The turbulent environment pushes public administration to its limits, resulting in revolutionary changes. When the pandemic hit the world in early 2020, public administration was faced not only with complex problems, but also tumultuous challenges marked by the emergence of unpredictable events. In the new hybrid world, public administration has…

Every professor (who teaches online or uses online submissions) has probably heard that story about not having internet access at a crucial time. It is kind of like that story about the "dog eating the homework…", but in rural areas, the dog may be lack of internet connectivity. Broadband commonly refers to high-speed internet access…

With the onset of the twenty-first century, the internet world has seen a pervasive development. Smartphones have become the primordial means of communication and social networking. This has granted the minors an unprecedented access to the internet which poses the risk of both unwanted exposure as well as intended access to the harmful internet…

College outreach efforts are sometimes received as nuisances, or worse, as maddening spam and junk email. New digital technologies and data-driven targeting innovations are reducing the amount of paper materials distributed, yet they are not reducing the oversaturation experienced by many prospective students. Colleges use Search and Encoura to…

The Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry (L&I) partnered with the Pennsylvania State College of Medicine (Penn State) to create a Project Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes (ECHO) series for employers. The ECHO model, which originated in the medical field, provides virtual clinics led by expert specialist teams to discuss…

For electronic resources and reference librarians, fielding eresource access problems is often a daily task. A library user clicks on a link to an electronic journal article, book, or primary source and is unable to access the full text. Sometimes this problem occurs due to a lapsed subscription, a broken link, or a proxy configuration error. The…

As patrons increasingly rely on mobile applications and responsive websites to access information, it has become imperative that libraries accommodate these needs. Although building these resources in-house may seem too expensive, time-consuming, and require outsourcing, this paper showcases how it can be achieved on a small scale using existing…

For adults with low incomes and potential first-generation college-goers, enrolling in college can be challenging. The U.S. Department of Education-funded Educational Opportunity Centers (EOCs) provide supports to help navigate some of the barriers to enrollment, including assistance with completing college and financial aid application processes,…

This study snapshot highlights key findings from a study that examined the feasibility and effectiveness of using brief email and text message communications to increase the number of parent and guardian visits to the Reading Initiative for Student Excellence (R.I.S.E.) state literacy website. In November 2021 the department sent test messages to…

High school students nationwide spent the whole academic year fully online or in and out of a cobbled together hybrid format. While these students are digital naturals, they were asked to do even more online and lost opportunities to engage traditional in-person milestones like prom, graduation, and college visits. After a year of "Zooming it…

Reaching at-risk families with health and development information and connecting them to resources during pregnancy and throughout early infanthood remains a challenge for many health and early learning and development initiatives. This article showcases strategies used by Text4baby--a free mobile health program for pregnant women and mothers--to…

For years, many schools and districts have had strict policies banning the use of students' personal electronic devices in classrooms. However, some schools are beginning to embrace the educational value of handheld Web-enabled devices that students already bring to school each day. As teachers begin to explore the educational opportunities that…

In this report, State Educational Technology Directors Association (SETDA) builds upon the research and recommendations from prior publications with a focus on the role of state leadership in supporting districts and schools to increase high-speed connectivity and access for students and educators. SETDA firmly believes that high-speed broadband…

FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler, speaking at the International Consumer Electronics Show in January, called for an open Internet which would make sure that ISPs had economic incentives to build better networks while still protecting consumers and innovators. His specific recommendations were shared with the other members of the FCC in February. One of…

In this introductory chapter, the author begins by looking at the Internet from an historical and communication perspective in an effort to understand its significance in the contemporary world. Then he gives an overview of the most searched topics on the Internet and identifies prospects that have opened up and perils that lurk in the information…