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This case study examined the educational software evaluation processes of pre-service teachers who attended either expertise-based training (XBT) or traditional training in conjunction with a Software-Evaluation checklist. Forty-three mathematics teacher candidates and three experts participated in the study. All participants evaluated educational software selected by the novice groups in accordance with Software Evaluation checklist. Two analysis procedures were applied: (a) similarities in rankings of the same educational software between the XBT and traditional groups using the checklist and (b) organizing common themes in the data collected through journals and in-class observations. The results showed that the expert-XBT group agreement rate was 63%, while the expert-traditional group agreement rate was 42%. Moreover, the XBT group showed a similar approach to the experts, including assessing each criterion and evaluating the software as a whole. (Contains 2 tables and 2 figures.)

In October 2012, Microsoft will release the commercial version of its next operating system, presently called "Windows 8." This version represents a significant departure from the past. Microsoft wants this operating system to meet user needs regardless of physical platform (e.g., desktop, notebook, tablet, mobile phone). As part of this mission, the company has created a new, touch-oriented user interface that has already appeared on new Windows phones. What will the release of this new operating system, which does not rely on mouse-clicks, mean for educators? How will the Windows 8 interface challenge teachers of information technology? This article will discuss these issues based on what is currently known about this new product. Schools do not need to upgrade, as there is no "killer application" forcing the use of Windows 8. Current Windows 7 software will run fine on most versions of Windows 8. Using a touch-screen display with Windows 8 is helpful, but not required. (Contains 2 figures and 1 table.)

The Internet is creating exciting opportunities for universities and their stakeholders. Universities are experimenting with different modes of education. E-learning is one such mode, where students can learn from any place at any time, as long as they have an Internet connection. A course management system (CMS) facilitates e-learning, making it critical to select a system that can meet the needs of all its stakeholders. This paper addresses a hybrid approach used to select a course management system for a mid-Atlantic university. The resulting product is the outcome of faculty input, inputs from the program manager of e-Learning, students, and other stakeholders. The authors have experienced four different CMSs over twelve years of teaching online. Instead of re-inventing the wheel, universities planning to venture into e-learning or trying to revamp their current CMS can learn from our experiences. The case study could assist current and future Web course faculty in selecting a CMS to suit their teaching needs. In addition, by increasing their awareness of various capabilities that might be present in their current CMS, the discussion in the paper could also encourage the faculty to revamp their courses. (Contains 1 figure and 4 tables.)

The paper describes the theory and definition of the practice of librarianship, specifically addressing how Web 2.0 technologies (tools) such as synchronous messaging, collaborative reference service and streaming media, blogs, wikis, social networks, social bookmarking tools, tagging, RSS feeds, and mashups might intimate changes and how libraries provide access to their collections and user support for that access. (Contains 1 table.)

Game-based learning harnesses the advantages of computer games technology to create a fun, motivating and interactive virtual learning environment that promotes problem-based experiential learning. Such an approach is advocated by many commentators to provide an enhanced learning experience than those based on traditional didactic methods. However, the adoption of such a seductive learning method engenders a range of technical, educational and pedagogical challenges, including: (i) how to enable domain experts--with little computer games development skills--to plan, develop and update their teaching material without going through endless and laborious iterative cycles of software and content development and/or adaptation; (ii) how to choose the right mix of entertainment and game playing to deliver the required educational and pedagogical lesson/teaching material; and (iii) how to reuse existing games software frameworks and associated editing environments for game-based learning. Much research is already underway at addressing the stated challenges; however, these approaches do not address the key challenge of facilitating the planning and development of teaching material with the right mix of pedagogical elements, educational components and fun. Thus, this study aims to investigate the use of model-driven software engineering approaches to facilitate non-technical domain experts (teachers) to plan, develop and maintain game-based learning resources regardless of the intricacies of the game engine/environment (platform) used. This article investigates the state-of-the-art in model-driven game development to provide a summary of developments in game design languages, game software modelling languages, game models, game software models, model-driven game frameworks, game software frameworks, model-driven engineering tools and assistive user interfaces. The findings from this survey will prove a useful guide for future development of high-level educational game creation tools for game-based learning. (Contains 3 tables, 18 figures and 31 notes.)

In these difficult economic times, everyone is on the lookout for savings. This author, an adult services librarian at New City Library in New York, has spent the last two years implementing small-scale open source and freeware replacements where proprietary or paper solutions once ruled. While none of these projects is individually revolutionary, the library has learned from each one, and it continues to move forward technologically without requiring more money. Designing and managing a website in-house may seem like a lot of work, but the tradeoff is complete autonomy. No need trying to run down an overworked web designer or calling an unreachable company to make changes. Even better, most open source content management systems (CMSs) allow one to put the website into everyone's hands thanks to powerful blogging elements. This article describes several open source and freeware options that can save a library money without losing the freedom to experiment.

The increasing ease and ubiquity of video has resulted in a proliferation of video annotation tools used and designed for improving education. While similar, each tool has its relative strengths and weaknesses. Choosing the "right" tool can have an impact on the experience of teachers and the effectiveness of video as a means for improving teaching and learning. In this article, we present ten guiding questions for making an informed choice about which video annotation tool will best suit each individual situation.

Although many teacher training programs and school districts offer courses and workshops on technology integration in instruction, research shows that teachers still face major challenges especially as it relates to selecting and using developmentally appropriate technology to meet the needs of diverse learners. The current study examines the selection criteria used by early childhood teachers in a mid-western school district. The results of the study suggest that most teachers have a general idea of what constitutes developmentally appropriate technology. However, barriers such as the availability of time to learn the software, lack of funding for purchasing software, lack of teacher understanding of the connection between the technology and the curriculum, lack of technical support, limited age appropriate software, and an inability to access and try available material continue to inhibit teachers from selecting such technology for the teaching and learning process. (Contains 3 tables.)

In recent years, a considerable number of teachers in Spain have been using DERIVE to teach math subjects in High Schools and Universities. This software has been used by the authors of this work as a support tool in Mathematics courses for Engineering. Since Texas Instruments does not support DERIVE, we were faced with finding an alternative software product, and considering the possibility of using a public-domain software such as MAXIMA. Here we make a comparative study of DERIVE and MAXIMA as support tools for a Calculus course for first year Engineering students. First we have a brief look at the use of both systems in Spain and our experience with them. Then, we make a comparative study of DERIVE and MAXIMA, following a specific protocol based on a Systemic Model of Software Quality. Finally, we perform a quantitative evaluation and we conclude that MAXIMA can be used to carry out learning activities similar to those that we have been doing with DERIVE. (Contains 6 figures and 3 tables.)

This paper describes an integration of different Relational Database Management System (RDBMS) of two Course Management Systems (CMS) called Sakai and the Common Factory for Inspiration and Value in Education (CFIVE). First, when the service of CMS is provided campus-wide, the problems of user support, CMS operation and customization of CMS are clarified from past experience. Additionally, various Japanese specific educational practices are reviewed. The candidate CMSs are selected by using proposed methods at Requirements Engineering (RE) research community. Finally, in order to consider possible application of these CMSs, the running environment of different two CMSs are discussed, and the integration of different RDBMS on two CMSs is described. (Contains 2 tables and 3 figures.)

This paper presents the rationale behind the utilization of a Moodle Learning Management System for the facilitation of a blended learning approach in the Informatics department. The authors present and analyze the steps followed in order to replace the prior decentralized organizational structure of the courses, which consisted of a multitude of different and incompatible systems. The main goal was to implement a single system, which would be easy to operate, maintain, and update, and would cater to the variety of instructor and student needs. Furthermore, evaluation data of the new system is presented in detail. The analysis of the results serves to confirm the success of this department-wide migration. (Contains 2 tables and 5 figures.)

A comprehensive survey on the Internet based virtualisation of experiments is presented, covering several individual as well as collaborative efforts in various engineering disciplines. From this survey it could be concluded that there is a pressing need to develop full-fledged remote laboratory experiments for integrated directly into engineering curricula. The paper subsequently summarises the experiences of authors during the design, evolution and implementation of virtualisation for a number of engineering experiments, enabling these to be accessed through the Internet as virtual experiments. It also covers the features required to give the "feel" of performing experiments, inclusion of learning components, incorporation of easy navigation, testing of effectiveness of learning, and development of useful feedback mechanisms. A detailed feedback analysis from prospective learners is presented on the effectiveness of the virtual laboratory.

Repositories with educational resources can support the formation of online learning communities by providing a platform for collaboration. Users (e.g. teachers, tutors and learners) access repositories, search for interesting resources to access and use, and in many cases, also exchange experiences and opinions. A particular class of online services that take advantage of the collected knowledge and experience of users are collaborative filtering ones. The successful operation of such services in the context of real-life applications requires careful testing and parameterization before their actual deployment. In this paper, the case of developing a learning resources' collaborative filtering service for an online community of teachers in Europe was examined. More specifically, a data set of evaluations of learning resources was collected from the teachers that use the European Schoolnet's learning resource portal. These evaluations were then used to support the experimental investigation of design choices for an online collaborative filtering service for the portal's learning resources. A candidate multi-attribute utility collaborative filtering algorithm was appropriately parameterized and tested for this purpose. Results indicated that the development of such systems should be taking place considering the particularities of the actual communities that are to be served.

In the Netherlands, as in many other countries, the algebraic expertise of students graduating from secondary education is an issue. The use of digital tools for algebra education is expected to change epistemologies, activity structures and student achievement. Therefore, a study was set up to investigate in what way the use of ICT in upper secondary education might enhance the algebraic expertise of students. One of the first decisions to be made concerned the choice of appropriate digital tools. This paper describes the process of designing and using an instrument for evaluating digital tools. The conceptual framework guiding this process includes notions on symbol sense, instrumental genesis and formative assessment. The evaluation instrument is designed through a Delphi method and provides a blueprint of tool features that are relevant for the purpose of this study. The results show that such an evaluation instrument is valuable both for choosing appropriate digital tools and for making concrete the aims and expectations that researchers have on the issue of integrating technology in algebra education. The final instrument is presented and illustrated through examples implemented in different digital algebra tools. (Contains 5 tables, 8 figures, and 3 footnotes.)

In March 2007, SirsiDynix notified its Horizon and classic Dynix customers that it would not be releasing Horizon 8.0 in favor of developing its Unicorn software. As vice president/president-elect of SirsiDynix's Horizon/Dynix user group, the author was one of the first ones to be notified of this abrupt change in company strategy. The news sent shock waves through the SirsiDynix user community. The author is assistant director, user services, of Bibliomation, a Connecticut consortium of 48 public libraries and 20 K-12 schools. Faced with an ILS migration, this daunting inevitability became the primary focus of Bibliomation's spring 2008 strategic planning meetings. The end result of their planning process--to begin an exploration of open source ILS systems as a viable alternative to the ever-shrinking proprietary vendor marketplace to determine their feasibility for the network. In developing that strategic plan, a possible migration to an open source system was discussed at length and embraced by everyone else on the strategic planning committee, despite the author's reservations. In this article, the author, a recovering open-source-ILS-phobe, tells her story of how she learned to stop worrying and love open source. She discusses her four issues with their pending migration to an open source ILS and how they were resolved: (1) Lack of knowledge and support; not enough in-house staff with expertise to support it--Resolved by Bibliomation's hiring of two new key positions and the creation of an open source team; (2) Not enough time, timeline was too short; open source too new--Resolved by lengthening timeline to September 2011 to give open source time to ripen; (3) Fear that the code would be too buggy and unstable--Resolved by actually testing Evergreen and seeing how stable the releases are; few patches in between releases; and (4) Uncertain future; open source like the Wild West; fear of code forking and their system being a dead branch--Resolved by partnering with Equinox, whose corporate culture seems all about sharing the load with other open source vendors, such as Brendan Gallagher's company, ByWater Solutions.

It seems appropriate, if not necessary, to use empirically supported criteria to evaluate reading software applications. This study's purpose was to develop a research-based evaluation framework and review selected beginning reading software that might be used with struggling beginning readers. Thirty-one products were reviewed according to criteria that addressed interface design, instructional design, and beginning reading content. Findings suggested that the software sample generally did not meet the evaluation standards. Results also indicated that software rating highly on interface design tended to rate lower on beginning reading content. Based on these results, implications for practice and next steps for research are also discussed. (Contains 3 tables.)

Twitter. Facebook. These names stir up feelings, opinions, and experiences in just about everyone. As these services rise in popularity, libraries have begun to use them to reach out to patrons. Some libraries use Twitter but not Facebook. Some use Facebook but not Twitter. Some use both Facebook and Twitter, while others use neither. Yes, the popularity of these social networking services does warrant implementation as a way to reach patrons. But, as the author had always preferred using Facebook, was there room for Twitter at the table? As he struggled with this issue, many questions occupied his thoughts when discussing libraries and social networking. Should a library choose one over the other? What are the major differences, if any? Does one service have greater value or return on your investment? Was there an easy way to do both? In May 2010, Illinois' Fremont Public Library, where author Curt Tagtmeier is a reference librarian, began a project that started a Facebook page and a Twitter profile to take advantage of the popularity of social networking. This article will seek to answer the question of whether a library should choose Facebook or Twitter in a battle of the social network stars.

Courses in Computer Architecture and Organization are regularly included in Computer Engineering curricula. These courses are usually organized in such a way that students obtain not only a purely theoretical experience, but also a practical understanding of the topics lectured. This practical work is usually done in a laboratory using simulators of computer systems. Since the open literature contains a variety of simulators being used for such purposes, this paper attempts to give a survey of simulators suitable for teaching courses in computer architecture and organization, to establish the evaluation criteria and to evaluate selected simulators according to these criteria. (Contains 4 tables and 2 figures.)

Digital lecture capture and broadcast solutions have been around for only about 10 years, but are poised for healthy growth. Frost & Sullivan research analysts estimate that the market (which amounts to $25 million currently) will quadruple by 2013. It's still dominated by a few key players, however: Sonic Foundry holds a hefty 40 percent-plus market share, and only a handful of vendors provide the lecture capture systems in use at most major universities. The cost of these systems varies widely, though, depending on the features and functions available. In general, vendors charge a fairly inexpensive licensing fee for software--DyKnow, for example, charges anywhere from $24 to $108 per license depending on the product and volume. Watch out: Hardware, training, and maintenance costs can run into tens of thousands of dollars a year. Many vendors offer programs that capture content in some form or other; even an iPod, for example, can be used to record a lecture and play it back. A full-fledged content capture system, however, is designed "specifically" for that purpose and offers a spectrum of features tailored to K-12 or higher education instructional content. This article provides a sampling (in alphabetical order by vendor name) of major lecture capture solution providers whose products fit that definition.

Like any infrastructure technology, Virtual World (VW) platforms provide affordances that facilitate some activities and hinder others. Although it is theoretically possible for a VW platform to support all types of activities, designers make choices that lead technologies to be more or less suited for different learning objectives. Virtual World platforms' capabilities can be characterized in terms of the extent to which they are multiple or special purpose and the degree to which they support incorporation of few or many knowledge resources. Matching these capabilities with a framework for characterizing instructional approach and learning objectives provides a basis for selecting, piloting, and advocating use of particular VW platforms in specific educational contexts. (Contains 4 figures and 3 tables.)

Even a quick review of U.S. households, daycare centers, and preschools reveals widespread use of digital programs and products with young children. Research indicates that regardless of the hard technology that delivers these digital applications, their content most significantly affects the experience and outcomes. A primary question thus becomes how should parents, teachers, and caregivers select digital literacy content for young children? In this article, a schema has been devised for evaluating digital content using six domains: interactivity, digital literacy, global citizenry, appropriateness, results, and participative nature. The article defines the domains and discusses research-based guiding questions to pose when selecting technology-based emergent literacy materials for young children. (Contains 1 table.)

With virtual library services increasing, public services librarians may find themselves with questions such as: What instant messaging services (IM) are available? Which IM service would best suit my patrons' needs? Which IM service best suits my library's technology profile? This column describes the features and functionality of major instant messaging providers and clients as they relate to library needs, specifically for the provision of instant message reference services. The sites reviewed in this column have been selected as quality examples of IM providers that have great potential for use within libraries, enabling library professionals to better collaborate with one another and reach out to patrons. In this issue, the "Internet Resources" column features narrative and commentary from one reviewer, Amanda K. Izenstark, who presents a comprehensive review and comparison of the various IM providers currently available. The "Public Services Quarterly" Internet Column is designed to highlight resources librarians can use to increase their awareness, augment their skills, and provided better services to their patrons. While strengths and weaknesses of each site are included in these reviews, the sites chosen are recommended or highly recommended for use by academic librarians. All sites are listed and easily accessible from http://psqInternet.googlepages.com/home. All questions and comments about the "Public Services Quarterly" Internet Column can be directed to Nicole A. Cooke at: PSQInternet@gmail.com.

Planning is necessary in selecting the appropriate digital asset management system for your institution. Key issues one should consider in planning: the objects to be stored, where they come from, and how they will be accessed; the end users; and the needed staffing levels for system maintenance. During the development of the system requirements, think about the scope and objectives of projects and the business, functional, and testing requirements. Weigh the advantages and disadvantages of open-source and vendor-provided software. Talking with similar institutions and other customers about their experiences can provide valuable insight and advice. (Contains 6 notes.)

Deciding whether to go with a particular open source product is an exercise in risk management: understanding the risks of one's possible actions and choices, calculating when a certain level of risk is appropriate to reach a desired outcome, and planning for how to handle negative outcomes. To be sure, opting to go with a particular proprietary product is similar, but evaluating the risk level of an open source product is new terrain for many in the library world and deserves special attention. There are some aspects of evaluation that really aren't much different for open source than for any other software (what features the software offers and if they meet one's identified needs, how well they work, how satisfied existing customers are, what the technical requirements for running the software are, and so on). But some issues need to be approached differently for open source. One issue of overriding concern among most librarians is support. This article takes a critical look at common support scenarios for open source software.

Is open source business intelligence (OS BI) software ready for prime time? The author thoroughly investigated each of three OS BI toolsets--Pentaho BI Suite, Jaspersoft BI Suite, and Talend Open Studio--by installing the OS BI tools himself, by interviewing technologists at academic institutions who had implemented these OS BI solutions, and by discussing the products with their developers/vendors. The author saw the benefits starting right up front, with the self-assessment and product-evaluation stage. Typically, with proprietary enterprise-level applications, the requirements assessment and software evaluation are time-consuming processes. Technologists ordinarily look at all possible options relative to the assessed requirements, and then create a short list of three or four products worthy of detailed scrutiny. With open source products, however, the evaluation process is relatively painless: Download it, install it, and run the demo. This article discusses the open source difference compounded in BI and offers several best practices for OS BI implementation.

Emergency notification has become a critical component of every higher education institution's overall emergency plan, as incidents across the country have galvanized campus safety officials to find more ways to notify their campus populations. Emergency notification systems can help get and keep students, faculty members, and staff out of harm's way. There are abundant options in emergency notification. Distinguishing features among offerings include: whether the system is maintained in-house or outsourced; the means used to contact campus community members; whether alerts can be targeted to specific groups; and whether the emergency notification system stands alone or is integrated with other campus systems.

With the widespread digitization of art, photography, and music, plus the introduction of streaming video, many colleges and universities are realizing that they must develop or purchase systems to preserve their school's digitized objects; that they must create searchable databases so that researchers can find and share copies of digital files; that they must track access control and permissions information; and that they need to integrate multimedia with learning management systems. Although today there is a wide range of commercial solutions available (each of which can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars), there is also a thriving open source community called Fedora Commons (www.fedora-commons.org), targeting digital asset management in higher education. Yet a few years ago, neither proprietary nor open data asset management (DAM) solutions existed. This article takes a look at how different universities such as the University of Michigan, The Johns Hopkins University, and Gallaudet University create their DAM systems.

Over the last few years, there has been a wealth of materials written and presented on next-generation library catalogs. These next-generation interfaces strive to turn "standard" integrated library systems (ILSs) into more nimble and robust search platforms that offer more user-friendly 2.0 enhancements for users. Rather than abandoning one ILS in favor of another, libraries are increasingly opting to put a new face onto an existing ILS by choosing from the variety of vendor-created products and placing one of these atop a native ILS interface. In comparison with the time and impact of a complete ILS replacement, this option is meant to leverage the technical expertise of the vendor to quickly and efficiently provide the library with a "better" catalog. In the summer of 2007, staff members at the DiMenna-Nyselius Library at Fairfield University undertook a study of next-generation library catalogs, which was inspired by the director of library services and the university librarian attending vendor demonstrations at ACRL 2007. The staff looked at a wide array of products available at the time, and their final choice was Innovative Interfaces, Inc.'s (III's) Encore. The DiMenna-Nyselius Library is the first SirsiDynix library to implement an Encore system. As such, they are in a relatively unique position to comment on the intricacies of such a project that merges two disparate systems. This article will touch upon the evaluation and selection processes they went through when choosing their next-generation library catalog. It will also offer some points to consider in making the leap.

Conventional and hosted applications thrive, but open source ERP (enterprise resource planning) is coming on strong. In many ways, the evolution of the ERP market is littered with ironies. When Oracle began buying up customer relationship management (CRM) and ERP companies, some universities worried that they would be left with fewer choices and higher prices. Yet, the rise of open source has created a whole range of new ERP options. In addition to Oracle, today's options include Jenzabar, Campus Management, Datatel, SunGard Higher Education, and numerous others. The rise of open source ERP does not, however, spell certain doom for traditional closed source offerings. Commercial software companies from Oracle to SunGard have evolved their offerings to help universities march forward with their ERP initiatives. And SaaS providers such as RightNow Technologies have quietly carved out a niche for themselves in higher education. Still, choosing an ERP system is no simple task. In addition to the financial and product feature considerations, another factor plays a growing role in the ERP selection process: culture. Universities that prefer established, reliable, profitable software partners continue to consolidate their ERP systems around Oracle, SAP, SunGard, and several other well-known options. On the other hand, some universities are willing to take a few risks in order to gain complete control over their ERP code. In this article, the author offers tips for choosing the best ERP solutions for one's own institution.

Course management systems (CMSs) are software systems designed to manage course content and course activities. These tools integrate technological and pedagogical features into a web-based system that allows instructors, even those who are unfamiliar with web-based technologies, to design, deliver, and manage an online course. However, CMSs have introduced so much new functionality so fast that end users have not had a chance to seriously reflect on what they need or want. In this article, the authors review some literature to identify common weakness across CMSs. The authors then recommend technological accommodations that should make learning with these tools more efficient and enjoyable.

Portals have become indispensable for organizations of all types trying to establish themselves on the Web. Unfortunately, there have only been a few evaluative studies of portal software and even fewer of open source portal software. This study aims to add to the available literature in this important area by proposing and testing a checklist for open source portal software evaluation. The study describes the experience of evaluating open source portal software for developing a portal for cultural information exchange. Using the checklist, four candidate open source portal software packages, namely Jetspeed, uPortal, Liferay Portal and eXo Platform were evaluated. Results indicated that uPortal was the best performer followed by eXo platform, Liferay and Jetspeed. The present work represents a first step in the development of an exhaustive evaluation tool for portals. While the focus of this paper is entirely on open source software, the checklist can also be readily applied to commercial products. (Contains 1 table.)

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to describe the selection process and criteria that led to the implementation of the Koha 3.0 library management system (LMS) at the Complementary and Alternative Medicine Library and Information Service (CAMLIS), Royal London Homoeopathic Hospital. Design/methodology/approach: The paper is a report based on internal documentation. Findings: Koha 3.0 was selected because the GNU licence (open source) was considered more future-proof than proprietary products, and more open to customisation to meet the special needs of the library. Research limitations/implications: The library is still in the early stages of the LMS implementation. How far the Koha LMS implementation has met the library's needs will only become clear after at least one year's use. Practical implications: The conclusions drawn from this report relate to the concept of implementing an open source LMS. The author will report on the completed implementation in a year's time. Originality/value: This is amongst the first implementations of Koha in the UK. Experience and conclusions from this installation might influence decisions at other libraries.

This article describes a computer-based technology for generating speech called text-to-speech (TTS). This software is ready for widespread use by libraries, other organizations, and individual users. It offers the affordable ability to turn just about any electronic text that is not image-based into an artificially spoken communication. The authors further explain the software's pros and cons and list a few vendors of standalone TTS software programs. Lastly, they offer advice for librarians in considering TTS software.

Given the recent spate of library system vendor acquisitions and consolidations, integrated library system (ILS) migrations have become a hot topic again. Although ILS migrations happen all the time, they tend to be cyclical in nature. Today, people are thinking broadly about what options might be available to them. These include changing vendors, using systems not traditionally associated with a particular library segment, or joining an open source ILS community. In the current marketplace, nothing is beyond consideration. These migrations, however, are distinguished from the efforts that many libraries are undertaking to implement new systems for gaining additional functionality, such as next-generation catalogs. While these next-gen implementations are closely related to the underlying problems and general dissatisfaction with traditional systems, they are distinct from the current ILS migration trend. The primary reason for this is that next-gen system implementations do not, in most cases, replace the library management back-end system, but instead graft new front-end, patron-facing components to the in-place ILS. This article discusses the issues that libraries must consider when migrating to ILS and lists the steps involved in the migration.

Two years after the first low-cost radio-frequency audience response system using clickers was introduced for college classrooms, at least six different systems are on the market. Their features and user-friendliness are evolving rapidly, driven by competition and improving technology. The proliferation of different systems is putting pressure on universities to standardize or otherwise limit the number of different clickers a student is expected to acquire. To facilitate that choice, the strengths and weaknesses of six systems (instruction Classroom Performance System, Qwizdom, TurningPoint, Interwrite PRS, iClicker, and H-ITT) are compared, and the factors that should be considered in making a selection are discussed. In our opinion, the selection of a clicker system should be driven by the faculty, although students and the relevant teaching and technology support units of the university must also participate in the dialogue. Given the pace of development, it is also wise to reconsider the choice of a clicker system at regular intervals. (Contains 6 figures and 1 table.)

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to provide a summary of the experiences of setting up an institutional repository at Loughborough University, focusing on some of the key issues that it was necessary to consider, the choices made and the challenges overcome. Design/methodology/approach: The paper outlines the various decision processes involved during the 12-month pilot phase. These include: choosing appropriate software; customising DSpace; implementing licences; and gathering content for the repository. Findings: The experiences highlight some of the challenges involved in setting up an institutional repository. Originality/value: This paper gives a direct insight into the different types of work involved in the setting up of an institutional repository and is an example of a system set up outside the boundaries of project funding.

E-learning describes electronically delivered learning, using tools like web conferencing, web-based tutorials, message boards, online assessments, and more. The term e-learning includes self-paced learning; asynchronous facilitator-led learning, where the students and instructors interact at different times; and synchronous facilitator-led learning, where the students and instructors interact at a set time. An independent survey commissioned by WebJunction in 2005 was conducted in order to provide baseline data for developing strategies for the effective and productive use of online learning. This article summarizes key findings of the survey, together with reports from the field.

Computers running appropriate software hold great promise for teaching and learning mathematics. To this end, SRI International developed an integrated, computer-based problem solving environment called "Math Insight" that included interactive tools, such as a spreadsheet and dynamic geometric sketches, and professionally produced videos used to situate a wide variety of mathematics challenges. The developers envisioned that "Math Insight" would develop students' mathematics skills and their proficiency with computer-based tools, based on solving novel problems incorporated in the software. Evaluation data from teachers and students were positive. However, a number of factors worked against commercialization, including passage of the No Child Left Behind Act, a decrease in school technology funds, and a large decline in education software sales. Freely available mathematics applets and open source software are becoming an important alternative source of software for mathematics education. However, whatever software solutions are chosen, policymakers must be sure that they are part of a coherent education program. (Contains 3 figures and 5 footnotes.)

Schools are currently receiving increased funds for multimedia software for classrooms. There is a need for good software in the schools, and there is a need to know how to evaluate software and not naively rely on advertisements. Evaluators of multimedia software for education must have the skills to critically evaluate and make decisions not only about format, but also content and the process of learning. The evaluation form developed in this paper is a simple and practical product that presents a balanced set of guidelines for evaluating and selecting educational multimedia software.

Edna Chun and Alvin Evans explain how a low-cost application service provider model can benefit institutions looking to streamline and simplify the recruitment and hiring process, yet still attract top talent. They offer tips for selecting a vendor, examine the importance of collaboration between and among different campus constituents in designing and implementing an applicant tracking system, and share some guidelines that their own institutions followed in making the switch from "paper chase to cyberspace."

This article begins by explaining the concepts of proprietary and open source software technology, which are now competing in the marketplace. A review of recent individual and cooperative technology development and public policy advocacy efforts, by both proponents of open source software and advocates of proprietary software, subsequently follows, with supporting positions articulated. This is followed by an analysis of the results of a recent draft of a Center for Strategic & International Studies global study of government initiatives to incorporate open source software as an option in their institutional operations. The article concludes with analysis and recommendations on public policies for appropriate software technology assessment policy. For governments, the encouragement of neutral standards (i.e., not favoring one software business model), open competition for research funding of software development, and nondiscrimination in computer software procurement policies will result in the most effective and efficient procurement decisions.

This article discusses the use of IEP software applications from the perspectives of form (i.e., legally correct documents) and function (i.e., educationally appropriate individualized programs). The article provides an overview of the basic components of two fairly comprehensive IEP software programs and discusses the general strengths and weaknesses of IEP software. Suggestions and strategies are offered to help educators become involved in software evaluation and purchasing decisions. Lastly, we offer some optimistic yet cautionary notes about the form versus function aspects of using software to develop IEPs. (Contains 1 table and 4 figures.)

Purpose: To provide practical information on two electronic journal-related products implemented in Library and Information Services at University of Wales Swansea. Design/methodology/approach: An overview is provided of the evaluation of electronic journal management products undertaken and subsequent implementation. Findings: Serials Solutions was evaluated as the best product to assist in the management of electronic journals at Swansea University with LinkFinderPlus, an OpenURL resolver, being used to connect to the full-text journal articles from the library catalogue, citations, abstracts or other journal articles. Practical implications: Provides assistance to institutions in exploring a number of technical issues relating to electronic journal management systems and a process for evaluating and selecting a system. Originality/value: Both systems are still relatively new technology and many institutions will be considering the purchase of both types of system. (Contains 7 figures.)

Online library services have been mostly available uniquely in English. To serve the diverse communities that uses library services, a growing number of libraries have been investigating the ins and outs of offering virtual reference in languages other than English. Developing this kind of service in languages spoken by various library user groups involves a special set of challenges that must be addressed, from selecting virtual reference software that offers user-friendly interfaces in other languages to securing the services of bilingual personnel. In this article, the author describes how they implemented an online bilingual library service at the Ward Chipman Library in University of New Brunswick's Saint John campus.

This article provides a report on NetMeeting as an appropriate fourth-generation tool for interactive language learning in distance mode. It follows on earlier research by Wang and Sun (2000, 2001) on the most urgent problem facing distance language education--lack of provision of oral-visual interaction and the emergence of a fourth-generation distance language learning. The article proceeds through three cumulative parts. The first part is a definitional context of interaction and computer-mediated communication (CMC) as a framework for the article. The second part focuses on interaction as a core problem in the language learning literature and suggests a new taxonomy through CMC in terms of the potential for written, oral, and, more recently, oral-visual interaction. The third part, and the substance of the article, is an empirical investigation of Internet-based videoconferencing tools focusing on NetMeeting as the most appropriate one in terms of meeting criteria proposed for such tools. (Contains 8 figures, 2 tables and 3 notes.)