts, American College Testing Service composite scores, and first semester courses and grades of college freshmen is discussed as a way to statistically analyze the notion that high school college preparatory courses help students earn better grades in college than elective courses do. (MSE)

A Rochester Institute of Technology (New York) program costing model designed to reflect costs more accurately allocates indirect costs according to salaries and wages, modified total direct costs, square footage of space used, credit hours, and student and faculty full-time equivalents. It allows administrators to make relative value judgments…

A computerized faculty allocation and reallocation model is presented to aid the decision maker in evaluating the outcomes of various strategies. A unique goal can be computed for each department based on the average index of the institution, the average of the college, the preceding average of the department, and a goal established by management…

Discusses the emergence of chaos as a major scientific subject and its place in historical, scientific, and technological context. Three sections provide (1) an overview of the scientific paradigm; (2) a review of the ideology of classical mechanics; and (3) examples of classical systems behaving in peculiar, nonintuitive manners. (MDH)

"Item models" (LaDuca, Staples, Templeton, & Holzman, 1986) are classes from which it is possible to generate/produce items that are equivalent/isomorphic to other items from the same model (e.g., Bejar, 1996; Bejar, 2002). They have the potential to produce large number of high-quality items at reduced cost. This paper introduces…

A research project is described that concerns "temporal adjustment" as one form of a non-wage adjustment in the academic labor market. Receipt of the doctorate, the number and length of post-doctoral fellowships, and the achievement of tenure are temporal factors in academic careers. The change in timing of these factors is a form of…

The relationship between departmental activities and the need for nonacademic staff and operating funds was analyzed using regression analysis. Support costs were broken into task categories and related to certain basic variables describing the composition and activity of the unit (e.g., number of staff and teaching load). The results were linked…

Presents an activity in which students construct model hot air balloons to introduce the concepts of convection current, the principles of Charles' gas law, and three-dimensional geometric shapes. Provides construction and launching instructions. (MDH)

This report puts forth the position of the Office of the Chancellor of the California State University (CSU) regarding data needs for constructing California Community College (CCC) transfer rates, indicating that the CSU's preferred transfer rate would indicate the annual incidence of new transfers, convey efficiency across time, and, in…

A formula model is presented for use by the chief academic officer, college deans, department chairpersons, and section heads to make the specific dollar allocations to the academic units for which they are responsible. The following calculations and estimations of the factors in the formula are explained: total adjusted amount to be allocated, in…

A strategy developed at the University of Wyoming for achieving equity in salaries for faculty in nontraditional adult education programs is described. The model uses a formula derived from average full-time salary, total faculty service units, instructional component weighting, and credit hours of equivalent service to be reimbursed for…

Presents an economic model to analyze the cost efficiency of access to journal articles via three alternatives: journal subscriptions, consortium membership, and commercial document delivery. Results show cost efficiency is based on the value of future journal use, costs of delivery and subscriptions, and the value of time to patrons. (Author/LRW)