- A recent study by psychologist Robert Kraut of Carnegie Mellon U is in conflict with an earlier 1995 study, also by Kraut, that indicated that the Internet worsened both depression and loneliness in online users. His new study indicates that the Internet has either changed, or people have learned to use it in a more constructive way - perhaps both. In other words, the Internet has become more social with the use of eMail, instant messaging and support groups. In yet another study by Kraut, he has found that the Internet enhances mental health for extroverts, but reduces it for introverts. (USA Today, 23 July 01)

- A new project that includes The Harvard University Library and scholarly journal publishers John Wiley, Blackwell and the U of Chicago Press will attempt to build a digital archive for electronic journals. The project plans to improve on current digital archiving efforts, and to seek methods to archive non-text materials digitally (including video and sound files, computer data sets and computer simulations.) In addition, the plan will help determine rules for accessing digital archives. (Chronicle of Higher Education Online, 20 July 01)

- Increased interaction by students and professors in online MBA programs appears to be causing program popularity to increase, in spite of the additional program costs at some of the universities. Programs at University of Florida's Warrington College of Business and Kansas City's Webster University are among those who have a substantial number of students taking the online courses. According to Richard St. Clair, who teaches part of the online MBA program at Webster, there is greater interaction with the students in the online programs than he would have in a traditional classroom setting. (Kansas City Star Online, 15 July 01)

- Executive director of the Instructional Telecommunications Council, Christine Dalziel, recently reported that approximately 35 states provide distance education through a variety of modes. A list of these distance education networks is available on the council's Web site at: http://www.itcnetwork.org/default.htm "A lot of colleges are really rushing to put courses together, and they're afraid of the competition from other states," she said. "That's really what's driving it in a lot of cases: fear." While most distance education programs operate within state boundaries, there is variance in the way in which credits are transferred from one institution to another within states. (Chronicle of Higher Education Online, 13 June 01)

- Java in Administration Special Interest Group (JA-SIG) is developing a common reference framework with specifications that will allow institutions to plug content and design into that framework. Called uPortal, it also ensures security and convenience, through using a single log-on for each application. The beta edition of uPortal 2.0 was released July 22, 2001. (Syllabus, July 01)

- Australia's government has committed $19 million toward the development of a high-speed Internet backbone that will connect 80 educational institutions and research organizations. An additional $47 million is expected to come from universities, private-sector firms and government research groups. This backbone could also link to institutions in the US and Canada using undersea connections. Australia's Minister of Communications, Richard Alston, noted that the backbone is expected to lead to increased research and industrial development in the country and will lay the physical foundations for a national innovation network. (Chronicle of Higher Education Online, 4 June 01)

- Between spring of 2000 and the present, enrollment in higher-education distance learning programs in Illinois has risen 44%. Online courses from The Illinois Virtual Campus (IVC), a joint project of the University of Illinois and the Illinois Board of Higher Education, were the most popular, followed by "stored-media" programs that are available on DVD, CD-ROM, audio or videotape. Community colleges are the main source of distance learning programs, providing 75% of all programs, while public universities provide 20% and private institutions, 5%. An online database of distance learning courses is offered by IVC. (Civic.com, 6 June 01)