Several experts in the field of college financial administration offer their insights into the emerging relationship between high technology and financial management, focusing on the role of the institution's chief business officer. Topics include efficiency, cost effectiveness, organizational communication, homegrown vs. packaged software…

An interactive videodisc-based simulation was used to train 3 students (ages 12-17) with moderate disabilities on locating and purchasing items in convenience store settings. The students improved in their effectiveness and efficiency of locating items in the simulated environment and showed some transfer of skills to natural environments. (JDD)

Most evaluations of technology-based instruction are poorly designed because of failure to control three common confounding variables: (1) use of different instructional methods in different treatments; (2) presentation of different content in different treatments; and (3) the novelty of new media, which tends to increase early motivation and…

Benchmarking is an ongoing, systematic process for measuring and comparing work processes of one organization to those of another to identify best practices. Higher education can gain much from this technique, as industry has. The method is objective, reduces resistance to change and can lead to dramatic innovation and rapid development. (MSE)

A university president outlines basic rules for chief development officers to work effectively with the institution's leader. Desirable qualities include loyalty, honesty, shared enthusiasm, assertiveness, efficiency, ability to provide support, good program management, ability to work alone as well as with the president, good focus, and…

A study of the relative effectiveness of an introductory activity to teach intracoronal operative preparations to dental students (n=35) found that in comparison with traditional classroom methods used with 29 students, the leadup activity resulted in more efficient instruction and improved learning. Amount of teacher supervision was also a…

Internal institutional auditing can improve effectiveness and efficiency and protect an institution's assets. Many of the concepts and techniques used to analyze higher education institutions are qualitative in nature and suited to institutional research, including fiscal, operational, data-processing, investigative, management consulting,…

The Higher Education Colloquium on Science Facilities Costs surveyed research universities, leading research corporations, and leading architectural/engineering firms concerning efficiency in construction of science facilities. Findings, comparisons between industry and education, effects of regulation and technological advancement, and…

At the University of Pennsylvania, Total Quality Management (TQM) principles were applied to its financial functions to ensure timely recovery of sponsored research funding and reduce research account overdrafts. TQM implementation both saved money and highlighted how important careful formation of the quality improvement team is. (MSE)

Argues that the return-to-scale concept is important in explaining to more advanced students how production structures underlie costs. Reviews Christopher Ross Bell's graphical analysis, contending that its argument suggests a variable-returns-to-scale function rather than one exhibiting decreasing returns to scale. Explores classic views and the…

A proposed educational finance system for the Northwest Territories, a rural area with a predominantly aboriginal population, appears to combine equity, adequacy, efficiency, and choice. The system pays actual costs for an agreed level of service, allows local discretion in resource allocation, and provides training and policy support to…

Examines problems that arise when society comes to rely on the technology of its time and provides support for this contention through data about unintended effects of polychlorinated biphenyl. Argues that reliance on technology results in a loss of previously accumulated knowledge, and the general public becomes convinced it can have anything…

Analyzes three key areas community colleges should focus on when planning for the future: finding new sources of financial support, recruiting students, and assessing institutional effectiveness. (JDI)

Places performance assessment in the context of high-stakes uses, describes underlying technologies, and outlines the history of performance testing from 210 B.C.E. to the present. Historical issues of fairness, efficiency, cost, and infrastructure influence contemporary efforts to use performance assessments in large-scale, high-stakes testing…

The book "Marketizing Education and Health in Developing Countries," edited by Christopher Colclough, examines five salient aspects of education and health care (cost recovery, public versus private alternatives, cost shifting, improved efficiency, and fiscal reforms) useful for examining national privatization efforts. A marriage of…