One of the big fears digital technology provokes in people, perhaps those on college campuses more than anywhere else, is that its use will cause everyone to lose something unique to themselves. Assuming for a moment that this is true, it is a particularly dire vision for colleges and universities, where the institution's identity goes a long way…

In 2004, a Saudi student at the College of Engineering, King Saud University (KSU) designed and launched an informal students' forum that aimed at communicating students' voices to university professors and administrators. Students could register for free, post academic and career problems and suggestions, and participate in the discussion. Soon…

The Information technology (IT) leader within higher education can be viewed from three scenarios: (1) the IT leader as plumber; (2) the IT leader as gardener; and (3) the IT leader as alchemist. In the first scenario, the college or university network consists of pipes, and the role of the IT leader resembles that of a plumber, who keeps the…

There has been huge growth in the use of information technology (IT) in classrooms for learners of all ages. It has been suggested that computers in the classroom encourage independent and self-paced learning, provide immediate feedback and improve self-motivation and self-confidence. Concurrently there is increasing interest related to the role…

Over the last two decades there has been an increase in the use of qualitative research, particularly in the human sciences. Such a move has resulted in an increasing number of researchers across disciplines using various types of qualitative software specially designed for managing text and facilitating analysis of qualitative data. However, we…

Introduction: changes in educational policy and practice demand that we examine school library programmes from a new perspective. As a model that takes a developmental view of minds in context, Cultural Historical Activity Theory is particularly well suited to the study of school libraries and the learning that occurs therein. This paper focuses…

The following is a collection of papers presented at the 12th annual Instructional Technology Conference at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This conference is an opportunity for higher-education professionals from across the country to discuss opportunities and challenges presented by instructional technology. The…

This report is based on the assessment of ICT (information and communication technology) literacy conducted in October 2005. It describes the development of a computer-based tool for assessing ICT literacy among school students and the application of that tool with a nationally representative sample of approximately 7,400 students from Years 6 and…

The study described in this paper outlines an attempt to explore those factors that contribute to learning performance improvement in laboratory instruction. As a case study, the educational methodology involved in a basic microcontroller course was analyzed. Traditional lab sessions based on the control of peripherals with low interactivity have…

Foundations of Instructional Computing is a required one-semester, two credit course in the Education Department of Montana State University (Bozeman). The major objective of the course is to help preservice teachers develop use of computer technology that is confident, thoughtful, and integrated into their individual teaching philosophy and…

As the economic integration of Mexico and the United States intensifies, so does the cross-migration of labor forces. Subsequently, when migrant workers or their families become ill, health care is often disjointed and suboptimal. Binational health data exchange among providers of health care becomes essential. GUAPA (incorporating the first three…

A two-part survey of 69 students (35 percent response) enrolled in the Master's of Distance Education (MDE) program at Athabasca University in December 1996 addressed three questions: (1) what specific technologies were of most interest to MDE students; (2) whether students accustomed to studying completely at a distance would accept a proposed…

A study investigated the attitudes of African students of business English at a British university (University of Brighton, England) toward use of the Internet as an educational resource. Students were given an introduction to Internet use for research on individual projects, surveyed concerning their attitudes toward and initial experiences with…

This final report describes a two-year project to create a library-supported Scholar's Workstation that provides convenient, timely user access to information in or near the scholar's workplace, particularly in relation to environmental studies. The University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UTK) librarians demonstrated current and emerging information…

Planning for the instructional use of technology within a modern and progressive school system is extremely complex because of the speed at which technology is advancing. The identification of strategic goals and objectives and an evolving rough map of how to achieve those goals has replaced the traditional strategic planning process. This book…