THEME - The Digital Divide and Distance Learning Futures

UPFRONT - The Digital Divide and Plugging In
FOCUS - Distance Learning Futures by Alan Chute
LINES - Compiled from News Releases
UW NEWS - Some GWETC '99 stats; new TTT issue
ED - A Virtual Tour of ERIC; The Race Heats Up for Continuing Education Portal Space; Universities Lean on Each Other to Solve Peoplesoft Glitches; Internet2 Gets Ready to Operate
BIZ/ED - Better, Faster, Prettier; CISCO CEO Sees eLearning Next Wave; A Top-drawer Education Online
TOOLS - Olympus, IBM Have Eyes on Wearable Computer; Micro-machines offer Technological Promise of Tomorrow
READS - Interactive Distance Learning Exercises that Really Work; Teaching at a Distance, a Handbook for Instructors; Two Recently Published Articles for Moving Courses Online
RESOURCES - Internet Scout Searches the Worldwide Web for Education Research; Math Goodies
NEW - Welcome to New Subscribers
FYI - News, Conferences, Institutes, Events

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UPFRONT - Rosemary Lehman

THE DIGITAL DIVIDE AND PLUGGING IN - In a recently published article in Business Week, Marcia Stepanek looks at the Blacksburg Electronic Village (BEV) and the communities that surround it. While Blacksburg is the most wired town in the nation, with more than 85% of its residents online (32.7% is the national average), only 14% of those living in the area that surrounds Blacksburg are connected to the Internet and only 20% have computer access.

According to the article, 1993 efforts to spread the word about BEV to outlying communities were unsuccessful and little has been done since to help motivate outsiders to become involved. High connection costs for non-university residents, high hardware costs, lack of personnel and dollars for training and lack of interest on the part of those who don't understand the Internet potential have also figured into the picture. The article emphasizes the critical need for motivation, training, computer literacy, technology support and technology relevance to needs, if everyone is to brought into the Age of the Technology and the widening gap between those who have and those who don't is to be bridged.

In a related article, enterprises like Plugged In and The Area Learning Center in California are working to bridge the widening technological gap between the haves and have nots At the Area Learning Center, Plugged In students, in danger of dropping out of school, are put to work on relevant projects using multimedia technologies. Through a collaborative learning process, students gain marketable skills that they can put to use as they enter the world of work. Using this process, the widening technology gap begins to close...if just a bit. (SOURCES: Nov Business Week (p. 188), AUTHOR: Marcia Stepanek] (http://www.businessweek.com/; Wired News 4 Nov 99 EduPage 8 Nov 99)

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FOCUS- Distance Learning Futures by Alan Chute

Alan Chute
Director of The Call Center Institute
Lucent Technologies

A Vision - My vision for distance learning is a seamless networked learning environment that integrates voice, video, and data connections among learners, instructors, experts, virtual libraries, the Internet and support services. At the center is the *distance learner,* connected with both real-time and non-real-time links to these resources. To make distance learning networks a reality instructors and providers must harness the potential of synchronous and asynchronous communication technologies to create powerful, learner-centered networks.

Synchronous communication technologies - desktop and group video teleconferencing - enable live, real-time interaction between instructors and learners. Asynchronous communication technologies, - e-mail, multimedia databases, virtual libraries and the Internet - support non-real-time interactions and access to vast information resources at a time and place convenient to the learners. The challenge is to implement the right combination of synchronous and asynchronous technologies to create a rich mosaic of networked learning environments consistent with the mission of the educational provider, learner expectations and the delivery style of the instructor. Additional multimedia resources can be assessed from a virtual library or the Internet to supplement and enrich the course content.

The Need for Continuous Learning - The need for continuous learning has changed and continues to change dramatically. The changing nature of work, from manufacturing to service, from pencil and paper to computer, points to the intense need for ongoing training and education. The shape of the workforce is changing as well. As we approach the twenty-first century there is, in addition, the need to train more effectively and more efficiently. A key to success is the application of cost-effective technologies that distribute education and training electronically. America's colleges and universities are also facing many challenges today. They need to prepare their learners for the emerging jobs in the information society. Networked learning environments make this possible.

Distance Learning Networks - Synchronous telecommunications networks for distance learning are generally divided into audio, audiographic and video networks. The networks can be designed to accommodate large and small groups of learners, as well as individuals working on PCs.

Audio networks function like a conference call, with the instructor directing the presentation of content and question-and-answer sessions. Each site is generally equipped with speakerphones or telephone headsets. The audiographic network combines the audio network with a shared graphic component. Audio and audiographic networks operate on a plain old telephone service (POTS) analog line with a bridge to connect multiple sites.

Video networks generally employ digital telecommunication circuits and are divided into narrowband and broadband systems. Narrowband group video distance learning networks have an instructor site and three or more remote sites connected via Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) circuits through a narrowband multipoint control unit (MCU). Located at the instructor site and remote sites are group video systems that transmit video and audio between sites. The instructor can supplement lessons with graphics, slides, video tapes and computer data through available peripheral devices. All remote sites receive video and audio from the instructor site and the remote systems transmit video and audio from the learners to the instructor. The instructor can automatically or manually select, through the MCS, which sites are seen, or can create "continuous presence" for simultaneous viewing of up to four remote sites at one time.

Teaching and Learning on a Network - The instructor in this environment becomes an orchestrator of multimedia technologies. Much like a conductor of a symphony orchestra, the instructor calls up inputs from various media source to enhance the presentation. To be effective, the instructor needs to think of multiple ways to engage the learners in the class. Two key dimensions of effective programs are interaction and visual design: 1) Interaction is the most powerful way to engage learners. The instructor needs to design opportunities for inter-site and intra-site interactions among learners about every fifteen to twenty minutes. Question- and-answer periods, brainstorming sessions, case discussions, and role-playing exercise are examples of strategies the instructor can use to stimulate interaction. 2) Learners at remote sites often express the need to visually focus on something in their environment. Learners in audio programs feel uncomfortable staring at a speakerphone, and often request handouts that support the instructor's key points. In a video teleconference, the instructor should frequently switch between live video of the instructor and visual support material, as well as plan visual annotation of graphics.

The Role of Support Services - The technology infrastructure represents only one dimension of networked learning environments. Equally important, if not more so, is the human infrastructure that provides support services to the learners. The support services organization has a role like the customer services operation in a business enterprise. It provides administrative directions, emphatic listening, moral support, and conflict resolution services. For example, many learners today are still not comfortable with computer technology and will require some type of coaching to build up their confidence and increase their personal comfort zone. Learners expect the instructions they receive for course registration, course access and evaluation to be accurate, efficient and trouble free. The course of study itself must be well designed and supported by an instructional and support staff available to counsel and address learners' concerns.

The course evaluation system should be designed to provide testing results quickly. One of the greatest concerns the learner may have is how to deal with a failure. Learners must be reassured regarding the evaluation process.

Using the Internet - The Internet is becoming the vehicle for providing reference materials and up-to-date information and is now the preferred method for communication between learners and instructors. Students often find that with the Internet they have more access to their instructors and other learners than in their face-to-face courses. There are, however, a variety of issues that instructors and educational providers need to consider when using the Internet: 1) Internet access - will learners have access? If not, who will provide it? When they have it, do they have the skills to use it? 2) Content hosting - the type of content placed on the Web should be interactive and relevant to learners. It is important to incorporate some multimedia into the learning experience to provide the learner with a variety of methods to learn information.; 3) Testing - testing on the Internet is becoming a reality and can be accomplished using true-false, multiple-choice and essay questions. Because learners have the ability to collaborate with others, some instructors use on-line testing only for quizzes and not for exams. But collaboration can be positive, with learners gaining a variety of viewpoints and enhancing the group's learning; 4) Virtual Library Resources - the virtual library will provide seamlessly integrated resources for the distance learner, allowing instructors to incorporate multimedia artifacts into teaching and learning environments and allowing learners to create their own custom virtual libraries. Instructors and educational providers need to begin planning for and creating the tools that will maintain and use these virtual libraries as powerful agents for creating virtual learning environments.

Virtual Learning Environments - Learning environments can be characterized in four ways:

1 - Same time/Same place
2 - Same time/Different place
3 - Different time/Same place
4 - Different time/Different place

Each of these environments creates issues for preserving the session so that it can be delivered to others later or used as a reference. Recording sessions or parts of sessions and storing and indexing them for later retrieval are all aspects of creating and maintaining virtual learning environments.

Scenario One depicts what can be seen as a typical face-to-face learning environment. However, even in a face-to-face scenario, the instructor may want to use information that was recorded at an earlier time, demonstrate features of a software package, or include a real-time visit by a subject matter expert at another location. It is currently a challenge to capture such sessions or portions of them for use as a reference or by those not able to attend at the scheduled time.

Scenario Two (same time, different place) describes what is typically called a teletraining or teleconferencing program. This scenario has grown from basic audio teleconferencing/teletraining to include video and data conferencing. The signals carried over the telecommunications circuits can be captured and then replayed on similar equipment at a later time and different place by the learner.

Scenario Three (different time, same place) is similar to Scenario Two, except that one or more learners at the same place join the session after it has ended. They still "attend" the session and need to interact with the content of the session and with the learners. They may even want to send their session notes to the other learners or may be in a study group and need to share session resources.

Scenario Four suggests that the learner is going to access the information not only at a later time but also from another location. This scenario includes a variant on Scenario Three as well as other forms of training, such as computer-based training (CBT) and electronic performance support systems (EPSS). The virtual library must take all of these necessities into account and give the learner access to the add-ins that may be required to access the information in the library. A Scenario Four user may have a variety of devices to access the information and may not know the format in which the information is coded or may want to use only a portion of the information - perhaps the audio component only. The learner may choose to listen to, instead of reading or viewing, an abstract. Learners should be able to direct libraries to download a copy to their e-mail address or to an FTP site.

In an EPSS, the learner interacts with an electronic mentor in real time. Typically, the learner engages the mentor to obtain advice on the performance of a task. The learner can provide the information to an expert system, get advice, see examples and create a presentation to help the customer understand the recommendations.

The Future of Networked Learning Environments - The challenge of creating networked learning environments is to determine what learners truly need and how to reasonably accommodate their needs; to provide learners, instructors and educational providers with rich options in determining how to create, navigate and experience learning. Simple functions such as the "bookmark" feature of the Internet browsers of today will be aggressively expanded to enable us to bookmark our journeys in an electronic world. Intelligent electronic agents that understand learner interest and requirements will assist learners in locating and navigating virtual libraries. Portals will be uniquely designed for very specific needs. The environments will run the gamut from single educational provider networks to large commercial systems built on years of collaboration and partnering. Many challenges lie ahead: tools for storing information, facilitating finding them and presenting them in forms usable with multiple systems; the flexibility to accommodate rapid change and the vision to continue the journey on this revolutionary and evolutionary path toward future learning environments.

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LINES-Compiled from News Releases

* Need for computer experts - 350,000 programming, systems analyst, computer scientist and engineering jobs are unfilled across the nation, according to Virginia Tech and the Information Technology Association of America. (New York Times 18 Nov 99)

* Over 100 million adults in the US population now use the Internet, according to a recently released Strategies Group report. This is up from 65 million in 98. The number of US Internet users is projected to reach 177 million by the end of 2003, according to International Data. Globally, the number of Internet users will reach 502 million by 2003, compared with 142 million in 1998, IDC says. (New York Times 12 Nov 99)

* A joint AOL and Roper Starch study of 500 children between the ages of 9 and 17 found that 63 percent of the youth surveyed would rather surf the Web than watch television, while 55 percent prefer being on the Web to being on the phone. (C|Net 11 Nov 99)

* Exposure to computers and other forms of entertainment media at an early age may provide young people with the ability to adapt to technology better than adults, suggests author James Gleick. By 2002, some 20 million children under the age of 12 will be online. (Toronto Sun Online 12 Nov 99)

* The Commerce Department recently estimated the cost of Y2K repairs to U.S. businesses and government agencies at $100 billion, significantly lower than previous estimates. Other experts estimate it to be closer to $150 billion. Two years ago, Gartner Group predicted that Y2K would cost the U.S. up to $300 billion. (Washington Post 18 Nov 99)

* About 24 million computers will be thrown out this year, and only 14 percent will be recycled or properly discarded. In addition, the average lifespan of a computer is expected to decrease to only two years by 2005. There is concern that dangerous materials could leak into the soil and water. Total expense of computer disposal could be as much as hundreds of millions of dollars by 2010. (Christian Science Monitor 16 Nov 99)

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UW NEWS - Some GWETC '99 stats; new TTT issue

SOME GWETC '99 STATS - 1) 92 % of evaluation respondents rated the Overall 1999 Governor's Wisconsin Education Technology Conference Good to Excellent; 2) attendance increased 42% over last year from 1,843 to 2,602; 2) attendance on Higher Education Day increased 50% from 500 to 1,000; 3) the number of Sessions held showed a 63% increase from 165 to 269 and 4) Vendor Booths a 171% increase from 69 to 187. The conference was held at the Midwest Express Center in Milwaukee October 12-14, 1999. Plans have already begun for GWETC 2000, which will be held at the Dane County Expo Center in Madison, October 10-12.

NEW TTT ISSUE (Teaching with Technology Today) - includes:

* Green Bay's Extended Degree Program broadened Online Course Offerings - "Exploring an Effective and Efficient Online Course Management Model," this month's installment of the Teaching Scholars Forum section. Xiaoxing Han of UW-Green Bay's Extended Degree Program offers instructors useful advice on managing their online courses.

* "The TLT Flashlight Focus Workshop on Making Better Use of Money and Time." Glenda Morgan reports on a September 1999 conference offering practical advice on assessing the costs of technology-enhanced learning.

* "Staying Afloat in the Insurance Game: UW-Whitewater Professor's Simulation Gives Student Taste of a Competitive Market," describing Ronald Crabb's computer game that models insurance industry conditions. (TTT Web site: www.uwsa.edu/olit/ttt/ (Jennifer Smith, 22 Nov 99)

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ED - A Virtual Tour of ERIC; The Race Heats Up for Continuing Education Portal Space; Universities Lean on Each Other to Solve Peoplesoft Glitches; Internet2 Gets Ready to Operate

ERIC (Educational Resources Information Center) provides users with ready access to education literature. ACCESS ERIC has created a slide show, "A Virtual Tour of ERIC," as an introduction to the ERIC database and ERIC's other extensive publications, products and services. The Tour can be viewed online in HTML or plain text formats. A PowerPoint version can be downloaded for use in presentations and workshops. Handouts to accompany the slide show can be ordered by calling ACCESS ERIC at: 1-800-538-3742 or by sending an e-mail to: accesseric@accesseric.org The Virtual Tour is available at: www.accesseric.org/resources/eric_train.html (CIT INFOBITS Nov 99)

THE RACE HEATS UP FOR CONTINUING EDUCATION PORTAL SPACE - With portal glut limiting the profitability of traditional Internet investments, venture capitalists have begun to look for new opportunities. Now they are converging on the "ultimate killer app:" education. This Spring saw the launch of the first continuing higher education portal site, Ed-X's Distance Learning Channel: www.ed-x.com. In the past few months, three additional portals have joined the fray. Edupoint: www.edupoint.com is a portal site for part-time adult learners, complete with a course and program locator that enables prospective students to find the nearest source of the education they seek. HungryMinds: www.hungryminds.com, founded by the CEO of movie giant Reel.com, guarantees every course on its site and partners both with traditional universities and the new for-profits. Eduport: www.eduport.com is a generalist professional development, CHE and distance learning portal site that features lesser known colleges and professional schools. (E-News From UCEA 22 Nov 99)

UNIVERSITIES LEAN ON EACH OTHER TO SOLVE PEOPLESOFT GLITCHES - After James Madison University had problems with PeopleSoft's Campus Connection software that was supposed to allow students to register online, other schools planning to adopt the application postponed implementation while meeting with each other and with PeopleSoft. The software assigns each student an individual transaction number, but some of these numbers were read incorrectly when JMU went live with the system on Nov. 1. As a result, some students were unable to register and the university removed the registration system from the Web within hours of putting it up. The next day, JMU returned to using the Windows version of the software, allowing students to register by phone or in person. JMU contacted other universities in PeopleSoft's "early adopters" program. While other early adopters, including Gallaudet, Northwestern and the University of Wisconsin at Oshkosh, postponed plans to launch the registration system, the schools held daily conference calls with PeopleSoft. Northwestern had planned to implement the software mid-November, but now says it will wait at least seven days while it tests the software patches PeopleSoft provides in response to the JMU glitches. (Chronicle of Higher Education Online 12 Nov /99 - Edupage 15 Nov 99)

INTERNET2 GETS READY TO OPERATE - Internet2 developers conducted their first demonstration of the new high-speed Internet, broadcasting online live audio and video of a gall bladder operation. The Internet2 project gathers academic, government and corporate partners to build a high-speed version of the Internet. The technology is designed to enable the development of a new breed of advanced educational and research-oriented applications. The demonstration of the operation was conducted by inserting light, camera lenses and surgical tools inside of the body, creating internal views of the operation. The application required a steady rate of 2 Mbps of network bandwidth. Ensuring high-speed access and quality of service is one of the top priorities of the Internet2 project, says Guy Almes, Internet2's director of engineering. The project consists of more than 120 research universities, as well as companies such as IBM and Qwest Communications. (Belfast Telegraph Online 26 Oct 99 - EduPage 1 Nov 99)

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BIZ/ED - Better, Faster, Prettier; CISCO CEO Sees eLearning Next Wave; A Top-drawer Education Online

BETTER, FASTER, PRETTIER - Many companies are discovering that a well planned and executed e-commerce presence is crucial to overall business success these days. International Data says U.S. companies will spend $7 billion this year on Internet consultants, up from $2.9 billion in 1997. Also, Zona Research says 26 percent of CEOs are acting as chief e-commerce officers as well, deciding Internet success is too important to be left to subordinates. Consultants such as Scient's Nicholas DiGiacomo say the first step to e-commerce success is honest and detailed planning. A firm needs to be clear on what it expects to gain from its e-commerce initiatives. Firms must ensure they have adequate infrastructure, appealing visuals, fast downloads, current content and a large product line. IDC says U.S. Businesses will spend $85.7 billion this year on their Internet capabilities, 39 percent more than last year and predicts that Internet spending next year will reach $120 billion. (Wall Street Journal 11/22/99 - Edupage 22 Nov 99)

CISCO CEO SEES eLearning AS NEXT WAVE - eLearning is now positioned to become the next major target of Internet applications, narrowing the digital divide between rich and poor, said Cisco Systems CEO John Chambers in his keynote at Comdex on Tuesday. "Education and the Internet must go hand in hand," Chambers said. "It will serve as one of the great equalizers." Chambers showed a video on schools such as UC Berkeley that incorporate the Internet into the learning environment, for example, by offering Web sites for each individual course. Although the technology to transform education is already available, barriers such as teacher reluctance to embrace the Internet must still be overcome, Chambers said. Over the next two years education will evolve into more of a lifelong process as companies turn to the Internet to train employees. (InfoWorld Electric 11/16/99)

A TOP-DRAWER EDUCATION ONLINE - UNext aims to offer top-shelf business courses online with content provided by the faculty of top schools such as Columbia, Stanford, Carnegie Mellon, the University of Chicago and the London School of Economics by early next year. Course content for the curriculum, which will be marketed under the name Cardean, will be controlled by the partner schools, thus ensuring the schools' respective "brands" will not be tarnished by substandard content. UNext eventually plans to offer a Cardean MBA. Donald Norman, president of Unext and professor emeritus of psychology at the University of California at San Diego, calls the Cardean teaching method a "constructivist" one that will require students who are self- motivated to learn by doing. The courses will be aimed primarily at corporate middle managers seeking more training in business topics such as corporate finance, marketing and financial accounting. (Wired News 11/12/99)

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TOOLS - Olympus, IBM Have Eyes on Wearable Computer; Micro-machines offer Technological Promise of Tomorrow

OLYMPUS, IBM HAVE EYES ON WEARABLE COMPUTER - IBM and Japanese camera manufacturer Olympus unveiled a futuristic wearable computer in Tokyo on Friday. The 13-ounce computer consists of a screen that fits over one eye and a handle with a touchpad and two buttons to make commands. Although the wearable computer lacks a keyboard, it may be added in the future, says Olympus' Shinichiro Murakami. It comes with 64 MB of RAM, uses Windows and can play audio and video. The companies will decide next year when to release the computer commercially, Murakami says. (Baltimore Sun 29 Nov 99 - Edupage 29 Nov 99)

MICROMACHINES OFFER TECHNOLOGICAL PROMISE OF TOMORROW - At Sandia National Laboratories, a gear the size of a pollen grain rotates at speeds up to 350,000 rpm in the world's smallest engine. These machines, too small to be seen by the naked eye, are projected and magnified so that scientists can plot their future. These tiny machines will radically change almost every field of human endeavor - from telecommunications systems to keeping cars from skidding and trekkers from straying from their path in the woods. The possibilities are endless. (Washington Post 13 Nov 99)

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READS - Interactive Distance Learning Exercises that Really Work; Teaching at a Distance, a Handbook for Instructors; Two Recently Published Articles for Moving Courses Online

* INTERACTIVE DISTANCE LEARNING EXERCISES THAT REALLY WORK - This recently released ASTD book is authored by Karen Mantyla, CDE, and provides the reader with a basic grounding in distance learning theory, tools and practice. Chapters focus on learner expectations, distance learning principles, differences between "on-site" and distance learning activities, trainer preparation, transitioning to various technologies and real world case studies. The order code from ASTD is KMID; ISBN is: 1-5686-128-x

* TEACHING AT A DISTANCE: A HANDBOOK FOR INSTRUCTORS - This joint publication of the League for Innovation in the Community College and Harcourt Brace offers some fundamental ideas on designing, implementing and facilitating a distance learning course. It is the result of a collaborative effort of many well-known and respected educators and offers specific strategies for tackling topics ranging from choosing delivery technologies to encouraging collaboration among scattered students, to testing and other evaluation methodologies. Chapters are written by representatives of Murray State University, Rio Salado College, Innovative Interactions, The University of Texas System, SUNY Empire State and University of Arizona. To order see: www.league.org (UCEA Newsletter Oct 99)

* TWO RECENTLY PUBLISHED ARTICLES - explore the issues and techniques of moving your course to the Web:

* In "Migrating Your Course to the Online Environment" (SYLLABUS, vol. 12, no. 12, September 1999, pp. 20, 22, 24), Rosemary Carlson, professor of finance at Morehead State University, discusses how to approach course conversion to the online environment and presents course management issues to consider. The article is available online at: www.syllabus.com/sep99_magfea2.html

* In "Translating a College Course for Delivery over the World Wide Web JOURNAL OF INSTRUCTION DELIVERY SYSTEMS, vol. 13, no. 3, Summer 1999, pp. 14-18), Timothy J. Ellis, School of Computer and Information Sciences at Nova Southeastern University, explores "how to translate the techniques for facilitating and monitoring student learning that have been developed for a classroom-based delivery into the Internet-based environment." (Not available online.) Contact Dr. Timothy J. Ellis at: ellist@scis.nova.edu (CIT INFOBITS Nov 99)

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RESOURCES - Internet Scout Searches the Worldwide Web for Education Research; Math Goodies

INTERNET SCOUT SEARCHES THE WORLDWIDE WEB FOR EDUCATION RESEARCH - Have you ever wished you had a staff of librarians capable of compiling the last 20 years of doctoral research on educational technology? No, it's not a dream, it's the Internet Scout Project, funded by the National Science Foundation and developed by the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Every week, the project's powerful search engine and team of research librarians scours the Worldwide Web for the latest publications and resources of interest to educators and compiles them in The Scout Report. If you don't see what you're looking for in the current issue, try a full-text search of 7,880 Scout Report summaries of archived issues. Still not impressed? Take out a free subscription and each week receive an e-mailed Scout Report on your choice of subject area. To learn more about the array of services available from the Internet Scout Project, click on: www.scout.cs.wisc.edu/report/sr/current/(E-News From UCEA 22 Nov 99)

MATH GOODIES - This valuable Web site has several articles of interest to educators and can be found at: www.mathgoodies.com/articles/ This is a free educational site featuring interactive math lessons that offers homework help, puzzles, message boards, calculators and more. The site also recently added 2 new pages of images, the Math Image Library. These images may be downloaded freely at: www.mathgoodies.com/math_image_library/ Math Goodies is a semi- finalist in the Education category of the Fourth Annual GII Awards. Al Gore and Colin Powell endorse these prestigious awards. See: www.mathgoodies.com/awards/gii_press.shtm (Gisele Glosser Nov 99)

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NEW-New Subscribers

NEW ON THE LIST - Paul Settles, Paul Biladeau, Marina Vozian Lou McGill, Sonja Irlbeck, Ken Buis, Bob Krone, Dale Beermann, Jannette Black, Ron Borth, Erik Buelinck, Aviva Meyer, Richard Voos, Michael Susko, Gloria Edwards, Mary Grace Villaflor, Antonio Gonzalez, Lorraine Williams, Barbara Eskine, Suzanne Carlstedt, George Sutton, Bob Jackson, Virginia Houlihan, Tricia Callahan, Juarez Ramos, Irwin Ozer, Bob Jackson, Charles Christison, Julie Gould, Carlo Aime, Amelia Pape, Gretchen Lowerison, Rebecca Kaufman, Kirt Baab, Susan Pickering, Ann Lenzini, Bob Fitzwilliam, Suzanne Carlstedt, Teresa Rehman, Kaz Purre, Tricia Callahan, Russ Ruso, Greg Puckett, Lisa Renery, Christine Marles, Sverker Ehn

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FYI - News, Conferences, Institutes, Events

* Training Magazine's 23rd Annual International Training 2000 Conference is scheduled for February 21-23 in Atlanta, GA. The conference theme is "Strategies and Technologies for Improving Learning and Performance." For more information see: www.lakewoodconferences.com

* International Conference on Learning With Technology - ICLT 2000: Does Technology Make a Difference? is scheduled for March 8-10, 2000. The conference is hosted by Temple University; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and sponsored by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the Global Learning Consortium. For more information see: www.temple.edu/iclt

* The 85th Annual UCEA conference will be held April 16-18, 2000 in San Diego, CA. The conference theme is: "Strategies for the New Futures of Higher Education - Riding the Waves ." The conference will include 11 professional development modules and 2 preconference workshops. For more information and registration see: www.nucea.edu

* The 2nd International Conference on Networked Learning will be held April 17-19, 2000. The conference is jointly organized by the Universities of Lancaster and Sheffield, UK. For more information see: www.shef.ac.uk/uni/projects/csnl/

* The 2000 Illinois Association for Educational Communications and Technology (IAECT) Annual Conference will be held January 21-22 in Chicgo, IL at the Swissotel. This year's theme is "Technology 2000 - Creating, Communicating and Innovating for the New Millennium." For more information call: 815-753-8369.

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NEXT DESIEN ISSUE - In-Brief Mid-January 2000

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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.

To submit information to DESIEN - send to lehman@ics.uwex.edu