This article describes protocological rhetoric as a conceptual tool for exploring and changing institutions. Protocological rhetoric is an extension of two lines of thought: Porter, Sullivan, Blythe, Grabill, and Miles's institutional critique and Science & Technology Studies's (STS) concept of information infrastructure. As a result,…

Historically, managing access to information systems (ISs) required direct interaction with a limited number of users. Increasingly, managing access involves handling an increased numbers of internal and external students, faculty, and staff as well as partners such as workforce development centers, the U.S. Department of Education, and the…

Universities can offer eLearning 2.0 tools and services to learners while obtaining clear benefits from releasing the control over some learning content. This means a shift from the institution centred and monolithic model of traditional virtual learning environments (VLEs) to a more heterogeneous and open model. This article tries to plot an…

Current technology enables schools to provide remote or virtual computing labs that can be implemented in multiple ways ranging from remote access to banks of dedicated workstations to sophisticated access to large-scale servers hosting virtualized workstations. This paper reports on the implementation of a specific lab using remote access to…

Information technology (IT) professionals face markedly different kinds of challenges in developing countries from the ones in developed countries. Based on the research literature and our fourteen years of fieldwork in Iringa, Tanzania, we have identified eight groups of technical characteristics of IT work that significantly affect the work of…

Discusses the evolution of mainframe and personal computers, and presents a case study of a network developed at the University of Iowa called the Iowa Computer-Aided Engineering Network (ICAEN) that combines Macintosh personal computers with Apollo workstations. Functional objectives are stressed as the best measure of system performance. (LRW)

Discussion of information needs in a business environment focuses on how to build a shared information network. Highlights include the evolution of corporate intelligence systems; results of a survey that examined the information networking needs of large corporations; and a case study of the development of an information network at Citibank N.A.…

Despite plans for corporate training networks, digital ad-insertion systems, hotel video-on-demand, and interactive television, only small scale video networks presently work. Four case studies examine the design and implementation decisions for different markets: corporate; advertising; hotel; and commercial video via cable, satellite or…

Examines common CD-ROM networking architectures: via existing operating systems (OS), thin server towers, and dedicated servers. Discusses digital video disc (DVD) and non-CD/DVD optical storage solutions and presents case studies of networks that work. (PEN)

This paper briefly introduces the trends towards e-learning and amplifies some examples of state of the art systems, pointing out that all of these are, to date, limited by adaptability and shareability of content and that it is necessary for industry to develop and use an inter-operability standard. Uses SCORM specifications to specify the…

The Electronic Campus system of Northwest Missouri State University (Maryville) links every office and residence hall room on campus. It also networks these offices and rooms with databases and software applications. The system was developed to provide a low-cost alternative for a public institution where most students could not afford to purchase…