THEME - A Multipart Series: Looking at Effective Practices

UPFRONT - Effective Practices - Planning and Implementing a Videoconferencing System
FOCUS - Distance Education in the UW-Colleges
FEBRUARY FOCUS FOLLOWUP - Library Support for UW- Platteville's DE Initiatives
COPYRIGHT - April 2 PBS Satellite Program, SLA Questions Regulation of Digital Information
CAMPUS HILIGHTS - UW Campus Information
FROM THE DISTANCE EDUCATION CLEARINGHOUSE: NETNEWS - DE Clearinghouse Receives ITCA Award
ETC. - New Wisconsin Academic Web site Developed, Computer Learning Foundation Launches Web site
STATE-OF-THE-ART - Wireless Video and Videophones
NEW TECH TRENDS - Growing Computer Chips, New Tools for Analyzing Computers
NEW ON THE LIST - New Subscribers
SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT - WETC Renamed G-WETC
FYI - News, Conferences and Institutes
ENDNOTE - Eliminating the 50% Rule Suggested

APRIL ISSUE FOCUS - Effective Practices - University of Wisconsin Technology Institute for Educators-1998

---

UPFRONT
Effective Practices - Planning and Implementing a Videoconferencing System.

Planning and Implementing a14 site Videoconferencing System is no easy task. It takes vision, long term planning, knowledge, expertise, funding, teamwork and patience. The UW-Colleges are an excellent example of this process. In this month's FOCUS article, Dave Wolover UW-Colleges Network Administrator, discusses the steps that have been taken to set up Videoconferencing sites at the 13 Colleges and the Adminstrative Office. (Rosemary Lehman)

---

FOCUS
Distance Education in the UW-Colleges
Dave Wolover
Network Administrator

During the past year, the UW-Colleges has been working closely with UW-System Administration, DOA (BadgerNet), and UW-Extension (UWEX) to bring a Distance Education (DE) classroom to each of our 13 campuses. These DE classrooms will help bring a wider selection of courses to students within the UW-Colleges by allowing campuses to use UW-Colleges' faculty expertise from a remote campus. Also, under enrolled courses at a single campus can be merged with under enrolled courses at other campuses to allow those courses to be taught. Students will find these offerings advantageous as they work toward their degree completions or transfer to other institutions.

While increasing UW-Colleges' course offerings will be a benefit to UW- Colleges' students, collaborative offerings with Universities in the four year UW system will allow further educational opportunities. Courses taught from a four year campus to a UW-College will allow students the opportunity for advanced study in their areas of interest. All of this will be possible without interrupting their degree goals or struggling with issues of credit transfer.

Given the appropriate infrastructure, K-12 collaborations as well as DE use by other governmental or educational users may be possible. However, right now, getting the UW-Colleges up and running is the first step. Here is a brief description of what has been accomplished thus far and the direction the UW-Colleges will take to make DE a reality.

Late 1997 an RFP was drafted for the UW-Colleges DE classroom configurations. Three vendors responded by the February 3, 1998 deadline and the RFP evaluation team started its work. By March 11, 1998, a contract was signed with Ameritech partnering with Video Images to install 13 campus DE rooms and a more limited install at the Colleges' administrative office at 780 Regent Street in Madison.

Each classroom will consist of an instructor's console that will house a Crestron control system, VCR's, scanner, laser printer, personal computer, drawing tablet, CODEC and necessary audio and video equipment. Two monitors will be at the front of the room for student viewing, one for instructor presentation of materials and the other for a view of the remote site. A "virtual student", two monitors positioned approximately 10 feet in front of the instructor's console with an attached instructor camera, will allow the instructor to see a remote site as if it were a member of the class. The instructor camera allows eye contact between the instructor and the remote site during the class.

With the contract signed, final classroom analysis and designs will be completed, purchase orders processed and components ordered. Four campuses are to be installed by May 11, with the remaining due by June 11. Acceptance will be 30 days after successful ongoing operation of equipment. Faculty and technical staff training will be carried out by ICS, UWEX mid April. Vendor training for users and technical people will occur after campus installs are done.

At present, the transport to be used for the compressed video is still uncertain. In order to minimize hardware, maintenance and line costs, it was hoped that the compressed video would be carried over ATM. In this scenario, it would fit nicely with the statewide migration to BadgerNet and the SONET ring. Some obstacles need to be overcome, however, to make this a working strategy. At present, the expectation is that ICS, UWEX would be doing the bridging for the UW-Colleges, but the ICS bridge does not currently connect to BadgerNet. Also, UW-Colleges' campus circuits to connect to the SONET ring are unavailable as of this writing. Assuming the bridging issues were resolved and circuits made available, upgrading the WAN to support compressed video over ATM substantially increases the work to be done. As a fall back position, ISDN could be installed, however, with the added cost of hardware, maintenance, line installs, monthly line costs and usage costs, it would be be a more expensive option.

Even though the WAN connection method is still undecided, the UW- Colleges has received nothing but help from DO; UW-System; ICS, UWEX and its own faculty/staff volunteers. Hopefully all the hard work will soon pay off, and distance education will be just one more of our educational tools.

---

FEBRUARY FOCUS FOLLOWUP
Library Support for UW-Platteville's DE Initiatives.

While many on the UW-Platteville campus are developing and delivering innovative DE courses, the Elton S. Karrmann Library is working to provide easy access to online library resources for a growing population of distance learners. Anticipating an increase in off-campus demand for reliable reference resources, the library developed a procedure to provide access to a number of web-based subscription databases, some with full-text articles. Through strategically placed links on campus web pages and online course materials, the distance learner is directed to the library's "Guide for off-campus users".

On this page, the distance learner finds: content descriptions of available databases, remote access request form and links to additional contacts/information. After submitting the completed form: it lands in the Training & Instruction e-mail basket, submitted information is checked against our online campus directory to verify affiliation and if university affiliation is found, passwords to online databases are sent to distance learners within one business day.

E-mail addresses of distance learners are then added to a distribution list which is useful when communicating changes and conducting user satisfaction surveys. Problems have been minimal. While the procedures were initially set up to support DE courses, we find that most requests for off-campus access come from on-campus students and employees who live beyond SLIP connection range, reinforcing the idea that "information on demand" is an important option for all. For more details, visit the "Guide for off-campus users" web page at:
http://vms.www.uwpl att.edu/~library/database/offcampus.htmlx

(Ulrike Dieterle, Training/Instruction Coordinator & Distance Education Librarian, UW-Platteville)

---

COPYRIGHT
April 2 PBS Satellite Program
SLA Questions the Regulation on Digital Information

* Arrangements have been made at two sites on the UW-Madison campus to view and discuss: "Am I a Crook? Copyright Issues on the Internet". The satellite program is scheduled for Thursday, April 2, 1998, 1:30 - 3:00 pm CT at: Genetics Biotech Center Auditorium, Room 1111, 425 Henry Mall and New Media Center, Room 2257 Helen C. White Hall.

This program will: provide examples of legal and illegal uses of copyrighted material, clarify what kinds of materials can and cannot be used, discuss how much of a piece can be used, discuss how the fair use section of the copyright law applies and explore the differences in fair use between traditional classrooms and distance education.

A panel and discussion will follow at the Genetics Biotech Center site from 3:00 -3:30 CT. To reserve seating and print material, contact Alice Anderson, alice.anderson@doit.wisc.edu, 262-2129, or Tim Dugdale, timmo@doit.wisc.edu, 265-6733. Please indicate which viewing site you will be attending.

Wisconsin institutions that would like to take down the program, contact: Linda Connolly at 608-264-9724. Institutions outside of Wisconsin contact: PBS at 1-800-257-2578.

* Washington, D.C., February 23, 1998 - The Special Libraries Association (SLA) adamantly questions the recent protection proposal brought forward by five of the world's largest electronic companies to regulate the copyright rights of consumers on digital information. It contends that the proposal - submitted by Intel Corporation, Sony Corporation, Hitachi Ltd., Matsushita Electric Industrial Company and Toshiba Company could set a dangerous standard for the future of information.

The SLA suggests that, rather than pushing for the entire consumer electronics industry to adopt this standard with consideration given only to Hollywood, recording artists, and publishers, these manufacturers carefully determine the impact of such a proposal on current law and the interests of the users of their products.

The SLA is the international association representing the interests of nearly 15,000 information professionals in 60 countries.

(Kerry L. Kresse, Physics Librarian, University of Wisconsin-Madison)

---

CAMPUS HILIGHTS
(Send campus distance education HILIGHTS to: DESIEN-List@uwex.edu

ICS/UW-EXTENSION - Bruce Dewey and Rosemary Lehman, Distance Education Specialists at ICS-UWEX, recently presented at the ITCA Expo '98, located in the Pennsylvania Convention Center, Philadelphia, PA. Their presentation, "Videoconferencing Training Beyond the Keypad: Realizing the Interactive Potential" included a videotape introduction from ICS Director, Marcia Baird; videotape segments on interaction by several UW faculty; an overview of the presenters' learner-centered "7 Keys" framework; comments on research via audioconferencing by Prof. Chere Gibson, School of Human Ecology, UW-Madison, small group work with participants; business interaction applications via audioconferencing by Oliver Hansen a Bell Atlantic Learning Labs Multimedia Programmer and a governmental Case Study of the Wisconsin Public Service Commission. Jamie Poindexter of ICS assisted in the technical setup.

UW-GREEN BAY - The Extended Degree Program at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay has just received a $240,000 grant to develop some of its undergraduate courses for asynchronous delivery. This is a new and different venture for the EDP, one which will require thoughtful and innovative approaches to teaching and learning with technology.

A Search has been opened for the Position of Assistant Director and Coordinator of Distance Learning Technology - Extended Degree Program. The person selected will represent the Director in the director's absence, coordinate distance learning courses delivered through technology in the Extended Degree Program, develop and coordinate training, serve as a resource person for distance learning technologies, oversee advising, orient new faculty and staff to curriculum requirements, set up the annual roster of classes for General Studies majors and advise students in the General Studies program requirements.

A Master's Degree is required, along with both experience and demonstrated skills. This is a full-time 12 month fixed term Academic Staff appointment with a UW system title of Outreach Program Manager I in pay range 5 - minimum $35,200, based on qualifications and experience. The starting date is July 1, 1998

To apply submit a letter of application along with current resume, unofficial transcripts, names, addresses and telephone numbers of three professional references to: Search Chairperson, Dr. Tracy Luchetta, Chair, Search and Screen Committee, C/O Extended Degree Office, Room ES 109 University of Wisconsin, Green Bay 54311-700, Phone: 920-465-2423 Fax: 920-465-2643, E-mail: gbextdeg@uwgb.edu. Applications must be received by April 24 1998.

(Robert J. Skorczewski, Jr., Outreach Program Manager Office: Office of Outreach & Extension, UW-Green Bay)

UW-MADISON - UW-Madison's Department of Information Technology (DoIT), has arranged a "Week of Workshops, May 18 - 22, that will focus on a wide variety of Technology Tools for Instruction. Many will have a hands-on component to enable trying a variety of tools. Identified sessions include: Animations on the Web (Flash2), ABC's of web development, HTML/web editors - a comparison, Introduction to FirstClass computer conferencing, Using Microsoft PowerPoint to create web presentations classroom technology, Scanning and sizing images for the web....and more.

For information on the dates, topics and locations, check the following Web site after April 15 http://www.wisc.edu/learntech.

UW-MILWAUKEE - University Outreach, UW-Milwaukee is offering a technology fair, "Learning Through Technology: Interactive Media in Education III" on April 9, 1998, 10:00-2:30 pm. Speakers include: Sona Andrews, John Grozik and Gary Topp, all of UWM. A panel discussion composed of UW-Stevens Point and UWM personnel and vendor presentations will round out the program. For further information contact 414-227-3398.

UW-PLATTEVILLE - (See FEBRUARY FOCUS FOLLOWUP)

---

FROM THE DISTANCE EDUCATION CLEARINGHOUSE
NETNEWS

PRESS RELEASE
DE Clearinghouse Receives ITCA Award

Instructional Communications Systems (ICS), a University of Wisconsin-Extension distance education and teleconferencing services unit, received one of nine top honors announced this week by the International Teleconferencing Association (ITCA).

The unit's Distance Education Clearinghouse web site
(http://www.uwex.edu/disted/home.html) was named the "Publication of the Year" at the ITCA '98 Collaborative Communications Expo in Philadelphia. ICS was joined by other first place winners such as networkMCI, Sony and the U.S. Navy. According to Alan Chute, Chief Learning Strategist for Lucent Technologies, the Distance Education Clearinghouse is an "outstanding web resource" for distance educators.

Michele Jacques, ICS Information Resources Manager and manager of the Distance Education Clearinghouse, accepted the award, one of several major recognitions the Distance Education Clearinghouse has received since its creation. She and other ICS staff have developed more than 2,000 web pages focusing on distance education programs and conferences, technologies, applications and research. New content, features and functionality are continually added. ICS is an academic support unit, providing a range of distance education training, teleconferencing and support services to University of Wisconsin institutions and State of Wisconsin agencies. The unit helps educators and other professionals effectively use audio, document and videoconferencing, and the World Wide Web, for educational programs, training, meetings and other communication.

Additional information about ICS is available at: http://www.uwex.edu/ics/. Additional information about ITCA award winners is available at: http://www.itca.org.

---

ETC.
New Wisconsin Academic Web site Developed
Computer Learning Foundation Launches Web site

* A Web site has been developed by the University of Wisconsin System, the Wisconsin Technical College System and the Wisconsin Association of Independent Colleges and Universities. It provides an electronic gateway to all three sectors and offers links to individual institutions. The site includes descriptions of programs offered, financial aid information, admissions procedures and even online applications. Wisconsin has 16 technical colleges, 21 private colleges and universities and 26 public UW System institutions. The Internet address to access is: http://colleges.wisconsin.edu.

* The Computer Learning Foundation, an international, nonprofit educational foundation, dedicated to improving the quality of education and to preparing learners for the workplace through the use of technology, recently launched a Web site. Its new site aims to economically disseminate information to educators. Users may review foundation articles, browse and order resource materials, find out about activities and competitions, locate lesson plans written by educators, and learn of new foundation projects and materials as they are announce. The site can be accessed at: http://www.computerlearning.org.

---

STATE-OF-THE-ART
Wireless Video and Videophones

It is becoming increasingly viable to conduct meetings via video- conference and use a wireless remote extender video camera for "real time": diagnostics, remote monitoring, seeing projects in process, looking at all aspects of a particular demonstration, viewing operations in telemedicine and conducting video tours - to name a few. With the cost of equipment coming down, the increase of the more inexpensive high-bandwidth wide area network connections and the provision of more bandwidth for "public use wireless" communications by the FCC, this technology will become even more common.

Compact, relatively easy-to-use personal videophones are on the market, with more than adequate audio and video performance. While call reliability still needs to be improved and screens increased in size, this technology is coming closer to being a useable one for a wide variety of needs. (DVC March/April 1998)

---

NEW TECH TRENDS
Growing Chips in Test Tubes
New Tools for Analyzing Computer Systems

Yale University researchers are working on an alternative method of producing computer chips - growing them in test tubes. The idea is to encourage organic molecules into organizing themselves into wires and transistors by zapping them with an electrical current. The result could be superchips with many billions of transistors. (Business Week Nov 1997)

Scientists in New Mexico have developed a prototype virtual reality system that creates a three-dimensional representation of a complex computer program, allowing scientists to visualize and manipulate the software. "It's like being inside a brain," says one of the researchers, who adds that the technology could be used for simulating industrial process control, visualizing enormous databases, recognizing patterns and improving engineering and software design. (Science News Oct 1997)

---

NEW ON THE LIST
New Subscribers

Welcome to - *Peter Tagtmeyer*, Assistant Science Librarian at Colgate University in the Cooley Science Library and Adjunct Professor at Syracuse University's School of Information Studies, teaching a course on Intranets entirely through the Internet; *Natasha Wiebe*, an instructional designer for the University of Windsor's distance education program (Windsor, Ontario, Canada), who has helped develop a wide variety of courses.

*Phillip A. McCoppin*, a Vice President of Electronic Banking Delivery Systems at The Bank of New York in the Product Management Division, charged with building a Web based training service for both internal and external audiences; *Dave Strickland* a project manager in healthcare education services, responsible for distance education offerings at MM Companies, Inc., an international healthcare risk management and medical malpractice insurance firm.

*Lee Syer*, a Chemistry, Advanced Physical Science and Gifted and Talented teacher at a large high school in the Mojave Desert of California, as well as the school's Webmaster. *Renne Workings *, currently in Dallas, Texas consulting to Hewlett-Packard's High Performance Systems Lab and researching broadband technologies for distance education applications.

*Christine Perry*, working for Multimedia Services, a division of GE's Global Training and Development Center, with 60 employees who design and develop custom interactive courseware for organizations; *Eric Alborn, an Instructional Technology and Videoconference Manager for the UW-Madison School of Business who provides consultation and support to faculty members, manages a video conference/DE facility and a multimedia development computer laboratory and *Paul Sorenson* and *Susan Neubauer*.

---

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT
WETC Renamed G-WETC

The Wisconsin Educational Technology Conference (WETC) 1998 has recently been renamed The Governor's Wisconsin Educational Technology Conference (G WETC). The Department of Administration and TEACH, WI will be represented on the Steering Committee and, along with other committee representatives from UW-Extension, the Wisconsin Technical College System, the Wisconsin Educational Communications Board and the Department of Public Instruction, will help plan and shape the conference.

The 1998 conference, to be held at the Regency Conference Center in Green Bay, October 6-8, has been expanded to three complete days. The first day will focus on higher education; the second day on PK-12, higher education and the private sector and the third day on PK-12. The conference anticipates 20 workshops and labs, 120 sessions and 70 exhibits. For further information contact: Linda Connolly at - Voice Mail: 608-264-9724, Email: lconnoll@ecb.state.wi.us or visit the Web site at: http://www.wetc-wi.us.

Conference registration and housing forms will be available in May.

---

FYI
News, Conferences, Institutes

* InfoComm International will be held June 9-13, 1998 in Dallas, TX at the Dallas Convention Center. The Seminars, Workshops and Exhibits are geared to technical staff, systems integrators, designers and installers. For further information call 1-800-222-6884 or register on line at http://www.infocomm.org.

* Media for the New Millenium, an International Conference of the Educational Media Institute (EM) of SAARDHE (SA Association for Research and Development in Higher Education) is scheduled for September 2-4, 1998 at the Conference Centre of the University of Pretoria. A Call for Papers has been issued, with a submission deadline of April 15, 1998. The official language for the conference is English. For more information contact - Tom Brown, University of Pretoria at Phone +27 12 420-3884; Email: tbrown@libarts.up.ac.za or visit the Web site at http://hagar.up.ac.za/IOM98/index.html

* The Center for Renaissance and Baroque Studies and the Committee for Creative Humanities Applications in the New Technologies (CHANT) at the University of Maryland, College Park, in conjunction with the statewide Celebration of the Arts, is issuing a Call for Papers to an interdisciplinary conference: "State of the Arts: Production, Reception, and Teaching in the Digital World." The conference is planned for October 8-11, 1998. For further information or an application form, contact crbs@umail.umd.edu or go to http://www.inform.umd.edu/CRBS.

---

ENDNOTE
Elimination of the 50% Rule Suggested

Congress is beginning work on extending the Higher Education Act and is considering easing a provision in the current law that prohibits colleges from receiving federal aid if they offer more than 50% of their courses via distance education. The Clinton Administration has proposed eliminating the "50%" rule, initially introduced to prevent fraud following a 1992 scandal involving several correspondence schools and has asked accrediting agencies to develop standards for distance learning programs. At the same time, the Department of Education has urged officials to limit any changes to include only programs at two-yr. and four-yr. colleges that offer accredited associate, bachelor's or graduate degrees. "The accrediting agencies are perfectly capable of addressing those standards. We don't want the department regulating more than is absolutely necessary," says a senior VP at the American Council on Education.
(Chronicle of Higher Education 13 Mar 98)

---

APRIL ISSUE FOCUS - Effective Practices - University of Wisconsin Technology Institute for Educators - 1998

---

DESIEN ARCHIVE: An Archive has been created for past issues and interaction comments. Locate at: >http://www.uwex.edu/disted/desien/

DESIEN has been created to encourage information exchange and discussion of distance education issues concerned with: 1) UW Systemwide distance education progress and institution course/program development, 2) faculty/team development, 3) technology, 4) policy, 5) funding and 6) research. List recipients outside of the UW System are also welcome to join in with information contributions and discussion.