Building University Electronic Educational Environments : IFIP TC3 WG3.2/3.6 International Working Conference on Building University Electronic Educational Environments August 4–6, 1999, Irvine, California, USA

The Internet and the World Wide Web are deeply affecting the way things are traditionally done. E-commerce is changing businesses; the stock market is accessible to individuals; digitized journals, up-to-date databases, and newsgroups are changing the lives of researchers. Is it reasonable to think that learning will remain unaffected? Nevertheless, universities, with their blend of teaching and research, have much to offer to those who wish to learn more than simple skills: judgment, initiative, and fair competition for research positions. Over the years, universities have acquired invaluable resources in the form of laboratories and libraries with specially trained staff. How can they evolve to take advantage of the many possibilities of the Internet and broadband communication? Many institutions of higher education are trying to integrate new information and communications technologies into current curricula or to develop new learning paradigms for learning. Because it is still so early in the game they are eager to compare their efforts and results to the achievements of others and are willing to learn from them. The International Federation for Information Processing (IFIP) is a multi­ national federation of professional and technical organizations, founded in 1960 under the auspices of UNESCO, whose mission is to assist in the development, exploitation, and application of Information Technology for the benefit of all peoples. Given this scope of activity, IFIP seemed the appropriate body to give an international dimension to such a forum. This volume contains selected papers and panel sessions from the International Working Conference on Building University Electronic Educational Environments, which was held at the University of California, Irvine, in August 1999, and was sponsored by the International Federation for Information Processing (IFIP) Working Groups 3.2 (Computers in University Education) and 3.6 (Distance Learning). Together, these international perspectives range from the ultra-utilitarianism of skills training for employment to views traditionally characterized as representing a `liberal arts education.' Blending the immediately practical with more theoretical analyses, they probe the challenges of technology now confronting faculty, learners, and administrators alike, as all endeavor to understand and to exploit emerging opportunities while preserving the best of existing educational systems. This book provides an historical benchmark, plots promising developments, and provides glimpses of possible futures. Recurring themes and topics include: National Plans and Projects; Learning Paradigms; Meeting Institutional Challenges; Curriculum Development; Defining and Building Technological Environments; Scholarly Electronic Resources; Lifelong Learning; Better Learning Online. This volume will be essential reading for IT researchers and professionals in higher education who are involved in building and using computing systems to realize a virtual university environment. Front Matter....Pages i-xvi The Swiss Virtual Campus: Present Situation and Challenges....Pages 1-15 Experiences with a Hybrid Distance Education Model in Central and Eastern Europe....Pages 17-35 Munics: Multimedia for Problem-Based Learning in Computer Science....Pages 37-50 The Design of a Flexible Hypermedia System....Pages 51-66 VirtualBusinessTeams for Professional Development and Team Learning....Pages 67-78 Panel on Lifelong Learning....Pages 79-89 TC3 Task Force on Lifelong Learning....Pages 91-100 IT-Innovation....Pages 101-114 Re-engineering University Services to Manage ICT in Education....Pages 115-123 Meeting Diverse User Needs....Pages 125-139 Creating Web-based Scenarios to Support Distance Learners....Pages 141-153 CATWEB: A Tool for Developing Courses for the Web and from the Web....Pages 155-167 Combined Research and Curriculum Development of Web and Java Based Educational Modules with Immersive Virtual Environments....Pages 169-185 Moving towards an Effective Electronic Training Environment....Pages 187-199 Building Electronic Educational Environments: Why, What and How?....Pages 201-215 Assessing Instructional Technology....Pages 217-232 Better Learning Online?....Pages 233-251 Commonalities and Differences in Electronic Educational Environments....Pages 253-270 Back Matter....Pages 271-273