The quality of educational data in Nepal was evaluated by investigating three questions: (1) the extent of reporting error in national education data; (2) accuracy of error estimation; and (3) levels at which error is introduced. Evidence suggests that data may be more accurate than decision makers suppose. (SLD)

A revised system was developed for documenting the rights restrictions of persons with mental retardation at a state residential facility. The system included a new form, response effort reduction, inservice training for staff, and staff feedback. Results showed an immediate and sustained reduction in documentation errors of 96 direct-care and…

The current status of state mental retardation/developmental disability agency information systems related to day and employment programs for persons with disabilities is described. Data regarding the number and characteristics of persons served in various day-employment programs and the funding sources are summarized. Suggestions regarding data…

Northwestern State University (Louisiana) prepared a grant proposal for a comprehensive development plan to strengthen academic support services, including automated credit articulation, desktop registration, and a telephone registration and voice response information system. Funded by Title III of the Higher Education Act of 1965, the project has…

In college administration, a climate for adaptive change should be created using the philosophy, processes, and tools of Total Quality Management in combination with other management innovations. An enterprise-wide infrastructure for distributing information on demand for decision makers to monitor institutional performance should be built.…

Although different in nature from academic activities, college fund raising also requires planning and management. To develop more responsive executive information systems, development officers must take the lead, ask the right questions, and work closely with campus institutional researchers, registrars, enrollment managers, and computer…

Touchtone telephone registration and related computer student information system technologies can provide more efficient use of faculty, curriculum, and classroom space. Faculty, departments, and students all gain a degree of control. More in-depth and precise research must be undertaken and shared among institutions. (MSE)

Discusses the traditional Cranfield model for information retrieval (IR) evaluation, problems with the model, and extensions and alternatives to Cranfield; describes emerging themes in IR evaluation, including multiple evaluation dimensions and methods, inclusion of users and other stakeholders in the evaluation process, and various approaches to…

Drawing on academic studies and on personal clinical and industry experiences, argues that ubiquitous, simple network computing and "power tools" for managing medical knowledge are coming to medicine in the near future. Implications are drawn for how medical school curricula cover issues such as patient confidentiality, systems thinking and error…

Addresses the following obstacles faced by faculty and students in the use of World Wide Web-based support and instruction: multiple skill levels of students performing Web research; credibility of Web information; reliability of campus computer-network systems; inequality of access to student computing resources; and lack of understanding of…

Provides a synopsis of classes developed by the Winona (Minnesota) Middle School media center to provide staff with current Internet skills. Includes navigation techniques using browsers; e-mail; search engines; selecting and evaluating Web sites; Internet ethics and Netiquette; critical evaluation of Web sources; graphics; interactive video…

Reviews empirical studies about how digital libraries evolve for use in scientific and technical work based on the Digital Libraries Initiative (DLI) at the University of Illinois. Discusses how users meet infrastructure and document disaggregation; describes use of the DLI testbed of full text journal articles; and explains research methodology.…

Discusses the growth of distance education courses and presents a checklist of 25 course design principles that faculty can use to critique or evaluate their Web-based online course sites. Highlights include authority; bias; citations; graphics; help systems; student performance records; links; multimedia; navigation; printing; site structure; and…

With the 1996 defeat of the Communications Decency Act, under which providing offensive material on computer systems accessible to children would have become a felony, no legal guidelines exist for library use of the Internet. Libraries can avoid becoming the center of an Internet controversy by encouraging parental involvement; by protecting…

Most researchers agree that several broad-based steps are required for the effective use of data in education. First, states or districts must agree upon which data elements and indicators to collect. Then, those responsible for collecting the data must ensure its integrity. Once the data is considered valid and reliable, educators must have the…