RECYCLED COMPUTERS FOR NEEDY STUDENTS - De Anza College in Cupertino,
CA, has begun a new program to make recycled PCs available to some students. The
computers are put together by the Computer Recycling Center, a nonprofit that refurbishes
computers that businesses throw away. Administrators at the college said the machines are
recent models that they hope will be useful and reliable for the students. De Anza will
distribute 10 computers for the initial trial. If the program is successful, officials expect to
allow all financial-aid students to apply for a refurbished PC. See:
http://chronicle.com/free/2002/05/2002051002t.htm (Chronicle of Higher Education, 10
May 02 - Edupage, 10 May 02)

ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY SOFTWARE INTEGRATION - A courseware company
has produced what it calls the first integration of assistive technology directly within
e-Learning courseware, enabling learners with mobility, hearing or visual impairments to
access remote learning more easily. NETg, Inc., a subsidiary of Thomson Learning, said its
e-Learning courseware will meet technical requirements of Section 508 of the 1998 US
Rehabilitation Act by Sept. 2002, supporting several federal agencies that have selected
NETg courses for their learning programs. "To use courses that do not integrate assistive
technologies, learners with disabilities must deploy specialized third-party devices or
technologies in addition to the courseware," said Steve Timmer, president and CIO of
TecAccess, a software development company specializing in Section 508 compliance.
"Not only is this inconvenient, but learners also frequently encounter compatibility problems
with courses and assistive devices that render their learning inaccessible. The NETg solution
will remove this burden from the learner and assure reliable access to learning." (Syllabus
News, Resources, Trends for 7 May 02)

SUMMIT FOCUSES ON MINORITY TECH EDUCATION - More than 100 K-12 to
college-level educators recently convened to explore ways to improve retention and transfer
rates for low-income, minority students in the engineering and computer science fields. The
two-day summit was hosted by HP and Mathematics, Engineering, Science Achievement
(MESA), a program to help students graduate from college with degrees in math, science and
engineering. Participants included faculty from nine California community colleges that were
awarded HP Community College Pre-Engineering and Computer Science Initiative Grants in
2001 and 2002. Of MESA community college students who transfer to four-year institutions,
100 % are math-based majors. About 90% of California's minority engineering baccalaureate
recipients are MESA students. For more information, visit: http://www.mesa.ucop.edu
(Syllabus News, Resources, Trends, 3 May 02)