The author contends that college and university administrators often become bogged down in the "techniques and tools" of planning systems, thereby losing sight of the real problems and goals. He defines the errors that inhibit good planning and suggests a planning model called the "Louis and Clarke tour" based on envisioning a goal and moving…

The purpose of this article is to set forth a conceptual framework to help educational administrators understand the applications and potential of data processing activities in their institutions. It is expected that such a framework will provide a basis for data processing decisions and direction for future data processing activities. The model…

This paper reports a procedure used for the design of management information systems at the school board level. It was developed in cooperation with two Ontario boards--a large board with access to computer facilities and a small board with a manual record-keeping system. (Author/IRT)

This pamphlet represents the third in a six-part series describing the Management Organization Systems Technique (MOST), developed at Wayne County Community College, whose purpose is to determine the goals and objectives of a college and to assist in their attainment and evaluation. The information sub-system is designed to collect, process and…

PLANTRAN II is a system of computer software designed to assist educational administrators in their planning and analysis activities. The unique feature of PLANTRAN II is that it requires no computer programing experience or expertise. Users with technical background have found PLANTRAN II helpful in their analyses without reducing the complexity…

Completion of a four-month study of Oakland University's administrative systems needs is reported. It is recommended that the university undertake a major developmental effort to design and install new systems, with particular emphasis on payroll/personnel, general accounting, and student records. Following the development of these systems, a new…

This paper deals with systems concepts, particularly those related to management information systems (MIS) as exemplified by the Center for the Study of Evaluation (CSE) Formative Evaluation Kit. The concept of MIS is in numerous ways more flexible than might be imagined from a cursory reading of the business-management literature. An MIS does not…

Too often computer applications try to supplant rather than augment human capabilities. As a result, there is a gap between the power of the computer and some difficult administrative problems; e.g., longrange planning. However, there is increasing interest in the use of computer simulation in planning. PLANTRAN II represents a completely new…

The material in this volume was developed for use in a series of workshops on institutional research and planning for colleges and universities. The workshop sessions made extensive use of computers. This was made possible through the use of PLANTRAN II, a computer simulation system designed to make the power of the computer available to the…

It is claimed that, properly organized, management information systems not only can contain all the data within a total organization, but can refine and arrange the information so that it becomes meaningful to the decisionmaker. At present their functions are virtually restricted to middle management, operational control levels. However, the rapid…

Progress in realizing the full potential of computerized data processing is being hindered by costs and by the spread of a multitude of small, independent computer facilities. There is a need for some uniformity of specifications among the various systems. The result would be a compatibility that could help to reduce costs more rapidly because of…

The models presented in this volume were designed to fit the typical situation. Each user of these techniques will have to modify them to ensure their applicability to his institution. Although the material exploits the capabilities of the PLANTRAN system, computer processing is not required for use of the models. The techniques dealt with here…

The models presented in this volume were designed to fit the typical situation. Each user of these techniques will have to modify them to ensure their applicability to his institution. Although the material exploits the capabilities of the PLANTRAN system, computer processing is not required for use of the models. The techniques dealt with here…