A State official, who was involved in the California School Construction Systems Development (SCSD) project since its inception, describes the drawbacks of and the problems encountered in that project. (JF)

Children can suffer serious injuries in falls from standard playground equipment, especially if they land on a hard surface. Parents can: (1) form safety committees; (2) demand safer playground surfaces; (3) remove equipment deemed hazardous according to Consumer Product Safety Commission guidelines; and (4) support the purchase of safer…

Parking, room temperature controls, wear-and-tear on furnishings, security, and other factors that should be considered in designing a community center are discussed. The importance of good planning based on community needs is emphasized. (PP)

Describes an interactive data retrieval system which was designed and implemented for casual users and which incorporates a user-friendly interface, aids to train beginners in use of the system, versatility in output, and error recovery protocols. A 14-item reference list and two figures illustrating system operation and output are included. (JL)

Outlines a research framework, in which emphasis is placed upon validity, reliability, and utility, for the systematic evaluation of simulation and gaming instruments and suggests how this framework can be employed in the selection and use of instructional simulations and games. Three tables accompany the text. (Author/JL)

Elements necessary in designing physical facilities for industrial arts/technology education programs in higher education are considered: (1) evolving patterns and projection of present trends to accommodate foreseeble changes, (2) designing physical facilities to accommodate unforeseeable changes and (3) considering foundational elements in the…

Outlines how an information company--the Institute for Scientific Information (ISI)--designed a new building to house its facility. Problems and deficiencies in the old work space were analyzed using a rigorous systems approach, and an open-plan system was devised to allow for optimum space utilization and energy efficiency. (CWM)

Presents reasons for environmental standards in community planning and design to provide better quality of life and describes some public intervention efforts around the world to improve land use, housing patterns, and the environment. (MF)

Presents an overview of user-centered design and usability testing. Describes a Web site evaluation project at a university, the iterative process of rapid prototyping and usability testing, and how the findings helped to improve the design. Discusses recommendations for university Web site design and reflects on problems faced in usability…

Describes the Michigan Electronic Library (MEL), the largest evaluated and organized Web-based library of Internet resources, that was designed to provide a library of electronic information resources selected by librarians. MEL's partnership is explained, the collection is described, and future developments are considered. (LRW)

The number of school fires is up nationwide. This article describes unsafe school conditions, problems with new fire codes, and the factors that contribute to school fires. Installation of sprinkler systems is recommended. A fire-safety checklist is included. (LMI)

Reviews the effectiveness of animation in enhancing textual information for instructional purposes and identifies factors that determine effectiveness. Outlines methodological problems in the research and summarizes design criteria for multimedia instructional products. Contains 78 references. (PEN)

Assesses the appropriateness of GUIs (graphical user interfaces), more specifically Windows-based interfaces for CD-ROM. An evaluation model is described that was developed to carry out an expert evaluation of the interfaces of seven CD-ROM products. Results are discussed in light of HCI (human-computer interaction) usability criteria and design…