This study will investigate the use of citation indexing to provide expert recommendations to domain-novice researchers. Prioritizing the result-set returned from an electronic academic library query is both an essential task and a significant start-up burden for a domain-novice researcher. Current literature reveals many attempts to provide recommender systems in support of research. However, these systems rely on some form of relevance feedback from the user. The domain-novice researcher is unable to satisfy this expectation. Additional research demonstrates that a network of expert recommendations is available in each collection of academic documents. A power distribution, Lotka's law, has been found to be an attribute of the citation network found in large collections of academic domain documents. The issue under study is whether the network of recommendations found in a relatively small collection of academic documents reveals a citation density that conforms to the distribution pattern of large collections. This study will use a descriptive, comparative methodology to answer this question. The study will use Lotka's law to form a predicted density and distribution for comprehensive domain collections. Next, the study will calculate an actual concentration and distribution from a sample population. The sample population will be a result-set returned from a general query to an academic collection. The two indexes and distributions will be statistically compared to ascertain whether the actual density is equivalent to the predicted. If the sample set does not conform to normative Lotkian density, it will demonstrate an unnatural bias and therefore not qualify as an appropriate set of recommendations for guiding domain novice research. The null hypothesis is that the actual density will be statistically equal to the predicted index. If this expectation is met, the result will be a set of expert recommendations that is user-independent for providing domain-relevant expert prioritization. A recommender system based on such recommendations would significantly improve the early research tasks of a domain novice by overcoming the identified start-up problem. It would remove the burden of expertise required when a domain novice seeks to effectively use the result set from a novice query. This experiment will test an alternative hypothesis by isolating smaller subsets of the sample and testing the citation density of each using a factorial orthogonal design. This experiment will attempt to determine the minimal population size valid for the predicted density index. It is anticipated that a sample size below the lower bound for distribution validity will be non-ambiguously identified by actual indexes significantly below that of the standard

This study was designed to investigate what effects the completion of a computer literacy course had on computer-related anxiety, what factors were correlated with computer anxiety, and what relation computer anxiety had to achievement in computer literacy. The possible correlates of computer anxiety considered in this study were gender, the number of semesters of previous computer experience, the number of university credit hours completed, and cumulative quality point average. Analyses were conducted to identify any differences in computer anxiety levels among groups of subjects with different declared major areas of study. Slippery Rock University undergraduates (N = 325) who were enrolled in the university's computer literacy course in the 1991 spring semester were surveyed before and after completing the course. Data about the subjects' computer anxiety levels and achievement in computer literacy were collected by means of standardized tests, and the demographic data for the subjects were gathered through a questionnaire and through the university's mainframe computer. Hypotheses were tested at the 0.05 confidence level using either a point biserial correlation coefficient, a Pearson product moment correlation coefficient, a t-test for paired variates, or an analysis of variance. Because the analysis of variance indicated differences among the groups with different major areas of study, the Scheffe test was applied to identify which pairs of groups differed. Of the possible correlates of computer anxiety tested, only gender and the number of university credit hours completed were found to be not significantly related to computer anxiety. The number of semester of previous computer experience was inversely related to computer anxiety, and both cumulative quality point average and achievement in computer literacy were determined to be positively correlated to computer anxiety. Differences in the mean computer anxiety levels of the groups of subjects were identified. Based upon the results of this study, several curricular recommendations were made. Recommendations for future study suggested expanding the study to encompass more semesters and a larger population of subjects.

This dissertation shows that the ab initio prediction of a protein using torsion angles will work using the correct fitness function. It shows that work can be done on a high-end workstation using a small model of a protein. It was based on the previous work of Dr. Steffen Schulze-Kremer who received limited success with a faculty fitness function and a massively parallel system. The purpose of this work was to not only find the solution but to demonstrate how our rapidly advancing technology will permit this type of research to be moved from the costly parallel systems, nuclear magnetic resonance, and x-ray crystallography to a less costly microcomputer system. In order to accomplish this, the code was run with Microsoft's Visual C++ (version 6) on Intel systems running at 220 MHz, 550 MHz, and 700 MHz with 40 MB, 512 MB, and 256 MB of memory. The results of this work will pave the way for further research in this area on less costly hardware.

This study focuses on an examination of students and faculty perceptions or library use and seeks to determine if faculty consider library use for class activities a requirement. In order to accomplish this objective, this query was designed to assess library use and perceptions by the clientele of two diverse educational institutions in Sitka, Alaska. The clientele studied included students and full-time teaching faculty at Islands Community College and Sheldon Jackson College. Both institutions are served by a common library facility. The population was defined as the students and full-time teaching faculty who were enrolled or employed by the colleges during the spring of 1988. The sample included 100 students and 31 faculty from the two institutions who responded to surveys. A review of related literature showed much concern and interest in library user studies, but no evaluation of the nonuser. This report describes the results of the spring 1988 survey of student and faculty users and nonusers of collections and services at Stratton Library. User frequency, composition of user clienteles, preferred media format, and users’ perceptions of services offered are described. A brief history of the consortium setting is also provided. Since this investigation dealt with the response of clientele of two institutions using a joint facility and employed a strategy for gaining perceptions from nonusers, new knowledge concerning evaluation of library use and perceptions studies was obtained. Because no control of the population was possible, survey format was used and students in English classes from both institutions were given a 34-item self-reporting questionnaire. Similar instruments were mailed to full-time teaching faculty. Because data in this descriptive study can only describe the subjects and institutions involved in the study, no inferential statistics were reported. However, appropriate descriptive statistics, frequency counts, percentages and cross-tabulations were obtained for the respondents of each institution and tables were developed to allow a search for similarities and difference in the respondents were similar in their perceptions of library use and their perceptions of the helpfulness of the library staff; similar in their preference of materials format. They were dissimilar in their perception of the adequacy of library services for their expressed needs. The responses on the written survey indicated that students and faculty do, to some extent, use Stratton Library. However, based on the results of the recent study, more emphasis is needed on making users and potential users more aware of the services.

In this study the researcher applied an Information Systems Project Delivery Methodology (ISPDM) for implementing a Web-based Program Management System in an organization that did not have one. The problem investigated in this study was the difficulty encountered when organizations implement ISPDMs. The research questions were (1) what is the role of each of Roberts' et al. five factors in the implementation of an ISPDM? And (2) how effective is a Web-based program management system implemented using an ISPDM in meeting the participants desired outcomes? The general approach utilized to address the research questions was to describe the implementation of a Web-based program management ISPDM using a single descriptive case study. A survey, focus group, and usability testing were utilized at three different stages of the Web-based program management module's implementation. In conducting this study research, multiple sources of data were collected to develop an in-depth description of the case as it developed. The open-ended survey was given at three different points, the beginning, the middle and the end of the ISPDM Web based program management module implementation. A focus group was conducted for planning evaluation to assess the participant's desired outcomes for the Web-based program management system. A focus group for in-process evaluation assessed the extent to which the Web-based program management module achieved the outcome measures. A focus group for summative evaluation determined whether or not the final product met the expectations of the users. In addition, a usability survey was conducted in conjunction with the in-process and summative evaluation focus groups. The results of this study indicated the role of organizational transition when implementing a Web-based program management system using an ISPDM is to provide training, education, and communications. The role of functional management involvement/support during the implementation process is to provide resources and lead the process of adopting the new methodology. The role of the ISPDM during the transition stage is to communicate the change and to foster cultural integration, provide a framework for using the product, and to provide training. The role of the use of software development models in the implementation process is to provide guidelines, framework, metrics, and to lend credibility to the value of the methodology. The role of external support during the implementation process is to provide an industry-wide knowledge base, oversight, and an independent review of the new methodology.

Contrary to expectations, the initial introduction of computers into the writing process did not result in a significant improvement in the quality of writing high school students. Forty-eight 9th grade high school students, who performed at a level of at least one year below grade level on the Scholastic Testing Service High School Entrance Exam, were selected for the study. The control group received traditional writing instruction and the teacher functioned in the traditional manner, allowing students to write on their own and grading papers and offering suggestions only after the papers had been completed. In the experimental group, the students also did all the writing on the computer, but had more latitude in selecting the topics they wrote about and used a grammar and style checking program (Grammatik 4.0) to offer suggestions to assist them in their writing. The teacher was available to the students at all times, functioning more as a coach and co-writer than a judge and evaluator of their papers. Both groups wrote for three forty-five minute class periods each week for one semester (18 weeks). Pre- and post-study samples of their writing were evaluated on the integration variable using the "Handbook for Planning an Effective Writing Program," published by the California Department of Education (1993). In addition, samples were evaluated for specific grammatical errors according to definitions in the "Handbook for Planning an Effective Writing Program." Analysis of the data at the a = 0.10 level indicated that the experimental group produced significantly better writing than the control group, although the improvement on the control group was greater than would have been predicted by earlier research. It suggests that, when used in an environment designed to provide immediate assistance to these writers, in a program run by an instructor who functions more as a coach than a judge, where sufficient time is provided for extensive student writing, there may be significant improvement in the student’s writing skills. Further research is needed to determine if writers of all ability levels would benefit from this technique.

Altenberg has defined evolvability as the "ability of the genetic operator/representation scheme to produce offspring that are fitter than their parents." Consequently, the evolution of evolvability describes evolutionary changes in the evolvability of a population over time. Based on these definitions, this dissertation makes the following argument that individual learning ability will affect both the evolvability of a population and also the evolution of evolvability within that population. Individual learning ability alters the genetic makeup of a population over time via the process known as the Baldwin Effect. The genetic makeup of a population over time constitutes what is known as the population's genetic diversity dynamics. Finally, both evolvability and the evolution of evolvability have been linked to a population's diversity dynamics. Thus, it is quite reasonable to expect that individual learning will impact both a population's evolvability and the evolution of that evolvability. In support of the above argument, experiments have been performed to demonstrate that individual learning affects both evolvability and the evolution of evolvability. Results from these experiments have revealed three novel effects of individual learning on evolvability and its evolution. First, individual learning stabilizes a population's genetic diversity dynamics, and consequently also its evolvability, in the face of changes in environmental complexity. Second, when both the genetic operator and the genetic representation are able to evolve, the adaptive power of the representation affects their evolution and thus the evolution of evolvability. Third, the adaptive power of the representation also affects the rate at which evolvability evolves, accelerating it when the adaptive power is low and retarding it when the adaptive power is high. Collectively, the results of these three experiments provide evidence firmly establishing that learning does affect evolvability and also the evolution of evolvability.

The focus of this investigation has been to obtain new knowledge regarding the importance of word processing software to the profession of physical therapy. Presently there are limitations in the knowledge base concerning the training, use of, and understanding of individual attitudes toward word processing software for physical therapists in patient care documentation. The limitations inherent in existing word processing software for physical therapists frequently requires each organization adapt patient care documentation methodology to comply with generic manufacturer software specifications. An Equivalent Groups Posttest-Only Design was utilized to measure the abilities of thirty-six physical therapists to use word processing technology to accurately document patient care activities following a period of training. Eighteen therapists were randomly assigned membership to the control and experimental groups (n=36). Two types of training methodology were employed. Traditional lecture was provided to each member of the control group on an individual basis regarding use of the word processing software WordPerfect 5.1. A fifty minute video tape presentation produced by the LearnKey Corporation introducing the software WordPerfect 5.1 was presented on an individual basis to each member of the experimental group. Following each method of training, members of the experimental and control groups were asked to type a prepared SOAP note using the WordPerfect software. Upon completing the typing of the SOAP note, each therapist was requested to print a copy of the document from the WordPerfect software program. Attitude surveys were provided to members of each group immediately following the training period to ascertain therapist perceptions concerning the use of computerized patient care documentation. The attitude survey was presented again one week later to each participant in the control and experimental groups. The results of the study indicated no significant differences in performance between the control (lecture) group and the experimental (video) group regarding the time required to complete the typing task and the number of errors committed at a .05 level of significance. An attitude survey investigated therapist perceptions toward the computerized documentation system in six key job performance areas. Results indicated that therapists were generally positive in their attitudes concerning the computerized documentation system. Responses to the attitude statements were most often in agreement with the use of the computerized documentation system in the department of physical therapy. The results of this investigation provides valuable information about training methodologies to be used for physical therapists in computer training. In order to achieve desired learning outcomes, training methodology must focus upon six key job elements and upon end user acceptance of the computerized documentation system.

Although the growth of the Internet has provided access to an enormous amount of previously inaccessible information, a large amount of information of dubious credibility appears online. Prior to the proliferation of the Internet, much of the informational material that a person came into contact with had been subject to a system of editorial checks and balances. Anyone can now publish information online for millions of people to access. In response, several educational associations have proposed that the teaching of information literacy be a priority in our schools. A common method provided for teaching Web site evaluation is the evaluation checklist. The checklists that currently exist in the literature tend to differ widely in their design. This evaluative research study utilized a systems approach to evaluation to create a valid and reliable Web site evaluation checklist for use with secondary level students. Students and teachers were asked to evaluate a selected set of Web sites using the checklist. The data was analyzed and conclusions were drawn as to the design elements that were most appropriate for inclusion in a checklist instrument as well as how students' and teachers' evaluations of Web sites compared when using the checklist. The results suggested that the criteria included for evaluation in this checklist were appropriate for evaluation in this context. A comparison of teacher and student responses identified areas where students had difficulty evaluating the information they encountered. Student responses suggested that they had particular difficulty in identifying persuasive elements and bias when they were present on Web site used for classroom research. Guided practice with real world problems is one strategy utilized in secondary level classrooms to assist students in developing their skill in critical thinking. The results here suggest that students need additional practice with critical thinking skills in the context of Web site evaluation and that this checklist can be an appropriate tool for guiding students in this pursuit if it is part of a structured classroom activity that includes modeling and guidance. Additionally, several recommendations were made for further study of this checklist and for alternate designs of checklists.

Research findings covering a nine year period (1985-1994) revealed long-standing and serious problems in current efforts to effectively use technology in the classroom. The primary objective of this study was to identify technology competencies that may be important for pre service and inservice teachers to be able to demonstrate in the classroom as identified by district technology coordinators and program directors of colleges and universities within the Southern Association of colleges and Schools (SACS) region. An additional objective was to determine the existence of a relationship between preservice and inservice technology training as perceived by the same groups. A survey, consisting of four-point Likert-type importance scales, ranking 60 technology competencies, was sent to a stratified random sampling of 536 people representing 2,682 school districts, colleges and universities within the SACS region. The responses regarding the relationship between inservice and preservice teacher technology training, along with a list of technology competencies generated as a result of this study, could guide the organization of teacher technology education programs in the future.