The objectives of this project are to evaluate (1) the effectiveness of a computer-based Nursing educational consultant called COMMES and 2) to determine the costs to provide this programmed educational consultation. For the first objective, we wish to evaluate the extent to which COMMES can effectively provide individually tailored mini-curricula that meet the needs nursing users specify. COMMES attempts to achieve this by giving the user a detailed study guide of learning requirements as well as identifying the specific learning resources that can enable him to accomplish his instructional goals. For the second objective, we wish to determine the expected monitoring needs and computer-processing costs of this service. To accomplish the first aim, we shall monitor two different sites using the COMMES system under a variety of situations. By carefully monitoring user responses and reactions and system utilization, we will be able to determine the extent to which the system successfully provides a valuable and desirable service that satisfies real needs. A survey instrument with specific levels of criteria for success has been formulated to insure effective evaluation. The second objective will be achieved by a careful accounting of time involvement and costs while service is provided. With such a system widely available, a powerful educational consultant system could be used to support independent learning by health care providers wherever they were, assuming they had access to an inexpensive terminal and telephone. Thus the COMMES system would permit the substantial redistribution of instructional expertise of the few to the many. Health care centers and educational centers anywhere could use the system to support parts of their in-service, continuing education, and instructional programs with instructional expertise not presently available (or too costly to obtain). The value of this system would also be especially felt in isolated health care settings where the consultant could stimulate the proximity of an academic health care center wherever there was a terminal and telephone. As a commercial service to be sold to hospitals and nursing homes at a very attractive price (via a time-sharing service arrangement), we believe this system likely has enormous commercial appeal. This effort is within the research area of artificial intelligence applications to create computer-based expert knowledge systems to support health-care related activities.
