Papers on the acquisition and use of computers and telecommunications systems by colleges and universities are presented ("Information Technology: Instruction Is the Issue--An Introduction"; "The 'Star Wars' Universities: Carnegie-Mellon, Brown, and M.I.T."; and "Instruction and the Computer"). The first section describes developments at Carnegie-Mellon University, Brown University, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, which all have large investments in information technology. While the level of investment involved is too high for most colleges, the experiences of these three universities may be valuable to others, particularly with respect to issues of institutional planning and management. Ways that computers might be used to improve teaching and learning are also considered, based on proposals funded by the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education. Applications of the computer to instruction include: using computer simulations of light sources and detectors to introduce the beginner to optics at the University of Maryland, incorporating microcomputers into the curriculum at Colorado State University, the use of computers with hypertext-based systems at the University of Illinois, and Milwaukee Area Technical College's proposal to develop a new resource center and curriculum to support the needs of automation and manufacturing and metal working industries. (SW)