Probabilistic machine learning increasingly informs critical decisions in medicine, economics, politics, and beyond. To aid the development of trust in these decisions, we develop a taxonomy delineating where trust in an analysis can break down: (1) in the translation of real-world goals to goals on a particular set of training data, (2) in the…

Student success, both during and after college, is central to the mission of higher education. Within the higher-education and, more specifically, the student-success context, the core raison d'être of machine learning (ML) is to help institutions achieve their social mission in an efficient and effective manner. While there should be synergy…

This introductory article defines and delimits expert systems. The discussion covers the concepts of artificial intelligence, the components of an expert system, and the significance of expert systems when compared to more traditional decision making tools. (CLB)

Describes design and presents examples of industrial use of small expert systems and guidelines for choosing problems which lend themselves to small tool solutions. Use of microcomputer facilitated decision tables to diagnose and categorize people, things, and issues is suggested, and development of three decision table formats is described. (MBR)

Describes structured care approaches, such as protocols, clinical pathways, and algorithms, which are being used increasingly to organize clinical knowledge and guide patient care. Reviews the types of structured care approaches available to the clinician and explores the value of structured care approaches in practice and education. (Contains 32…

Describes the development of a computer-aided decision-making system to assist educational practitioners in curriculum decision making about innovative program features and implementation requirements. Topics discussed include the identification of variables; database generation; mathematical modeling; compromising between effectiveness and…

Describes NEGOTIATE, an interactive computer model that synthesizes bargaining theories into algorithmic functions capable of simulating complex labor relations. The models employed in the simulation, the instructional dimension of NEGOTIATE, and various applications of the game are discussed. A seven-item reference list is included. (Author/JL)

Describes functions comprising task analysis process--inventory, description, selection, sequencing, and analysis--and reviews distinctions between the micro/macro level, top-down/bottom-up, and job/learning task analysis processes. These functions and distinctions are combined into a quasi-algorithm suggesting which of 30 task analysis procedures…

Describes the workings of computerized adaptive testing (CAT). Focuses on the key concept of information and then discusses two important components of a CAT system: the calibrated item bank and the testing algorithm. Describes a CAT that was designed for making placement decisions on the basis of two typical test administrations and notes the…

Explains human interactive analysis as an architecture for using computer interactive technologies in the analysis of complex work environments. A project at the Naval Training Systems Center that used video-audio data to develop a multimedia database is described; the analysis and management of data are discussed; and decision processes are…