Considers the roles and the process that characterize the design of online distance education courses, especially when the online tutors are not real experts in the course content domain. Describes an Italian pilot project that studies the use of Information and and Communication Technologies (ICT) in in-service teacher training. (Author/LRW)

Reviews a pilot project (teaching science) in India. Objectives included the following: developing reliable locally-produced low-cost equipment; finding experiments compatible with the equipment that illustrate principles and practice of modern chemistry; providing teachers with workshops, manuals, and videotapes; establishing a production unit to…

Describes the Virtual Company, a learning environment developed by the Open University (Netherlands) that is modeled after real companies to bridge the gap between learning and working by situating learning in a real-life business setting. Discusses problems in higher education, demands of society, and results of a pilot study. (Author/LRW)

Reviews the Web as an instructional delivery medium and describes a hybrid model for continuing medical education (CME) delivery that merges the Web and CD-ROM. Discusses an evaluation that demonstrated the effectiveness of the model for delivering CME to rural physicians in regions with low bandwidth. (SK)

Two national reform movements--one focused on creating small, autonomous schools, the other fixated on a standardization agenda--are basically in conflict. The standards movement is touting the traditional, top-down, centralized, bureaucratic system modeled after Frederick Taylor and his efficiency experts. Progressive, decentralized initiatives…

Using survey and interview responses, examines school members' perceptions of school autonomy over budget decisions, availability of budget information at the school level, and members' willingness to engage in shared decision making in Rochester, New York. Results suggest there are implementation barriers in Rochester pilot schools. Participants…

Addresses changes in cataloging at the University of California, Berkeley. Discusses experimentation with pilot technical services (OCLC PromtCat, Bibliographic Record Notification, and Repeat Search); technical services staff reductions and the emergence of a new staffing model and motivating supervisors and staff to become more flexible and…

Explores methods of assessing opportunity to learn (OTL) and presents data collected as part of a pilot study of an eighth-grade statewide mathematics assessment to explore issues of validity. Investigates the integrity of various dimensions thought to constitute OTL, analyzes the relationships among teachers' and students' self-reports, and draws…

Outlines a pilot study to test server software designed for delivering tutoring over the Internet, based on a project at the University of Ulster (Northern Ireland) to develop a master's program in Project Management for overseas delivery. Discusses student attitudes toward more flexible learning environments and the efficacy of distance…

Recognizing that religion can positively transform people's lives and that churches and synagogues have altruistic members with diverse abilities, the Escambia County (Florida) School District created church care teams to work with special-needs families and their schools over an extended time. Positive changes in target families are already…

Examines the effectiveness of four Web-based search engines--Alta Visa, infoseek, Lycos, and Open Text--from users' perspectives. Results show that although Lycos has the best relevance ranking performance and highest precision ratio, Alta Vista has the best connectivity, highest user satisfaction ratios for precision and three components of…

Growing numbers of libraries are experimenting with a new form of interactive reference to extend service to their patrons at the point-of-need and time-of-need. Examines digital reference for the altered user culture and point-of-need service products. Describes a pilot project offering chat reference service. Discuses developing service…

Examined issues raised by pilot implementations of "Looking After Children" materials in social-work agencies in England, Canada, Australia, and Sweden. Found that implementation required major organizational change and new values and attitudes toward children in out-of-home care. Difficulties arose when management and monitoring systems…

A task force developed to examine solutions to declining student enrollments and student retention problems, recommended that the University of Oregon Library System develop library courses that address discipline-specific information needs in several library intensive courses, especially in journalism, management, psychology, and women's studies.…

Collaboration among various professional groups to enhance student learning is a very useful strategy. This article describes how one state, Minnesota, over time (1960-1990), employed collaboration among schools, universities, professional organizations, and the State Department of Education to affect student counseling practices where needed.…