DISSENTING VOICES ON COMPUTERS IN THE CLASSROOM - In defiance of the conventional wisdom that it would be desirable (in the words of President Clinton) to connect "every classroom in America to the Internet by the year 2000," there are increasingly vocal critics of the use of computers in K-12 instruction. One of the leaders of this defiance is William L. Rukeyser of the nonprofit Learning in the Real World organization, who says: "So many programs were being slaughtered by the perception that if it didn't involve computers, it wasn't worth anything. I quickly realized that there was this tremendous faith that computers were in fact some plaster saint that would save the day." He adds, "We're not pushing our brand of solution, and we're not saying that the emperor has no clothes. We're just asking, is his tie on straight and do his socks match?" (New York Times 17 Mar 99)

NODE INVITES YOU TO "CHOOSING CHAT" - the latest discussion thread in "Technology and Transformation: Teaching and Training Online", is an open, ongoing forum for educators, researchers, administrators and instructional designers to come together and share their work, ideas, experiences, questions and concerns about the use of technologies in education and training. The second guest moderators of this forum are Tom Green and Tom Auger, who teach at the Digital Imaging Centre of Humber College in Toronto, Canada. They will discuss the use of chat as a learning tool, the challenges of teaching "multimedia" online and the similarities (and differences) between online and face-to- ace teaching. To participate, go to: http://node.on.ca/techtrans/ and click on the "JOIN THE FORUM" link to read their introductory postings and contribute your thoughts! (Leslie Fournier)

NEED FAST ANSWERS? TRY FAST FACTS - The National Center for Education Statistics recently unveiled a new Web site section called "Fast Facts". "Fast Facts" provides answers to the most-asked higher education questions, including all relevant tables and data sources. It is to be updated as suggestions from users are received. To visit "Fast Facts," click on: http://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/index.asp

JONES IU - FIRST ONLINE UNIVERSITY ACCREDITED TO GRANT DEGREES - Jones International University, a four-year-old, for-profit institution, has become the first exclusively online school accredited to grant baccalaureate and postbaccalaureate degrees. It received accreditation last week from the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. Owned by cable television magnate Glenn R. Jones, JIU currently offers bachelor's and master's degrees in business communications, using courses developed by professors at such reputed business schools as Columbia and Stanford Universities, and taught by part-time, adjunct faculty. Certificate programs have formed the bulk of the institution's offerings since its founding in 1995. Accreditation will now enable eligible JIU students to participate in federal financial aid programs. Read more in The Wall Street Journal, March 9, 1999 and online at: www.nytimes.com/library/tech/99/03/cyber/articles/13learning.html

ACCREDITATION OF JONES IU CRITICIZED - James Perley, head of the American Association of University Professors' committee on accrediting, has written a letter to Steven Crow, executive director of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, expressing "shock and dismay" over the association's decision to grant accreditation to Jones International University. "By all public accounts, this virtual institution presents a very weak case for accreditation. Indeed it embodies most of our major worries about the denigration of quality that could follow this apparently inexorable march toward online education." Perley noted that there were only two full-time professors among the 56 faculty members, with the rest adjuncts who also held full-time jobs elsewhere. He also cited the brevity of Jones International's courses and the lack of learning resources, such as a library or laboratories. Crow has responded that AAUP was misinformed, and that Jones International met the intent of the requirements for accreditation. (Chronicle of Higher Education 2 Apr 99)

TECHNOLOGY COACHING ANYONE? - Instructional technology coaching for faculty is all the rage these days at well-heeled universities. But what if your institution doesn't see the need, or can't afford a "campus innovation center?" Enter Anne Keating, Curriculum Coordinator for Instructional Technology at UCEA member New York University School of Continuing and Professional Studies. With colleague Joseph Hargetai of the NYU Innovation Center, Keating has brought out a new book and Web site that offer personal technology coaching for the rest of us. Published by NYU Press, The Wired Professor "tells faculty members everything they ever wanted to know about creating Web sites" according to The Chronicle of Higher Education, which adds that its "...well-organized Web site...contains both online instruction and links to the Web sites of NYU faculty members - sites engaging enough to make almost anybody learn whatever it takes to create one." (UCEA, Mar 99)