In past years, higher education's financial management side has been riddled with manual processes and aging mainframe applications. This article discusses schools which had taken advantage of an array of technologies that automate billing, payment processing, and refund processing in the case of overpayment. The investments are well worth it:…

Students learn better when they both hear and do. In computer architecture courses "doing" can be difficult in small schools without hardware laboratories hosted by computer engineering, electrical engineering, or similar departments. Software solutions exist. Our success with George Mills' Multimedia Logic (MML) is the focus of this paper. MML…

The Computing Curricula (2005) place Information Systems (IS) at the intersection of exact sciences (e.g. General Systems Theory), technology (e.g. Computer Science), and behavioral sciences (e.g. Sociology). This presents particular challenges for teaching and learning, as future IS professionals need to be equipped with a wide range of…

In this paper we present the results of research work, that forms part of the activities of the EU-funded project SLOOP: Sharing Learning Objects in an Open Perspective, aimed at encouraging the definition, development and management of Open Educational Resources based on the Learning Object paradigm (Wiley, 2000). We present a model of Open…

Describes a study that designed and tested a system for determining when an instructor should make an intervention during computer-assisted instruction (CAI). A Markov matrix was established to define the transitional probabilities for progressing through a set of industrial training sessions using CAI. (Author/LRW)

Discusses the design and implementation of database management systems for low-organized and natural language text on small computers. Emphasis is on the efficient storage and access of primary (text) and secondary (dictionary) files. Possible expansions to the system to increase its use in linguistic research are considered. (six references)…

Describes how, when Intel Corporation undertook development of a line of desktop conferencing products, the company's writers assumed active roles in the process, conducting usability testing, identifying usability issues for the engineering teams, testing products, and using their findings in the design of both online and hard copy help systems,…

Discussion of the use of microcomputers in political campaigns focuses on the Jesse Jackson presidential primary campaign in New York State in 1988. User needs analysis is described, guidelines for the organization of a campaign information system are suggested, and the use of microcomputers for voter targeting is described. (LRW)

This issue contains nine articles that provide an overview of trends and research in parallel information retrieval. Topics discussed include network design for text searching; the Connection Machine System; PThomas, an adaptive information retrieval system on the Connection Machine; algorithms for document clustering; and system architecture for…

Discussion of context focuses on the various contexts surrounding the design and use of intelligent tutoring systems and proposes an initial framework of contexts by classifying them into three major groupings: interactional; environmental, including classifications of knowledge and social environment; and objectival contexts. (Author/LRW)

Describes a system for using the World Wide Web to distribute computational tasks to multiple hosts on the Web that is written in Java programming language. Describes the programs written to carry out the load distribution, the structure of a "distriblet" class, and experiences in using this system. (Author/LRW)

Discusses the design of the National Taiwan University Digital Library and Museum that addresses both content and knowledge management. Describes a two-tier repository architecture that facilitates content management, includes an object-oriented model to facilitate the management of temporal information, and eliminates the need to manually…

In the case of cars and other engineered objects, humans go about the design process in a very intentional way. They pretty much know what they are aiming for. The activity described in this article demonstrates how a computer can simulate biological evolution and the laws of natural selection. The article is divided into the following sections:…

More than eight years ago, the Internet was a new frontier with a limited number of visitors. Websites on gifted topics were few and far between. With a new interest in the world of gifted children, the author needed more, and it seemed that others did, too. So, to serve her own needs, she created "Hoagies' Gifted Education Page." During this…

Fans of mobile devices are everywhere, and they are using their PDAs, smart phones, and mobile phones to access Web-based content. Chances are that they are trying to access your library's Web site or find library-based content for their devices. In this article, the author presents some tips on how to serve those who wants to grab some fast info…