The fundamental limits of the functional approach to the study of mass communication are embodied in two of its criticisms. The first weakness is in its logical structure and the second involves the limits that are set by known methods. Functional analysis has difficulties as a meaningful research perspective because the process of mass…

An information system can be viewed as a symbiotic relation between the users of the system and the system's hardware, software, and data resources. Ideally, performance evaluation of these systems should be based on the achievement of user based criteria while concurrently minimizing resource costs. Current evaluation technologies concentrate on…

A law passed by the 1973 Minnesota Legislature required the development and implementation of an on-going budgeting process and standardized reporting format that is compatible among the University of Minnesota, The state colleges, the junior colleges, and the public vocational-technical schools. This report is divided into an introduction, a…

Some of the major elements of administrative information systems design as applied to higher education are described. Differences between the application of computer technology in the commercial environment and the educational environment are discussed. The major steps in systems development from problem definition through implementation are…

The Florida Assessment and Diffusion System (FADS) represents a systematic approach to organizational change, emphasizing the interpersonal communication dimension of the change process. FADS encourages a systems approach to change, but is flexible enough to allow for procedural changes in response to specific user needs. The model assumes a…

Comparative staffing units quantify the direct instructional, related instructional, and related professional activities of university instructional faculty members. This method measures estimated faculty input, rather than output, and offers a number of advantages over the more traditional workload measures of credit hours, student credit hours,…

PPBS is a process by which priorities among the kinds of services a college may provide are weighed, objectives are stated in operational terms, alternative means to accomplish the given objectives are analyzed, and a choice among competing means is made according to criteria for efficient utilization of resources. This manual attempts to…

"Pure" academic research rules on data collection do not apply directly to operations research (OR). OR data collection should be viewed in terms of objective, cost, and effectiveness. For the model formulation objective, proper data strategies emphasize multiple views of the operating system to identify the "relatednesses" to be depicted. For the…

Unified organizational systems with integrated information systems are required to deliver effective referral and remedial services to children who are experiencing learning problems. However, such organized systems do not exist widely enough in our schools. The purpose of the project was to develop a consensually derived data-referral system for…

The purpose of this paper is focused toward a systems understanding of the contemporary university, the American University being the data base. A general systems conceptualization called the open systems university is presented. Comprehensive and generic in character, it is hoped that the theory of the open university will be viable enough to…

The objectives of this study are to ensure that the resources at the disposal of the librarian are deployed in a manner which will effectively contribute to the purposes of the university. User behavior is explored in an attempt to solve the difficulties that arise in library planning and management, such as: (1) the relationship between length of…

The rationale for developing this model is based on the idea that the Office of Education sponsored curriculum projects will in the near future produce a considerable number of choices for school districts across the nation. The model is meant to be used to analyze K-12 social studies curricula. It contains questions in four areas: 1) curricular…

One of the newest developments in building is the application of systems analysis to design and construction. The systems approach depends heavily on the use of prefabricated components and modular subsystems, in both design and construction processes. Construction times are shortened and costs often lowered because the flexibility of…

This report, the result of developmental research on a planning information system for North Carolina, describes the planning process at higher levels of State government, defines a general information system and derives a planning information system from various types of planning, provides guidelines for system design and evaluation, and…

The literature on automated serials control systems and related subjects is reviewed and conclusions are drawn on the issues raised. As much as possible the data reported in the literature are verified. A selected bibliography of documents published prior to the data of this report is prepared. In addition to descriptions of the major serials…