Identifies characteristics of a flexible information system, using UniverSIS--a student information system developed at the University of Cincinnati--to illustrate principles of flexible design. Benefits include increased business control over system behavior, reuse of system solutions, and reduced involvement of technical staff as business…

Offers principles for purchasing a new personal computer, and discusses matching principles with needs. (SR)

Follows the decision-making process for an embedded help solution to replace a help system that had trained users not to use it. Discusses solutions for implementing embedded help. Considers how to design a solution that not only lures users back to the user assistance, but also encourages users to learn more about the product. (SG)

Argues that advent of computer-aided instruction (CAI) systems for teaching introductory computer programing makes it imperative that software be developed to automate assessment and grading of student programs. Examples of typical student programing problems are given, and application of the Unix tools Lex and Yacc to the automatic assessment of…

Many school business officials have turned to computer equipment leasing. A lease arrangement permits administrators to stretch annual budgets, to appropriate funds, and to easily upgrade or change equipment. Another alternative to high-cost computer purchase is to buy or lease used equipment. (MLF)

Highlights three ways a college or university can organize its technology areas to maximize comfort and save space. Examples are provided on controlling equipment sprawl through thoughtful workstation development, designing computer rooms for flexibility and effective cable management, and emulating business setups that are work-flow efficient and…

A microcomputer-based user interface was developed and programmed for the library computer systems at the University of Illinois. Designed to provide user-friendly access to the two components of the online catalog on the library's IBM 3081 mainframe computer, the interface program resides on the IBM PC and queries the user in natural written…

Discussion of downloading from online public access catalogs focuses on downloading to MS-DOS microcomputers from the INNOPAC online catalog system. Tools for capturing and postprocessing downloaded files are described, technical and institutional constraints on downloading are addressed, and an innovative program for overcoming such constraints…

Attempts to persuade friends and colleagues in the computers and writing community to do more to ensure that the Web pages (especially for classes) are accessible to people with disabilities. Raises this issue as a matter of some urgency in light of the surging interest in multimedia and visual rhetoric represented by this special issue. (SG)

This guide is designed for school and district administrators and teachers who want to use data to improve their schools, for college and university instructors who teach school administrators, and for support personnel who teach graduate-level education courses. The guide explains how to define the scope of a needed database, how to ready the…

Provides a framework for examining the programs required to meet the challenges of information management education along five dimensions: area of study; faculty and school base; core programs; education and orientation of coprofessionals and managers; and management education and orientation. Approaches for improving the value of information…

This document outlines the strategies that are used for teaching and assessment in Dominie, an intelligent tutoring system designed to enable the user to operate a computer interface independently. Eight interaction modes are described in detail: four teaching strategies (cognitive apprenticeship, successive refinement, discovery learning, and…

The Computer-Based Memorization System (CBMS), which specifies the facts that students are to know and how well the facts are to be known, uses a compiled form of an associative network for its knowledge database. (An associative network is a knowledge representation that uses associations for its basic representation of knowledge.) The CBMS…

Describes guidelines for an online public access catalog (OPAC) workstation that will support the terminal, printer, and other peripherals. Workstation dimensions, lighting, wire management, printer and paper, acoustical treatment, seating, storage for books and coats, wastebasket, and interior decoration are addressed. Flexibility and simplicity…

This kit was developed to assist the postsecondary education community's efforts to resolve the Year 2000 (Y2K) computer problem. The kit includes a description of the Y2K problem, an assessment of the readiness of colleges and universities, a checklist for institutions, a Y2K communications strategy, articles on addressing the problem in academic…