The Internet has disrupted or threatened to disrupt the traditional business models in many different areas, including publishing, record companies, retail sales, motion pictures, and advertising. One potential source of disruption for higher education is online learning, especially the recent focus on Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs). Can…

The media environment is currently being dramatically changed by social networking, mobile computing, augmented reality, and transmedia. Of these four, transmedia is probably the least familiar to most educators. Transmedia enhances a central story idea with a variety of media components that provide additional information, give increased…

Two decades ago, many campuses mobilized a major effort to deal with a clear problem; faculty and students needed access to desktop computing technologies. Now the situation is much more complex. Responding to the current challenges, like mobile computing and social networking, will be ore difficult but equally important. There is a clear need for…

It has been over a decade since the computer moved from being primarily a computational and record keeping device to its present state as a communications hub. Some, including this author, have called the application of computing technology to classroom instruction revolutionary. Is this claim justified? More importantly, how will social…

Open access publications provide scholars with unrestricted access to the "conversation" that is the basis for the advancement of knowledge. The large number of open access journals, archives, and depositories already in existence demonstrates the technical and economic viability of providing unrestricted access to the literature that is the…

Several publications, including "Navigating the Badlands" a book by Mary O'Hara-Devereux as well as a report by the National Research Council, suggest troubled times are ahead for society and possibly higher education. The latter report says that, "The impact of information technology on the university will likely be profound, rapid, and…

Do online virtual worlds represent a viable learning environment for higher education? Many Second Life classes resemble their real life equivalents, but some faculty are exploring the potential of virtual worlds for less-traditional teaching. This article describes one such effort, the SUNY Oneonta Music Project, in which faculty and students…

The virtual online world called Second Life can be deceptive. It looks like a game, but the participants are not assigned goals. Indeed, it may be said that the goal of Second Life is to create one's own goals. As a result, the residents of Second Life choose to work in many different directions. Some choose to develop land; some try to earn…

Some have called the current generation of college students the Web generation. They are wrong! The pace of technology change continues to quicken. The effects of globalization and social networking have not yet had their full impact. At best, the present students represent a transitional group. The tools we use define us, and the media revolution…

Despite criticism, lecture continues to be a major instructional method in higher education. Discusses characteristics of effective lectures and variations of lecture presentation using electronic mail, multimedia, the World Wide Web, and CD-ROMs. Argues that lectures provide a sense of place and community and that technology can mediate human…

Describes efforts to include cooperative learning and multimedia in a general chemistry lecture course at the State University of New York College at Oneonta. Highlights include the need for a new course design due to declining student performance, the use of presentation software, costs, student reactions, and differences in teaching styles. (LRW)