Computerized management information systems have long been used in business, and data integration and sophisticated programing now enable many businesses to decentralize their information operations. This approach has advantages and disadvantages that colleges and universities must weigh and plan for carefully. (MSE)

The evolution to date of the United Kingdom's Administrative Computing Initiative for universities, a program funding development of institutional management systems for both operations and planning, is described. The program divides universities into four families, each of which has adopted a different approach to systems development. (Author/MSE)

Reasons for distributed systems (DS) of planning and design for information services for colleges are discussed. The methodologies and approaches from industry and academe are contrasted to show how the process of DS can be effectively managed to meet a variety of institutional needs. DS represent a natural evolution of the historic development of…

Different approaches employed to automate the administrative recordkeeping processes within academic departments at three University of California campuses are contrasted: the University of California at Berkeley, the University of California at Los Angeles, and the University of California at Santa Barbara. The results are based on campus…

Discusses features of ideal basic attendance package and factors to consider in choosing a suitable package, including memory, programming language and operating system, disk capacity, time saving features, and networking, interface, coding, and block attendance update capabilities. A chart comparing 16 period-by-period attendance packages is…

Explains the Systems Development Life Cycle (SDLC) construct, which is used for development of management information systems, and analyzes the staffing composition of SDLC steps for nonprofit arts organizations including art museums and symphony orchestras. The use of outside help, in-house personnel, and volunteers is examined; and the influence…

This report presents results of a study of five state and local computer-based special education management information systems (MISs). Descriptions are provided of the five MISs used for reporting and decision-making in special education, the planning and implementation processes used by the states and districts, and the general benefits that…