This paper addresses the use of Excel tables to convey information to blind students that would otherwise be presented using graphical tools, such as Data Flow Diagrams. These tables can supplement diagrams in the classroom when introducing their use to understand the scope of a system and its main sub-processes, on exams when answering questions…

The ability to visualize student engagement and experience data provides valuable opportunities for learning support and curriculum design. With the rise of the use of learning analytics to provide "actionable intelligence" on students' learning, the challenge is to create visualizations of the data, which are clear and useful to the…

Profiles the top-selling IOLS (integrated online library systems) software for libraries based on sales figures reported in the 1996 "Library Journal" annual survey of the library automation marketplace. Highlights include microcomputer-based systems and minicomputer-based systems, system components, MARC formats, and market sectors.…

Describes a series of user studies used to advance understanding of how people use electronic tables (E-tables) and inform the development of a Web-based statistical table browser for use by non-specialists. Results of needs assessment, prototype development, and user studies provide a foundation for understanding E-tables in general and guiding…

Discusses the results of modeling the performance of searching large text databases via various parallel hardware architectures and search algorithms. The performance under load and the cost of each configuration are compared, and a common search workload used in the modeling is described. (Contains 26 references.) (LRW)

Describes a novel design of a Table Browser for casual users of statistical data. Focuses on the overall system architecture and the user interface. Describes the prototype interface and presents results of experiments testing the efficacy of the multi-threaded data flow. (AEF)

Reports findings from an exploratory study investigating working notes created during encoding and external storage (EES) processes by human search intermediaries (librarians at the University of North Texas) using a Boolean information retrieval (IR) system. Implications for the design of IR interfaces and further research is discussed.…

This study uses the human approach to examine the sources and effectiveness of search terms selected during 40 mediated interactive database searches and focuses on determining the retrieval effectiveness of search terms identified by users and intermediaries from retrieved items during term relevance feedback. (Author/JKP)

With respect to the design of cooperative systems, issues related to the fundamental communication channels, sociotechnical factors, and task characteristics associated with collaborative work situations are reviewed. Research strategies incorporating theory-motivated design, ethnographic methods, and controlled testing methods are discussed as a…

Describes a project that addressed the problem of courseware reusability by developing a database structure suitable for organizing multimedia learning material in a given content domain. A prototype system that allows browsing a DBLM (Data Base of Learning Material) on earth science is described, and future plans are discussed. (five references)…

Presents a set of methods and results for characterizing decision making while searching online databases. The discussion compares these results to studies of decision making in other contexts, and examines the role of user uncertainty and expectations, as well as implications of the findings for database design and user training. (37 references)…

Describes the design and development of a prototype expert system called ONLINE-EXPERT that helps users select online databases and vendors that meet users' needs. Search strategies are discussed; knowledge acquisition and knowledge bases are described; and the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), a decision analysis technique that ranks databases,…

Describes an analysis of transaction logs of the online catalog at the University of Missouri-Kansas City that examined patron use of both controlled and uncontrolled vocabulary subject access during the same search session. Hypotheses tested are discussed, and recommendations are made for library instruction and online catalog design. (six…

Reports on an experiment in which detailed logging of the use of experimental information systems was used to determine the optimal configuration of the systems for users. Results suggest that systems can be created for users by analysis of the interaction of design features with personal characteristics such as cognitive abilities. (Author/LRW)

Discusses trends in the automated system marketplace with specific attention to online vendors and their customers: academic, public, school, and special libraries. Presents vendor profiles; tables and charts on computer systems and sales; and sidebars that include a vendor source list and the differing views on procuring an automated library…