Identifies ways of using state intellectual freedom resources to support colleagues experiencing censorship attempts in public schools; shares mechanisms for collecting data on censorship attempts; shares highlights and implications of Wisconsin survey results and materials of interest; and recommends ideas which can be put into practice at…

Describes composition and objectives of the Task Force on the Status of Media Centers in Higher Education and the questionnaire developed to poll centralized media centers. This report discusses their findings on the general health of media centers, funding and personnel patterns, moral support, and services provided, and task force…

Describes use of case study method to systematically develop model of online searching behavior in which study design is flexible, data gathering and analyses are determined by subject matter, and specific procedures are decided upon while study progresses. Problems and measures taken to reduce their effect are discussed. (Eleven references are…

Presents the methods and findings of a survey conducted at the University of Arkansas to determine the status of planning at rural community colleges, the types of data used in making planning decisions, and the perceived effectiveness of short-term planning. (AYC)

Presents a case study and findings of a training needs assessment which was conducted to determine the training implications of implementing an integral system of quality assurance at the Fridley, Minnesota, plant of Onan Corporation, a manufacturer of electric generator sets and switch gear. (MBR)

A survey of 133 academic libraries reveals that most make online bibliographic retrieval services available to off-campus clients at prices higher than those charged to primary patrons. Extra charges are not inconsequential, being approximately $15/search or 38 percent of search costs. Eight references, questionnaire, and list of online vendors…

Provides an introduction to data-based interventions in the organizational context. Compares four models of data use and discusses how they pertain to student affairs organizations and to staff training and development. (JAC)

Approaches to categorizing types of adaptive response are developed, these types are explained, and the consequences for individual institutions of responses made and not made are assessed. The extent of substantive change are associated with institutional type as reflected in the Carnegie Classification System. (MLW)

Describes a "no-cost" apparatus designed to demonstrate rotational inertia. Also describes and evaluates a microprocessor-based instrument (Versatile Laboratory Aid) that performs a large variety of timing and data acquisition tasks encountered in introductory and advanced physics laboratories. (JN)

Suggests conventional evaluation reports are inappropriate for what needs to be portrayed for software users concerned with acquisition, software adaptation, design and development, and teacher implementation decisions. Two forms for evaluating information are described and illustrated--a narrative portrayal form and a design and development…

Ethical issues relating to naturalistic evaluation are addressed, focusing on the role of the evaluator, problems of privacy and data gathering techniques, and issues relating to the use/abuse of findings. Benefits and costs of the naturalistic approach to program evaluation are also identified. (EGS)

Drawing on current models for increasing the use of information from external evaluations, the authors offer a user-centered approach for increasing the use of results from internal evaluations of graduate medical education. The overriding emphasis of the user-centered approach is the utility of the resultant data. (Author/BW)

The unique characteristics of the organizational context are reviewed, and it is shown how internal evaluation fits within them. The major factors that define the organizational context are delineated, including the emergence of the evaluation resource management function. (PN)

Enrollment data for 1977-1982 are used to produce an innovative map of top 42 elective courses in Drexel University's School of Library and Information Science. Data gathering and computing procedures are given in sufficient detail for replication and evidence is relevant to accreditation standards of American Library Association. (Sixteen…

In using teacher self-assessment to identify staff development needs, supervisory staff must be aware of: (1) types of information that can be collected through the self-assessment process; (2) possible techniques for collecting each type of information; and (3) procedures for using self-assessment information to identify priority staff…