Reviews Miami-Dade Community College's four-phase student flow model, which involves admission and assessment; advisement and counseling; competency monitoring via the school's academic alert support, supplemental educational services support, academic progress support, and advisement graduation information systems; and the Emphasis on Excellence…

Reviews literature on instructional computing to delineate principles helpful in closing the gap between teaching and technology. Focuses on faculty development (including faculty role shift), program development (including major activities in systematic exploitation of communication technology), and institutional arrangements. (Author/JN)

Dedicated computers are designed to perform a specific function (such as check-out computers in supermarkets). Because software for these computers is either built in or housed in separate plug-in program modules, programming knowledge is not necessary. The use of these computers to help individuals master basic academic subjects is discussed.…

Describes an interactive videodisc application program developed to train army medics. Indicates that reduced instructor teaching time and a high degree of student satisfaction in mastering complex, high-stress tasks are the optimum results achieved by the program. (JN)

Describes and lists currently available software useful in social studies classes. Such software (including spreadsheets, databases, survey questionnaires) helps students apply quantitative methods and information-handling skills that are currently used in solving complex real-world problems. (JN)

School districts of all sizes can begin to use computers in their schools by outlining objectives, securing community support, planning for one microcomputer for every 20 students, and evaluating computers and software. (MLF)

Technological and creative developments hold considerable possibilities for foreign language instruction, but an assessment of educational objectives, the media available, and opportunities for integration of new methods into the curriculum is necessary to make the best use of new technology. (MSE)

Outline of basic requirements needed to outfit a small public library with microcomputers discusses necessary equipment, cost effectiveness, management information systems, statistics generated, software available, and library procedures to be automated. Fifteen references are cited. (EJS)

Discussion of the scheduling procedures of librarians' hours at the reference desk at the Rutherford Humanities and Social Sciences Library, University of Alberta, highlights services provided, the preference table system, and manual scheduling versus computer scheduling. (EJS)

Herbert Simon (Nobel prize-winning economist/professor) expresses his views on human and artificial intelligence, problem solving, inventing concepts, and the future. Includes comments on expert systems, state of the art in artificial intelligence, robotics, and "Bacon," a computer program that finds scientific laws hidden in raw data.…

The author stresses that students need a thorough understanding of certain mathematical ideas in order to write adequate computer programs. He presents some examples using BASIC and LOGO and discusses writing programs as a mathematical exercise and using mathematics in programing. (MNS)

Questions whether children are being taught the knowledge and skills they will need to function effectively in the emerging information society and argues that, rather than feeling threatened by computers, teachers should regard them as tools to use to do an even better job in the classroom. (MBR)

Describes introduction of microcomputer services at the Rolling Meadows (Illinois) Public Library, noting funding, purchase of an Apple microcomputer, placement of the terminal, software, staff development, and patron workshops. Rules for computer use and Apple computer worksheet (logging on, useful tips, logging off, and activities) are included.…

Use of diagnostic testing (for mathematics skills) and multiple-choice, computer-graded homework in reducing dropout from general physics is discussed. Indicates that these strategies were successful without sacrificing academic or grading standards. Includes list of topics on the diagnostic math test and sample homework problem set (in…

A PASCAL graphics and instrument interface program for a Z80/S-100 based microcomputer was developed. The computer interfaces to a stopped-flow spectrophotometer replacing a storage oscilloscope and polaroid camera. Applications of this system are discussed, indicating that graphics and analog-to-digital boards have transformed the computer into…