High speed data services known as broadband have the potential to make rural areas less isolated and improve the rural quality of life, but physical barriers, sparse population density, and few markets present significant obstacles to their deployment in rural areas. Broadband applications such as e-commerce, distance education, and telemedicine…

The July 2003 meeting of the Ministerial Council for Education, Employment Training and Youth Affairs (MCEETYA) endorsed the "National Bandwidth Action Plan--Learning in an online world 2003-06" as the basis for the development of the "National Implementation Plan." The "National Implementation Plan 2004-05" provides…

Reports on a statewide pilot project which compared testing using paper-and-pencil and Internet-delivered test items. Participants were students from 14 Pennsylvania vocational-technical institutions. Describes the structured use, what teachers should know and insight from the project. Demonstrates that the Internet offers a viable cost-effective…

Examines factors influencing access to and use of the Internet: technical characteristics of information technologies, user preferences for information resources, institutional arrangements controlling provider/user relationships, and psychological factors affecting information processing. Suggests individual internet users support policies that…

Discusses the declining performance of the Internet in light of the rapid growth of commercial enterprises on the Internet and World Wide Web, along with plans by the National Science Foundation, the Federation of American Research Networks, and research universities to develop a new, high-performance Internet (or Internet II) for educational and…

Discusses the advantages and disadvantages of outsourcing remote access to campus computer networks and the Internet, focusing on improved service, cost-sharing, partnerships with vendors, supported protocols, bandwidth, scope of access, implementation, support, network security, and pricing. Includes a checklist for a request for proposals on…

Examines the availability of objectionable material on the Internet, censorship, and the feasibility of censorship. Outlines control efforts in the United States, discusses attempts to regulate electronic media in Australia from 1990-96, and summarizes responses of the Australian Council on Library and Information Services and the Australian…

Discusses problems such as redundancy caused by isolation of community colleges. Suggested means for overcoming institutional isolation and improving communication among community colleges include hosting conferences, accessing the Internet, instituting faculty exchange programs, offering faculty membership in professional societies, allowing…

Describes a research project where students use a wide variety of resources including the Internet to find information for their presentations on epidemiology. Highlights a few web sites that students have found particularly useful and interesting. (JRH)

To determine student use patterns, 185 undergraduates in first and second year psychology courses were provided hypertext lecture support documents (lecture notes, bulletin board, and e-mail) via the Internet. Although the materials were popular, analysis determined that study followed traditional patterns of paper-based learning and that no…

Examines Internet use among 531 college students. Results indicate that 73% of the students accessed the Internet at least once a week, with 13% of weekly users reporting excessive use that significantly interfered with personal functioning. Findings support the development of educational programming. Presents implications for mental health and…

Scholarly publishers are experimenting with the "electronic monograph," a scholarly book offered on the Internet. Several converging trends (declining university subsidies, increasing research specialization, tightening library budgets) are putting pressure on academic publishing in the humanities and social sciences. Publishers are not convinced…

The availability of objectionable material on the Internet creates a conflict between the rights of computer users and universities. This article examines free speech and censorship; highlights responses by Carnegie Mellon University, University of Oklahoma, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and University of Pittsburgh; and proposes a…

Describes the Pennsylvania County Mapper, which provides economic and social data by county and enables users to create and customize electronic thematic maps through the Internet. Discusses conditions leading to the development of the site and basic requirements for service; relates experiences with building an online mapping system. (AEF)

Describes the development of the Committee on Institutional Cooperation (CIC) Electronic Journal Collection (EJC) that was designed to be a comprehensive, managed electronic journal collection, including selection and maintenance. Problems with unmanaged scholarly materials published on the World Wide Web are discussed, and challenges and…