DISTANCE ED FOR MORE REASONS THAN DISTANCE - According to an article by Lori Wallace in the Spring of 1996 and an American Chronicle of Education article in spring of 1998, distance learning in the US for much of its history has been designed for those who could NOT attend classes due to geographic restrictions. But there are several trends that are blending distance learning with traditional face-to-face methods so that the markets are not as distinct as they were originally envisioned to be. You will still find some academic distance ed programs that prohibit enrollments of students living within a 100 mile or commute radius of the campus. It is my understanding that these rules existed in older generation distance learning programs - I am thinking of Marywood and Indiana University off the top of my head - in an effort to keep distance learning programs from "cannibalizing" on-campus program enrollments. Very few newer generation distance Ed programs have these prohibitions in their regulations. In reality people seem to be using distance Ed not just to solve geographic access issues but also issues of time - no time or method to commute - and cost. (Vicky Phillips, Publisher-The Virtual University Gazette, Nov 98)

PROJECT ITALICA - A new type of project, Project ITALICA is a distance learning project deployed in Italy in cooperation with Italian and foreign universities and the Ministries of Universities, Education and Foreign Affairs. ITALICA is a distance learning university, a library, a radio station, a theatre, a recreational area, and much more. One of the strong points of ITALICA is that it provides access, with the most recent multimedia technology, to the vast documentary heritage contained in the audio and video archives of the RAI as well as other sources of Italian history.

To create ITALICA, RAI International brought together a number of public and private institutions that share a strategy for the diffusion of Italian language and culture in the world. Particularly important are these affiliations. The Interuniversity Center "Biblioteca Italiana Telematica" (CiBIT) based in Pisa, which brings together 30 groups belonging to 16 national universities working on the development of an on-line Library of the Italian traditional culture, and using the highest international standards.

The Consortium "Italian Culture on the Net" (ICoN) formed, thanks to the initiative of the RAI, the Ministry of Universities, Science and Technology and the University of Pisa, with a goal of certifying Internet courses on Italian language and civilization. Icon currently includes approximately 30 universities. (From - Copernico, New Media FactoryIAB member - IPIX partner - Macromedia Developer - Real Developer.)