The early 1980s were disruptive for computing. In many countries, the set of persons who regularly used computing expanded rapidly from a tiny and homogeneous set of data processing professionals to include nearly everyone. The dawn of the "new user" entrained challenges for training and instructional design: the economics of smaller…

There is substantial evidence that formal educational attainments increasingly exceed the educational job requirements of the employed labour force in many advanced market economies--a phenomenon variously termed "underemployment", "underutilisation", or "overqualification". Conversely, both experiential learning and workplace case studies suggest…

Responsibilities placed on a governing body are profound--starting with governors' own performance and the achievement of the pupils. In recognition of the weight of duty placed upon them, every governing body has, by law, to appoint a clerk who is not a governor. Committees of the governing body may be clerked by governors, but the main meeting…

Methods to help students develop the ability to plan, organize, and control are suggested. These include a simulation in which an office procedures class plans, organizes, and holds a meeting and involves such details as selecting and reserving rooms, scheduling speakers, preparing agendas, planning budgets, preparing name tags, and arranging a…

Pro Libra Associates, Inc. in South Orange, New Jersey, is a cadre of some 200 carefully screened professionals and clerical workers who perform a variety of library tasks on a contract basis. (Author/LLS)

The rapid development of computer technology is changing the nature and content of office work and requiring new skills. One approach to this need for continuous training is the use of modules of employable skills, self-instructional learning packages tailored to individual needs and employment specifications. (SK)

Results of a survey on unions representing clerical workers at the largest public and private U.S. universities are summarized. The incidence of strike activity among these unions and the degree of organizing activity in universities where clerical workers are not represented by unions were determined. It was found that most of the unionization of…

In order to fulfill accreditation requirements set by the National Certification Board for Court and Conference Reporters, the Secretarial Science Department at Vermont College developed an internship course for students in its two-year court reporter training program. The procedures followed in developing the internship course included: (1)…

A project coordinated through Job Training Partnership Act programs and local educational organizations in Clermont and Warren Counties of Ohio attempted to identify persons in the clerical field who were unemployed or whose employment opportunities were limited by a lack of technological skills. A commercially developed assessment was used with…

A successful, flexible, system for coordinating volunteers in the Meigs, Ohio, local school district's elementary schools utilizes a file box containing the names of aides selected to participate in the volunteer program, the times and days they are available, and the services they can provide. A teacher needing a volunteer to perform certain…

Reviews recent research on the rate of implementation and impacts of office automation (i.e., expanding microcomputer use, expert systems, electronic publishing) and outlines how these impacts may lead to changes in roles and services of libraries and information professionals. (Author/MBR)

Changes are proposed for updating the curricula for office administration and secretarial science, the first being a name change for the department to Information/Word Processing or Administrative Sciences. Curricula (required courses and electives) are suggested for information/word processing--keyboarding specialist (one year certificate),…

This report describes and provides materials developed by a project to set up competency-based instruction for designated competency levels in the Modern Office/Word Processing Technology Course in an area vocational school. Following an abstract and a report that details conclusions and recommendations, materials developed by the project are…

The pilot project described in this report was undertaken by the College of DuPage (CD) to increase the clerical efficiency of seven administrative offices through the installation of a computerized word processing and data transmission system. The first section of the report provides background information detailing: the history of computer…

This report is designed to acquaint secondary school teachers and other interested individuals with a redesigned business education program for New York state. The program, reviewed in ten sections, focuses on competency identification, new modules, curriculum patterns, regent's examination modifications, etc. Initially, challenges facing business…