This digest describes and defines the various components of an expert system, e.g., a computerized tool designed to enhance the quality and availability of knowledge required by decision makers. It is noted that expert systems differ from conventional applications software in the following areas: (1) the existence of the expert systems shell, or…

This Digest details how one professor of public relations has developed and put into practice a class in "cyberspace." The Digest first provides background on online communication techniques and the explosion of online teaching at the university level, and then tells how a professor, with the help of a summer grant from her university,…

This digest highlights several psychological dimensions of user-computer interfaces. First, the psychological theory behind interface design and the field of human-computer interaction (HCI) are discussed. Two psychological models, the information processing model of cognition and the mental model--both of which contribute to interface design--are…

Microcomputers can vastly improve the efficiency of data management, data analysis, and communications in the school office, but implementation should be carefully planned, with attention to relative cost for benefits obtained, appropriateness of software and hardware, and potential security risks. (TE)