Use of existing computer software within the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS), offering the mechanism for an automatic management information system, is described. A historical database on students, staff, and costs was developed for eight Australian colleges. The system compiles and tabulates a wide range of reports. (MSE)

Joreskog has developed a very general and powerful model and computer program for analyzing relationships among variables, called LISREL. Structural analysis of covariance matrices by Joreskog's LISREL method is proposed as an alternative to regression methodology in the analysis of aptitude-treatment interaction (ATI) data. LISREL resolves some…

The use of games and gaming, which are simulated decision making, is examined in a paper addressed to the manager and administrator in higher education. Focus is on the use of games in situations of resource allocation for budgeting and long-range planning. Basic definitions and concepts are presented, followed by a discussion of the scope and…

The procedures for producing a report on departmental service to nonmajors are described in detail. The objective was to provide information for decision-making needs without reliance on the standardized pre-packaged models. An alternative to the Induced Course Load Matrix (ICLM) of the Resource Requirements Prediction Model (RRPM) package of the…

The ratings of 43 third-year medical students were used to investigate a method of computing the reliability of ratings. The students were evaluated on a four-point rating scale along seven dimensions of clinical ability: diagnostic ability; motivation; sense of responsibility; oral-verbal ability; effectiveness with patients; ability to take a…

Two methods of item selection were used to select sets of 40 items from a 50-item verbal analogies test, and the resulting item sets were compared for relative efficiency. The BICAL program was used to select the 40 items having the best mean square fit to the one parameter logistic (Rasch) model. The LOGIST program was used to select the 40 items…

Costing principles are applied to a university by estimating unit costs and their component factors for the university's different inputs, activities, and outputs. The information system used is designed for Fribourg University but could be applicable to other Swiss universities and could serve Switzerland's universities policy. In general, it…

The components of an information system for institutions in higher education are described. The information produced from such a system will be that which is required not only for record keeping and operations but also for planning and budgeting. Technical details are not included, only an overview of the main components of the system as seen from…

Three models are examined in terms of their historical growth, structural similarities and differences, and their implementation and use. They are CAMPUS (Comprehensive Analytical Methods of Planning in University Systems), RRPM (Resource Requirements Prediction Model), and HIS (Hochschule Information System). Their basic logics are explained with…

Three phases of the project are identified: (1) measuring the cost, per student for each course of study; (2) calculation of the cost per student per course of study in the new institutions and analysis of the sensitivity of the cost per student to the number of students involved and the changes in the educational method; (3) measuring the return…

AFTHER, a computer simulation game for dealing with the complexities of higher education in a changing electronic world, is described. It is a tool for decision research and decision assistance. AFTHER enables the users to study higher education governance and its decision-making patterns in general, or to readily convert the simulation to an…

A 10-module computer-assisted instruction (CAI) program on study skills was field tested to determine its effectiveness with high school students, using 50 advanced seniors in a large Texas high school as subjects. The program consisted of a study skills pretest, the CAI modules, a notebook on study skills, and a posttest. The modules were…

Simulated tailored tests were used to investigate the relationships between characteristics of the item pool and the computer program, and the reliability and bias of the resulting ability estimates. The computer program was varied to provide for various step sizes (differences in difficulty between successive steps) and different acceptance…

To improve the accuracy of college placement, Rasch scoring and person-fit statistics on the Comparative Guidance and Placement test (CGP) was compared to the traditional right-only scoring. Correlations were calculated between English and mathematics course grades and scores of 1,448 entering freshmen on the reading, writing, and mathematics…