Currently a large number of college students belong to social networks and spend several hours a week on them. Some sectors of society, like parents and teachers, are concerned about the negative impact on their academic work and in their personal lives. However, because the potential positive impacts have not been explored enough, this research…

Summarizes the current state of the art on informational data bases and projects an image of the effective student-scholar of tomorrow. Focuses primarily upon The Source but references a number of other existing data bases which are available to the personal computer enthusiast via existing telecommunications systems. (JAC)

ERIC (Educational Resources Information Center), a national database funded by the U.S. Department of Education to collect and analyze literature on all areas of education and education-related fields, is described. Samples of student activities literature found in a search of ERIC are provided, along with a list of database vendors. (MLW)

Surveyed 47 students in an online business course at an Australian university to determine their attitudes toward, and use of, the online course delivery system. Identified three critical success factors: (1) the technology; (2) the instructor; and (3) previous use of the technology by the student. (SLD)

An experiment in teaching fifth-year pharmacy students to use computers for on-site quick reference purposes was well received by most students. Additional student training, improved computer access in community settings, and further research into areas of drug information need are suggested. (MSE)

A study of 522 university students identified variables related to library anxiety: use of computerized indexes and online facilities, gender, year of study, native language, frequency of library visits, number of library skills courses undertaken, and reasons for using the library. Recommends measures to reduce library anxiety. Includes a…

A large virtual university, a participant in a major distance study, is tracking students' enrollment in online or both online and face-to-face classes (i.e., mixed). Although an online students' profile provides data for examining the digital divide, one-time snapshots are inadequate. Time must be included as a dimension of any analysis of…

CNU Online is the computer-managed instructional delivery system of Christopher Newport University (CNU) (Newport News, Virginia). Fully functional to deliver online courses since fall 1994, CNU Online has undergone a thorough assessment as required in its original assessment plan. In the 1994-95 school year, the online population did not differ…