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Online Chronicle Of Distance Education And Communication, November 1992
        ............     ............
       ...........         ...........             THE
      ...........     .     ...........      ONLINE CHRONICLE
     ..........     . . .    ...........  OF DISTANCE EDUCATION
     ..........      . .     ...........    AND COMMUNICATION
      ...........     .     ...........
       ...........         ...........         November 1992
        ............     ............


     In the industrial age, we go to school. In the information age,
     school can come to us. This is the message implicit in the media
     and movement of distance education.


Volume #6, Issue #1
November 1992

Editor:
Jason Ohler......................Educational Technology Program Director
                                          University of Alaska Southeast
                                                   11120 Glacier Highway
                                                   Juneau, Alaska  99801
                                                    Phone:  907-789-4538
                                             BITNET USERID: JFJBO@ALASKA

Assistant Editor:
Ruth Ryan.................................University of Alaska Southeast
                                                   11120 Glacier Highway
                                                   Juneau, Alaska  99801
                                             BITNET USERID: JSRMR@ALASKA


Technical Coordinator
Paul J. Coffin............................................716 Taschereau
                                                    Ste. Therese, Quebec
                                                                 J7E 4E1
                                                     Phone: 514-430-0995

========================================================================

Welcome to the last issue of the Online Chronicle for the year.

A combination of the recession and declining oil prices and oil production
in Alaska have conspired to reduce the amount of time and staff my
institution can devote to the Chronicle.  It has been a struggle during
the last few years to produce the Chronicle, and this year promises to be
even more difficult.  It is already November and the first issue is just
going to press.  Clearly something has to change.

So, it is time to take a year off to see if I can re-organize and return
to produce a Chronicle that publishes with some regularity.  If not, then
it will be discontinued.

One possibility is for others from different institutions to help with
production.  I am very happy to consider this.  Please email me
with ideas.

Thank you for all of your support.  'Til next September, hopefully.

=======================================================================
                     T A B L E    O F   C O N T E N T S

1. International Connectivity:  A Survey of Attitudes about Cultural

       and National Differences Encountered in Computer-Mediated
       Communication, by Ruth Ryan, JSRMR@Alaska.Bitnet


2.  Distance Education at "Conventional Universities"
       by Michael Power, Michael_Power@ugar.uquebec.ca


3. Three Major University Leaders Endorse "Global University"
       an excerpt from: The University of the World Newsletter
       from:  Dr. Takeshi Utsumi


4.  Project: Grand & Everyday Challenges for Education
       Using Telecommunications in the Curriculum
       by Jim Levin, Jim-levin@uiuc.edu


5.  The Agricultural Satellite Corporation:  Three Years of
       Phenomenal Growth, by Dr. Randall Bretz, ASAT001@UNLVM.UNL.EDU


6. Announcements and Requests
    a. ANNOUNCEMENT:  World Conference on Education Multimedia and
          Hypermedia
    b. AN OPEN INVITATION: Become A Founding Member Of The Consortium
          For School Networking
    c. ANNOUNCEMENT:  The "Poland Now" Teleconference
    d. ANNOUNCEMENT:  A New Distance Learning Course From Carnegie
          Mellon University
    e. CALL FOR PAPERS:  "Simulation & Gaming"
    f. ANNOUNCEMENT: A Consortium for Network Publication of
          Refereed Research Journals
          RESEARCH JOURNALS
    g. REQUEST:  Optel Screen Development
    h. REQUEST:  Main$treet -- small business simulator


7. DISTANCE EDitorial- Figuring Distance Education Credit Hours


8. About the Chronicle

=======================================================================
1.           International Connectivity:  A Survey Of Attitudes
                   About Cultural And National Differences
              Encountered In Computer-Mediated Communication

                   by Ruth Ryan, JSRMR@Alaska.Bitnet

We live in a multi-national world, one with many languages, cultures,
races, and nationalities. Yet, our nations are separated by geographical,
political, and cultural differences.  In recent years, individuals all
over the world have discovered computer-mediated communication (CMC) as a
means of connecting with peers, colleagues, and family.  CMC and the
presence of international CMC networks pro-vide a collaborative atmosphere
in which researchers in many fields can bridge the cultural and national
differences that separate them.  From their home or office computers, they
link their minds with contemporaries across the city or across the globe.
As the messages are sent and received, individuals are identified and
recognized by their userid, and differences in nationality, ethnicity,
age, gender, and physical ability are not known unless divulged.

Throughout several years of CMC practice, I have often wondered about the
attitudes of other CMC users toward this communication medium that appears
to disguise a person's appearance and cultural identity.   At a time when
conflict and unrest between nations results in late night bombing raids,
unified national boycotts, and multi-nation world wars, I have often
thought that communicating through a medium that diminishes differences
between individuals is ideal.  To resolve differences and share ideas that
enhance the quality of life without prejudice and power struggles
unrelated to the issue at hand would seemingly improve communications
among nations at war.  With today's technology and the availability of
computer-mediated communication,  the ability to interact without regard
to skin color, ethnic background, or gender differences would seemingly
facilitate conflict resolution through intelligent exchanges of points of
view. It was with such thoughts in mind that I came upon a central
question for this study:  to what extent are cultural and national
differences evident and considered significant by users of the online
environment?

In July, 1992, I developed and distributed a survey to a selection of
BITNET discussion groups where topics focused on electronic communication.
The sample group for this study consisted of international CMC users who
participate in BITNET discussion groups.

Geographic location of the study participants revealed that a majority of
them were in the U.S., which is not surprising considering that the
Listservs operate on the BITNET system, which is largely a U.S. network.
It is significant to note, however, that BITNET listserv members are
strewn across the globe and are not simply neighbors using efficient
technology. This widespread connectivity most likely reflects improved
access to electronic media in further developed countries around the
world.

A listing of nationalities represented in this study shows a diverse
population of "emailers" who may or may not be living in their birth
country or the country in which they claim citizenship, as illustrated by
the difference between 64% U.S. residents vs. 45% American.  Ninety
percent of the respondents are Caucasians, and 45% are American; however,
the range of other ethnic backgrounds indicates the broad reach that
electronic mail provides to those who wish to communicate outside their
geographic and national boundaries.

Sixty-seven percent of respondents are male, and 82% have graduate degrees
or degrees or has completed some graduate school.  Forty-three percent are
involved in higher education (student or faculty), and another 31% hold a
job in the computer field. These percentages very likely represent the
upper-middle class segment of the world's societies who have access to
computers and higher education.  Probably excluded altogether,
unfortunately, are people in less-developed third-world countries who are
less likely to have access to higher education, much less a computer and
other necessary electronic connections to communicate online.

An analysis of age data reveals a significant representation of young
adults in the 19-30-year age group (31%).  Of these,  47% are employed in
the computer science field, 33% are students, and another 20% are working
in their chosen profession.  These figures perhaps represent the
traditional-age college/graduate students and those just establishing a
career.  The largest percentage of respondents (53%) fall into the 31-49-
year age group of whom 31% work in the computer science field.  The other
categories are as follows:  Professors (25%), researchers (8%), teachers
(7%), library science (7%), and a few professionals in other fields.
Respondents fifty and older, the other predominant age group, are
primarily professors (50%), computer scientists (14%), and teachers (14%).

Almost all of the respondents indicated active use of electronic mail (81%
are online several times per day) and communicating with colleagues or
peers as their most important purpose for being online.  Interacting with
friends seemed to be moderately important, but several respondents
indicated that many of these friendships were established online as a by-
product of academic or work-related interactions.   Such active use of
the electronic medium is perhaps the direct result of CMC's nearly
instantaneous delivery of messages.

The availability of electronic networks reported by the respondents
reveals the presence of a structure that facilitates electronic
connectivity.  This effort is impressive, as it suggests that
organizations and commercial interests within the developed countries
around the globe recognize the need for improved communication routes for
their people and are working to facilitate such needs.  In the information
age, the electronic transfer of information virtually eliminates national
boundaries.  As one individual in Turkey commented, "CMC helps me feel as
a world citizen."

With a CMC population consisting mainly of well-educated, professional,
Caucasian people,  issues of nationality and cultural orientation might
seem relevant to the status of electronic mail users.  Yet the
overwhelming majority (90%) of the respondents indicated that it is not
important that people they talk to online be of the same cultural origin
or nationality.  In response to the question about the importance of their
cultural identity, only 25%  indicated strong degrees of importance, while
75% indicated minimal or no importance.  A closer examination of the
responses shows that those outside the U.S. indicated a higher level of
importance linked to their cultural identity than the U.S. residents (22%
vs. the U.S. response of 14%.).  This difference may be the result of the
"melting pot" of nationalities and cultural backgrounds of the U.S.
citizens.

In further support of the non-significance of cultural differences online,
70% of the respondents indicated that cultural differences present little
or no impact to their interactions with others online.  When examining
only U.S. respondents' replies, a somewhat higher percentage indicated "no
impact" compared to those outside the U.S.  (41% U.S. vs. 31% outside
U.S.).  Perhaps the fact that  BITNET is an electronic network of largely
U.S. colleges and universities, and thus serves predominantly American
users for whom English is the dominant language (and thus presents fewer
cultural obstacles for Americans), accounts for this difference.  Non-
American discussion group participants are connected to BITNET via a
gateway from their own network (e.g., JANet and EARN), and English may not
be the dominant language on their own network.

When respondents were asked if they were aware of any differences in the
ways they interact online with those of another culture or nationality
compared to how they interact with those within their own culture, 40%
said yes.  Some attributed their perceptions to a desire or need to
accommodate language differences. Others said they were more careful in
the way they expressed themselves in order to avoid misunderstandings due
to perceived cultural differences.

An awareness of one's own attitudes and behavior appears to be easier to
discern and report than guessing about how others feel.  When respondents
were asked about their perceptions of the attitudes of others when
interacting with them, the affirmative response was not as high;  only 25%
reported  an awareness of national or cultural differences perceived by
others, though some opinions were strong and strenuously expressed.
Among the differences noted was an increase in formality in addressing
others and the frequency of forming and acting on assumptions about
characteristics of nationalities.   Here, then, the differences that
interfere with multicultural exchanges are due to differences in ability
to express ideas in terms that are clearly understood or to interpret the
ideas of others because of the language used to express them.

When the educational levels of respondents were compared to their
attitudes about cultural differences in a collaborative/negotiative
situation, a significant increase in the level of importance attributed to
cultural differences was revealed among those with graduate degrees.  Of
those with graduate degrees, 21% responded that they felt their cultural
origin was very important to their colleagues when involved in negotiation
of a collaborative effort.  To those without graduate degrees, their
perceptions of impact by cultural origin were less pronounced--only 10%
perceived their cultural origin to be important to their colleagues.   One
explanation for this difference may be that higher education employs a
greater command of  language; thus,  differing abilities to express and
clarify ideas are more apparent to this group.

Regardless of educational background, the majority of respondents (95%)
indicated they had encountered differences in communication using computer-
mediated communication as opposed to face-to-face or traditional print
methods, and many offered comments to elaborate on their claim.  Physical
limitations in transmission of data was the most frequently mentioned
difference.  Many felt they encountered more sarcasm and personal attacks
within the CMC environment, while others claimed to experience a greater
freedom of expression and encountered more egalitarian attitudes.  Some
respondents spoke of anonymity and minimized status differences as unique
to the online environment, and further noted that gender, race, and age
differences are "clouded" online.   Eighty-nine percent of the respondents
indicated that they had made some degree of adjustment to their
interaction style online in order to communicate effectively.   These
figures indicate a definite willingness to accommodate differences in
order to interact effectively.

The most important issue I sought to address in this study was the extent
to which cultural and national differences are evident and considered
significant by users of the online environment.  Analysis of the data
provided by international participants suggests that it is not the
beliefs, customs, traditions, or practices unique to individual cultures
or nationalities that most greatly influence connectivity among
international emailers.  Rather, what seems to be most important is their
ability to express their views, beliefs, and ideas in an effective manner.
This is a language issue.  While language is a significant component of
each civilization, and thus a reflection of unique cultures, it is the
ability to use language that appears to be the key to successful
interaction in computer-mediated communication.  In an electronic medium
where language is the vehicle for connectivity, it seems to be essential
that participants be skilled in using not only the most widely adopted
language but also other lan-uages as well.  Individuals around the world
may be, in many ways, more similar than they are different; yet, without
written communication skills in a common language, those individuals'
ideas hold less power and less influence in the online environment.
Perhaps, in time, and with expanded access to computer-mediated
communication tools, we might all feel "as world citizens."

For a complete copy of the study report, send your postal address to the
author at JSRMR@Alaska.Bitnet.
=======================================================================

2.         Distance Education at "Conventional Universities":
            by Michael Power, Michael_Power@ugar.uquebec.ca

Those who are aware of the development of teaching at a distance
from its earliest to its most contemporary form probably agree that the
movement that began over a hundred years ago is far from over.  From very
basic correspondence courses put on the market by small private
organizations to full multimedia-based instruction supplied by national
distance universities, we have, more recently, moved into an era of
interactive and spontaneous delivery systems being developed by just about
every kind and size of organization imaginable.

I am particularly interested in the development of distance education in
what is generally termed "conventional" universities. This is of course
not new in countries like Australia where distance education seems to have
always been within the scope of conventional university activity.  But it
does appear to be a relatively new trend in Canada where distance
universities such as Athabasca and Tele-Universite have tended to
supply the lion's share of distance courses.  Burge (1991) mentions that
some thirty universities in Canada offered courses at a distance in 1990.
The Canadian Association of University Continuing Education (CAUCE) lists
nearly forty.  What may be common knowledge to some but not to all is that
the new generation of distance teaching institutions will most likely be
.. conventional universities!

Given adult educational needs, a drop in recruiting from within the usual
ranks of high-school (or "collegial" in Quebec) graduates, given the age-
old requirement for universities to "get the knowledge to the people"
wherever they be and numerous other factors currently affecting higher
education (such as the use of CMC), a boom in conventional university
distance teaching has apparently begun and may soon account for (if it
doesn't already) most DE activity in the country.

On the other hand, what do we actually know about how conventional
universities organize, structure and develop distance education?
Apparently not very much according to Kovel-Jarboe (in M.G. Moore, 1990)
who states that very few studies actually exist on the subject.  Most
practices seem to be "home-grown" in response to pressure for
"decentralizing" resources and course offerings.  Since most of the
research findings in distance education published in specialist journals
seems to be carried on primarily by academics at distance "autonomous"
universities, little in the way of day-to-day activities in a "distance
teaching centre", or "extension unit", etc. within the precincts of a
traditional university appears to be known.

Do distance educators in traditional universities base their practice on
autonomous-university models?  Are these models appropriate given
the change in context?  Do conventional university-based distance
educators adjust these models to "fit" their needs?  Are those involved
trained distance educators or have they simply developed an interest in
the field and responded as best they can to imperative needs with regard
to expanding services and expanding enrollment?  And is there one
conventional university distance education model?   Not according to
Medsker (1975) and Medsker and Edelstein (1977) in Kovel-Jarboe.  They
indicate that there are at least three general types of distance education
organizations within conventional universities that correspond to the
latter three categories in the Keegan & Rumble (1982) typology:
    -the uni-departmental model
    -the multi-departmental model
    -the multi-institutional model.

I am an educational technologist working at a conventional university
(Universite du Quebec a Rimouski) that has developed what was initially a
uni-departmental model of DE but which has recently been  reorganized to
become a multi-departmental model (as another department is currently
getting involved).  This "upbeat mood" in DE at the UQAR has led us to
develop a research project on improving the process of mediation through
increased use of interactive technology that best suits our needs.  As
mentioned earlier, since we are not aware of much that has been published
in Canada with regard to conventional university-based DE, and even less
with regard to the specificity of small-scale mediation and tutoring
systems within conventional universities, we would welcome input from
fellow readers who are interested in this line of enquiry and would like
to share experiences, insight and ideas.

Please e-mail Michael_Power@uqar.uquebec.ca or (if you can't get
through, as it sometimes happens) try Mpower@chapparal.fse.ulaval
======================================================================
3.                   THREE MAJOR UNIVERSITY LEADERS
                      ENDORSE "GLOBAL UNIVERSITY"

 an exerpt from: The University of the World NEWSLETTER
                 (January/March 1992, Vol. 5, No. 1)

   Universities must develop a worldwide network in order to be "world-
class" institutions, according to the leaders of three prominent academic
institutions.
   "The number one challenge is that the university community has to cope
with increasing numbers of persons and increasing knowledge, but must
maintain its excellence and sophistication," said Sir Richard Southwood,
Vice Chancellor of Oxford University.
   Southwood, who also teaches biology at the esteemed English
institution, joined Harvard President Neil L. Rudenstine and Wellesley
President Nannerl Keohane to tell an Oxford alumni group in Cambridge,
Massachusetts that social and political changes in the world dictate that
universities expand or be left behind.
   Southwood said political freedom in Eastern Europe and the former
Soviet Bloc nations will undoubtedly send a flood of students to the
world's universities.  He added that schools must handle "a great
information overload" and rising costs in providing services, while
preserving high standards.
   The three university heads said universities around the world must
adopt some strategies used by the business community to compete in a
global market.
   "I think universities should be working on networks, through exchanges
of students and exchanges of information," Southwood said. (...)
   Dr. James Grier Miller, UW's Chairman, also was invited to the seminar
entitled "Global University: Challenges for the 21st Century," to discuss
the history and present activities of the University of the World.
   "I told them the idea of a global university is not just some fantasy
about the future, but is becoming a reality," Dr. Miller said.  He
described the rapid growth of interest in the University of the World
since its inception in 1981, saying the organization now is represented in
24 countries.
   Though the three leaders of the other universities expressed surprise
over the growth of distance education, each told Dr. Miller of their
interest in the concept.  "To me, this was an important event," Dr. Miller
said.  "All of these leaders were willing to consider the concept
seriously."  UW

                ****************************************
   "Global University" is a trade mark of GLOSAS/USA.  Dr. Takeshi Utsumi,
Chairman of GLOSAS/USA and President of Global University in the USA is a
board member of the University of the World.  Dr. James Grier Miller,
Chairman of the University of the World is an executive advisor of
GLOSAS/USA.

=======================================================================

4.  Project: Grand & Everyday Challenges for Education
     Using Telecommunications in the Curriculum
     by Jim Levin, Jim-levin@uiuc.edu

Want to involve students in real world problem solving activities?  Join
in the Grand & Everyday Challenges for Education.  Questions and problems
and other challenges, both "grand" and everyday, will be posed by folks
for whom these are real challenges.  These will be sent electronically to
interested school groups so that they can find ones relevant to their
curriculum.  They can then interact with the challenge posers and develop
solutions.  Groups of students and teachers will be able to form "tele-
task forces" to work together over the network to solve challenges.
Successful solutions will in some cases lead to a reward for the school
group.

Goals: To develop students problem solving skills, especially working
collaboratively with others, both locally and remotely. To have students
learn skills and knowledge within a broader, more motivating context.

Grade levels: This project can involve students of any grade level or
ability level.  The ways in which students become involved can vary, but
all are welcome to participate.

Duration: This project will run throughout the 1992-1993 school year.  If
you send us a list of what topics you'll be dealing with during which
periods of the year, we'll send you those challenges that are related to
those topics.

Content Area: All content areas can be involved.

Attached are some examples of how we plan to have this project work.  If
you're interested in participating in the Grand & Everyday Challenges for
Education, send me a message and I'll add you to our electronic mail list
and send you further information.

Project coordinator:
 Jim Levin
 University of Illinois
 210 Education Building, 1310 S. 6th St., Champaign, IL 61820
 FrEdMail address: jlevin@uiuced2.uiuc.fred.org
 Internet address: jim-levin@uiuc.edu

Here are some examples of how the Grand & Everyday Challenges for
Education can work:

     Grand Challenges

A world class mathematician posts an unsolved theorem that's important to
the progress of his work.  A high school math class teacher selects that
challenge and poses it to her students, who apply a new piece of
visualization software to the problem and develop some promising new
approaches which assist the mathematician in developing a new way to think
about the theorem that allows an innovative solution.

A panel of ecological experts is concerned with the issue of how to
increase the rate of recycling plastics.  They are particularly concerned
about the impact of "juice boxes", since they are a composite of plastic,
paper, and aluminum.  They post as a challenge how to deal with the
problems raised for recycling of "juice boxes".  Two elementary school
classes choose to consider this challenge jointly.  They interview their
fellow classmates about what they like and dislike about juice boxes, they
interview their parents about why they buy them, they observe the ways
that they and their classmates use and dispose of them.   They consider
alternatives to juice boxes, and develop an alternative that they write up
and submit to the ecological panel, which considers it, and includes it in
their report to Congress.  Congress changes regulations about the
manufacture of such containers to encourage the more effective solution
suggested by the elementary school class and refined by the panel.

A team of scientists developing state-of-the-art supercomputer-based
models of tornados posts a description of a puzzling mismatch between
their model and data from a set of recent tornados in Illinois.  A middle
school science class in Illinois examines aspects of the model though
their network connection, accesses additional weather information about
those tornados from their online state weather database, and formulates
some new hypotheses to explain the anomalies.  They communicate
electronically with the team of scientists to clarify some aspects of the
mismatch, and to get suggestions for ways to test those hypotheses by
applying the model to additional tornado data. Then the class submits the
surviving hypotheses back to the team of scientists for further
investigation.

Everyday Challenges

A local park district is in the process of deciding where to locate a new
playground structure.  They'd like to conduct a survey to help them
decide.  They post their challenge, and a local elementary school teacher
organizes her class to formulate the questions, collect the data, enter it
into a statistical analysis program, and print out the results.

A university professor, as part of her research project, needs to know
what middle school students think about advertising on Saturday morning
TV.  She posts the challenge, then several schools together take up the
challenge, conducting the surveys, analyzing them, and sending a report
and the data to the professor.

A local agency serving homeless people faces a shortage of child care
workers.  It posts the challenge.  A group of schools contact the homeless
shelters in their areas, and compile a list of different ways in which
child care is provided.  One approach, to work with a local retirement
home to involve retired people as child care providers, is proposed as a s
solution to the challenge. Details of how that solution works in another
location are provided, along with some suggestions of modifications that
would make the solution more effective in the challenge location.

Jim Levin, Jim-levin@uiuc.edu

======================================================================
5.              THE AGRICULTURAL SATELLITE CORPORATION
                   THREE YEARS OF PHENOMENAL GROWTH
              by Dr. Randall Bretz, ASAT001@UNLVM.UNL.EDU

Three years ago representatives of 23 United States land grant
institutions met in Chicago to discuss a satellite network to  serve the
changing needs of agricultural education across the  United States.  Irvin
Omtvedt, Vice Chancellor for Agriculture  and Natural Resources and Jack
McBride, Educational Television  Director both of the University of
Nebraska, focused the meeting  on the opportunity for the participating
institutions to obtain a  federal grant to construct the technological
backbone for a  nation-wide satellite network.

By October 1989 the Agricultural Satellite Corporation (AG*SAT)  had been
formally established by 27 land grant institutions with  headquarters in
Nebraska.  The initial steps had been taken  toward the development of a
proposal to the Public  Telecommunications Facilities Program (PTFP) of
the U.S.  Department of Commerce.  Meanwhile the institutions began to
develop programming to be shared nationally via satellite, a  formal
administrative structure was established and AG*SAT began  to take shape.

The Phase 1 proposal seeking Federal equipment support was submitted in
January 1990 with a formal funding announcement in  September.  The
initial grant to AG*SAT from PTFP was $735,000  which was matched by the
participating institutions.  This  funding provided for  construction of
five satellite uplinks, 10 downlinks which can be converted to uplinks and
16 downlinks.

The land grant affiliates didn't wait for the Federal grant or
construction.  By November, 1990, programming began to flow via  satellite
to a national audience.  Two trial programs in late  1990 led to an
extremely active "pilot" year, 1991, which saw  more than 70 extension
programs and three credit courses totaling  more than 300 hours of
programming viewed 70,000 persons  nationwide.  These programs and courses
had widely varied content  and origination points.  Such subjects as safe
pesticide  handling, food science, dairy waste management and absentee
ownership issues were among the long list of programming shared  via
AG*SAT.

In January, 1991, a second equipment proposal went to the PTFP.  The
$500,000 Federal grant, awarded in September, has been  matched with an
equal amount by the affiliated institutions to  provide six additional
uplinks, a microwave connection to an  uplink and eight downlinks.  These
facilities are complemented by  existing transmit and receive equipment at
many locations across  the country making the Agricultural Satellite
Corporation's  network one of the largest and most flexible in the
country.

In addition to the eleven uplinks and 30 downlinks purchased with  Federal
assistance, the institutions and Extension Centers own or  have access to
an estimated 10 uplinks and nearly 1,000 downlinks  nationally.

Many significant events and activities mark the third anniversary  of the
AG*SAT:

     * A Phase 3 equipment proposal has been submitted to the
     PTFP seeking funds for an additional 104 satellite downlinks
     and one uplink;

     * AG*SAT has received an administrative grant of $236,000
     from USDA;

     * Over $1 million has been made available by Congressional
     appropriation through the USDA for institutional
     programming;

     * Programming shared during the first half of 1992 has
     already exceeded the 300 hour mark established in 1991 and
     has reached more than the 70,000 viewers recorded in 1991;

     * 37 land grant institutions in 36 states and two agencies
     of the USDA are now affiliates of the consortium;

     * A growing schedule of programming is slated for Fall 1992
     and Spring 1993 delivery; and

     * Interest continues among the land grant community as well
     as business, industry and a variety of government agencies.

It is clear that AG*SAT has met a real need within the  agricultural
education system.  The dedication of the distance  learning network and
service in June, 1992, marked the beginning  of a new era for affiliated
institutions, the USDA and the  service they provide to the agricultural
sector of the economy.

For further information, including program listings, contact:

Dr. Randall Bretz
Assistant Director/Program Manager
AG*SAT
Box 83111
Lincoln, NE  68501

voice:    402-472-3611
fax:      402-472-9060
e-mail:   ASAT001@UNLVM.UNL.EDU

======================================================================
6.  Announcements, Requests, Reviews

----------
a.  ANNOUNCEMENT:  World Conference on Education Multimedia and Hypermedia

ED-MEDIA 93 -- World Conference on Educational Multimedia and Hypermedia
is an international conference sponsored by the Association  for the
Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE). This annual  conference
serves as a multi-disciplinary forum for the dissemination  of information
on the research, development, and applications of  multimedia and
hypermedia for all levels of education.

We invite you to participate in the ED-MEDIA 93 Conference by  submitting
proposals for papers, workshops, panels, and  demonstrations/posters. All
proposals are reviewed for inclusion in  the conference program.

The Conference welcomes research, development and application proposal
submissions on all topics related to multimedia and hypermedia for all
disciplines and levels of education.

Conference History
------------------
The ED-MEDIA conference series ties together a number of strands of
activities that have been present since about 1985. The two major ones
are activities of AACE in the area of educational multimedia and
hypermedia (one result of these activities is the new Journal of
Educational Multimedia and Hypermedia) and the ICCAL Conference  series.
ICCAL, (International Conference on Computers and Learning),  has been
held as a major international symposium four times, in  Calgary, CANADA
(1987), Dallas, USA (1989), Hagen, GERMANY (1990), and  in Wolfville,
CANADA (1992).

Due to the increasing popularity of ICCAL, a yearly interval and a  more
solid organizational base was deemed necessary. Discussions  between ICCAL
and AACE have led to the creation of the ED-MEDIA  conference series.
Thus, ED-MEDIA 93 is considered the fifth in a  series of meetings,
formerly called ICCAL. The stronger conference  emphasis on multimedia and
hypermedia reflects recent developments in  the field.

ED-MEDIA 93 deadlines (postmark dates):
    Submit proposals:            October 15, 1992
    Acceptance of Proposals:     January 15, 1993
    Receipt of Final Papers;     March 1, 1993
    Pre-Registration:            May 15, 1993

For more information, contact:

  ED-MEDIA 93
  AACE
  P.O. Box 2966
  Charlottesville, VA  22902 USA
  E-mail:  AACE@Virginia.Edu,
  Phone:  (804) 973-398
  Fax:  (804) 978-7449

-----------
b.  AN OPEN INVITATION TO ORGANIZATIONS AND INDIVIDUALS:  BECOME A
FOUNDING MEMBER OF THE  CONSORTIUM FOR SCHOOL NETWORKING

You and your organization are invited to join a community of
organizations, government agencies, corporations and individuals
in an important leadership role for K-12 education -- as founding
members of the Consortium  for School Networking (CoSN).

Through computer networking, the Consortium will help
educators and students access information and communications
resources that will increase their productivity, professional
competence, and opportunities for learning and
collaborative work.

The Consortium advocates the following goals:

 The timely deployment of the national research and education
    network, so that educators and students at any school can
    communicate with each other and access a wide variety of
    information and data.

 The development and distribution of network-based
    information resources for schools.  These resources should include
    existing materials produced with funding from federal and state
    governments as well as novel materials adapted to this new
    communications medium.

 The development of the human resources needed to make full
    and efficient use of networks through staff development programs,
    educational materials and software.

Benefits to members:

 You will be part of a national leadership group for educational
    telecommunications; through the Consortium, you will have a
    voice in shaping policy in this area.

 You will have access to information about the National
    Research and Education Network (NREN) and other educational
    telecommunications efforts through meetings, network services,
    documents and reports.

 You will be able to reach a large community of individuals
    involved in every aspect of network technology and its application
    to K-12 education.

 You will help advance the development of information and
    collaboration resources and tools for networking.

 You will have early access to collaborative opportunities to
    develop new resources and services for educators.

The Consortium for School Networking is an institutional
membership organization with individual affiliate members.  There
are three categories of members:

 Professional:  Institutions and organizations from the public
    and private non-profit sectors with an interest in K-12 education are
    eligible for Professional membership.  This includes, but is not
    limited to:  all educational institutions, both public and private;
    libraries and museums;  regional, state and national departments of
    education and other governmental agencies;  education-related
    organizations such as research institutes; and telecommunications
    organizations and agencies.

 Business:  Corporations, trade associations and other
    organizations from the for-profit sector with interests in K-12
    education and networking are eligible to be business members.

 Individual affiliates:  any individual interested in K-12
    education not representing a professional or business member
    organization may join the Consortium as an individual affiliate.

Charter annual membership dues:

Professional member organizations:
Government agencies, state and regional networks:       $  2,500
School districts, schools, postsecondary
institutions, libraries, professional groups,
non-profit organizations:                               $    500

Business member organizations:
Small businesses (under $100,000 annual revenues):      $    500
Other business:                                         $  5,000

Individuals:                                            $     35

CoSN is incorporated as a not-for-profit organization in the
District of Columbia.  Application for 501 (c)(3) status has been
made to the Internal Revenue Service.

Officers and Members of the Board of CoSN

Chair of the Board:      Connie Stout, Program Director, Texas
                          Education Network
Vice-chair of the Board: Gwen Solomon, Director, The School of
                          the Future, New York, NY
Executive Director:      John Clement, Director, EDUCOM K-12
                          Networking Project
Secretary-treasurer:     Art St. George, University of New Mexico,
                          Albuquerque

Members of the Board:

Robert D. Carlitz,  Professor of Physics, University of Pittsburgh,
             Pittsburgh PA
Woody Kerkeslager, Vice President - Government Affairs,
             AT&T, Basking Ridge NJ
Jim Luckett, Executive Director, NYSERNet, Syracuse NY
Jan Meizel, Network Manager -- Teacher, Davis Senior High
             School, Davis CA
Frank Odasz, Director, Big Sky Telegraph,  Western Montana
             College, Dillon MT
Paul Reese, Teacher, Ralph Bunche School, New York  NY
Bill Schmid, Director, Florida Information Resource Network
             (FIRN), Tallahassee FL
Bob Tinker, Chief Science Officer, TERC, Cambridge MA
Gary Watts, Senior Director, National Center for Innovation
            (NCIN), National Education Association (NEA), Washington DC

To become a Charter Member of the Consortium for School
Networking, return the form below to cosn@bitnic.bitnet or
the Consortium at P.O.Box 65193, Washington, DC 20035-5193


CHARTER MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION
Attention:  Membership Committee -- Bobbi Kurshan, Chair

Please provide the information requested below and we will enroll
you as a charter member and invoice you or your organization for the
amount due.

For organizational members only:

Name of Organization:

Name and title of Organizational Representative:
Type of Organization -- Professional (  )  -- Business  (  ) (please
mark one only)
Description of Organization:
(In case of business member organization, please specify if last
complete year's annual revenues are under $100,000, to qualify for
"small business" membership dues.)

For individual affiliate members only:

Name:
Title and Organization for whom you work:
(It is understood that affiliate membership does not imply that
you represent this organization to CoSN)

For all member organizations and individual affiliate members:

Street Address:
Apt. No.:
City, State and Zip Code:

Telephone:
Fax:
Electronic mail address:


We are trying to extend membership in the Consortium as broadly as possible.
Please share this invitation with potentially interested colleagues and
friends.  Thank you.

-------
c.                     THE "POLAND NOW" TELECONFERENCE
            Satellite Conference Between Poland and U.S.A.
                             May 11, 1992
                    Produced By Egret International

[reprinted from GLOSAS News]

   In honor of the First National Entrepreneurship Forum in Poland, a
satellite conference was broadcast from Poland to the United States,
designed to bring together university faculty and business owners in the
U.S. and Poland.  Polish business owners have been chosen as model
success stories who could share the problems they have overcome in
developing a privately-owned business in the former communist country.
   The teleconference was broadcast from 1:00 to 2:30 P.M. EST on  Monday,
May 11, 1992.
   The Solidarity Economic Foundation organized the conference with
assistance from Ohio State University. Polish Now teleconference was
produced by Egret International and was funded by the U.S. Agency for
International Development.  For further information please contact:

                          Egret International
            Sally Lucke or Sandra McCourtney, Co-Directors
                   ph(s): 813-923-8533; 813-349-2460
                           Fax: 813-924-3215
                   Internet: Mccours@firnvx.firn.edu
                        Bitnet: Mccours@firnvx

--------
d.  ANNOUNCING A NEW DISTANCE LEARNING COURSE FROM CARNEGIE MELLON
UNIVERSITY...


                 ETHICAL ISSUES IN PROFESSIONAL LIFE:
                        MULTIMEDIA COURSEWARE

      The Center for the Advancement of Applied Ethics at Carnegie Mellon
University invites you to view "Ethical Issues in Professional Life:
Multimedia Courseware" that is being aired nationally by Mind Extension
University (ME/U) this fall.  This program may serve your educational
needs in various ways as:

    a stand alone ethics course
    an addition to existing courses in ethics or the professions
    a single or a set of teaching modules
    a distance learning program
    a vehicle for an ethics across the curriculum program

   "Ethical Issues in Professional Life" is designed to provide students
with an understanding of and a framework for analyzing the many ethical
issues, problems and dilemmas facing contemporary professionals. It
consists of 14-half hour videos, an accompanying workbook and audio tapes.

    Students will address ethical issues and dilemmas of professionals in
medicine, law, business, engineering, journalism and media, public
administration, accounting and the natural and the social sciences among
others.

  The video and audio segments showcase nationally known professionals
and ethicists including:  Hon. Lawton Chiles, Governor of Florida; Roger
Boisjoly, space shuttle Challenger whistleblower; Talbot D'Alemberte,
president, American Bar Association; Lisa Newton, director, Program in
Applied Ethics, Fairfield University and project consultant for the PBS
series "Ethics in America" and Manuel Velasquez, director, Center for
Applied Ethics, Santa Clara University and author of Business Ethics:
Concepts and Cases.

    The workbook serves as a course text with self-paced study questions
and weekly assignments.  Edited and condensed transcripts of the videos
are also included in the workbook as well as suggestions for additional
readings.

    It has or will be used at Carnegie Mellon University, the University
of South Florida and Eckerd College and may be accessed by satellite
through Mind Extension University in the Fall of 1992.

    Check your local cable listings for the Mind Extension University
(ME/U) showing of "Ethical Issues in Professional Life" or ask your
instructional technologist to receive the program in a downlink from ME/U.
The program is scheduled to be aired starting on Monday, October 26, 1992
and following Mondays and Fridays at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time.

     For more information on ordering workbooks and audio tapes contact
Peter Madsen, Executive Director, Center for the Advancement of Applied
Ethics, 234 Smith Hall, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA 15213;
(412) 268-5703; FAX: (412) 268-6074 or e-mail: pm2n+@andrew.cmu.edu.bitnet

--------
e.  CALL FOR PAPERS:  "Simulation & Gaming"

"Simulation & Gaming: An International Journal of Theory, Design and
Research" (Sage  Publications) is the world's foremost journal devoted to
computerized simulation, gaming, modeling, play, role-play and active,
experiential learning and related methodologies in education, training and
research. The broad scope and inter-disciplinary nature of "Simulation &
Gaming" is demonstrated by the variety of its readers and contributors, as
well as its Editorial Board members, such as sociologists, political
scientists, economists, psychologists and educators, as well as experts in
environmental issues, international studies, management and business,
policy and planning, decision making and conflict resolution, cognition,
learning  theory,  communication, language learning, media, educational
technologies and computing.  Manuscripts are welcome at any time.

Before submitting a manuscript, potential authors should write for a copy
of the Guide for Authors, enclosing a self-addressed, sticky label and $2
in stamps (in the USA only).  Write to David Crookall, Editor S&G, Morgan
Hall, Box 870244, U of AL, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487, USA.  To subscribe, write
to Sage Publications, 2455 Teller Road, Newbury Park, CA  91320,  USA;  6
Bonhill Street, London EC2A 4PU, UK.

Gleason Sackman                      BBS:sackman@sendit.nodak.edu
Coordinator                          Internet:sackman@plains.nodak.edu
SENDIT - NoDak's K-12 Telcom Network Bitnet:    sackman@plains.bitnet
BOX 5164,  NDSU Computer Center      Voice: (701)237-8109
Fargo, ND  58105                     Fax:   (701)237-8541

--------
f.  ANNOUNCEMENT: A CONSORTIUM FOR NETWORK PUBLICATION OF REFEREED
      RESEARCH JOURNALS

The University of Manitoba has received funding commitments to organize
and hold an international conference to promote the establishment of a
consortium of universities and learned societies to sponsor computer
network publication of refereed journals. The consortium would be anon-
profit publishing cooperative intended to make use of the Internet as an
important medium for the publication of scholarly research in any
discipline. Since the summer of 1991, an ad hoc group at the University of
Manitoba has been developing the idea of the conference and the proposed
consortium, and has been working on funding proposals since the Autumn of
1991. The conference is now tentatively slated for the Autumn of 1993 and
will be held at the University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada. We hope to
enlist the interest and cooperation of major research universities and
learned societies across North America and elsewhere. Over the next year
or so, we will be communicating the vision behind the conference and
consortium to the academic community. This is the first advance notice,
and we plan to provide updates with more specific information on the
conference details as plans for it develop. As an analogy of sorts for the
proposed consortium, in the traditional publishing of books and paper
journals, Scholars Press (Atlanta, Georgia) is a unique example of such a
cooperative, operating under several major U.S. learned societies (e.g.,
American Academy of Religion, Society of Biblical Literature, American
Philological Society), with a number of universities in the U.S. and
Canada as sponsors of particular publication projects such as major
monograph series. It is an example of groups in the academic community
taking collective responsibility to see that worthy scholarship gets
published, without commercial considerations determining the question. The
Internet is the major new medium for dissemination of research, and it is
vital that the scholarly community, through its major institutions of
universities and learned societies, become acquainted with the enormous
potential of the Internet for scholarship. Commercial companies are
already devoting attention to developing computer network publication
projects. It is imperative that the scholarly community not leave this
major medium to be developed solely by commercial interests. The basic
aims are (1) to make academic merit the sole consideration in the
publication of journal-type research, (2) to advance the idea that the
academic community should have a hand in determining what gets published
and how it is disseminated, (3) to provide a major outlet of research
publication that is not subject to the severe economic constraints of
traditional paper-journal publishing ( soaring costs in some commercially
attractive fields, very limited journal outlets for less commercially
attractive fields), (4) to make collective and considered use of the
scholarly advantages of network publication (e.g., savings in production
costs, speed up in publication and dissemination process), (5) to provide
an effective and low-cost means for universities and learned societies to
play a greater role as disseminators of research information and not only
as producers and consumers of research information. Our initial objective
at this point is to inform as many in the scholarly community as possible
of the conference and the consortium proposal, and to solicit interest in
these plans. Please contact us for more information, and to be kept
informed on the progress in our planning. We also sincerely invite you to
offer your ideas on things to be included in the conference, key people to
inform and possibly invite to the conference, and any other matters
relevant to the conference and consortium proposal. For more information,
and to express your interests in the conference and consortium, contact
the convenor of the University of Manitoba ad hoc Committee on Electronic
Journals:
    Professor Larry W. Hurtado
    Institute for the Humanities
    108 Isbister Bldg.,
    University of Manitoba
    Winnipeg, Manitoba, R3T 2N2
    Phone: (204) 474-9114
    FAX (204) 275-5781
    E-mail: hurtado@ccu.umanitoba

--------
g.  REQUEST:  Optel Screen Development

This is my first contact with DISTED.  I hope to be able to make contact
with anyone doing or having done page development for Optel/Telewriter
pages.

We at Fort Nelson Secondary are beginning a development project in support
of students in remote communities enrolled in correspondence courses.  As
we get underway, we're keen to receive advice, caveats, and opinions.  One
of the first issues we'll have to deal with is that of copyright
(generally, and in a Canadian context).

In anticipation...

Mike
mgilbert@first.etc.bc.ca

------
h.  REQUEST:  Main$treet -- small business simulator

I have developed a "small business simulator" called "Main$treet$" for
teaching small business management.  It runs on MS-DOS pcs.  I wonder if
you can help me with one of the following:

1) I was hoping to find a publisher for it.  I am convinced from tests
this summer that it will be beneficial to people in many countries and in
many age groups.  People in your list may know of an appropriate
publisher.

2) Having developed an effective user interface, I would like to use it
for other types of educational simulators, or any other application where
menus are appropriate.

3) In the absence of the above, I have been showing my small business
simulator to school teachers and academics at conferences.  Is it against
the rules to announce the existence of this simulator on your list?  If it
is acceptable, I have prepared a description which I can send you.  If it
is acceptable, please specify the maximum acceptable length.

4) If none of the above, can you refer me to someone who might be able to
help?

Thanks.
Gary Davis
Associate Professor
Faculty of Business
University of New Brunswick in Saint John
P.O.Box 5050
Saint John, NB, Canada  E2L 4L5
user ID:  davis@UnbSJ.CA

======================================================================
7.  Online EDitorial: Figuring Distance Education Credit Hours
      by the editor

One possible approach to determining distance education credits is based
on relating the distance delivered learning experience to the face-to-face
learning experience on a "per/hour involvement" basis.

I identified five kinds of face-to-face university course experience
offered at our institution, identified the six primary activities in which
students engage in the process of taking a course, and then developed a
matrix which allows the planner to figure total number of hours spent by
the student.

A first pass at this process looks like this:

I. Five Kinds of University Course Experience

       I. Lecture

      II. Lecture and lab

     III. Seminar

      IV. Directed Study

       V. Independent Study


II. Six Primary Activities, or Communication Dynamics, in which Students
    Engage

1. Student to information base- This is what is usually called
instructional delivery.  It is typically the focus of a course, around
which everything else is designed.  Typical information bases consist of
lectures, text books, and other reference materials.

Issues for distance education: What is "lecturing" in a distance education
learning environment?  What qualitative differences are there between
listening to a lecture face-to-face, watching it on video, listening to it
on audio tape, or reading it, either online or in print?

2. Student to teacher- This is often referred to as mentoring.  It is
typically handled through office hours on an individual basis, and, to a
lesser extent, through in-class interaction.  The teacher is also
responsible for some academic counseling, such as decisions regarding
prerequisites.

Issues for distance education: Some distance education technologies, like
computer conferencing, offer expanded student-to-teacher interaction.
Others, like correspondence study, often offer less.  How does this aspect
figure into the overall time equation?

3. Student to student- Sometimes this occurs in the form of tutorials
(small group discussion in support of lectures).  Traditionally this
happens outside of class, and, to a very limited extent, in class.  A
recent pedagogical shift from individual to group-based learning has
created in-class student-to-student pedagogies, such as collaborative and
cooperative learning.

Issues for distance education: Again, some technologies like computer
conferencing vastly increase the amount of student interaction possible,
particularly when compared to other forms of distance education.  To what
degree does this activity figure into the overall time equation?  In an
era of changing pedagogies which include more student interaction, should
we reconsider the degree and relative value we should assign to this
particular pedagogy?

4. Student to research base- Typically this has consisted of library-based
work, in which the student seeks materials on his/her own to support
course work.

Issues for distance education: Can online searching be utilized?  What are
the costs? Will students be able to request library searches by phone?
How do students get books and other materials?  Would it just be easier to
provide a wide range of current research articles as part of the learning
packet?  Is this part of the time equation figured for in face-to-face
classes?  Should it be in distance delivered courses?

5. Student to institution- Typically this includes activities like
registering, buying books, paying tuition, and so on.

Issues for distance education: Should these kinds of activities be figured
into the time formula?

6. Student alone- This is homework, or, in the case of independent and
directed studies, self-monitored work.

Issues for distance education: Do we use the same formula as we do for
face-to-face classes?  Should we assume more self-monitored work in
distance education and therefore not de-value it as is often done for
independent study courses?

Other considerations

7. Student to counselor- Typically this includes activities like advising
students about what courses to take, what would be helpful for success,
etc.

8. Student to institution services- This includes services like computing
services or audio-conferencing.

III. Figuring hours.  Using the matrix below, assign hour values to each
of the activities based on the kind of course experience it is.  It might
be helpful to first complete this for a face-to-face version of a course,
and then for a distance delivered version of the same course.


                                             Student    Student
             Student     Student   Student     to         to
                to         to        to      research   insti-   Student
             info base   teacher   student   base       tution    alone
=========================================================================
            |          |         |         |         |        |         |
LECTURE     |          |         |         |         |        |         |
            |          |         |         |         |        |         |
=========================================================================
            |          |         |         |         |        |         |
LECTURE AND |          |         |         |         |        |         |
LAB         |          |         |         |         |        |         |
=========================================================================
            |          |         |         |         |        |         |
SEMINAR     |          |         |         |         |        |         |
            |          |         |         |         |        |         |
=========================================================================
            |          |         |         |         |        |         |
DIRECTED    |          |         |         |         |        |         |
STUDY       |          |         |         |         |        |         |
=========================================================================
            |          |         |         |         |        |         |
INDEPENDENT |          |         |         |         |        |         |
STUDY       |          |         |         |         |        |         |
=========================================================================

Issues:

1) How are the components weighted?

2) To what degree should distance education be allowed or encouraged to be
different than face-to-face delivery?

3) Does distance delivery suggest changes that can be made or should be
encouraged to be made to face-to-face delivery?

Your comments are welcome.


======================================================================
8. About the Chronicle

WHAT IS THE ONLINE CHRONICLE OF DISTANCE EDUCATION AND COMMUNICATION?

[What follows is an excerpt from the first issue of the Chronicle, then
the Online Journal of Distance Education and Communication.]

This first issue will be primarily concerned with the Chronicle
itself.  Once we provide an idea of the Chronicle's identity and
direction, we hope you will contribute to this rapidly growing
field of education and communication.

THE MEDIUM
==========>  We want short contributions, 4 screens maximum.  Rather
than trying to compete with a paper-based magazine which does a much
better job of presenting long articles, we want contributions that
present overview information.  Based upon information  gleaned in
contributions, readers can directly contact the author for
more details.

THE MESSAGE
===========> The issues that the Chronicle is concerned with fall into
four basic content areas:

   Content Area #1-  ***  Distance Education ***

     The Chronicle is interested in distance education as the
   organized method of reaching geographically disadvantaged
   learners, whether K-12, post secondary, or general enrichment
   students.  Areas of interest include:
     *  delivery technologies,
     *  pedagogy,
     *  cross cultural issues implicit in wide area education
        delivery,
     *  distance education projects that you are involved with,
     *  announcements, workshops, or programs of study,
     *  anything else  regarding the theory and  practice of
        distance education.

    Content Area #2-  ***  Distance Communications  ***

      The Chronicle recognizes that education encompasses a broad area
   of experience and that distance education includes distance
   communications that fall outside the domain of formal learning.
   The Chronicle welcomes contributions that deal with serving people
   at a distance who aren't necessarily associated with a learning
   i



William Dubie
dubie@tnpubs.enet.dec.com
Digital Equipment Corporation,
Littleton, Mass.

Standard disclaimer: These views don't necessarily
reflect those of Digital Equipment Corporation.