Success of any web product and application relies upon how thoughtfully and wisely technology has been implemented for developing and deploying that product -- be it e-commerce product or e-learning product. Alongside pedagogy, application of appropriate technology is the important determinant for an effective and engrossing learning experience of…

It is proposed to establish an Integrated Distance Education System in India by designing modern technology based information communication network, connecting all its ODL (Open and Distance Learning) institutions to the headquarters of the ODL system in India. The principle roles to be performed by such a system have been discussed; according 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…

Persistent myths have lessened the impact of ICTs on education. Happily they are balanced by miracles of theory and practice that are gradually gaining the upper hand. We counter the myth that innovation in the application of ICTs is the preserve of industrialised countries by listing examples of innovations from southern Africa that have set…

This report on an expert meeting, which was held to consider the training needs of local and regional planners in developing countries in the use and application of information systems and technology, presents both a report of the meeting and a summary of the proceedings. The meeting report includes a brief introduction, the conclusions reached…

This issue of Regional Development Dialogue contains selected papers presented at an expert meeting sponsored by the United Nations Centre for Regional Development on training in information systems for local and regional planning in developing countries. The following papers are included: (1) "Information System for Local and Regional…

Describes two phases of the automation of library and information services in mainland China. From 1974-86, much effort was concentrated on developing computer systems, databases, online retrieval, and networking. From 1986 to the present, practical progress became possible largely because of CD-ROM technology; and large scale networking for…

Over recent years the issue of free and open source software (FOSS) for development in less developed countries (LDCs) has received increasing attention. In the beginning the benefits of FOSS for lower developed countries was only stressed by small groups of idealists like Richard Stallman. Now, however, it is moving into the hands of large…

The development of information technologies such as public access catalogs and online databases has greatly enhanced access to information. The lack of automation in the area of document delivery, however, has created a large disparity between the speed with which citations are found and the provision of primary documents. This imbalance can…