SUCH QUESTIONS AS WHY AND HOW OPERATIONS RESEARCH (OR) AND SYSTEMS ANALYSIS ORIGINATED, WHAT THEY ARE, AND WHAT CONTRIBUTIONS THEY MIGHT MAKE TO INSTRUCTIONAL MEDIA PROGRAMS ARE ANSWERED. "OR" ORIGINATED AT THE OUTBREAK OF WORLD WAR II WHEN MILITARY ORGANIZATIONS, WHICH HAD BEEN DEVELOPING THEIR TECHNOLOGY FASTER THAN IT COULD BE ABSORBED INTO TACTICS AND STRATEGY, BEGAN APPLYING SCIENCE TO EXECUTIVE-TYPE PROBLEMS. THE POTENTIALITIES OF COMPUTERS AS A NEW MANAGEMENT TOOL WERE REALIZED. THERE ARE ABOUT 10,000 "OR" WORKERS IN THE WORLD. "OR" IS RESEARCH ON PROBLEMS DEALING WITH THE CONTROL OF ORGANIZED (MAN-MACHINE) SYSTEMS TO PRODUCE ANSWERS THAT BEST SERVE THE OBJECTIVES OF THE ORGANIZATION AS A WHOLE. THE RESEARCH IS PERFORMED BY INTERDISCIPLINARY TEAMS USING SCIENTIFIC METHODS. BECAUSE THE "OR" WORKER CAN OBSERVE BUT NOT MANIPULATE THE SYSTEM HE STUDIES, HE CONSTRUCTS MODELS ON WHICH TO CONDUCT HIS RESEARCH. THE STAGES OF AN "OR" PROJECT CONSIST OF FORMULATING THE PROBLEM, CONSTRUCTING THE MODEL, DISCOVERING A SOLUTION, TESTING THE MODEL, AND EVALUATING, CONTROLLING, AND IMPLEMENTING THE SOLUTION. "OR" CAN ADVANCE EDUCATIONAL-MEDIA RESEARCH BY DEVELOPING MEASURES OF THE EFFECTIVENESS OF EDUCATION TO FACILITATE CURRICULUM EVALUATION AND MODIFICATION. THE OBJECTIVES OF EDUCATIONAL EFFORTS SHOULD BE DEFINED IN A MEANINGFUL AND MEASURABLE WAY SO THAT TESTS CAN BE DEVELOPED. A STUDY IS CITED IN WHICH MEANS WERE DEVELOPED TO MEASURE THE AMOUNTS OF INFORMATION, INSTRUCTION, AND MOTIVATION COMMUNICATED BY A GIVEN MESSAGE AND TO MEASURE THEIR VALUE TO THE SENDER AND RECEIVER. SIMILAR MEASURES SHOULD BE DEVELOPED BY EDUCATORS AND OPERATIONS RESEARCHERS WORKING TOGETHER TO GAUGE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF PARTICULAR TEACHING METHODS AND MEDIA.