Interactive technology and electronic networks in higher education and research: issues and innovations

Interactive technology facilitates modes of processing and/or sharing of information which until recently were unachievable. The expanded potential of the new machines allows them to gather and present information in several media at speeds which keep pace with normal attention spans for learning. They have the potential to increase educational effectiveness and efficiency by offering the student on-demand access to numerous services and by overcoming geographic and other barriers to the use of educational resources. Interactive educational applications are the logical outgrowth of the advances in three key areas: 1) processing and storage capacity; 2) the ability to maintain and transmit the clarity of data signals among the components of individual machines and the nodes of networks; and 3) the compability of systems from different manufacturers. These conditions are increasingly commonplace in advanced industrial countries with sophisticated technological infrastructures and qualified technicians. Universities and researchers have been the first to incorporate interactive technology and electronic networks into their work by devising ways for computers to perform learning, classroom management, and information sharing tasks. Successful use in education is characterized by significant attention to curriculum design early in the process of innovation. Innovators usually possess a high degree of expertise in their specific fields and are motivated by a desire for increased prestige. Institutional structures which reward time spent in technological pursuits with peer recognition or professional advancement aid the development of interactive applications. Successful projects provide ample assistance to end-users in traditional or easy-to-use formats, such as telephone "help-lines" or help-desks manned by technicians. The use of sophisticated technology is still conditioned by considerations which are unrelated to the potential of the machines. These sociological considerations often mean that the most basic services of high tech computers receive the greatest use, especially in initial phases. Strategies for successful use consider pedagogy and the sociological factors which influence use along with the technical capabilities of the interactive machines.