Controlled experiments were conducted with an enhanced experimental intermediary system, CONIT (COnnector for Networked Information Transfer), to test how effective such a system could be in assisting end users in online searching of medical and biomedical literature. A total of 16 end users, none of whom had previously operated CONIT or any of…

The use of computer-assisted instruction in conjunction with the on-line information retrieval system is the most promising form of instruction in that the medium itself, as well as the message, may be used to acquaint the novice searcher with an interactive user/system interface. (Author)

As an exploration of the frustration experienced by users of an on-line interactive retrieval system, students participated in an experiment using an experimental reference retrieval system for library literature. It was anticipated that significant variations in user behavior would be displayed by the control and experimental groups. (19…

These quarterly reports for June and September 1979 are two in a series concerned with describing a research project to design, test, and evaluate a machine intermediary which teaches and assists users of the DIALOG system. Report No. 5 explains in detail the instructional aspect of the Individualized Instruction for Data Access (IIDA) project and…

Presents an overview of the library's use of online systems in the areas of library user instruction, query analysis, and public access to library information. (FM)

Describes a technique being developed for online instruction and assistance for bibliographic database searchers called Individualized Instruction for Data Access (IIDA). The objectives of the project are discussed, as well as the use modes and flow of control of the system, and seven references are included. (Author/BK)

This bibliography lists 754 books and articles which focus on programs that can run on IBM microcomputers and compatibles using PC DOS/MS DOS, and that can be used in online information and documentation work. An index lists the software packages alphabetically by title and references them to the main entries, which are listed by author. (CLB)

The problems faced in accessing the contents of online bibliographic data bases are assessed, and current training techniques are summarized and evaluated. A new training program, which delivers training to the trainee's home terminal, simulating interactive retrieval systems that search files and provide messages and displays, is described. (JPF)

Reports on the development of the Individualized Instruction for Data Access System (IIDA), a computer system designed at Drexel University, which serves as an intermediary enabling users to perform complex tasks on another computer. Capabilities of the instruction mode and assistance mode are discussed. Fifteen references are cited. (EJS)

This paper describes a number of different types of training aids currently employed in online training: non-interactive audiovisual presentations; interactive computer-based aids; partially interactive aids based on recorded searches; print-based materials; and kits. The advantages and disadvantages of each type of aid are noted, and a table…

The project described is a renewal of earlier work on Individualized Instruction for Data Access (IIDA), a program designed at Drexel University to aid users in searching a database with the computer acting as assistant. This quarterly report discusses the evaluation of IIDA through user interaction. Two types of evaluation were performed:…

The realization that the facilities available for the retrieval of scientific and technical information were being underutilized resulted in a project undertaken by the Drexel University School of Library and Information Science to develop a computer intermediary capable of assisting users of scientific and technical information in the performance…

Uses Markovian analyses to compare the search patterns of novice and experienced searchers using an experimental computer-based instruction and assistance system for Lockheed's DIALOG. This system was developed by the Individualized Instruction for Data Access (IIDA) project at Drexel University. Eleven references are listed. (JL)

Describes audio and digital recording devices, computer-assisted instructional systems, audiovisual aids, and viewdata systems used by British library schools in the instruction of online searching. Twenty-eight references are cited. (FM)

A brief summary of the progress and status of the Individualized Instruction for Data Access (IIDA) project is followed by a report focusing on the principles and rules for analyzing a computer search performed using the IIDA software, and adaptation rules for the deferment of error messages in the case of frequent violations of the same rule. The…