Reaction workup can be a complex problem for those facing novel synthesis of difficult compounds for the first time. Workup problem solving by systematic thinking should be inculcated as mid-graduate-level is reached. A structured approach is proposed, building decision tree flowcharts to analyze challenges, and an exemplar flowchart is presented…

This teaching case discusses the analysis of an electronic voting system. The development of the case was motivated by research into information security and management, but as it includes procedural aspects, organizational structure and personnel, it is a suitable basis for all aspects of systems analysis, planning and design tasks. The material…

Process Improvement (PI) is an approach for helping organizations to identify and resolve inefficient and ineffective processes through problem solving and pilot testing change. Use of PI in improving client access, retention and outcomes in addiction treatment is on the rise through the teaching of the Network for the Improvement of Addiction…

Two experiments demonstrate that 10- and 13-year-olds can learn to detect interactive patterns in data. Results also indicate the advantages of creating formal models of solution strategies and using them as a basis for instructional procedures. (Author/DEP)

PATN is a design for a machine problem solver which uses an augmented transition network (ATN) to represent planning knowledge. In order to explore PATN's potential as a theory of human problem solving, a linguistic approach to protocol analysis is presented. An interpretation of a protocol is taken to be a parse tree supplemented by semantic and…

Describes the reconstruction of a conventional thermodynamics curriculum using the Galperin theory of stage-by-stage formation of mental actions and Landa's description of the "through" systematization of knowledge, and discusses the generalizability of the procedures followed in developing the plan for instruction. A 33-item…

The purpose of this study was to determine whether a process model could be constructed using steps identified from flow charts which accounted for somewhat more variance in predicting the difficulty of two-digit multiplication problems than did a process model developed by Cromer. Cromer's data and variables were used as a starting point. Ten new…

The purpose of this study was to determine whether a process model could be constructed using steps identified from flow charts which accounted for somewhat more variance in predicting the difficulty of two-digit multiplication problems than did a process model developed by Cromer. Cromer's data and variables were used as a starting point. Ten new…

Provides a summary of a series of research and development projects which investigated the reasons for failure in educational technology-based systems of instruction. Develops a new approach to the design of such systems and their subsequent implementation and control. A 17-item bibliography is included. (Author/CHC)

Software design is still a craft; techniques are based on the way things have been done, not on basic theorems or design principles. Suggests that academic software design needs to be more like a science or technology and that a taxonomy of design solutions or classification method is required. Describes two case studies. (MLW)

Presents Checkland's soft systems methodology, discusses it in terms of the systems approach, and illustrates how it was used to relate evidence of user survey to practical problems of library management. Difficulties in using methodology are described and implications for library management and information science research are presented. (8…

This literature review considers definitions of strategic planning as well as historical and operational aspects of its use at community colleges. First, a number of definitions of strategic planning are presented, indicating that, compared to long-range planning, strategic planning is more action-oriented and more concerned with issues, the…

Problems were presented to 13 university students in which letters were to be added or subtracted (e.g., B + D = ? or F - ? = D). After each problem, each subject gave a retrospective protocol indicating the way in which the problem was solved. Models of performance by each subject in each experimental session shared major properties; choices by…

This paper describes NEOMYCIN, a computer program that models one physician's diagnostic reasoning within a limited area of medicine. NEOMYCIN's knowledge base and reasoning procedure constitute a model of how human knowledge is organized and how it is used in diagnosis. The hypothesis is tested that such a procedure can be used to simulate both…

Hierarchically organized knowledge about actions has been postulated to explain planning in problem solving. Perdix, a simulation of problem solving in geometry with schematic planning knowledge, is described. Perdix' planning knowledge enables it to augment the problem space it is given by constructing auxiliary lines. The planning system also…