The Yale University Library, one of the earliest developers of preservation microfilming practices, is today engaged in the first stages of a long-term and comprehensive effort to develop practical systems for the conversion of microfilm to digital image, and thereby to develop an understanding of the appropriate relationship of the two…

Focusing on the need for information systems that provide faculty, staff, and students with open access to all necessary information resources, this paper begins by discussing the issues involved in developing such systems. A review of the traditional environment looks at the traditional centralized resources versus the current trend toward…

Accountability has always been a basic concept in public education, although ideas about how to accomplish it have changed over the years. Problems in urban schools have given rise to the hope that carefully created systems of accountability might spur school improvement and school restructuring. Devising a system of genuine accountability in a…

The Fox Valley Technical Institute's approach to teaching adults about computers is based on three underlying premises: there is a widespread need for adult education related to desktop computers; the needs are not the same for everyone; and to be effective, a program that addresses these needs must be flexible, pertinent, and current. (Desktop is…

The instructional systems development (ISD) approach for the development and accomplishment of vocational training programs provides a methodology for gathering and analyzing job information, developing instructional materials in a variety of media, conducting instruction, and evaluating and improving the effectiveness of training programs. This…

"Extending Virtual Access: Promoting Engagement and Retention through Integrated Support Systems" focuses upon expanding the scope of on-line instructional delivery to include academic support systems critical to ensuring that virtual learning environments are inclusive, accessible, instructive, and responsive to changing student needs.…

After surveying the history and current status of online database searching, this report offers a timeline describing four stages of possible developments for online systems. In the first stage, an expert interface assists CD-ROM-based searching by offering advice about search strategies. Advantages are that search logic can be refined with the…

Potential uses of a central registry/clearinghouse approach in the Child Support Enforcement Program (CSEP) are described in this publication. The CSEP was established in 1975 under Title IV-D of the Social Security Act in an effort to reduce federal monies spent supporting dependent children not receiving financial assistance from absent parents.…

This guide was developed as a "starter kit" for those beginning the process of selecting and implementing computer-based library systems. The main section outlines a process for libraries to use in system selection, including (1) initial considerations; (2) project planning and management; (3) analyzing the alternatives; (4) the…

The process of writing test items is analyzed, and a blueprint is presented for an authoring system for test item writing to reduce invalidity and to structure the process of item writing. The developmental methodology is introduced, and the first steps in the process are reported. A historical review traces the advances made in the field and the…

This hearing, which is the first of a series of hearings on the 1990 decennial census, focuses on automation activities, pretest preparations, and proposed residency rules. Gene L. Dodaro, associate director of the General Accounting Office, calls on the committee to use special purpose tests to adequately evaluate the following: (1) potential of…

This paper is based on the assumption that in shaping academic strategies for long-range planning purposes, educational institutions must be able to gather adequate information on which to base administrative decisions. Information on how the institution has operated in the past as well as how it is currently operating are critical items for valid…

The model for long-range planning described in this report was instituted at Western Piedmont Community College (WPCC) in 1982. Introductory material outlines the elements of WPCC's planning process, i.e., the clarification of issues, the establishment of priorities, the achievement of consensus on courses of action, and the allocation of…

The development and evaluation of a potential viewdata-style delivery system for computer assisted learning (CAL) at the Open University are described. First examined are Open University problems with CAL and television delivery systems, which resulted in the consideration of a viewdata approach involving allocation of a small central processor to…

This overview of the role of the General Information Programme (PGI) in Major Program VII: Information Systems and Access to Knowledge, one of 14 major Unesco program areas for the period 1984-1989, includes the goals of the program, a review of issues and problems in the area of information technology applications in developing countries, and a…