The success of an application programming interface (API) crucially depends on how well its documentation meets the information needs of software developers. Previous research suggests that these information needs have not been sufficiently understood. This article presents the results of a series of semistructured interviews and a follow-up…

In recent years, smartphones and tablets have been rapidly adopted by consumers worldwide. Within the United States, a growing number of school districts have incorporated tablets into classroom instruction. As mobile technology becomes further integrated into households and classrooms, parents, teachers, and students might need information for…

In surveying the problems of documenting computer-based instruction, the need for two levels of documentation is outlined: one concise level designed primarily to catalog available courseware; and a second detailed level intended for the instructors, proctors, programmers, and operators. Three general approaches are considered: manual procedures,…

The Philadelphia School System developed a multilevel Management Information Feedback System to monitor the operation of the reading programs of its eight subdistricts. The major steps involved in the developmental process were: (1) the determination of what information was needed; (2) the development of noninterruptive information collection…

The role of information research centers in institutional research activities was explored, based on 1,040 requests for student data at an information center at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, during 1980-1985. Three distinct information center markets were identified and mechanisms for serving each market were recommended. The first was…

In order to study the processes people employ in reading technical material and the ways in which information engineering can facilitate those processes, 13 adults, including electrical engineers, stockboys, secretaries, graduate students, and teachers, were asked to perform an assembly task by following concise, step-by-step instructions provided…

The State Criminal Justice Telecommunications (STACOM) project has developed techniques for the identification and analysis of user requirements and designs for networks for the dissemination of criminal justice information on a state-wide basis. Techniques developed for user requirements analysis include methods for determining data required,…

Discusses management information needed for decision-making tasks in film libraries serving public schools. Responses to questionnaire sent to 204 film library managers are described and information elements that could be incorporated into a computerized management information system (MIS) are rated. (LRW)

This study was conducted to assess the availability and use of scientific and technical information in Brazil, identify characteristics of information which are unique to developing nations, and help determine what technologies and policies would be most useful in improving resources available in the country. It concentrated on professionals who…

This report examines the data processing services provided to Eugene (Oregon) School District 4J by the Oregon Total Information System (OTIS) and provides recommendations to the district administration to aid policy-making and planning in the area of computer services. The report focuses primarily on the use of the computer for management…

A nationwide survey of two-year colleges with collective bargaining was conducted to determine who serves as chief negotiator for the colleges, the sources of information these individuals rely upon for their data, and the extent to which electronic data processing is used in the bargaining process. Of the 248 two-year colleges surveyed, 160…

The National Technical Institute for the Deaf (NTID) established a committee to study the applicability of SIGI's (System of Interactive Guidance and Information) occupational data base to NTID's curriculum research and career counseling needs. (SIGI is an Educational Testing Service--ETS--system which applies computer technology to assist hearing…

Requirements analysis and design for the Texas Criminal Justice Telecommunications Network are provided in this report on the application in the state of Texas of techniques developed by the STACOM project. These techniques focus on identification of user requirements and network designs for criminal justice information on a state-wide basis.…

General development, structure, and uses of a computerized impact projection model, the North Dakota Regional Environmental Assessment Program (REAP) Economic-Demographic Assessment Model, were studied not only to describe a model developed to meet informational needs of local decision makers (especially in a rural area undergoing development),…

Federal guidelines and pressures for accountability make it essential that more and better planning management information be made available concerning the delivery of day care services. With the existence of a fully developed and operational system, planning and management of resource allocations can be made that can lead to an improved quality…