Perspectives on facilitating the use of quantitative tools in higher education decision-making are offered. Suggestions are directed to those in the institution who will be working with decision-makers, with a focus on how such individuals can assist the decision-maker in the development and use of computer-based tools. The instigators of computer…

The Attitude Information System should provide a means of achieving the accuracy and credibility of survey techniques, the speed and specificity of public opinion polls, and the easy access of management information systems for crucial information about attitudes of the university constituency. (Author)

Through a discussion of research on institutions using computer-based planning models, this question is addressed: How does the institutional decision maker make decisions using state-of-the-art computing tools without neglecting nonquantitative realities? (MSE)

This paper examines the proposition that management information systems (MIS) for colleges and universities are not achieving their original objectives of supporting better management decisions by providing more and better information in a more timely manner. As a consequence, the MIS activity should be reduced in scope, and standardized to…

Many operational and some tactical information needs can be well supported with current information technology and campus-based data, but information support for many tactical and most strategic decisions may be aided by interinstitutional collaboration. (Author/MSE)

The authors argue that recent events have given rise to a need for a new class of information related to strategic decisionmaking. They describe some of the characteristics of "ideal" systems to meet this need and suggest a program for building sophisticated systems that will develop toward that ideal. (Author)

Financed with ESEA Title III funds since 1970, the School Information System (SIS) was designed essentially to furnish school administrators with data and information with which to make better decisions. The basic means were to (1) build and improve a data bank, (2) prepare and disseminate computerized reports to the decisionmakers--especially…

A study investigated whether the decision making of pharmacists and pharmacy students could be modified by providing computer-generated information on probabilities for efficacy and adverse reactions for antihypertensive agents, using case scenarios. Pharmacists were more likely than students to be influenced by probability information.…

The author discusses some approaches to assessing the impact of inaccurate information when the planning system involves formulae of the management accounting type or models of the operational research variety. The most appropriate method for quantifying information value in management information systems is through Bayesian analysis and decision…

Fiscal Impact Budgeting Systems (FIBS) are sophisticated computer based modeling procedures used in local government organizations, whose results, however, are often overlooked or ignored by decision makers. A study attempted to discover the reasons for this situation by focusing on four factors: potential usefulness, faith in computers,…

This paper presents the overall conceptual framework in which information gathered and stored by computers can be transformed into a comprehensive planning system useful in administrative decisionmaking. Identified and discussed are information needs (enrollment, costs, resources, and measurements) and a sample system (STEP - System for Trenton's…

Oversight information systems provide data to oversight agency managers that enable them to: (1) monitor the operations of agencies for which they are charged oversight responsibilities; (2) compare performance data against set performance criteria; and (3) identify exceptions that occur outside performance tolerance parameters. This research…

Large school systems bring various administrative problems in handling scheduling, records, and avoiding making red tape casualties of students. The authors review a portion of the current use of computers to handle these problems and examine the range of activities for which computer processing could provide aid. Since automation always brings…

This final annual evaluation of project ADMIRE describes the progress made in improving educational decisionmaking in a 5-county rural-urban area by the systematic collection, organization, and reporting of data about project schools and their populations. The five sections of the report (1) describe the organization of the report and the…

This compilation of three papers investigates theoretical and practical facets of career development, focusing on cognitive theory and decision-making theory and their roles in the formation of computerized career development systems. In the first paper ("Cognitive-Behavioral Theory and Its Application to Career Development"), Gerald…