Needs analysis is often ambiguous, leading to five types of misconceptions: (1) information needs can be easily identified; (2) information is best handled in institutional settings; (3) all information is of potentially equal value; (4) given sufficient information, decisions can be made; (5) information and education are unrelated. (Author/JM)

The authors outline a proposed student information system incorporating a cross-section of student characteristics to provide a basis for longitudinal analysis and an examination of changes in students. (Data might include standard biographical information, achievement test scores, and information obtained from a required test battery in…

Offers figures on what public elementary and secondary schools are spending for attendance services, health services, student body activities, pupil transportation, insurance, and data processing. Nationwide total and per student expenditures for each category and total expenditures by State for each category are presented. (DN)

This collection of excerpts on the subject of college admissions represents the ideas of panelists participating in the NACAC Annual Conference in San Francisco, 1971. (BY)

A computerized student record system will incorporate several characteristics including: reduction of data redundancy, data storage by student, historical data cumulation, effective and efficient maintenance of records, flexibility, etc. (MLW)

To support the position that the use of computers can make educational administration more cost-effective, the minicomputer-based information system in the Ridgeway Public School District in New Jersey is described. A model of the information system is included. (JJD)

Iona College has made a commitment to a new Center for Science and Technology so that students will be better prepared to deal with today's dynamic environment. Academic and administrative computing at Iona are combined in a single organization, and the college has a computer-based energy control system. (MLW)

Wesleyan University's imaginative use of computer programing helped project into the future and consider alternative fund-raising methods. The process of planning the model and its use in assessing three program options are outlined, and the computer method's usefulness in motivating development staff is emphasized. (MSE)

Michigan's Wayne County Intermediate School District, which serves 36 constituent districts, has converted from a centralized to a distributed computer system, resulting in improved and expanded data processing service to local district administrators, staff, and students at a substantially lower cost. (Author/MLF)

Computer hardware and software alone do not improve a financial management system. They are only the tools that carry out commands. College business offices and related administrative functions must commit effort to improving the overall system. Available from Peat, Marwick, Mitchell & Co., 345 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10154. (MSE)

The computer-based system for routing school buses in rural areas which is discussed minimizes both transportation costs and the average student ride time. Route generation methodology is described and a flowchart of the algorithm is included. (Author/JJD)

Describes a flexible, multichannel, highly accurate, digital data acquisition system for use with a microcomputer. Includes a description of instrumentation for computer data acquisition, data acquisition systems, software, uses in the curriculum, library interaction and action, and use in a mechanical engineering laboratory. (DS)

The history, development, and function of the Oklahoma State University Computer and Information Systems Office are described. Computers used and the general administrative structure are noted. (BH)

The use of management information systems (MIS) in higher education is discussed. It is suggested that the value of MIS in higher education is its potential utility in effective political position-building rather than conventional problem-solving. (BH)

The many and varied demands on university computer services are discussed and the importance of an effective data processing system for university management is emphasized. Case studies of computer use in admissions, registration, and billing are presented as well as the role of top level management in implementing data processing. (BH)