Systems Analysis and Design (SA&D) is the cornerstone course of a traditional information system curriculum. Conventionally, it is a sequence of two courses with the second course dedicated to the completion of a project. However, it has recently become more common to reduce the two-course sequence into one, especially for IS departments that…

This case describes the situation of Smile Land Academy (SLA), a real-world based childcare center. SLA has grown from a very small company to a fairly large-sized organization (30 employees with 150 children). Unfortunately, its system for record-keeping, summarization of data, and reporting has not kept pace. The hard copies and spreadsheet…

The objective of this study was to determine the time and level of Information Systems (IS) awareness among Kenyan university students and the choice of IS as a field of specialization. The study posited that the choice of a field of specialization is dependent upon a student's awareness of its existence, its utilization in the real world, its…

The authors developed this experiential exercise to aid students in learning how others perceive them as well as how they perceive others and, ultimately, to begin to help them identify the origins of such perceptions. The exercise's goal is to explore how participants may make inaccurate perceptions of others and how they might pierce through…

There are many factors that make the undergraduate systems analysis and design course somewhat enigmatic in its purpose, and therefore equivocal in its delivery. The purpose of this research is to learn, specifically, what instructors are teaching in their systems analysis and design courses. This paper reports the results of a survey and follow…

Novel and innovative modes of interacting with website information, which necessitate methods and tools for their evaluation have arisen. However, it is essential to develop such methods from contexts of use at a macro (i.e. cultural) and micro (individual use contexts) level. Activity theory has been used extensively in systems evaluation as it…

This report presents the results of a survey of 1,010 K-12 public school teachers about their views on the teaching profession, teachers unions, and various reforms aimed at improving teacher quality. It reveals the challenges teachers see in their profession, including weak evaluation processes and a rigid tenure pay system; how teachers feel…

The U. S. Air Force job inventory for the automatic digital switching specialist career ladder is divided into 12 categories, each of which is broken down into a duty-task list. Space is provided for Air Force personnel filling out the inventory to check whether each task is at present part of their duties. The 12 categories are: organizing and…

This discussion describes an evaluation model designed to complement a curriculum development project, the primary goal of which is to structure a performance based program for preservice teachers. Data collected from the implementation of this four-phase model can be used to make decisions for developing and changing performance objectives and…

This checklist provides guidance on how to measure adequacy of control and security of computer systems, identifies areas of risk, raises management and user awareness of their stewardship responsibilities, and reviews issues relative to system documentation, maintenance, integrity, and reliability. (MBR)

A survey of computer scientists was conducted to identify factors that affect software complexity. A total of 160 items were selected from the literature to include in a questionnaire sent to 425 individuals who were employees of computer-related businesses in Lawrence and Kansas City. The items were grouped into nine categories called system…

Two systematic ways of analyzing and planning the components of a program or project, both used extensively by industry and government, are discussed in this paper. The methods are Program Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT) Networks and Critical Path Method (CPM) Arrow Diagrams. The purposes of this paper are (1) to explore the need for…

The IRC Model for Input-Output Analysis of Student Personnel Services is designed to provide information to support program planning-evaluation-budget systems of participating colleges. The instruments of the model have been constructed to allow the application of systems analysis techniques to a wide variety of student personnel settings. The…

Three documents are presented which describe the Australian Open Learning Information Network (AOLIN)--a national, independent, and self-supporting network of educational researchers with a common interest in the use of information technology for open and distance education--and discuss two evaluative studies undertaken by the organization. The…

This manual describes a systematic process for conducting an educational needs assessment at the building level which includes suggestions for the formation of an advisory group and the use of two Likert Scale surveys. The advisory group is composed of parents, students, and educators; this group carries out the tasks of understanding, planning,…