Designed to provide guidelines for the development of computerized student information systems, this report raises policy issues and questions to be resolved at the campus level and describes a variety of computer-generated reports and records that can assist in educational decision making and planning. Introductory material discusses the importance of human communications and cooperation in machine-oriented systems, the benefits of computer use, and the difficulties in providing definitive answers to system design questions. The next sections look at components of the student information system, focusing on student admissions; assessment, advising, and counseling; student registration; academic alert monitoring; degree audit; transfer program requirements; and student follow-up. Each section provides a definition of the component, enumerates purposes and policy issues, and lists the reports that may be part of the component and the data elements required to generate the reports. Following a discussion of hardware considerations, the report offers predictions for the future, suggesting special projects and ideas for development in the areas of assessment, advisement, and counseling; registration; progress monitoring; follow-up; and artificial intelligence. Concluding comments offer recommendations for developing and using computer-based information systems. A matrix showing relationships among student information systems and input data and a selected list of references are appended. (LAL)