Computer assisted instruction (CAI) studies with the mentally retarded in the United States and Canada reveal that the retarded benefit from CAI in academic and social skills. Their learning is enhanced to the same extent as that of the nonretarded. CAI can be cost-effective, especially with the reduced costs of mini and micro-computers; however,…

Educational Facilities Laboratories is developing a computer-based technical service--The Public Schools Energy Conservation Service (PSECS). As presently envisioned, PSECS would be capable of providing each participating district with information in five areas: (1) guidelines and instruction for establishing an energy usage data base; (2) a…

Costing has been recognized by business, financial, and other administrators in higher education as a valuable management tool. A growing interest in the determination of costs and their use revealed a lack of uniformity in cost definitions and cost determination methods and approaches in a language that was readily applicable to higher education.…

Given the need for a large stimulus by the federal government in the short-run and given the need for structural reform on our budgeting and taxing process over the long-run, what is likely to happen to federal expenditures for higher education? Two issues likely to arise are: (1) in this next year there is absolutely no excuse for holding back…

To determine the effect of format on the communication of information and the range of qualitative reaction, data was presented by bar graphs, data tables and natural language text to 24 staff members of the Southwest Regional Laboratory. No difference in acquisition of information among the staff members was shown. Subjects preferred data tables,…

The HYPERTUTOR incorporates the ideas of a "hypertext" and the TUTOR-IV programing language used on the PLATO-IV system. The HYPERTUTOR is a part of Northwestern University's MULTI-TUTOR system and runs on a non-PLATO, non-dedicated CDC 6400 computer. It allows the transfer of courseware from PLATO to non-PLATO systems. It has…

An analysis relating district size in terms of average daily attendance (ADA) to costs in terms of current operating expenditures reveals that districts operating most efficiently in 1974 are unit districts at 2,432 ADA, high school districts at 874 ADA, and elementary districts at 336 ADA. Each population is treated separately and, thus, the…

Presented are the results of one university's experience with three different models of determining institutional program costs. The three models discussed are the National Center for Higher Education Information Exchange Procedures (NCHEMS IEP), the Ohio Board of Regents Resource Analysis Procedure, and the Association of American Medical…

Though recent decades have witnessed radical changes in the nature of the society, technology offers a way for schools to continue providing quality educational services. The combination of rapidly changing constituencies, an emphasis on cost-effectiveness, and the trend toward individualized learning presents educational needs that can be filled…

Important to the cost analysis process is prior consideration and precise description of the scope of the activity and the tasks to be included so that proper methodology can be applied and the data can be collected with consistency and accuracy. The preparatory steps involved in doing a cost study, particularly in the area of cataloging in a…

African universities have a critical role to play in the improvement of the African social fabric. There is no necessary conflict between scholarly and social concern. Tasks facing African universities involve the design and operation of the educational system, especially in regard to entrance qualifications and their relationship to academic…

This paper considers how to respond to new requirements for adequate disclosure of the schools' performance to the public. It proposes the use of three powerful constructs--quality control, quality assurance, and an independent educational accomplishment audit (IEAA). The essential elements of quality control are agreeing on and specifying desired…

The Costing Standards Committee of the National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO) recently completed an evaluation of the "Cost Analysis Manual" (CAM) and the cost study procedures portion of the "Information Exchange Procedures Manual" (IEP), prepared by the National Center for Higher Education…

A study was undertaken in rural areas of Nova Scotia, Prince Edwards Island, and Newfoundland, Canada, to investigate public library bookmobile services in comparison to book-by-mail service. A cost/benefit analysis was done with cost data taken from accounting information and benefits information derived from a questionnaire completed by library…

Impact evaluations of manpower programs have had many shortcomings, especially in finding control groups for comparison. Methodological bias and inconsistency between evaluators, along with disinterest by program administrators, have prevented evaluation from reaching its potential in program planning. The use of longitudinal studies to solve…