A history of educators' concern with systematic production and utilization of educational knowledge (KPU) since the beginning of the century is presented. The influence of Paul Mort on the KPU tradition from the 1930's to the 1960's, and of Federal policies on educational research and dissemination since the 1960's is investigated. (Author/MJB)

A continuation of a two-part article about performance appraisal programs, this part examines program design and implementation. Topics covered include a systems approach, designing forms and establishing procedure, and maintaining the program. (TA)

Covered in the proceedings of AACRAO's 63rd annual meeting are: basics in systems management; why, when, and how of reporting data; data base management systems; and budgeting. (LBH)

The process of moving away from a simplistic reliance on intelligence test ratings to more sophisticated models of assessment and service is more advanced in systems where the school psychologist is given real professional status and is allowed to shape the nature of services offered. (MB)

A consideration of the development of on-line systems in terms of the computer changes that made on-line searching possible, and the use of these changes by information retrieval systems. (Author/KP)

Describes the advantages of the development of open systems, i.e., a configuration which combines software and hardware from separate vendors into a single system, as a means of increasing the possible applications of library automation. (CLB)

Describes a computerized database of social sciences research activities in Israel. The problems of constructing a database in a small country with special linguistic problems are covered, and the printed products and services offered are described. (Author/EM)

Outlines factors used by online vendors to decide whether to bid on RFPs (requests for proposals) for library automation systems, including specifications for software, hardware or performance requirements not met by the vendor; specifications based on competitors' systems; the size and complexity of the request itself; and vendors' time…

Identifies a number of practical decisions that must be made when designing and developing criterion referenced tests as part of a larger system of computer assisted instruction. The topics discussed include test construction, test security, item presentation, and response capturing and scoring. (19 references) (CLB)

Discusses the inability of the standard Boolean logic model of information retrieval to deal effectively with the inherent fallibility of retrieval decisions. Recent advances in information retrieval research are reviewed, and their practical potential for overcoming the deficiencies of the Boolean model is examined. (45 references) (Author/CLB)

A theoretical framework used to derive a weighting mechanism for ranking output documents in Boolean retrieval systems is described in detail. A simple illustrative example is included, and the implications of such an approach are discussed. (64 references) (Author/CLB)

Discusses the advantages of maintaining local numeric databases, and describes the activities involved in creating a local database. The acquisition of files, user support, data storage and access, database management, costs, and planning strategies are discussed. (5 notes with references) (CLB)

The use of a Joint Application Design (JAD) at the University of British Columbia for the first phase of student records system development is described. How the process works, what results can be expected, and how to adapt JAD to an educational environment are described. (Author/MLW)

Virginia Tech has implemented the Administrative Information System (AIS), an online system that displays policies, procedures, and general management information. A history of the project, analysis of design issues, review of system usage, and the synergistic effects the system has had are discussed. (Author/MLW)

Presents a model of human information needs which classifies information need types by their inherent properties. The influence of information needs on human behavior, and the need to incorporate this concept into information storage and retrieval systems, are discussed. (15 references) (CLB)