Purpose: Most educational assessments tend to be constructed in a close-ended format, which is easier to score consistently and more affordable. However, recent work has leveraged computation text methods from the information sciences to make open-ended measurement more effective and reliable for older students. This study asks whether such text…

Information sources such as relational databases, spreadsheets, XML, JSON, and Web APIs contain a tremendous amount of structured data, however, they rarely provide a semantic model to describe their contents. Semantic models of data sources capture the intended meaning of data sources by mapping them to the concepts and relationships defined by a…

Examines basic issues of data mining using the theory of rough sets, a recent proposal for generalizing classical set theory. Demonstrates that a generalized rough set model can be used for generating rules from incomplete databases. Discusses the importance of rule extraction from incomplete databases in data mining. (AEF)

Discusses how imprecision and uncertainty are dealt with in the UFO (Uncertainty and Fuzziness in an Object-oriented) database model. Such information is expressed by means of possibility distributions, and modeled by means of the proposed concept of "role objects." The role objects model uncertain, tentative information about objects,…

Reviews literature on environmental information since 1986, with special emphasis on machine-readable sources as reported in the published literature. Highlights include a new model for studying environmental issues; environmental communication studies, including user studies; and environmental information sources, including pollution media and…

To generate a search query based on an end-user request, a database searcher has to select appropriate search terms. A selection process is simulated for 94 records of written requests to a psychological information agency and the respective online searches. Results show that the simulation is better than a random selection. (AEF)

Based on information provided primarily by two existing state-based information services, this handbook presents a clear, practical look at possible activities, procedures, and requirements of search services for educators. Descriptions of the two services that serve as models--Oklahoma's Sooner Exchange for Educational Knowledge (SEEK) and Texas'…

The report addresses itself to a basic need for educational planning--a data base for comprehensive planning--and documents the development of a planning information system at the completion of the third stage in a proposed 15-stage process. As such, the report is only in its initial phases of development. However, it is being disseminated on a…

A process for selecting peer institutions for budget and program review of public postsecondary institutions is discussed. Data from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), a national database, were used to select peer institutions. The first task was to identify the kinds of institution representatives to include as…

Presents a taxonomy of 11 sources of information used during library and database searching based on observations of 49 searches in a variety of libraries and search situations. Three categories of sources are identified: those internal to the searcher, those created by the searcher, and those external to the searcher. (Contains 54 references.)…

This handbook outlines an instructor-coordinator information system that is intended to assist cooperative vocational education (CVE) instructors in providing information on the outcomes of their local programs and examining other CVE programs in order to identify ways of strengthening local programs. The program information model involves four…

This document recapitulates the seventh in a continuing series of annual, nationwide vocational education dissemination conferences. As a record of conference activities and a guide to available resources, information, and programs across the country, this recap is intended to serve both conference participants and a general audience of vocational…

This book provides conceptual and practical strategies for the data and information collection and analysis needs of a diverse group of institutions, ranging from small rural community colleges to large urban research institutions. The model framework is designed for use by any size or type of institution and gives a broad overview of various…