Implementation of cutting-edge technology has enabled higher and postsecondary education to create new learning environments by affording greater access to education for more students via virtual classrooms. Although virtual instruction in its asynchronous mode has been reported as to be at least comparable, and sometimes better than conventional…

Is the money allocated to institutional distance education getting the results on the back end in terms of student achievement? A literature review of cost analysis studies on distance education is presented with three themes factored out from those studies: Costs (Institutional and student costs), Reach, and Richness (cost to the student). A…

How do organizations cope with the increased speed of technological change? How do leaders optimize resources with tightened budgets? How do staff and students acquire the necessary knowledge and skills in the midst of constant change? Electronic learning (e-learning) is one form of learning that utilizes technology to deliver, interact or…

Community-based information and communication technologies (ICT) networks are seen as an important means of reducing social exclusion, and at the same time fostering community development. Increasing ICT capability locally is arguably crucial to furthering both of these broad aims. This paper presents evidence about the capability-building…

This document consists of a grant proposal describing the planned Arkansas Technology Access Program. The purpose of the program is to create and support a consumer-responsive, statewide system for enabling Arkansans with disabilities to access needed technologies. The goals of the program are to: (1) develop an on-going consumer-driven technology…

The Task Force on Women, Minorities, and the Handicapped in Science and Technology was established by the U.S. Congress in Public Law 99-383 with the purpose of developing a long-range plan for broadening participation in science and engineering. Public hearings were held in Albuquerque (New Mexico), Atlanta (Georgia), Baltimore (Maryland), Boston…

In the mid-1960s, as part of the "War on Poverty," the armed services accepted up to 100,000 personnel per year who would have been rejected had not standards for reading and mathematics abilities been lowered. Over 80 percent of these persons completed their tour of duty and more than 90 percent were rated above average in their…

The 18 papers presented at the conference reported in this document are grouped into four major sections. The first section, on the nature of open learning, includes "How Open Is Open Learning?" (H. Temple); "Open Learning and Community" (I. Cunningham); "Are We Really Open--With Our Learners and Ourselves?" (W. J. K.…

This book of readings was developed to increase the reader's awareness of the cultural and social issues which face children and their counselors. It draws attention to environmental factors which impinge on both teaching and counseling techniques, and encourages counselors to re-examine their roles and interventions for the 1990s. The readings…

Throughout history, there has been controversy about the origin of the variety of life on earth. The sciences of evolution and taxonomy are intimately tied to this controversy. This booklet considers time, space, and spirit related to evolution. Time refers to a sense of history; space refers to geography; and spirit refers to life and thought.…

Many experts have predicted a global crisis for the end of the twentieth century because of dwindling supplies of natural resources such as minerals, oil, gas, and soil. This booklet considers three aspects of natural resources, time, space, and spirit. Time refers to a sense of history; space refers to geography; and spirit refers to life and…

One of the most important discoveries of the twentieth century was the fission of radioactive materials. This booklet considers nuclear energy from three aspects: time; space; and spirit. Time refers to a sense of history; space refers to geography; and spirit refers to life and thought. Several chapters on the history and concepts of nuclear…

Academic advisors want to use all available data in helping a student select a major field of study. Recent research suggests that the identification of a student's basic philosophic viewpoint is one such piece of data that is not presently used. This study examined a random sample of college students (N=347) in order to determine the relationship…

The external politics of technology utilization in schools involving local, state, and federal levels of government is the central focus of this paper. Interest group politics are also examined, especially as practiced at the state level by professional associations representing teachers, administrators, and school board members. The first chapter…

During the past decade the Federal Government has significantly retreated from its historical responsibility to maintain the free flow of information that is essential to maintain a healthy democracy. This responsibility includes the collection of basic data on the health of the economy as well as the dissemination of information that assists and…