Although colleges and universities do sell goods and services, make them with purchased inputs and hired workers, use plants and equipment, and compete for customers and faculty inputs, they are fundamentally economically different from businesses in a number of ways. The unique costs, prices, production technologies, and markets of higher…

One way to avoid misunderstandings about the nature of training between corporate managers and training personnel is to relate instructional systems design (ISD) to a process with which managers are familiar. Proposes comparing the activities and outputs in ISD to new product development. Discusses steps in both models and includes a comparison…

Discusses the appropriate use of the instructional systems design (ISD) process and compares it to the appropriate use of the dog-breeding process according to the AKC (American Kennel Club). Topics include constructivism and objectivism, or behaviorism; instructional effectiveness; and the use of design models. (Author/LRW)

Explains component-based development (CBD) for distributed information systems and presents an evaluation framework, which highlights the extent to which a methodology is component oriented. Compares prominent CBD methods, discusses ways of modeling, and suggests that this is a first step towards a components-oriented systems development…

Reviews literature concerning need for and use of strategic planning in higher education institutions, and examines the systems approach as a means of enhancing strategic planning. Compares planning models and outlines a model designed for colleges and universities that uses concepts of the systems approach, combines elements of existing models,…

Discusses instructional technology versus performance technology, and how ISPI (International Society for Performance Improvement) members can position themselves within the performance field. Topics include a value proposition for performance technology, or a statement of the value that is promised to the customer; becoming conversant with other…

Used a model of educational productivity to analyze data on South Korean and U.S. achievement and its possible causes. Chapters 1 through 5 present the study, which examined the achievement of 10,975 U.S. middle school students and 5,846 South Korean students. Chapters 6 and 7, by Yunhan Hwang and Ward Weldon, present South Korean and U.S.…

Proposes a model for how document literacy and prose literacy are related to young adults' occupational status and their societal participation. Finds that the relatively low occupational status of Blacks appears to be attributable to their relatively low literacy achievement and literacy activity. (MG)

A developmental-acquisition model of case management was compared to usual case management services provided for the chronically mentally ill, using a sample of 89 persons referred to a large midwestern mental health center for community support services. The developmental-acquisition model was seemingly successful and deserves further refinement…

Discusses end-user searching in Boolean information retrieval systems considers the role of search intermediaries and proposes a model of user preferences that incorporates a user's profile. Highlights include document representation; information queries; document output ranking; calculating user profiles; and selecting documents for a local…

Presents an improved inverted region quadtree variation called Dynamic Inverted Quadtree that is able to support and index a pictorial database. Pattern-searching algorithms are described, and the space needs of Fully Inverted and Dynamic Inverted Quadtrees are analytically compared based on a model of image randomness expressed as a branching…

Discussion of how moving image documents (MID)--i.e., film, videotape, and videodisc--can be described for information retrieval highlights the Image Structure Information System (ISIS) project. This project elaborated a definition of abstract suitable for MID and constructed a microcomputer environment that selects elements useful for access and…

Introduces this journal issue which is a symposium on the theory, methods, and applications of qualitative research in the field of library and information science. Highlights include a definition of qualitative research, models of qualitative research, distinguishing features of research practice, comparisons with quantitative research, and…

Following a brief summary of the ideas and assumptions of L. L. Thurstone's law of comparative judgment, this article reviews the subsequent major developments of this model in the sensory area. The law of comparative judgments is part of the body of work called Thurstonian scaling. (SLD)

Provides a theoretical overview of decision-making models which are applicable to libraries; presents a framework for comparing the rational, political bargaining, and garbage can models; describes a case study that applied the models to a decision regarding an academic library governance system; and discusses strategies for library managers for…