THEME -The Social Element in Distance Education

FOCUS - Getting to Know You: Broadening the Social Element in Distance Education
TECH LINES - Compiled from News Releases
TECH ED - National Governor's Assn. to Stress Postsecondary Education in Year 2000 Agenda, Don't Blame Teachers for Low Computer Use in Classrooms, Join a Consortium of College Testing Centers Supporting Distance Learning
BIZ/ED - Partners in Education, Welcome to College-Now Meet our Sponsor, Digital Collaboration Factors
DID YOU KNOW? - About Vacation and Work, Thomas Edison State College is Ranked one of "Top 20", The Mind is Immortal
TECH FUNDS - $135 Million to Support Technology in the Classroom, $70,000 to be Distributed, Gore Announces $10 Million in New Federal Education Funds
TECH READS - Educational Technology & Society, Video and Presentation Technologies-Syllabus, The Pew Program in Learning and Technology Newsletter
TECH TRENDS - Wired on Campus E-Life , City Kids More Likely to be Wired
TECH POSITIONS - Franklin ID Specialist for DL, Library Media Services Dept. Head at Baltimore U
NEW ON THE LIST - Welcome to New Subscribers
FYI - News, Conferences, Institutes, Events

FOCUS - Getting to Know You: Broadening the Social Element in Distance Education

Sue Faust, Distance Education Specialist
Instructional Communications Systems

In this article, I'd like to address the concept of 'forging' relationships in distance education settings as a tool for developing a sense of community and reducing the sense of isolation experienced by some learners. Distance education research and texts often advocate the use of personalization techniques to reduce the sensation of isolation and 'transactional' distance from instructor and fellow learners. Dillon and Walsh (1992) refer to these personalization techniques as "immediacy behaviors" and include in this category teaching techniques such as the use of first names, relating content to personal and professional experiences of students, vocal variety, praise, smiling, and encouraging discussion.

My use of the phrase 'forging relationships' broadens the concept of personalization to include concerted, focused efforts to allow learners and teacher alike to get to know one another in a way that goes beyond the traditional learner-teacher roles. It requires a focus on the dialogue variable that Moore lists as one of the basic elements in the distance education process. (1996) The kind of learner information usually gathered as part of a classroom experience is predictable; past education and professional experience, perhaps degree being sought, or commonly shared information such as marital status and number of children. Let's broaden that in a way that is fun, caring, and draws upon the personal nature of each learner.

But yet research tells us the nature of the distance education learner is very rich. Generally speaking, Thompson (1998) describes this learner as being older than the typical undergraduate student, female, often employed full time, and married. Moore also alludes to the richness of the distance education learner, describing them as students who "know a lot about life, the world, themselves, interpersonal relations...." (154, 1992) Thus they bring to the process of learning at a distance a wealth of personal and professional experiences that stem from the many life roles they play in addition to the student role.

Let me share some examples of the kinds of information I encourage faculty to explore, in an effort to know learners in a broader manner. While they may sound trite in nature, the very fact they are so can introduce lightness and informality, thus creating a more relaxed atmosphere, thus more conducive to participation. Find lighthearted characteristics about your learners, and announce a new detail weekly. And keep in mind that learners can initiate this also. You may wish to require two remote sites to communicate with each other and discover interesting details about one another.

Find out such tidbits as:

• Ice cream flavor preferred most by learners
• Children: Did anyone's son or daughter soccer team just win the local championship? Win the spelling Bee? Again a courtesy to acknowledge this.
• Children again - how do they feel about their parent taking classes?
• Any new grandchildren?
• Participant pets: Most unusual pet? Does someone have six cats?
• Where were learners born? Anyone born in the same city?
• How many people drive Ford automobiles? How about GM cars?
• Relate content to personal experience. What was the most challenging nursing position a learner held?
• What made the learner decide to participate in a distance education class?

All of these informal details can be used to demonstrate what learners have in common with one another, as well as highlight learner uniqueness. In getting to know one another in a broader sense, fellow learners become real people dealing with similar student and life issues; no longer just faceless or voiceless participants from the electronic distance.

And there are often serious issues that learners must deal with in the course of everyday life. For example:

• Life roles and work issues. Suggest that learners share via email their response to the following: "This week I am concerned about (fill in the blank), and this may affect my ability participate effectively this week." Review these concerns with sensitivity, and where appropriate and with permission, share concerns with class as a whole.

Learners should share concerns about sick children, parents, work issues, ill pets, or cars that break down. These issues can not always be pushed aside until course readings or papers are complete. Acknowledgment and encouragement from teacher and fellow learners alike demonstrates concern.

I suggest that the greater understanding between teacher and learner alike can contribute to the effectiveness of the distance learning experience in several ways:

• Through enhanced personal knowledge of one another, increase the sense of comfort a distance learner feels not only with the instructor but also with fellow students. What is really being developed is a 'social presence' for learners and teacher alike; something Short, Williams, and Christie (1976) describe as the degree to which an individual is seen as a real person in a distance education class.
• Increase participation as a result of being comfortable with and knowledgeable about one's fellow class participants.
• Strengthen a sense of community and cohesion between learners and teacher alike. Brookfield (p.55, 1990) points out that when you ask students to name the most critical factor in surviving an education experience, they will point to the sense of community that existed within the class.

Let me share an example of this approach. In a recent videoconferencing-training workshop conducted by our unit (Instructional Communications Systems, University of Wisconsin-Extension) we showed several postcards from the Madison area with the document camera. Not to be outdone, one of the remote sites spontaneously began maneuvering the document camera to show the New York City skyline from a window. We were excited with this response; they effectively used equipment features such as creating and focusing new camera shots with no prompting from us as workshop facilitators.

It must be acknowledged that learners will have different abilities and desires to relate to one another on a more personal nature. This preference needs to be respected, of course. Obviously learners will vary in the degree to which their learning is enhanced by a social dimension. But for those learning at a distance who miss the sense of 'community' that may come with a face to face classroom, perhaps my suggestions will enhance their learning experience.

References

Brookfield, Stephen (1990). The Skillful Teacher. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Dillon, C.L. and S.M. Walsh (1992). Faculty: The neglected resource in distance education. The American Journal of Distance Education 6(3):5-21.

Moore, M., & Kearsley, G. (1996). Distance Education: A Systems View. New York: Wadsworth Publishing Company.

Short,J., E. Williams, and B. Christie (1976). The Social Psychology of Telecommunications. London: John Wiley & Sons.

Thompson, M. (1998). Distance Learners in Higher Education. In C. Gibson (Ed.), Distance Learners in Higher Education, (pp.9-24), Atwood Publishing,Madison, Wisconsin

TECH LINES

Net searchers claim they are in the process of indexing all 800 million pages on the Internet. They were recently criticized for covering a miniscule 16% of all pages. (Los Angeles Times 08/03/99)

The E-rate program, funded by a long distance phone tax, is one of the largest educational programs run by the federal government and has already provided 80,000 schools and libraries with new/upgraded Internet access. It is in no danger of being discontinued, $2.25 billion will be allocated this year. (New York Times 08/15/99)

Portals are Popping - Portals, efforts to build public or internal single points of access sites for learning from multiple sources are popping on the learning scene. Watch for at least 10 more portal sites to be launched between now and January 1st. (TechLearn Trends 17 & 26 July 99)

Y2K international concerns mounting - A list of countries that are expected to be significantly affected by Y2K will be released in the U.S. State Department's biannual consular advisory on Sept. 15. Brazil, Indonesia, Italy, Russia, Thailand and Saudi Arabia are likely to appear on the list, analysts say. (InfoWorld 08/23/99)

In the next several years, collaboration will move forward dramatically with groups of colleagues in communities of learning, of practice, of collaboration and of production. The field will evolve with new standards, new business models and new tools for shaping the levels of access that we allow people into our moment to moment lives. (TechLearn Trends Aug 99)

TECH ED

NATIONAL GOVERNORS' ASSOCIATION TO STRESS POST- SECONDARY EDUCATION IN YEAR 2000 AGENDA - Last week, the new Chairman of the National Governors' Association (NGA), Utah Governor Michael Leavitt, announced a landmark state-of-the states conference to be held next February in Washington, DC. The meeting, which will convene US senators, state governors and, in a follow-up event, their respective House delegations, is expected to kick off an ambitious Year 2000 bipartisan legislative agenda with strong emphasis on post-secondary education. According to NGA, agenda items will include "increasing the velocity of learning in post-secondary education," "reinventing with technology," and "creating public-private partnerships." NGA intends to carry the agenda to the states in a series of meetings across the nation. Read more on the NGA Website at: http://www.nga.org/Releases/PR-10August1999Leavitt.asp (E-News from UCEA 18 Aug 99)

DON'T BLAME TEACHERS FOR LOW COMPUTER USE IN CLASSROOMS - Larry Cuban, a professor of education at Stanford University, asserts that teachers today are unwilling to learn new computer technology. The author believes this unwillingness is due to several factors, including ever-changing technology, lack of new and upgraded software and no technical support. The same technology wave that transformed the corporate world has done little for the world of teachers. Some of the problems Cuban notes are that experts offer contradictory advice to teachers, technology is unreliable, policy makers tend to ignore teachers' views, outside groups make unreal demands of teachers, and schools have ill-managed working environments. All of these factors lead teachers to ultimately ignore expert advice on use of new technology in the classroom. Cuban contends that teachers are given unreal expectations and will not succeed in implementing technology in the classroom without the help of policy makers, vendors, and corporations. (Los Angeles Times 08/22/99 Edupage 25 Aug 99)

JOIN A CONSORTIUM OF COLLEGE TESTING CENTERS: SUPPORTING DISTANCE LEARNING - recently formed by MPACT and CETA. The purpose of the consortium is to provide test administration services to students nationwide. Two and a half days after it was announced, 32 institutions from 24 states had joined the consortium. Guidelines have been established, criteria determined for membership in the consortium and membership is free. Test administration centers, however, are permitted to charge for their administrative services Participating institutions simply fill out an enrollment form, providing requested information and indicating their willingness to administer examinations to students who need them. Information about the consortium, including the guidelines, enrollment form, and list of participating institutions is available from either the MPACT home page or the SETA home page. From both sites, click on "Consortium of College Testing Centers" link to get to the CCTC home page. MPACT - http://www.uni.edu/mpact; SETA - http://www.uncfsu.edu/o_seta (Bud Wood Brigham Young University)

BIZ/ED

PARTNERS IN EDUCATION - A recent Commerce Department report recommends that businesses, governments, and educational institutions band together to train more IT professionals. Taking this advice, the University of Nebraska recently opened its Peter Kiewit Institute, a new computer science center that combines offerings from its College of Information Science and Technology and the Lincoln College of Engineering and Technology. The center is funded by local businesses and the state governments. Further, local businesses are funding scholarships and internships for students of the institute. The institute's curriculum will focus on practical classes that teach students how to fulfill business requirements. To accomplish this, the institute will offer an "experts-in-residence" program, which will invite IT executives from leading companies to teach and/or mentor students for a year or longer. (InformationWeek 08/23/99 Edupage 23 Aug 99)

WELCOME TO COLLEGE. NOW MEET OUR SPONSOR - University of Memphis, University of Idaho, Villanova University and more than 500 other institutions of higher learning will soon be receiving free intranet-service in return for allowing their campus Web pages to be used for advertising purposes. Allowing commercial control of the Web pages and e-mail services of what was once considered a sacred domain - academia - is resulting in contentious debate. However, many universities, particularly public ones that have seen their budgets shrink rapidly but that still must keep up with technological trends to attract students, say the concept is too attractive to resist. The cost for a medium-sized public university to create an internal Web service could be more than $2 million. This is where Campus Pipeline comes in. The startup, which is heavily invested in by Dell Computer, Sun Microsystems, and McKinney & company, among other firms, began offering to set up campus Web sites for colleges late last year. The cost has been free so far to the few campuses that already have had the systems installed, but Campus Pipeline may charge colleges installation costs of as much as $32,000 in the future. (New York Times 08/17/99 Edupage 18 Aug 99)

DIGITAL COLLABORATION FACTORS - Factors driving the corporate demand for Digital Collaboration appear to be:

• Cycle Time: The desire to reduce the cycle time for the distribution of knowledge throughout the enterprise.
• Globalization: The need to hit every corner of the enterprise at the same time (from the Mailroom to Remote Offices)
• Live to Stored: The requirement of taking live events and using elements as the core of stored, asynchronous knowledge offerings.
• Granularization: The reality that many folks only want to participate in a small chunk of a meeting or event.
• Engagement: The need to get immediate feedback and data from the organization on proposed actions.
• Knowledge Management: The capacity to capture, treat and deploy knowledge for strategic objectives. (TechLearn Trends #140 27 Aug 99)

DID YOU KNOW?

ABOUT VACATION AND WORK - In a recent Vacation and Technology Survey: 1,493 respondents reported on their use of technology during vacations. The complete results are at: http://www.masie.com/survey/ Here are a few tidbits: 32% of the respondents brought a laptop along; 49% of the folks checked email during their vacation; 696 people checked their work voice mail while on vacation; and 293 people read a business book on a recent vacation. (TechLearn Trends #139 17 Aug 99)

THOMAS EDISON STATE COLLEGE, RANKED ONE OF "TOP 20" - Forbes Magazine rated Thomas Edison among the top 20 Cyber-Universities. The university has been serving adults wherever they live and work since 1972. Adults earn credit for knowledge they already have and take high-quality, distance learning courses. The College offers 13 undergraduate degrees and the on-line Master of Science in Management with no residency for most programs. For more information on Thomas Edison see: http://www.tesc.edu (July-August 1999 issue of On the Horizon: http://horizon.unc.edu/horizon/online/html/7/4/)

THE MIND IS IMMORTAL - Business Week magazine in a recent issue discusses 21 ideas that may be key to understanding the next century. One idea is the simulation of an individual's brain activity, making it possible for future generations to converse with a virtual equivalent of the person years after his or her death. By the 2030s, technology may be developed to simulate a nervous system's electrical activity, allowing thoughts and feelings to be preserved. Initial versions of the hardware for this "Soul Catcher" have already been developed. A person's life could be recorded using tiny video cameras housed in eyeglass frames. These cameras could be linked to IBM's newest hard disk, which is the size of a quarter and stores 300 MB, or one month worth of data. IBM is also developing software to index video content automatically, allowing users to easily access a specific moment in their lives. By 2099, a "Soul Emancipator" will be able to access the hard data and reconstruct a person's thoughts and feelings, allowing future generations to receive realistic answers to questions posed to a person that has been dead for years. (Business Week 08/30/99)

TECH FUNDS

$135 MILLION TO SUPPORT TECHNOLOGY IN THE CLASSROOM - The Clinton administration on Tuesday announced that it would provide $135 million in three types of grants to promote teacher technology training. The grants will be distributed to consortia composed of colleges, non-profit groups, school districts and state agencies. The three types of grants - capacity building, implementation, and catalyst - will be provided to consortia to develop and carry out teacher-training programs, and to consortia set up to develop larger programs designed to promote the development and certification of technology-savvy teachers. (Chronicle of Higher Education Online 08/26/99)

$70,000 TO BE DISTRIBUTED - The Community Technology Centers' Network and the Civil Rights Forum on Communications Policy will distribute $70,000 over the remainder of 1999 as part of a grant from the Kellogg Foundation's Managing Information with Rural America (MIRA) program. These Third Round Applications are due October 8, 1999. This grant program seeks to support low-income and other disenfranchised people in rural communities who have had some experience with computers and the Internet to educate their communities and advocate telecommunications policies that support technology equity and universal service. Projects may range from public policy advocacy and grassroots organizing, to research and analysis, to efforts that build the capacity of those who are not ordinarily involved in public policy. For further information see: http://www.ctcnet.org/mira (Edupage 27 Aug 99)

GORE ANNOUNCES $10 MILLION IN FEDERAL EDUCATION FUNDS - The new funds will expand access to education for adults and will be provided by the U.S. Department of Education's "Learning Anytime Anywhere Partnerships," (LAAP). Under LAAP, colleges, universities, companies and non-profit organizations join together to expand access to high-quality learning opportunities students can access "anytime, anywhere" for example through the Internet. LAAP is especially designed to help students in underserved geographic areas, who have limited access to the traditional college campus setting and who need more flexible education and training opportunities to keep pace with changes in the job market. Simultaneously, the program helps meet the current critical needs of business and industry. For more information see: www.ed.gov/PressReleases/08-1999/wh-0826.html

TECH READS

EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY & SOCIETY, a peer-reviewed online journal, is now available in HTML and PDF format. Articles in the July issue include: Practical Experiences of and Lessons Learned from, Internet Technologies in Higher Education-Stephen Shaw and Simon Polovina; The Impact of Technology and Distance Education: A classical Learning Theory Viewpoint-Herb Thompson; Distance Learning as "Learning by Doing"-Mary E. Lee (Guest Editor); Support Services for Distance Education-Sandra Frieden; Combining Technologies to Deliver Distance Education-Cynthia Martine and Vicki Freeman and...more. Case studies, invited articles, software reviews, Web site reviews and book reviews round out the issue. For free access to the journal see: http://ifets.gmd.de/periodical/

VIDEO AND PRESENTATION TECHNOLOGIES - is the theme of the latest issue of SYLLABUS (vol. 13, no. 1, August 1999). In the July issue, articles include "Video Literacy Series: What Video Does Well in Education-and What It Doesn't," by writer-director Barry Hampe; "Immersive Imaging Technology: VR for the Web in Academia," by Stephen D. Comer, professor in the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science at the Citadel; and "The Case for Visual Media in Learning," by Sarah McCormick, chair of the General Studies Program at the University of Advancing Computer Technology in Tempe, AZ. The issue also includes a buyer's guide to video and presentation hardware and software. Syllabus [ISSN 1089-5914] is published ten times a year by Syllabus Press, Inc. For more information see: http://www.syllabus.com/syllsub.html

THE PEW PROGRAM IN LEARNING AND TECHNOLOGY - is publishing a free, quarterly electronic newsletter that highlights ongoing examples of redesigned academic learning environments using technology, and examines issues related to academic course redesign and implementation. The Pew Program in Learning and Technology has committed over $6 million in a 3-year grant program to assist universities in the redesign of large, introductory classes using technology. Course redesigns are being undertaken to lower the cost of course delivery while enhancing the educational effectiveness of the curriculum. The free newsletter is published on a quarterly basis: March 15, June 1, September 15 and December 1. For more information see: http://www.center.rpi.edu/PewNews1.html

TECH TRENDS

WIRED ON CAMPUS E-LIFE - Many students are beginning to pick universities based on how "wired" they are, according to a recent article in USA Today. This is because students are performing more functions online, from registering for classes and communicating with professors to ordering take-out, than ever before. Of the 15 million students currently attending a college, 60 percent say they go online daily, and 85 percent of students own their own computers, according to research firm Student Monitor. The company predicts that university students will spend $700 million online during the next school year, and over $4 billion online annually by 2002. (USA Today 08/19/99)

CITY KIDS MORE LIKELY TO BE WIRED - AOL has released a study of the top 10 U.S. cities in which children between the ages of two and 17 spend the most time on the Internet. New York topped the list, followed by Philadelphia, Tampa/St. Petersburg, Los Angeles, Cleveland, Boston, Detroit, Washington, D.C., Chicago, and Seattle. The study finds that children in the two-to-five age bracket average three hours a week on the Internet, the six-to-11 bracket averages four hours online a week, the 12-to-14 bracket averages six hours online a week and the 15-to-17 bracket averages seven hours online a week. More than 5 million kids below the age of 12 are Internet users, according to Jupiter Communications; Jupiter expects that number to reach 20 million by 2002. Almost 80 percent of AOL-member parents with children aged six to 17 control what their kids view online, according to the study from AOL. (Newsbytes 08/17/99 Edupage 18 Aug 99)

TECH POSITIONS

FRANKLIN ID SPECIALIST FOR DISTANCE LEARNING - Franklin University has positions available for Instructional Design Specialists. These creative individuals will lead course development projects for the University's Distance Education initiative. Successful candidates will apply an experience-based working knowledge of best practices in distance education and will lead and train staff and faculty consultants in the construction of courses for baccalaureate and master's-degree-level educational opportunities. Successful candidates will also be proficient with a variety of types of software, including multimedia authorware, to produce or oversee the production of courses and course materials. For more see: www.franklin.edu

LIBRARY MEDIA SERVICES DEPARTMENT HEAD at BALTIMORE U - Responsible for library and university instructional technology. Oversees and manages staff in working with university automated information resources, the campus Interactive Video Network and university-wide instructional media equipment delivery, setup, training and use. Works with faculty and administrators in planning for 'smart classroom' equipment. Assists faculty in identifying appropriate uses of technology in their instruction. Manages limited staff and equipment to meet growing technology needs. Reports to library director. Review of Applications begins Sept. 20. For more information see: www.ubalt.edu/www/langlib

NEW ON THE LIST

Al White, David Somerville, Janet Atkinson, Joe Bullard, Carrie-Ann Tkaczyk, Paola Parmendola, Jordan Glover, Joe Creager, Tirivanhu Pesanai, Dirk Herr-Hoyman, Marc Muchnick, Dianne Jordan, Joy Kimbrell, I Murphy, Antonio Hernandez, Bob Crook, John Schinnerer, Judith Meschel, Mark Bower, Barbara Jay, Heidi Miller, Steve Rish, Helen Mennitz, Jordan Glover, Marjorie Powell, Marianne Tremp, Manuel Duran, Tammy Bauck, George Borg, John Hollenbeck, Glenda Morgan, Christopher Anzalone, Karen Melvin, and Thom Doonan.

• Sunday, October 10, participate in the Third Global Learn Day, a 24 hour nonstop webcast that begins in the South Pacific and ends in Hawaii, after stops in 40 countries where about one hundred speakers will participate. GLD organizers would like to compile 3-5 minute stories to "spice" each hour. Stories can be telephone recorded with their 24/7/365 voice-alert system, or you can be telephoned in real time on the day of the event. Simultaneously, they will "push" web pages appropriate to the geography and the topic. For more information see the event map at: http://www.bfranklin.edu/gld3/eventmap.html

• Register now for GWETC '99 - The 1999 Governor's Wisconsin Educational Technology Conference - 1999, scheduled for October 12-14, at the Midwest Express Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Over 230 presentations, 23 workshops and labs, poster sessions, more than 200 exhibit booths, electronic classrooms, Internet cafes, six technology tours and more - plus - three national Keynote Speakers: Alan Chute, Director of the Center for Excellence in Distance Learning, Lucent Technologies; Rick Inatome, Chairman of Inacom Corporation and Janice Gordon, Team Leader of the Laptop Programme. For complete information on the conference visit the Web site at: http://www.gwetc.org. To receive a printed brochure call: 608-264-9689. Include your postal address.

• The Euro-Med Conference on Technology in Learning Environments: The Learning Citizen, a Conference of The Open University of Israel, in cooperation with the European Commission is scheduled for October 25-27, 1999 in Israel. Euro-Med will focus on dialogue and interaction on active projects in the field of integrating technology in learning and will promote collaboration between countries towards advancing this important area in the 21st millennium. Take part in this enlightening event and enjoy a taste of the historic Holy Land towards the year 2000. Visit the website and continue to follow updates: http://www.openu.ac.il/Tele99.

• The Western Cooperative for Educational Telecommunications will hold its 11th annual meeting in Portland, OR, November 3-6. Organized around the theme "Distance Learning in Higher Education: New Policies, Partnerships and Practices", the meeting will feature more than 100 speakers representing the best practitioners and thinkers in the field. In addition, there will be twenty-eight panel discussions, 4 workshops and approximately 30 showcase sessions-focusing on the three tracks in the theme. For more information and to register see: http://www.wiche.edu/telecom/events/annualmeeting.

• TELELEARNING '99 Wizardry and Wisdom: Connecting the History and the Future of Online Education will be held November 6th to 9th at the Hotel Bonaventure, Montreal. Online registration for TeleLearning '99 is now available at: http://www.telelearn.ca/conference. Register before October 4th to qualify for the early bird draw for $200 gift certificate for the Restaurant Bonaparte.

• The Seventh Annual Distance Education Conference DEC2000 will be held in Austin, Texas January 25-28, 2000. DEC2000 emphasizes the importance of virtual communication for exchanging ideas, experiences and strategies in the field of distance education. For more information see: www.cdlr.tamu.edu

• The Society for Information Technology and Teacher Education (SITE) an International Conference is scheduled for Feb. 8-12, 2000 in San Diego, California at the San Diego Marriott-Mission Valley. The conference is hosted by San Diego State University and sponsored by Sponsored by SITE and the Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE). For more information see: http://www.aace.org.

• Call for Proposals for Computers and Writing 2K "Evolution, Revolution and Implementation: Computers and Writing for Global Change" May 25-28, 2000 Fort Worth, TX Proposals are due: October 15, 1999. The conference is hosted by Texas Woman's University. For more information, visit the website at http://www.eaze.net/~jfbarber/cw2K/bridge.html

SEPTEMBER DESIEN ISSUE - FOCUS - NEW LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS

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

DESIEN was created following the 1994 UW/UWEX Distance Education Faculty/Team Symposium. It now includes subscribers from institutions and organizations around the globe. DESIEN encourages information exchange and discussion of distance education issues concerned with: 1) distance education progress and institution course/program development, 2) faculty/team development, 3) technology, 4) policy, 5) funding and 6) research. Subscribers outside of the UW System are encouraged to submit information contributions and participate in discussion.