Examines the current status and short-term future of computer software development in higher education. Topics discussed include educational advantages of software; current program development techniques, including object oriented programming; and market trends, including IBM versus Macintosh and multimedia programs. (LRW)

Describes streaming media, an audio/video presentation that is delivered across a network so that it is viewed while being downloaded onto the user's computer, including a continuous stream of video that can be pre-recorded or live. Discusses its use for nontraditional students in higher education and reports on implementation experiences. (LRW)

Describes the design and development of an Internet-based distance education class at the University of Northern Iowa. Discusses collaboration with students, basic course design, conceptual and epistemological context of the course, delivery environment, and forms of interaction including electronic mail. (LRW)

Describes the Virtual Reality and Education Lab (VREL) established at East Carolina University to study the implications of virtual reality for elementary and secondary education. Highlights include virtual reality software evaluation; hardware evaluation; computer-based curriculum objectives which could use virtual reality; and keeping current…

Describes the use of Kodak's Photo CD for teaching, testing, and practicing basic concepts of photography and composition based on experiences at Ball State University, Muncie, Indiana. The use of practice disks is explained, learning outcomes and student attitudes are discussed, and a sidebar describes new software for use with Photo CDs. (LRW)

Reviews the possibilities of using the World Wide Web for course delivery and support and provides a description of the use of one instructional model, the Personalized System of Instruction, for Web course design based on experiences at Texas Tech University. Discusses problems and describes a sample course. (LRW)

Discusses the need for teacher training in media use and describes a plan developed in Alabama consisting of a three-course sequence in technology for teacher education that can be incorporated into a master's degree program. Required primary computer skills and primary instructional design skills are listed. (Contains three references.) (LRW)

Discusses the integration of technology into college and university classrooms and presents models for five levels of classroom design with increasing levels of technology, leading to a technology enhanced learning environment (TELE). A classroom modification at Brigham Young University to incorporate technology is described, and the need for…

Discusses use of the Internet in higher education. Topics include online teaching and the World Wide Web; online distance learning; instructional design; Internet course development; converting traditional courses to online courses; evaluation of online programs; and advantages of Internet support of traditional courses. (Contains 55 references.)…

Discussion of the effectiveness of learner control in computer assisted instruction focuses on a study of undergraduates at Cornell University using an interactive videodisc lesson on waterfowl identification. Opportunities for students to modify the delivery of the program are described, and the effects of student expectations of control on…

Describes a study that was conducted to learn about the needs of distance education students who were enrolled in television-based college courses. Student characteristics are examined; barriers to attending on-campus courses are described; and computer use at home, at work, and on-campus is discussed. (LRW)

Reports results of a survey conducted to determine perceptions of the barriers to distance education. Sixty-four barriers were determined from a review of the literature and clustered into the following 10 factors, based on survey responses: administrative structure; organizational change; technical expertise; social interaction and quality;…

Discussion of the development and use of Web-based instruction in higher education focuses on issues of course content; technological assumptions; logistical and implementation challenges; interfacing between face-to-face and online learning environments; and the use of a Web-based course management tool to support face-to-face instruction. (LRW)

Discusses the use of electronic mail in higher education and describes discussion groups conducted via electronic mail in a graduate seminar at the University of Colorado at Denver. Topics addressed include front end technology logistics and support; group dynamics; student attitudes; and suggestions for future research. (Contains eight…

Describes the use of multimedia materials in education. Topics discussed include information management skills; the changing role of the instructor; hypermedia; the development of higher education software; HyperCard activities in higher education settings, including tutorials; and an example of an electronic classroom at the University of Toledo.…