This study sought to assess required information and communication technology (ICT) tasks in selected undergraduate agriculture courses in a land-grant university during a 10-year period. Selected agriculture faculty members in the fall 1999 (n = 63), 2004 (n = 55), and 2009 (n = 64) semesters were surveyed to determine the ICT tasks they required…

Reviews the functions that should be included in an analytical workstation. Also discusses the common data file structures and the techniques of data interchange between software modules and presents a brief overview of commercial products and their interfacing characteristics. These software include word processors, spreadsheets, database…

This book is geared for beginners in the use of personal computers for everyday academic purposes. The information is generic, and is not directed exclusively to IBM users, Macintosh users or NeXT users. The chapters focus on the following topics: (1) introduction to the purpose of the book; (2) personal computer systems such as hardware and…

Proposes an approach to information technology (IT) skills instruction for library and information science students which starts with databases and software, moves on to spreadsheets, and then considers graphics and word processing. This encourages students to consider information first, and then to progress to tools for its analysis 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…

This paper describes a National Science Foundation-sponsored project at Louisiana Technological University to develop computer-based laboratories for "hands-on" introductions to major topics of computer science. The underlying strategy is to develop structured laboratory environments that present abstract concepts through the use of…

These three volumes list and describe a total of 65 new educational software products. The lists are the result of February and September 1988 polls of 10 computer coordinators from large educational software preview centers and evaluation agencies, who were asked to identify new products they had seen which, in their professional opinion, were…

This paper discusses the present situation regarding national data bases (particularly, ERIC, EDSTAT II, and NEDL) in higher education. Topics include availability of data, methods of retrieval, and uses made of the retrieved data. Also discussed are trends which will greatly enhance the uses of data bases, including: (1) a computerized cataloging…

Some capabilities and limitations of microcomputers for use by research administrators in pre-award activities and information processing are described, including word processing, electronic spreadsheets, database management, terminal emulation, and graphics presentations. Cost effectiveness is also considered. (MSE)

Describes a spreadsheet system that enables students, teachers, and curriculum developers to use Microsoft EXCEL's database and graphics capabilities in the science classroom. System design goals are explained, examples of system applications are given, and possible future developments are discussed. (15 references) (LRW)

Describes the latest modifications being made to OASIS, a front-end enhancement to the University of California's MELVYL online union catalog. Highlights include the X Windows interface; multiple database searching to act as an information network; Lisp implementation for flexible data representation; and OASIS commands and features to help…

There are increasing numbers of commercially available computer graphics packages, both in terms of hardware and software, that can be utilized by instructors, practitioners, and students of education. With the proliferation of low-cost graphic terminals, time-sharing capabilities, and recent advances in mini- and microcomputers, computer graphics…

To help those who find themselves resisting microcomputers and those who have already made a decision to begin using the new technology, this paper summarizes the ways microcomputers can increase the flexibility, efficiency, impact, organization, information access, and creativity of those in the field of communication. Following an overview of…

This paper describes GUIDON-WATCH, a graphic interface that uses multiple windows and a mouse to allow a student to browse a knowledge base and view reasoning processes during diagnostic problem solving. The GUIDON project at Stanford University is investigating how knowledge-based systems can provide the basis for teaching programs, and this…

Reprints of 17 articles presenting strategies and tips for searching databases online appear in this collection, which is one in a series of volumes of reprints from "ONLINE" and "DATABASE" magazines. Edited for information professionals who use electronically distributed databases, these articles address such topics as: (1)…