With today's high demand for online applications and services running on the Internet, software has become a vital component in our lives. With every revolutionary technology comes challenges unique to its characteristics; for online applications, security is one huge concern and challenge. Currently, there are several schemes that address…

Voice over IP (VoIP) has been infiltrating campus networks, but more like stray weeds in an unattended garden than like a well-planned crop. Trouble is, in most instances, moving directly from a PBX or Centrex service to VoIP represents a shift too costly and dramatic for many academic institutions to undertake. Instead, schools have been…

Digital lecture capture and broadcast solutions have been around for only about 10 years, but are poised for healthy growth. Frost & Sullivan research analysts estimate that the market (which amounts to $25 million currently) will quadruple by 2013. It's still dominated by a few key players, however: Sonic Foundry holds a hefty 40 percent-plus…

This paper describes how digital talking books (DTBs) with embedded functionality for learners can be generated from content structured according to the OU OpenLearn schema. It includes examples showing how a software transformation developed from open source components can be used to remix OpenLearn content, and discusses issues concerning the…

The United States Bureau of the Census is making the Internet and other electronic systems the primary sources for its statistics and is actively seeking user feedback on its systems design activities. Discusses the design principles of the Data Access and Dissemination System (DADS) and policy issues of pricing/cost recovery, partnerships, and…

Provides a starting point from which individual libraries can evaluate continuation of their depository status. Many of the basic questions that a library needs to address are explored. Issues covered include availability of government information on the Internet, costs, and incentives. Recommended specifications for public workstations in…

Adoption of new educational technologies usually requires a dissemination strategy as an explicit element in the design of a system. This paper reviews elements in a "student-driven" dissemination strategy for Internet services, based on experiences with "cleo" and "carmen," Internet hosts operated by Murdoch…

Computer-based testing (CBT) is typically implemented using one of three general test delivery models: (1) multiple fixed testing (MFT); (2) computer-adaptive testing (CAT); or (3) multistage testing (MSTs). This article reviews some of the real cost drivers associated with CBT implementation--focusing on item production costs, the costs…

Online learning is growing rapidly across the United States within all levels of education, as more and more students and educators become familiar with the benefits of learning unconstrained by time and place. Across most states and all grade levels, students are finding increased opportunity, flexibility, and convenience through online learning.…