Good feedback from a consultant is evidence-based insight into the good, bad, and indifferent aspects of the work being done. The college administrator needs to prepare for hearing and acting on it. Receiving feedback is difficult, but handling it well is critical to the ultimate effectiveness of change. (Author/MSE)

Used 1988 Australian national population survey to examine drug information needs. Results indicated almost one-half of respondents believed that they had an adequate amount of information about drug and alcohol services available. Drug users expressed greater desire for information and willingness to use variety of welfare and social support…

It is proposed that numerous national surveys of faculty since the late 1960s provide institutional researchers and others with rich sources of descriptive data to help address the shifting national issues and institutional concerns related to faculty resources. An annotated list of 12 major faculty surveys is appended. (MSE)

Describes a theoretically and empirically based framework for how users formulate and employ information-seeking strategies in open-ended information systems (OEISs). Discusses challenges related to OEISs. Describes OEIS theoretical and users' perspectives. Presents an example based on a recent study to illustrate use of the OEIS…

This study of 846 scientific research papers investigated the status of scientific communication in the context of interdisciplinary collaboration. Concludes that collaborative research contributed significantly to interdisciplinarity in some disciplines and not in others. Survey findings are discussed from the perspective of scientist-scientist…

A critique of rankings of Canadian universities focuses on one popular 1993 ranking and comparative data for the previous year. Several problems in the ranking procedures and results of some correlational analyses of the ranking data are discussed. Implications, particularly in the wider context of public institution accountability and the…

Review of literature concerning the use of program review in higher education lists sources discussing the review process, focusing on the links between program review and other institutional processes, and addressing application of program review principles and practices to different higher education settings. Critical factors for successful use…

Examines the communication and information use environment of a corporate engineering community. Highlights include typical work practices; the accessibility of communication and information resources; frequency of use; satisfaction with use in seeking information; and the influence of trust and credibility in using the World Wide Web and human…

The paper reports the results of a preliminary study of interpersonal information seeking (IS) interactions between a user and a human information source. Study showed that users specify their information needs (uncertainty) largely in terms of what they know (certainty) during the interaction. (Author)

Schools gather, store and use an increasingly large amount of data. Keeping track of everything from bus routes to building access codes to test scores to sports equipment is done with the help of electronic database programs. Large databases designed for budgeting and student record keeping have long been an integral part of the educational…

This qualitative study focuses on newly qualified teachers' use of information and communication technology (ICT) as a tool for meeting the challenges of their everyday work. The overarching aim is to investigate whether they can contribute to new knowledge about learning in ICT contexts. Theoretical points of departure concern the changeable…

Long considered four-letter words by many in education, "data," "testing," and "assessments" have come to signify more than additional burdens and distractions from instruction for most educators. Although many educators are still wary of data, many top-performing school systems have embraced data as a means to drive educational decision making…

The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) is an enormous and enormously ambitious project. It generates data of a richness and complexity beyond any simple survey. The broad utilization of the information it provides can be aided through the use of more evocative data displays. In this report, the uses to which data tables are put is…

Levy-election results frequently mean the difference between the curtailment or expansion of educational services. This paper presents results of a study that explored the feasibility of using exit polling as an alternative way to assess voter attitudes in an urban school-district levy election. Background information is provided on two levy…

Although most school districts and schools are routinely involved in data collection, they do not typically use the data they collect in a systematic fashion to identify strengths and weaknesses and develop improvement strategies. One reason for the lack of data use is the perception that the data are being collected for someone else's purposes.…