The University of Maryland University College (UMUC) serves a dispersed patron base, and its library has developed, over time, a circulation system for distributing physical research materials to its patrons throughout the United States. This article discusses the development of this system and its associated interface/database management system…

This article presents a project-based case study that was developed for students with diverse backgrounds and varied inclinations for engaging technical topics. The project, called History Places, requires that student teams develop a vision for a kind of digital library, propose a conceptual model, and use the model to derive a logical model and…

When Blackboard unveiled its U.S. patent for 44 features of learning management systems and then filed a patent infringement suit against Design2Learn, the response of the educational technology community was negative and swift. Stephen Downes discusses why many educators oppose Blackboard's proprietary claims to technologies long considered in…

This paper identifies several areas of database modeling and design that have been problematic for students and even are likely to confuse faculty. Major contributing factors are the lack of clarity and inaccuracies that persist in the presentation of some basic database concepts in textbooks. The paper analyzes the problems and discusses ways to…

While it is often argued that technology could act as a change agent and transform educational practices, individuals, communities, government and society holding their own ideological beliefs limit such a liberalisation of the educational system. To show that the use of educational technology is part of a dialectical struggle this article…

Education research experts Eduventures released a report in February 2007 on where U.S. districts are headed with large system management. "Trends in K-12 Enterprise Management: Are Districts Ready to Cross the Chasm?" provides a detailed assessment of the themes and the trends that are driving the market for K-12 enterprise management systems.…

This paper examines the impact of organizational change on a university library. The change process started in 1980 at Ball State University Libraries, Muncie, Indiana, with the initiation of a self-study, the Management Review and Analysis Program (MRAP). With certain key recommendations implemented, the University Libraries has been transformed…

This case study using pseudonyms was prepared for class discussion in training teachers and administrators who have some responsibility for building-level policy. Big Mountain is a well-established, comprehensive high school that served over 1,450 students in grades 10-12. Considerable autonomy is given to teachers, who have control their teaching…

Production functions, established for the Arts and Law Faculties of Coimbra and Lisbon Universities and the Higher Institute of Engineering of Lisbon, related the number of students to expenditures on academic staff and materials. Results are discussed and pros and cons of using production functions for educational management purposes are…

The article show how a manager can motivate subordinates to achieve the common purposes of need satisfaction and goal attainment. (Author)

The Discipline Monitoring System (DMS) is a computer-assisted model allowing individual secondary schools to analyze their disciplinary actions. The Montgomery County Public Schools (Maryland) adopted this model to manipulate the following data: who is suspended, who is referred, who makes referrals, characteristics of these persons, and events…

The videotape, "A Framework for Action," outlines the components of the Management of Education Cycle underlying the Management and Finance Plan (MFP) of the Alberta (Canada) system of education. This paper complements the material presented in the videotape by describing the Management of Education Cycle underlying MFP and providing…

This manual is a "how to" training device for developing inventory records in the AppleWorks program using an Apple IIe or Apple IIGS Computer with Duodisk or two disk drives and an 80-column card. The manual provides step-by-step directions, and includes 17 figures depicting the computer screen at the various stages of the inventory…

InterBrowse, a uniform interface information retrieval application for several different databases, is designed to be used in Intermedia, a hypermedia environment currently under development at Brown University's Institute for Research Information and Scholarship. This application arose out of the recognized need for an interface that can be used…

The wide variety of management approaches (zero-based budgeting, decision support systems, etc.) that have emerged in recent decades are reviewed. The questions of whether strategic management is simply another fad, and whether it can work in colleges and universities, are discussed. The development of strategic management is traced, both in…