This evaluation of means of accessing data on the U.S. Census Bureau CD-ROM Test Disc 2 describes computer hardware configurations considered in determining the most efficient method of manipulating the data, and mentions software options. Two dBASE configurations are compared, and it is concluded that the 80386 is essential for efficient…

Discusses the use of natural language processing to help organize multimedia data. The MARIE system, which uses captions to embody the classificatory information and heuristic advice necessary to search a database of photographs, is explained. Advantages include improved speed of access and the ability for improved user interaction. (Contains 21…

Discusses a research design course in which undergraduates were taught to program microcomputers for the control of experimental tasks. Describes the teaching approach for the three-hour course unit, along with the experimental tasks that were performed. Reports that students ranked the programing of experimental tasks as important as other…

The Finance Analysis Model builds a computerized reporting system that can separate costs by organizational setting, by function, by type or level of school, by individual schools, and by program. When these costs are cross-tabulated at each school, decision makers can communicate about how resources are being allocated and used. (7 tables, 15…

Rutgers University Libraries are using a Microsoft Access database to track the purchase of books requested by teaching faculty for use in the Reserve Collection. Reports are generated which show what is purchased, how money was spent. Combined with circulation figures and LC Subject areas, the database provides documentation of library support of…

Purpose: To share the experiences and challenges faced by the Open University Library (OUL) in developing a content management (CM) system for its subject guides. Design/methodology/approach: A summary of multi-format subject guide production at the OUL is provided to justify the decision to develop a new system for their production using a…

Teachers should consider using web-based platform, such as WebCT, to enhance their regular face-to-face classes. WebCT and other similar systems offer many benefits to teachers and students in traditional settings. Students can benefit by being able view slides or notes they missed in the regular classroom. They can also benefit from the increased…

Everyone on your campus needs information, and if your institution is like most schools, you have plenty of it to share. But which types of data warehousing and business intelligence systems you choose, and how accessible, usable, and meaningful those tools make all of that information, remain the big questions for many technologists and…

More and more colleges and universities today have discovered electronic record-keeping and record-sharing, made possible by document imaging technology. Across the country, schools such as Monmouth University (New Jersey), Washington State University, the University of Idaho, and Towson University (Maryland) are embracing document imaging. Yet…

As the quality of authoring software increases, online course developers become less reliant on proprietary learning management systems, and develop skills in the design of original, in-house materials and the delivery platforms for them. This report examines the capabilities of digital authoring software tools for the development of learning…

The electronic portfolio (e-portfolio) is higher education's new "got to have it" tool--the show-and-tell platform of the millennium. Hundreds of academic institutions are variously studying, using, or innovating e-portfolio systems. Indeed, the current e-portfolio movement is spawning new university committees; on-campus training modules, books,…

Reliable and current data is the foundation upon which good public policymaking is built. While California collects a good deal of data on its teaching workforce, policymakers have lacked a state-level data and analysis system to provide answers to even some of the most basic questions: How many credential holders actually take jobs? In what types…

This paper presents outcomes of a practicum that was designed to address a need that was created when the Ministry of Education in Ontario, Canada, mandated that all grade 9 classes be "destreamed." A review of educational literature found no methods for ensuring that classes are truly heterogeneously mixed. The practicum was designed to…

As of 1993, Nevada had no systems for statewide automation and transfer of student records. This guide book presents findings of a collaborative study, conducted by the Nevada Department of Education and local school districts, that explored the need for and feasibility of developing a statewide system for automating and transferring student…

This book offers guidelines for action research, a process in which teachers experiment with various strategies at the classroom level. Action research is the process of systematically evaluating the consequences of educational decisions and adjusting practices to maximize effectiveness. Essentially the examination of one's own practice, it…