Examines ways in which the federal government will stimulate the growth of information superhighways by reviewing four bills under consideration in the House and Senate; i.e., the National Information Infrastructure Act; the National Competitiveness Act; the Technology for Higher Education Act of 1993; and the Telecommunications and Information…

Michael B. Goldstein discusses academic regulation of telecommunicated learning; Todd D. Gray describes how community colleges can tap into new technologies such as interactive video data service and local multipoint distribution service to distribute programing to off-campus learners; and Kenneth D. Salmon discusses the Telecommunications and…

Identifies some of the common features of authoring programs. Outlines factors to consider when buying an authoring software package, including access to equipment, development and maintenance of courseware, purchasing and updating hardware and software, platform selection, and authoring skills. Presents a list of questions to ask vendors before…

Urges community colleges to become involved in the delivery of work force training through the Community Learning Information Network (CLIN). Highlights CLIN's responsiveness to employers' needs, cost savings through shared equipment, CLIN site design, user-friendly instructional equipment, the opening of new markets for community colleges, and…

Describes the background to the 1994 Reemployment Act, finding a need for the act in the current economic environment and increase in laid off workers resulting from automation. Describes key elements of the act, including the comprehensive dislocated workers initiative and competitive grants to operate universal one-stop career counseling and…

Describes issues affecting the open door policies of community colleges in light of funding cutbacks. Suggests that the central challenges for community colleges will include linking noncredit workforce development programs to the regular college curriculum and ensuring ease of transfer among secondary schools and community colleges. (16…

Describes a model five-tier education system designed to provide an educated, world-class workforce. Suggests that funding for the five tiers (primary schools, secondary schools, two-year colleges, baccalaureate institutions, and graduate colleges) would come from local, state, and federal sources based on their direct interest in the particular…

Describes the success of the National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development's "Innovation Abstracts," a weekly publication written by and for practitioners. Suggests that the publication's success has spread beyond its originally intended audience to faculty, students, trustee and advisory boards, community residents, foundations,…

Describes the creation of the East Valley Think Tank, a consortium of Phoenix, Arizona, primary and secondary school districts, community and vocational colleges, and Arizona State University designed to establish an educational center at Williams Air Force Base following its closure. Provides suggestions for creating a consortium. (MAB)

Examines indicators of current social and educational transformations created by recent advances in information technology. Describes the American Association for Higher Education's Teaching, Learning, and Technology Roundtable Program, designed to monitor and direct the transformation at individual colleges. Includes a checklist for assessing the…

Discusses legal issues involved in developing and distributing multimedia publications. Examines libel; rights of publicity; and such elements of copyright law as copyright protections and infringements, fair use and public domain policies, and use of ideas and factual materials. Uses a hypothetical multimedia project to illustrate the legal rules…

Discusses effects of current societal and technological transformations on community college operations, highlighting the changing nature of information transfer. Examines the new mandate for community colleges, suggesting that colleges of the future must include more self-paced programs, intercollege subcontracting, value-added services, and a…

Details six planning assumptions related to the costs, replacement, and upgrade of computer resources at community colleges. Illustrates the assumptions with examples from the Maricopa County Community College District's efforts to implement and maintain their computer technology. Includes tables of costs of computing equipment from 1986 through…

Describes a national project to unite businesses and community colleges in the production of CD-ROM instructional materials for 22 workplace competencies in 16 modules. Indicates that the program is currently in the "proof of concept" phase, in which 5 community colleges are creating technology-based teaching modules for 9 competencies and…

Describes a study of the use of part-time faculty at community colleges nationwide, focusing on strategies used for managing part-timers. Discusses six recommendations stemming from the study's overall finding that colleges must take steps to improve the utilization and integration of part-time faculty. (18 citations) (MAB)