Interviews with 12 older (ages 60 to 78) and 12 younger (ages 38 to 53) administrators showed that they had similar perceptions of the physical features and privacy issues in the workplace that facilitate or impede work. Structural accommodations may not be necessary for older workers, but attention to design and privacy issues is necessary for…

Outlines the need for and role of undergraduate human factors education, including evidence that students are unfamiliar with, but interested in, human factors issues. Describes several activities found to be successful in teaching human factors and identifies benefits students associated with a course on the topic. (DSK)

Discusses school furniture flexibility that can accommodate changing instructional styles, a diverse student characteristics, and classroom technology demands. Characteristics to look for that can enhance a chair's ergonomics are highlighted along with tips for better furniture budgeting.(GR)

This study found that the provision of ergonomic workstations for 12 older persons with age-related macular degeneration who used low vision devices significantly increased the participants' reading speed and decreased their discomfort when reading.

Eleven computer terminal operators participated in an experiment that assessed effects of several interventions aimed at increasing safe ergonomic performance. All participants received ergonomics training and performance feedback while six of them collected observations of safe behavior among the remaining five participants. Effects of…

Present Educational Modelling Languages are used to formally specify abstract learning scenarios in a machine-interpretable format. Current tooling does not provide teachers/designers with some graphical facilities to help them in reusing existent scenarios. They need human-readable representations. This paper discusses the UML4LD experimental…

A literature review and two major studies discovered four approaches to job design, each geared toward different sets of outcomes for individual employees and organizations. The motivational approach tries to design jobs to provide the worker with autonomy and the opportunity to make decisions about how or in what order tasks are done. The…

The discipline of software engineering can be extended in a natural way to deal with the issues raised by a systematic approach to the design of human-machine interfaces. The user should be treated as part of the system being designed and projects should be organized to take into account the current lack of a priori knowledge of user interface…

Urges that biology teachers include the study of genetic anomolies, some very simple aspects of pedigree analysis, and related problems in order to produce citizens who are aware of the impact of science on their lives. (PEB)

The relationship of ergonomics (the study of man in relation to his working environment) and training is examined in the context of physical stress, training time required, man-machine systems, skill and job performance analysis, and training effectiveness. (AG)

Explores the idea that both the design and the use of buildings are part of a general human learning process concerned with the use of space. Argues that researchers face the need to bridge the gap between designers and users on the one hand and "objective" observers on the other. Gives a critique of some current methods of research in buildings…

In the late 1960s and early 1970s, college students expressed their feelings toward impersonal, highrise, linoleum-and-formica residence halls by moving off campus in droves. Now, colleges are building more varied and flexible lowrise student housing in an effort to better accommodate students' housing preferences. (JG)

This study shows that environmental modification is a surprisingly intricate technique. This may account for its relatively low use and also for its more frequent use by MSW than non-MSW caseworkers. The findings indicate the need for further research on environmental modification. (Author)

THE STUDY PRESENTED IN THIS REPORT WAS COMMISSIONED BY THE TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENT PROJECT OF THE NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION. INCLUDED IN THE STUDY ARE TWO PAPERS CONCERNED WITH THE PROBLEM OF DESIGNING INSTRUCTIONAL EQUIPMENT. THE TWO AUTHORS (FROM EQUIPMENT MANUFACTURING FIRMS) WERE ASKED INDEPENDENTLY TO WRITE UPON THESE QUESTIONS--(1)…

Human factors engineering is considered with regard to the design of safety factors for aviation and highway transportation equipment. Current trends and problem areas are identified for jet air transportation and for highway transportation. Suggested solutions to transportation safety problems are developed by applying the techniques of human…