Identifies six needs assessment procedures applied in educational and other organizations, provides examples of how each is used, and discusses the relationship of needs assessment to problem solving. Kaufman's Outcomes Model is described and the Organizational Elements Model is presented as a pragmatic approach to contemporary decision making and…

Focuses on status of drug education as change agent; complexities of education and research as partners; and need for compelling alternatives to provide solution choices to drug problem. Claims future can be commanded by putting values of democracy back on drawing board, as an overarching context in the search for ideas and compelling alternatives…

Discusses artificial intelligence, robotics, natural language processing, and expert or knowledge-based systems research; examines two large expert systems, MYCIN and XCON; and reviews the resources required to build large expert systems and affordable smaller systems (intelligent job aids) for training. Expert system vendors and products are…

Approaches to developing teaching assistant programs are discussed, based on the organizational change literature. Five models are identified: rational planning, social interaction, human problem solving, political models, and a research and development approach. Political processes often can be blended with social interaction and problem-solving…

Suggests approaches to improving application of knowledge derived from basic research in relevant disciplines based on investigation of methods used at Bell Telephone Laboratories. Discussion includes factors contributing to application of basic knowledge, how they contribute, favorable conditions for, steps to strengthen, and obstacles to…

Discusses theory and research that explore the nature of cooperative problem solving and its relationship to learning and development. Offers teaching guidelines that early childhood educators can use to encourage children to interact. (BB)

Introduces and discusses ideas and issues relevant to the international unification of scientific and technical information (STI) through development of an international aerospace database (IAD). Specific recommendations for improving the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Aerospace Database (NAD) and for implementing IAD are given.…

Interdisciplinary research seems to promise opportunities for new applications of existing resources, for the development of new perspectives, and for reorganization of educational institutions. Demands for problem-orientated research having an important bearing on the development of interdisciplinary research are discussed. (MLW)

This article argues that the U.S. dissemination system in education is unresponsive to organizational improvement needs, and that development of this bias is exacerbated by political, organizational, and programmatic thrusts in federal agencies. It is suggested that systems in the Netherlands and Denmark could provide useful models for adapting…

This volume contains nine papers on higher education theory and research. They include: (1) "Technology Transfer from Universities" (Irwin Feller); (2) "State Policy and Private Higher Education: Past, Present and Future" (William Zumeta); (3) "Appraising Tinto's Theory of College Student Departure" (John M. Braxton…

This paper proposes four scenarios to guide future research investments by the federal Office of Special Education Programs in classroom uses of instructional technology for learners with disabilities. Sets of research and development activities to promote effective use of technology are proposed for: (1) reading instruction; (2) writing…