Systematic reviews (SRs) have an important role in the healthcare decision-making practice. Assessing the overall confidence in the results of SRs using quality assessment tools, such as "A MeaSurement Tool to Assess Systematic Reviews 2" (AMSTAR 2), is crucial since not all SRs are conducted using the most rigorous methods. In this…

This seventh edition of "Key Data on Education in Europe" retains its main special feature which is the combination of statistical data and qualitative information to describe the organisation and functioning of education systems in Europe. The present 2009 edition maintains the subject-based structure defined by the previous one but…

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)

Concentrating on those units most suited to home microcomputer users, this article discusses modem functions, varieties, basic features, and automatic features; lists manufacturers of telecommunications hardware; and provides a modem comparison chart which includes information on price, configuration, line connection, interface, baud rate,…

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…

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…

Formulates sequential rules for adapting the appropriate amount of instruction to learning needs in the context of computer-based instruction. Topics include Bayesian decision theory, threshold and linear-utility structure, psychometric model, optimal sequential number of test questions, and an empirical example of sequential instructional…

Suggests conventional evaluation reports are inappropriate for what needs to be portrayed for software users concerned with acquisition, software adaptation, design and development, and teacher implementation decisions. Two forms for evaluating information are described and illustrated--a narrative portrayal form and a design and development…

Tabulation of an academic library's record of improved success rate and fill time for interlibrary loans utilizing the OCLC interlibrary loan subsystem supports continued use of four common-sense rules: use OCLC first; use other union lists next; select smallest nearby library; spread requests among small libraries. Twelve references are cited.…

This study analyzes the process used in developing the 1977-78 operating budget of the Philadelphia school district. The purpose of the study was to determine what changes are required to assure greater efficiency and effectiveness in resource allocations in the face of increasingly scarce funds available to urban public school systems. Using a…

Considers four major decisions to illustrate the complexity of decision making about pretesting as part of the instructional process: whether a pretest should be administered; the behaviors that should be pretested; how pretesting should be accomplished; and how teaching strategies should be adjusted to pretest results. (MBR)

Discusses advantages of a centralized school district plan for computer utilization at building, district, and state-federal level, and reviews categories of information required for computer applications--staff personnel, accounting, pupil records, classroom/instruction, and administrative support services--by outlining each category to indicate…

Discussion of academic library journal cancellations focuses on the development of a valuative instrument at the University of Maryland, College Park libraries that allows science librarians to identify titles which appear to be likely candidates for cancellation based on a list of attributes including cost, publisher type, value-added features,…

Describes RESTSIM, an interactive computer simulation program for graduate and upper-level undergraduate management, marketing, and retailing courses, which introduces naive users to simulation as a decision support technique, and provides a vehicle for studying various statistical procedures for evaluating simulation output. (MBR)

The purposes of this paper are to describe a data-based organizational renewal effort in a school district, explain the application and utility of the collaborative process used, and discuss the implications of such activities for building-level delivery of educational services, particularly in the area of decision-making. Although the project was…