A complex freestanding optical mark recognition (OMR) scanner is one which is not on-line to an external processor; it has intelligence stemming from an internal processor located within the unit or system. The advantages and disadvantages of a complex OMR can best be assessed after identifying the scanning needs and constraints of the potential…

Technological advances in microcomputer hardware and software, including size of memory and increasingly more sophisticated statistical application packages, create a new era in educational research. The alternative to costly main-frame computer data processing and statistical analysis is explored in this paper. In the first section, typical…

This report documents the findings of an evaluation of the effectiveness of the information resources management aspects of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1980 (Public Law 96-511) which went into effect on April 1, 1981. (This law was enacted as a result of concerns that the government must improve its collection, use, and dissemination of…

This report comprises a detailed evaluation of two minicomputer-based school information management systems for use at the senior high school level: (1) Prompt Automated Scheduling System (PASS) by Mid-American Corporation and locally developed software, which runs on an IBM minicomputer, and (2) Student Administration System (SAS) by SIERRA…

This report comprises a detailed evaluation of three IBM microcomputer-based school information management systems: Student Information and Records System (SIRS) by Management Information Group, The School System (TSS) by Columbia Computing Services, and Computer Educational Management Accounting System (CEMAS) by Computerlib. These three systems…

This report presents an evaluation instrument through which school districts and schools can identify and select computer-based school information management systems (SIMS) suited to their needs. These selection criteria were identified through a survey questionnaire and interviews at 18 representative schools in the Edmonton (Alberta) Public…

The Total Quality Management approach is used as a framework for a discussion of methodological issues related to diversity in higher education, including classification of race and ethnic information, data aggregation, and use of several key indicators (access to college, persistence, and student progress). (MSE)