A key component to Eastern Iowa Community College District's (EICCD) strategic planning process, called "2020 Vision: A Perfect Vision for the Future," was the publication of the report "An Environmental Scan" in 1989, which summarized major trends occurring in the external environment which may impact the community college,…

The Renaissance Group, a consortium of 19 universities, was created in 1989 to improve the education of teachers and to facilitate efforts to reform teacher education nationally. One of the group's first priorities has been to analyze the growth of several largely environmental conditions such as the changing structure of the American family and…

Issues in collecting data on the classroom performance of teachers are discussed, with a focus on written descriptions of teacher behavior in contrast with videotaped observations. The central issue in this comparison is the comparability of the information when it is observed live and when it is simply recorded on videotape. The fundamental…

Although the work of Celestin Freinet has exerted considerable influence on European education, it remains largely unknown to English-speaking educators. The Modern School Movement (MSM), which Freinet founded in 1926, is worldwide in scope, and has affiliated organizations in 13 countries with correspondent groups in more than 20 nations. The MSM…

In the context of the modern global society and economy, foreign language instruction is placing more emphasis on students' cross-cultural understanding and on using language to develop students' communication skills. These goals are evidenced by the current interest in Foreign Languages Across the Curriculum (FLAC) courses, which teach languages…

This paper describes Stanford Online, a distance learning program at Stanford University (California) that utilizes the concept of asynchronous learning and the growth of the Internet to make Stanford courses, seminars, and lectures available anywhere, any time, and on demand in order to address the continuing education needs of busy…

The Pennsylvania State University, through its World Campus, is exploring several design models which provide multifaceted communication environments for distance education. Currently, students enrolled in World Campus programs interact with courses delivered through WebCT, a course management tool, or through FirstClass. This paper focuses on…

The overall theme of this book is the relationships between government and organizational policies and the work of practitioners in open and distance learning. The book explores a selection of international examples, many of which concern the use of new technologies for opening education. The contributors, many of whom are recognized experts,…

Forty-one small liberal arts colleges were visited during the 1997-98 school year in order to talk to key information technology staff and to see computing facilities. A survey containing 15 factual and 10 open-ended questions was used to gather information. This paper presents findings in the following areas and comparison with results of a…

This proceedings contains 56 papers, presentation summaries, and/or slide presentations pertaining to the Internet, World Wide Web, intranets, and library systems. Topics include: Web databases in medium sized libraries; Dow Jones Intranet Toolkit; the future of online; Web searching and Internet basics; digital archiving; evolution of the online…

This report to the Kentucky State Legislature and Governor on the needs of the state's hearing impaired population was developed with information from 40 state agencies, 25 consumer organizations, and 135 deaf and hard of hearing individuals. Fifteen recommendations are offered with specific suggestions for required funding and possible funding…

This study explores the question of accessibility to existing campus technology by low socio-economic, nontraditional, and minority college students. Questions posed are: (1) "Do nontraditional, low socio-economic and traditionally underrepresented students have the same access to computers and information technology as traditional majority…

This proceedings represents and documents in part the 16 presentations made at the 34th Annual Clinic on Library Applications of Data Processing. World Wide Web URLs that provide insight into each presentation are included. Presentations include: (1) "Hypostatizing Data Collections, Especially Bibliographic: Abstractions, Representations,…

Traditionally, libraries have had a role of providing equitable access for those who might not otherwise have access, and this role continues today in implementing access to electronic resources. However, there are special problems in applying this mission to prison libraries. A short history of automation in prison libraries is followed by a…

This paper presents the design of a project-based study environment on the World Wide Web based upon the e-study concept, i.e., studying by means of Internet technologies. The first section discusses the e-study concept, including Interactive Study Environments (ISE), Interactive Study Systems, and online Study Services. Design guidelines for a…