This paper describes the techniques for implementing a full-screen, custom SPIRES interface for a public-use library database. The database-independent protocol that controls the system is described in detail. Source code for an entire working application using this interface is included. The protocol, with less than 170 lines of procedural code,…

This paper describes a standard cross-platform strategy for providing deaf individuals with access to sounds generated by electronic information systems. The strategy is based on a "ShowSounds" switch built into the basic system architecture. Turning the switch "on" would signal that all information presented auditorially is…

This concept paper begins by arguing that Integrated Performance Support Systems (IPSS) are an imperative for boosting productivity in the workplace and gaining competitive advantage in the marketplace. It then presents the framework for an IPSS solution to meet the challenges of the 1990s. Discussion of the implementation of an IPSS solution…

This paper presents framework specifications for an instructional systems development (ISD) expert system. The goal of the proposed ISD expert system is to improve the means by which educators design, produce, and evaluate the instructional development process. In the past several decades, research and theory development in the fields of…

This paper examines the sufficiency of existing e-Learning standards for facilitating and supporting the introduction of adaptive techniques in computer-based learning systems. To that end, the main representational and operational requirements of adaptive learning environments are examined and contrasted against current eLearning standards. The…

This report describes a specific approach to two current trends in Intelligent Tutoring Systems (ITS) research: (1) an emphasis on metacognitive skills which are not domain specific; and (2) a move away from viewing ITS research as being exclusively concerned with "knowledge communication." A human-computer dialogue model designed to…

The nature of the learner-machine interaction is of central importance in the design of guided discovery learning environments. The interface to a learning environment is the only way in which a learner has access to the functionality of the system, and conversely, the interface in the only way in which the tutoring component of the system has…

This activity packet offers simple directions for setting up a Morse Code system appropriate to interfacing with any of several personal computer systems. Worksheets are also included to facilitate teaching Morse Code to persons with visual or other disabilities including blindness, as it is argued that the code is best learned auditorily. (PB)

Summaries of the welcoming and opening remarks for a symposium on the standards issues that will affect the federal government's planning, acquisition, and use of integrated computer and telecommunications systems over the next five years set the stage for the keynote address by Joseph Timko of IBM entitled "Standards--Perspectives and Evolution."…

This issue of Regional Development Dialogue contains selected papers presented at an expert meeting sponsored by the United Nations Centre for Regional Development on training in information systems for local and regional planning in developing countries. The following papers are included: (1) "Information System for Local and Regional…

TAIGA (Twente Advanced Interactive Graphic Authoring system) is a system which can be used to develop instructional software. It is written in MS-PASCAL, and runs on computers that support MS-DOS. Designed to support the production of structured software, TAIGA has a hierarchical structure of three layers, each with a specific function, and each…

This paper describes how a language for building information systems that is being developed by the Office for Research at OCLC can be linked to an artificial intelligence environment, Poplog. The demonstration system--ISIS (Intelligent Support for Interface systems)--shows how Poplog could provide some intelligent support for a D interface,…

Computer-aided facilities management (CAFM) refers to a collection of software used with increasing frequency by facilities managers. The six major CAFM components are discussed with respect to their usefulness and popularity in facilities management applications: (1) computer-aided design; (2) computer-aided engineering; (3) decision support…

This paper focuses on a short term plan for a computerized multimedia expert system in the field of the classics that is under development at the University of California at Los Angeles. Noting both increased enrollments in classics courses and the problems associated with finding textbooks for courses in ancient civilizations that cover a variety…

"Waterloo MacJANET," a local area network developed by the University of Waterloo for the Apple Macintosh computer, provides an environment appropriate for developing students' computer-related skills, minimizing both the human and the computing resources needed to support such courses. The system also serves as an efficient distributor…