Conference Showcases Ed. Computing Projects

Conference Showcases Ed. Computing Projects The IBM Academic Computing Conference held June 18 to 20 at the Hyatt Regency Airport Hotel in Dallas, Texas, was attended by more than 500 faculty members--representing a variety of disciplines--from 300 institutions of higher education. During both formal and informal sessions, there was ample opportunity to share experiences and ideas, and a number of information systems were presented. One of those systems, ISAAC (Information System for Advanced Academic Computing), is a free service funded by IBM Corp. and operated by The University of Washington. Accessed via a toll-free number, it contains various databases of information. Included are descriptions of projects that use IBM products, listings of software packages suitable for instruction or research, and general information, such as about journals and associations. ISAAC databases are compiled and maintained by independent groups around the U.S. Wisc-Ware is another distribution network for research and instructional software for IBM computers. Its purposes are to provide a convenient mechanism that will allow faculty members to locate software appropriate to their teaching and research and to assist university-based software developers who wish to distribute to faculty and researchers nationwide. Several professional societies have been working together to establish evaluation and distribution mechanisms for various disciplines. The Modern Language Association (MLA) participates in an IBM-sponsored project involving the evaluation and distribution of college-level instructional and research software in English and foreign languages. A wide range of other projects were reported upon and demonstrated in the fields of engineering education, medical education, teacher education and off-campus education. Unique applications in mathematics, physical sciences, psychology, economics, ecology, history, music and art were presented. The emphasis at the conference was on PCs and workstations. Large computers, it was clear, are now reserved for only those tasks which actually require them. Advanced workstations, however, were described as powerful tools making possible new kinds of learning, as tremendous aids in program preparation, and as powerful graphical output display units. In medical education, it is planned to use workstations to integrate color images and graphics, as storage devices, for voice-communication authoring systems and medical databases, and with artificial intelligence techniques. Distance-education projects to enhance the equitability of educational opportunity were also reported upon. The University of Alaska at Anchorage, for example, delivers graduate courses to rural and remote sites. In Teacher-Link, a University of Virginia project, students and teachers interact with each other and withn university faculty over an electronic network. Computer networks, it was obvious, are playing a significant role in supporting communications within the academic community. Few of the projects incorporated a strong component of evaluation. This may be due to the exploratory nature of the work presented. Neverthless, speakers stated frequently that the use of technology in their teaching and research provided them with a better way of achieving their educational goals. Satellite Network Signs Contract With N.C. DOE TI-IN Network, Inc. of San Antonio, Texas, has signed a contract with the North Carolina Department of Education to provide high school instruction and staff development training at 144 sites throughout the state. TI-IN is the nation's first private satellite network to transmit interactive, instructional televised programming to schools and educational agencies across the U.S. More than 300 school districts in 25 states currently subscribe to the network. …