Fox Valley Technical Institute (FVTI) has developed an approach to education which emphasizes competency-based, round-the-clock education entailing short terms, flexible class schedules, and individualized instruction and which has as its focus strong computer support at classroom, technical, and management levels. The college provides 6,000 full-time and 40,000 part-time students with more than 3,000 courses in 90 occupational fields. Students may register for classes at 3-, 6-, 9-, or 12-week intervals, as soon as the classroom space is available. This free-form structure is made possible by the support of computer systems to handle the thousands of class schedules and administrative and instructional details required of competency-based education. The college's success in automating the educational process was the result of lengthy planning and systematic implementation that began in 1970 and resulted in the Automated Office System (AOS) in operation at the college. The AOS is designed to improve staff communication and includes a training component for board members, administrators, technicians, and support staff. Other innovations include a Student Information and Advisement System to provide information on students, classes, courses, and instructors; a student accounting system that places students in classes and records the completion of courses; a cognitive mapping system to determine how students can learn best; instructional computing support services and computer-assisted instruction; and computer-assisted career guidance programs. (HB)