This survey of the research into user interface design and its impact on the development of hypermedia users' mental models discusses various design issues including the functionality of the system, system purpose, differences in user background, and system usability. (Author/AEF)

Discusses the basic technical concepts of using graphics in World Wide Web pages, including: color depth and dithering, dots-per-inch, image size, file types, Graphics Interchange Formats (GIFs), Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG), format, and software recommendations. (AEF)

Discusses the distinctions made between hardware and technology as applied to distance education. Highlights include hardware and technology in the planning process, media-delivery systems in higher education, communication in teaching and learning, and new definitions of educational technology. (LRW)

Describes one decision-making approach for quickly implementing a communications network into a school district. The use of volunteer labor for wiring installation, computer selection focusing on standardization to aid in troubleshooting, and an intranet system to achieve efficiency and learning opportunities for teachers and administrative…

Discusses the state of library automation and the benefits and dilemmas of available operating systems. Presents an overview of six vendors selling online library systems (Ameritech, Endeavor, Data Research Associates, Sirsi, Innovative Interfaces, and Ex Libris). Provides sales figures based on the "Library Journal" articles published during the…

Describes one public school library's struggles and solutions to problems associated with managing its new Windows desktop. To implement goals for organizing the desktop, the library selected the FoolProof desktop security system, utilized networks administration to enforce the school's Acceptable Use Policy, and used Windows 95 System Policies.…

The Bowling Green State University Web tutorial, FALCON, models a standard library instructional session on use of the library's Web-based catalog. The tutorial's self-containment, achieved with a complex system of files and without a live catalog connection, enables users to learn how to search the catalog at a pace, time and place of their…

Investigates the effect of activity content, its presentation, and the interactions between the two on flow experience (intrinsic motivation) in instructional activity. Results suggest that activity content has major influences on motivation; hypermedia presentations can add to motivation if used appropriately, or they can be distracting if too…

Discusses the concept of a digital library and the utility of space/time referencing. Describes the unified space/time/keyword/format search and retrieval and indexing system of the ISLA (Information System for Los Angeles) at the University of Southern California. Focuses on the practical application of space/time referencing and methods of…

Presents adaptations and tests undertaken to allow an information retrieval system to forecast the likelihood of avalanches on a particular day; the forecasting process uses historical data of the weather and avalanche conditions for a large number of days. Describes a method for adapting these data into a form usable by a text-based IR system and…

Describes the University of California at Berkeley's participation in the TREC (Text Retrieval Conference) interactive track experiments. Highlights include results of searches on two systems, Cheshire II and ZPRISE; system design goals and implementation; precision and recall results; search questions by topic and system; and results of…

An intranet is a system which has "domesticated" the technologies of the Internet for specific organizational settings and goals. Although the adaptability of Hypertext Markup Language to intranets is sometimes limited, implementing various protocols and technologies enable organizations to share files among heterogeneous computers,…

An interactive multimedia tutorial system that focuses on the "why" aspect of user interface design is described. The system contains a design exercise, three experts for guidance, and a user group that comments on the usability of the design. Testing results indicate that learners consider more possible solutions to design issues. (Author/AEF)

This article was written to help school-business administrators keep track of school-district funds and make the right investment decisions. It provides a directory, which contains detailed information on financial-services firms, the regions they serve, and their areas of expertise. (LMI)

The .edu domain was originally intended for use by all educational levels. Since 1993, however, .edu names have been technically reserved for four-year institutions of higher education, leaving .us, .org or .net domains for two-year colleges. Nevertheless, 20% of 400 .edu names currently held by community colleges have been awarded since 1993.…