Outlines the results of a review of the cataloging operations at the library at Curtin University of Technology and the three other publicly funded universities in WAGUL (the Western Australian Group of University Librarians). Identifies cost savings to be achieved by re-engineering cataloging and related operations, and separates them from the…

Many communities are finding that agreeing to pool their monetary resources together can be a way of giving the local school and the local community room to have academic and nonacademic events. Four facilities in Ohio are designed to increase community participation with such features as a community meeting room, professional theaters, and…

Defines advanced Web-based distance learning (WBDL); examines some of its benefits, including cost effectiveness, asynchronous training, simple evaluation, and effective use of time; offers suggestions for appropriate applications of WBDL; and describes ways organizations are beginning to use WBDL, including training clients and continuing…

Describes a model for developing interactive multimedia instructional applications called the instructional system development life cycle (ISDLC). Focuses on the pre-design analyses, including task/concept analysis, audience analysis, objectives analysis, constraints analysis, and cost/benefits analysis, that will ensure a pedagogically effective…

Iowa State University's cost study proves academic librarians can keep cataloging in-house and save staff costs. Several factors play a role in the productivity surge at ISU: increasing use of shared cataloging; growth of online authoring files; expanding role of support staff; increasing automation of catalogers' work; and structural flattening…

A study analyzed detailed expenditure reports of nine typical U.S. school districts for 1967, 1991, and 1996. From 1967 to 1996, special education's share jumped from 4% to 18% of all spending, whereas regular education's share fell from 80% to 57%. Furthermore, 40% of new funds went for special education; 23% for regular education. Implications…

Describes an approach to problem-based learning (PBL) in the pharmacy curriculum that utilizes electronic communications to reduce the personnel costs associated with PBL. Comparison with convention PBL found substantial reduction in personnel time. Discusses application as a supplement to didactic instruction and the method's feasibility for both…

A cost-benefit analysis tool was developed with data from 58 health occupations programs in two-year colleges. Clinical experience was primarily conducted in hospitals. Few programs have been required to perform cost analysis. Programs depend on the willingness of health care facilities to provide clinical training. (SK)

This article urges fundamental educational change for children with hearing impairments. It offers a new paradigm based on legal recognition of the primacy of communication in any educational delivery system. Components of such communication-based delivery systems are identified and applied in a hypothetical case. Advantages and cost benefits of…

This commentary on a study comparing use of the brand name drug Depakene with generic valproic acid to control seizures in people with mental retardation focuses on issues of cost-effectiveness. It notes existing guidelines for pharmacoeconomic evaluation and suggests a possible model to include a threshold price (per quality-adjusted life year)…

Describes ways to develop interactive, web-based training programs for a minimal cost. Discusses partnerships, the use of video, low-budget alternatives, and the versatility of the Web. (JOW)

Educational management organizations (EMOs) are for-profit, private companies that manage schools, including 10% of all charter schools. Major investment houses consider public education a $300 billion industry ripe for picking, due to three driving market forces--cost, quality, and consumer confidence. Three EMOs (TesseracT Group, Edison Project…

Suggests school leaders must understand the total cost of ownership (TOC)-all of the costs involved with installing, operating, and maintaining computers-if they are going to use them to full advantage and cost-effectively. Discusses the major components of TCO after initial hardware investment (professional development, software, support, and…

This article reviews key applied research issues relevant to people with autism, including: systems delivery models and issues, how best to integrate treatments, providing treatments to those with limited monetary resources, cost and cost/benefit analyses, how to educate adult psychiatrists regarding autism, and gaps between research and practice.…

Mindsurf Networks--a partnership involving a suburban Baltimore high school, Sylvan Ventures, and Aether Systems--provides a cutting-edge, reasonably priced, networked mobile computing platform for learning. Handheld computers help students solve problems and beam information to teachers and each other. Partnership initiation strategies for…