Information systems are becoming more than computer systems, with new equipment and techniques combining with data processing to form a new field called information technology. The emerging discipline of systems engineering is discussed along with nine systems engineering techniques. An organization chart of an information services department is…

Shifts in the content and context of the MIS professional's role at Hahnemann Medical College and Hospital, and the resulting impact on system projects are explored. Benefits include user responsibility and increased participation, MIS as a key to user learning system capabilities and limitations, and formation of a MIS-user team. (MLW)

Examines the benefits of Decision Support Systems (DSS) for end-user group decision making. An experiment was conducted which required groups to reach a consensus on human resource-related decisions. The results of the experiment provide implications for the use of group DDS in organizations and for future study. (Author/AEF)

This study uses the human approach to examine the sources and effectiveness of search terms selected during 40 mediated interactive database searches and focuses on determining the retrieval effectiveness of search terms identified by users and intermediaries from retrieved items during term relevance feedback. (Author/JKP)

This article presents an integrative skills assessment approach for teaching students of social work to perform assessments. The approach is based on technical eclecticism and combines three practice models: (1) psychosocial, (2) cognitive-behavioral, and (3) systems. Specific teaching strategies as well as shortcomings of this approach are…

Describes the development of a course at Indiana University of Pennsylvania on Web Site theory and design for undergraduate and graduate students. Highlights include the classroom configuration; software; hardware; teaching strategies; and the project-based approach for a course model, including student assessment, student projects, work groups,…

In consonance with previous articles advocating change in school psychology role/function change efforts, this article places the burden for change on individual practitioners. Offers preliminary suggestions for how to bring about change through strategies at multiple levels--college/university, professional organization, school…

Evaluation is increasingly taken as a public good, as an activity aimed at development and betterment. At the same time, evaluation is increasingly integrated in accountability movements and in institutionalized systems for governance. It is also embedded in a consumer-oriented New Public Management ideology. Against this background, it is high…

This field guide provides a look into education in relation to a concept that has already been established in science, business and therapy. This book will encourage and educate readers about systemic thinking through examples and ideas pertinent to education and its reform. Following a Foreword (Michael Fullan) and Introduction (Blane Despres),…

To evaluate the adequacy and efficiency of preschool education, the RAND Corporation has undertaken the California Preschool Study to improve understanding of achievement gaps in the early elementary grades, the adequacy of preschool education currently given, and what efficiencies or additional resources might be brought to bear in early care and…

Community colleges traditionally have been a nexus for transitions to and from the workforce. This article examines horizontal and vertical workforce transitions and how a global economy and the need to train new subpopulations of future workers will cause community colleges to approach their roles in workforce training differently. There are too…

Student data are gaining increased attention in education, spurred by accountability policies such as those contained in the federal No Child Left Behind legislation. Student data are useful for informing classroom practice, and user-friendly technologies for organizing and accessing data are enabling access by all teachers. In this study, we…

Fifty small businesses and organizations within an 800-mile radius of southern Illinois were surveyed to determine what businesses consider the most important characteristics of a team player; 94 percent responded. These characteristics were incorporated into a course during which teams of students were to complete a project that involved each…

To meet public scrutiny and increased demands for quality public education, schools must plan. Developing legitimate plans depends on the ability to recognize the patterns that guide current practice and uncover those that will create change. Educators need to understand the planning concepts that have helped business meet new challenges. To bring…