This article argues that the capacity for innovation in American higher education is at risk. Colleges and universities are persistently slow in accepting advancing technology, increasingly labor-intensive, and resistant to evaluation by their customers or in terms of efficiency. A rethinking of the roles and tasks of faculty and staff is…

Examines the development of information technology (IT) capability by teacher-trainees on a postgraduate certificate of education course; the course involves the promotion of IT use during classroom placements by teacher-mentors. Survey results indicate that for certain trainees, the development of IT skills was regarded as being synonymous with…

Discusses the future of libraries' extended access and services. Highlights include disposing myths and projections for the future, problems and promises of new technologies, increasing public and academic library funding, and planning for extended libraries. (AEF)

Seven articles present perspectives on the redesign/reengineering of an information services division in a major health sciences institution, based on lessons learned at the University of Maryland at Baltimore. Topics addressed include information technology and the university, information services, user needs, redeploying resources, realigning…

Discussion of the process of integrating new technologies into schools considers the evolution of technology, including personal computers, CD-ROMs, hypermedia, and networking/communications; the transition from Industrial-Age to Information-Age schools; and the logical steps of transition. Sidebars discuss a networked multimedia pilot project and…

Discusses the current state of the art in virtual reality (VR), its historical background, and future possibilities. Highlights include applications in medicine, art and entertainment, science, business, and telerobotics; and VR for information science, including graphical display of bibliographic data, libraries and books, and cyberspace.…

Based on a survey of five similar institutions, Pennsylvania State University identified four principles of model information technology (IT) practice: use of policy, budget, and strategy measures to maximize IT benefits; early IT implementation; emphasis on customer service to integrate IT into institutional culture; and use of standards,…

Compares methods of providing digital video in computer-based training. A tabulation of performance, quality, and cost is provided, and techniques of compression and decompression are described together with hardware and/or software needs. Networking digital video, and the impact of emerging standards on the development of future products are also…

Based on a needs assessment questionnaire, 13 technology workshops were designed for school personnel. Topics included an introduction; troubleshooting; e-mail and the Internet; ERIC and CD-ROM databases; Microsoft Works; desktop publishing; presentation software; resources on CD-ROM; the X-Press news service; and interactive laser video discs. A…

Describes efforts in The Netherlands to reform school curriculum, integrate information technology into the new curriculum, and implement new approaches to teacher support and inservice simultaneously, focusing on evaluation of and reactions to some of the innovative approaches to teacher support and inservice. (SM)

Four conditions or trends external to higher education that will have a significant impact on the role of college and university faculty are examined, including: changes in governmental financing of the social agenda, global demographic and environmental changes, growth and interest in privatization of public structures, and development of…

Simultaneous trends in student demography, consumer patterns, competition, limited resources, and information technology combine to make possible truly revolutionary change in higher education. The same mix of intelligent planning, risk taking, and technology that has enabled institutions to create change during retrenchment can help address these…

Teacher education (TE) refers too infrequently to computer related technology. Much computer-related TE is simulated and delivered by non-teacher educators. The paper discusses the lack of integration between information technology (IT) and TE, noting that synergy rather than fragmentation is needed among people involved with IT and TE. (SM)

The University of Oregon's Center for Electronic Studying investigates ways to use computers to assist college students with physical and learning disabilities for whom studying is especially difficult. Such efforts are increasingly needed because of the trend toward mainstreaming students with varied disabilities. Meeting the cost of the…

Profiles eight successful library/media/information technology programs at technical institutes in Georgia. Highlights include descriptions of information services, collections, building size and design, information technology, library staff, library catalogs and equipment, information access, distance learning facilities, resource sharing,…