CIT INFOBITS August 2000 No. 26 ISSN 1521-9275 About INFOBITS INFOBITS is an electronic service of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's Center for Instructional Technology. Each month the CIT's Information Resources Consultant monitors and selects from a number of information technology and instructional technology sources that come to her attention and provides brief notes for electronic dissemination to educators. ...................................................................... Key Information Technology Issues in Higher Education Making Electronic Resources Available to All Papers on Learning Effectiveness and Faculty Satisfaction New Distance Learning Journal New Higher Education Journal Launched Measuring Distance Education Students' Learning Can Computers Substitute for Skilled Librarians? Two New Guides to Creating Digital Archives Learned Publishing Articles on the Web Current Cites Celebrates Ten-Year Anniversary Recommended Reading ...................................................................... KEY INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY ISSUES IN HIGHER EDUCATION In February 2000, the EDUCAUSE Current Issues Committee asked the association's 1,241 primary representatives to participate in a Web-based survey, to "capture information about the most pressing issues or challenges in higher education information technology and resource management." The respondents were supplied with a list of thirty-three issues and asked to choose the top three issues in response to each of the following four questions: 1. Which of the issues are most important for your campus to resolve for its strategic success? 2. Which of the issues have the greatest potential to explode in the future in terms of their strategic impact? 3. Which of the issues are you as an IT leader or administrator spending most of your time addressing? 4. On which of the issues is your campus spending the most human and/or financial resources? The report, "Checking the Radar: Survey Identifies Key IT Issues" by James Roche, summarizes the survey results. It is available on the Web at http://www.educause.edu/issues/survey2000/report.html EDUCAUSE is an international, nonprofit association whose mission is to help shape and enable transformational change in higher education through the introduction, use, and management of information resources and technologies in teaching, learning, scholarship, research, and institutional management. For more information see the EDUCAUSE website at http://www.educause.edu/ ...................................................................... MAKING ELECTRONIC RESOURCES AVAILABLE TO ALL "For librarians and information specialists who are aware of the lack of accessible information for readers who are print impaired . . . the Internet coupled with adaptive technology is as important as the invention of the printing press." Although targeted toward libraries and librarians, the book ADAPTIVE TECHNOLOGY FOR THE INTERNET: MAKING ELECTRONIC RESOURCES AVAILABLE TO ALL [American Library Association Editions, 2000; ISBN: 0-8389-0752-0], contains useful information for anyone designing information centers or creating Web pages that must be universally accessible. "Technologies covered include HTML coding for accessibility, screen readers, voice recognition systems, and hearing assistance devices." The author Barbara T. Mates is head of the Cleveland Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, a part of the Cleveland Public Library. She is a speaker and writer on the subject of library service to persons with visual and physical disabilities; she has written a previous book and numerous articles on the subject. In July the American Library Association put the full text of the book on the Web and made it free to all users. The book is available at http://www.ala.org/editions/openstacks/insidethecovers/mates/mates_toc.html The American Library Association (ALA) provides leadership for the development, promotion, and improvement of library and information services and the profession of librarianship in order to enhance learning and ensure access to information for all. For more information, link to http://www.ala.org/ ...................................................................... PAPERS ON LEARNING EFFECTIVENESS AND FACULTY SATISFACTION Two recent issues of the JOURNAL OF ASYNCHRONOUS LEARNING NETWORKS are special issues that include case studies presented in August 1999 at a Sloan Foundation-sponsored, invitation-only, workshop at the University of Illinois in Urbana. The main topics at the workshop were: Learning effectiveness: JALN, volume 4, issue 2, http://www.aln.org/alnweb/journal/jaln-vol4issue2.htm and Faculty satisfaction: JALN, volume 4, issue 3, http://www.aln.org/alnweb/journal/jaln-vol4issue3.htm The Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks [ISSN 1092-8235] is published online by Vanderbilt University for the Asynchronous Learning Networks Web. Back issues are available on the Web at http://www.aln.org/alnweb/journal/jaln.htm For more information contact, John Bourne, Editor, P. O. Box 1570, Station B, Nashville, TN 37235 USA; tel: 615-322-2118; fax: 615-343-6449; email: john.bourne@vanderbilt.edu The objectives of the ALN Web are to provide "(1) a focal point for information interchange among researchers and practitioners in the field of asynchronous learning networks and (2) a scholarly reviewed on-line journal which captures the archival knowledge of the field." For more information see http://www.aln.org/ ...................................................................... NEW DISTANCE LEARNING JOURNAL The INTERNATIONAL REVIEW OF RESEARCH IN OPEN AND DISTANCE LEARNING (IRRODL) is new online refereed journal whose purpose is "to contribute and disseminate to practitioners and scholars worldwide scholarly knowledge in each of three areas: theory, research, and best practice in open and distance learning." Articles in the first issue include: "Theoretical Challenges for Distance Education in the 21st Century: A Shift from Structural to Transactional Issues," "Digital Learning Environments: New Possibilities and Opportunities," and "Current Developments and Best Practice in Open and Distance Learning." International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning [ISSN 1492-3831] is published by Athabasca University, 1 University Drive, Athabasca, AB T9S 3A3 Canada; email: irrodl@athabascau.ca The journal is affiliated with the International Consortium for the Advancement of Academic Publication (ICAAP). ICAAP is a "research and development laboratory and standards organization devoted to the advancement of electronic scholarly communication. [Its] mission includes the support and enhancement of scholarly journal production as well as the enhancement of online delivery of course and educational content." ...................................................................... NEW HIGHER EDUCATION JOURNAL LAUNCHED In June Educational Media LLC launched MATRIX, a new journal for leaders in higher education. Technology in higher education is one of the areas that the journal will focus on. For example, in the preview issue (vol. 1, no. 1, June 2000), writers "analyze the government's antitrust case against Microsoft and the possible implications for higher education; . . . test drive new software that can help administrators try out risk-free planning scenarios; and discuss the growing importance of online tours for recruitment." Matrix; The Magazine for Leaders in Higher Education [ISSN 1531-0884] is published six times a year by Educational Media LLC, 992 High Ridge Road, Stamford, CT 06905-1610 USA; tel: 203-322-1300; fax: 203-329-9177; email: matrix@edmediausa.com; Web: http://www.edmediausa.com/ Contact the publisher to get an application form for a free subscription. ...................................................................... MEASURING DISTANCE EDUCATION STUDENTS' LEARNING "The challenges of measuring and identifying student learning and attributing that outcome to particular practices are as difficult in a distance-learning environment as in a traditional classroom. So you fall back on consensus over pedagogical strategies and whether they're applicable. . . . The research often comes up with this 'no-significant-difference finding' between a distance-learning or electronic mode and a traditional-delivery mode. I don't think that's good enough. To justify the investments, we're going to have to show some real learning gains." In "Logging in with . . . James R. Mingle: Measuring Students' Learning is a Major Challenge for Distance Education" [THE CHRONICLE OF HIGHER EDUCATION Distance Education, August 25, 2000], Dan Carnevale interviews James Mingle, senior policy adviser for the Southern Regional Education Board's Distance Learning Policy Laboratory and head of a subcommittee studying faculty issues that evolve with the growth of online education. You can read the interview online at http://chronicle.com/free/2000/08/2000082501u.htm ...................................................................... CAN COMPUTERS SUBSTITUTE FOR SKILLED LIBRARIANS? "If professional and research information is to be available more widely, either users must bypass libraries, or libraries will have to employ fewer people. Over the past thirty-five years, libraries have automated routine clerical tasks, such as circulation or filing catalog cards. Is it possible that, at some future date, computers might assume the skilled tasks that now require professional librarians?" In his paper, "Automated Digital Libraries: How Effectively Can Computers Be Used for the Skilled Tasks of Professional Librarianship?" [D-LIB MAGAZINE, vol. 6, no. 7/8; July/August 2000], William Arms tackles the issue of how to lower library staff costs and discusses the "question of whether automated digital libraries can give good service to users." The article is on the Web at http://www.dlib.org/dlib/july00/arms/07arms.html William Y. Arms is Editor in Chief of D-Lib Magazine and professor in the Department of Computer Science at Cornell University, 5159 Upson Hall, Ithaca, NY 14853 USA; email: wya@cs.cornell.edu A Chronicle of Higher Education interview with Arms is on the Web at http://chronicle.com/free/2000/08/2000081801t.htm D-Lib Magazine [ISSN: 1082-9873] covers innovation and research in digital libraries. The magazine is available, free of charge, only in electronic format, either on the Web or via email. Subscription information is available at http://www.dlib.org/dlib/subscribe.html Back issues are available at http://www.dlib.org/back.html D-Lib Magazine is published eleven times a year by the D-Lib Forum, which is based at the Corporation for National Research Initiatives (CNRI) and is sponsored by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). For more information about D-Lib Forum see their Website at http://www.dlib.org/dlib.html ...................................................................... TWO NEW GUIDES TO CREATING DIGITAL ARCHIVES The Research Libraries Group (RLG), Digital Libraries Federation (DLF), and the Council on Library and Information Resources have published five Guides to Quality in Visual Resource Imaging "designed to serve the growing community of museums, archives, and research libraries turning to imaging as a way to provide greater access to their visual resources while simultaneously preserving the original materials." The guides include: "Planning an Imaging Project," by Linda Serenson Colet, Museum of Modern Art; "Selecting a Scanner," by Don Williams, Eastman Kodak Company; "Imaging Systems: the Range of Factors Affecting Image Quality," by Donald D'Amato, Mitretek Systems; "Measuring Quality of Digital Masters," by Franziska Frey, Image Permanence Institute Rochester Institute of Technology; and "File Formats for Digital Masters," by Franziska Frey. The guides are available on the Web at http://www.rlg.org/visguides/ As part of its Guides to Good Practice in the Creation and Use of Digital Resources, the University of Glasgow's Performing Arts Data Service has published GUIDE TO GOOD PRACTICE: CREATING DIGITAL PERFORMANCE RESOURCES. Chapters include: "How To Design, Build and Maintain a Database-Powered Web Site," "Approaches to Building Digital Archives," "Teaching and Learning Applications: 'Digital Dialogues'," and "Internet-Based Live Performance Work." The guide is available on the Web at http://www.pads.ahds.ac.uk/padsGGPPerformance/ The Performing Arts Data Service is based in the Faculty of Arts at the University of Glasgow, Scotland, UK and is a collaboration between the Department of Theatre, Film & Television Studies, and the Department of Music. For more information, see http://www.pads.ahds.ac.uk/pads.html .................................................................... LEARNED PUBLISHING ARTICLES ON THE WEB The full text of LEARNED PUBLISHING articles from volume 10, 1997 onwards are now available online at no charge at http://www.alpsp.org.uk/journal.htm Articles in the latest issue (July 2000) include: "Universities and Article Copyright," "Setting Up a First Website for Society Publications," "E-Citations: Actionable Identifiers and Scholarly Referencing," "Promises and Challenges of Electronic Journals: Academic Libraries Surveyed," and "What Can Technology Offer? Notes on Technical Developments for the Non-Technical." Learned Publishing [ISSN 0953-1513 ] is a quarterly publication of the Association of Learned and Professional Society Publishers (ALPSP). For more information, contact: The Editor, Learned Publishing, 65 Hertford Road, East Finchley, London N2 9BX UK; email: editor@alpsp.org.uk ALPSP "represents the interests of all those involved in the publication of academic and professional information in all media. It was formed in 1972, as an association of learned and professional organizations involved in publishing." For more information see their website at http://www.alpsp.org.uk/ ...................................................................... CURRENT CITES CELEBRATES TEN-YEAR ANNIVERSARY This month the University of California, Berkeley Digital Library SunSITE's CURRENT CITES celebrates ten years of continuous monthly publication. The electronic newsletter is produced by a team of librarians and library staff who monitor "information technology literature in both print and digital forms [popular magazines, peer-reviewed journals, books, and websites], each month selecting only the best items to annotate for a free publication. The resulting issue of 10-20 annotated citations of current literature is emailed to a mailing list and is redistributed on other electronic fora." Current Cites maintains a database of over 1000 indexed, searchable citations. Using the database, you can also create your own "Bibliography On-Demand." To subscribe to Current Cites, search back issues, or create a bibliography, go to http://sunsite.berkeley.edu/CurrentCites/ ...................................................................... RECOMMENDED READING "Recommended Reading" lists items that have been recommended to me or that Infobits readers have found particularly interesting and/or useful. Send your recommendations to carolyn_kotlas@unc.edu for possible inclusion in this column. Recommended by Infobits reader and book co-author Gary R. Morrison (email: morrison.gary@coe.wayne.edu): Integrating Computer Technology into the Classroom, 1st Edition; by Gary R. Morrison (Wayne State University), Deborah L. Lowther (University of Memphis), and Lisa DeMeulle (Sonoma State University). Prentice-Hall, 1999. ISBN 0-13-270000-X. "You might be interested in our recent book on technology integration. Although it was designed for the K-12 classroom, we are often asked to present to university faculty. The ideas are applicable to many higher education courses, not just K-12. The model is one for developing problem-based learning instruction where technology is integrated as a tool." More information is available at http://www.nteq.com/ and http://vig.prenhall.com/acadbook/0,2581,013270000X,00.html ...................................................................... To Subscribe CIT INFOBITS is published by the Center for Instructional Technology. The CIT supports the interests of faculty members at UNC-CH who are exploring the use of Internet and video projects. Services include both consultation on appropriate uses and technical support. To subscribe to INFOBITS, send email to listserv@unc.edu with the following message: SUBSCRIBE INFOBITS firstname lastname substituting your own first and last names. 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