This paper discusses several concepts and techniques from the areas of systems theory and economic analysis that can be used as tools in an effort to improve the productivity of the educational enterprise. Several studies investigating productivity in education are reviewed, and the analytical problems in conducting cost-effectiveness studies are…

It is argued that the structural and process models of human communication systems can be derived from the same data, and that communication systems can be described in terms of certain basic parameters; these parameters, in turn, provide a taxonomy of system types. The applicable empirical research data is reviewed to make statements about the…

This paper demonstrates a process for investigating the economic and budgeting impact of educational innovations on the educational systems where they are introduced, based on the assumption that the money to finance educational innovations will have to be shifted from existing programs or other innovations. To illustrate the use of his analytical…

This document conceptualizes the university as a living social system with technical, managerial, service, and institutional subsystems that have specialized goals. The document discusses models of university compliance systems--the compliance of university participants in different models such as formal, semiformal, and informal. In developing…

Beginning January 1, 1969, Systems Research Group (SRG) undertook a project to develop operational cost simulation models of three of the colleges of applied arts and technology in Ontario. These models, and the data needed to feed them, have been developed and are now operating. SRG describes their progress to date and identifies the remaining…

This document, intended to accompany "Analytic Summaries of Specifications for Model Teacher Education Programs" (SP 003 719), provides a basic introduction to the techniques of educational planning which were used in developing the ten models. General principles of models, system analysis, and behavioral learning systems are presented in concise…

Educational management programs have planned outcomes that can be achieved through alternative routes. Methods-means selection is a systematic approach to choosing the most favorable route. "Methods" refer to the specific strategies and "means" refer to the actual resources and personnel used to carry out the chosen method. This systems analysis…

From the systems viewpoint, educational planning is the mechanism through which the educational system makes its goals specific and adapt its priorities, resources, and operational patterns to the changing environmental forces of its particular society. The systems-oriented administrator is a change agent and innovative strategist who delegates…

A stratified sample of student personnel workers in four types of higher education institutions responded to the Institutional Goals Inventory. The results were analyzed in terms of student personnel workers' perceptions of present goals, preferred goals, and discrepancies between the two. The results revealed marked differences among types of…

The characteristics and components of a competency-based teacher education program within which the skills for teaching reading and language arts are developed and implemented are identified in this paper. A four-phase systemic curriculum model developed at the University of North Florida is presented. Twenty-five enabling objectives were written…

This paper focuses on the environmental influences of change in the communication structure of organizations and argues that structural changes in communication networks are increasingly externally induced. The unit of analysis selected for discussion in this paper is the individual organization. A communication network among organizations is…

Developed at Brigham Young University, Fault Tree Analysis (FTA) is a technique for enhancing the probability of success in any system by analyzing the most likely modes of failure that could occur. It provides a logical, step-by-step description of possible failure events within a system and their interaction--the combinations of potential…

A course in modeling and computer simulation of dynamic systems uses three methods to introduce students to these topics. Core studies, the consideration of the theoretical fundamentals of modeling and simulation, and the execution by students of a project are employed. Taught in the Electrical Engineering Department at Michigan Technological…

Simulation is defined and its use, as related to three types of models, iconic, analogue, and symbolic, that may be utilized in educational research is discussed. A five-step procedure is outlined that can be followed in the process of symbolic model construction. Simulation methods, based on these three models, are examined, and illustrations of…

This report, a clear statement of how one district developed a planning system, offers both a theoretical and a practical approach to providing the superintendent, his staff, and the board of education with a comprehensive planning system instrument for making policy decisions and allocating resources. Also provided are guidelines for involving…