Twelve articles describe the impact of library technologies on reference services. Staff training, the academic librarian as teacher and information provider, decision-making models for planning reference services, patron database access options, management of reference services, systemwide electronic access, and the electronic library are among…

Project Athena is a $100 million, eight-year project to install a large network of high performance computer work stations for education and research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Organizational, legal, and administrative aspects of the project allow two competitors (Digital Equipment Corporation and IBM) to work together…

Drawing on academic studies and on personal clinical and industry experiences, argues that ubiquitous, simple network computing and "power tools" for managing medical knowledge are coming to medicine in the near future. Implications are drawn for how medical school curricula cover issues such as patient confidentiality, systems thinking and error…

Addresses the following obstacles faced by faculty and students in the use of World Wide Web-based support and instruction: multiple skill levels of students performing Web research; credibility of Web information; reliability of campus computer-network systems; inequality of access to student computing resources; and lack of understanding of…

Presents a typology of course-delivery techniques (technology as a supplement, conferencing technology as a supplement, and technology as the primary instructional mode) used by the Center for Distance Learning at the State University of New York Empire State College. Describes instructional considerations for each type and approaches used for…

Explains the CEO Forum on Education and Technology and describes their efforts to examine the progress public schools are making in using technology to improve education so that students graduate with the skills they need in the business world. Discusses hardware, network and Internet connectivity, digital content, and teachers' professional…

President Molly Corbett Broad of the University of North Carolina system addresses questions about her vision for higher education in the information age, financing investments in technology, changing student needs, improving higher education's productivity, the value of technology in student learning, key technology-policy issues, student and…

Describes the use of "Graphical" Jogthrough method for evaluating the user-interface design of the Network Simulator, an educational simulation program that enables users to virtually build a computer network, install hardware and software components, make necessary settings, and test the functionality of the network. Presents evaluation results…

With the 1996 defeat of the Communications Decency Act, under which providing offensive material on computer systems accessible to children would have become a felony, no legal guidelines exist for library use of the Internet. Libraries can avoid becoming the center of an Internet controversy by encouraging parental involvement; by protecting…

Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) is everywhere. The technology lets users make and receive phone calls over the Internet, transporting voice traffic alongside data traffic such as instant messages (IMs) and e-mail. While the number of consumer customers using VoIP increases every week, the technology is finding its way into K-12 education as…

The use of networked technology for the explicit purpose of integrating school curricula often carries the implicit aim of introducing students to the concept of globalization. As a result, the conscientious educator confronts a number of troublesome, ethical questions while serving as an agent for integration. For example, is it possible to…

This article presents a virtual course with the topic network security. The course has been produced by Arcada Polytechnic as a part of the production team Computer Networks, Telecommunication and Telecommunication Systems in the Finnish Virtual Polytechnic. The article begins with an introduction to the evolution of the information security…

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…

This case study considered the syllabus of the first and second year studies in computer science. The aim of the study was to reveal which topics covered in the syllabi were really needed during the following years of study or in working life. The program that was assessed in the study was a Masters program in computer science and engineering at a…

FODEM (FOrmative DEvelopment Method) is a design method for developing digital learning environments for widely dispersed learning communities. These are communities in which the geographical distribution and density of learners is low when compared to the kind of learning communities in which there is a high distribution and density of learners…