Describes the results of a recent forum, and subsequent conference, on the subject of portals and e-business in higher education. Participants, who included financial and information technology professionals, agreed that implementation of portal strategy is necessary, perilous, and difficult in higher education. Colleges and universities will have…

Explains why the data warehouse is important to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology community, describing its basic functions and technical design points; sharing some non-technical aspects of the school's data warehouse implementation that have proved to be important; examining the importance of proper training in a successful warehouse…

Describes Washington State University's (WSU) successful use of the World Wide Web to transform its student admissions process, highlighting: strategic administrative objectives that formed the context for transforming WSU's admissions process; Web services for prospective students (information pages, the Cougar TRACS transfer credit system,…

Describes the development of a Web Certification Program at the University of Virginia. This program offers certificates at three levels: Web Basics, Web Designer, and Web Master. The paper focuses on: determination of criteria for awarding certificates; program status; program evaluation and program effectiveness; and future plans for the Web…

Recently, Dickinson College, Pennsylvania, used the World Wide Web to combat student apathy and encourage students to participate in elections. This article explains: the pros and cons of online voting; planning for online elections; preparing the ballots; specific techniques for conducting online elections; HTML forms and common gateway interface…

Written by Educause's Net@EDU Broadband Pricing Working Group, this article discusses what institutions of higher education can do to develop good partnerships with broadband vendors in order to negotiate affordable pricing for increased bandwidth. Describes problems with the marketplace, examples from a few universities, and points to remember…

Describes George Mason University's Technology Across the Curriculum (TAC) program. Discusses the program in brief, programmatic concerns, identifying technology goals, building the program, program support, assessment, and success factors (ongoing versus sporadic support, course rather than faculty development, technology for learning rather than…

Asserting that an effective information technology (IT) planning process helps leaders determine appropriate roles for IT in learning, teaching, research, outreach, and management and predict how these might change over time, this article offers suggestions for such planning. Examples are: (1) set a general direction and broad objectives; and (2)…

Provides a tutorial on Internet videoconferencing, offering a general description and then addressing: (1) end-user equipment needed (PC-based systems, standalone systems, auxiliary equipment); (2) server equipment; (3) applications of Internet videoconferencing; (4) the Megaconferences; (5) lasting results of the Megaconferences; and (6) the…

Asserting that there is tremendous value to higher education institutions that develop initiatives to share knowledge to achieve business objectives, this article outlines the basic concepts of knowledge management as it is applied in the corporate sector, considers trends, and explores how it might be applied in higher education and whether…

Describes how Austin Community College in Austin, Texas uses information technology (IT) to leverage existing resources, develop solutions, and enhance academic offerings while focusing on their diverse community of students. Discusses organization of IT divisions and committees, distance learning efforts, network infrastructure, integration of…

Describes how online communication puts emphasis on students' comprehension and knowledge of argumentation and thus on how to interact with ideas and each other in a meaningful way. Asserts that they may not be equipped with such skills, and that faculty may not have sufficient skills in monitoring discussions or creating productive communities of…

Asserting that liberal arts colleges' future success is tied to effective use of information technology (IT), this article explores the challenge of cultivating new perspectives, including viewing IT as more than an optional tool and understanding the key importance of networking. Discusses information services staffing challenges and the…

Asserts that universities and corporate boardrooms are faced with many of the same challenges concerning the Internet. Offers recommendations on learning from the "dot com" mistakes: have a business plan that makes sense; focus on your expertise; don't underestimate the costs; it's not just about price; and an institution's people are its finest…

Describes the University of Dayton's Personalized Virtual Room. This Web interface to a virtual space that looks and feels like a campus residence was designed to encourage communication and connectivity among first-year students before they arrive on campus. Discusses the initiative's goals and successes, student reaction, and lessons learned.…