Course Description	This course introduces you to the applications of telecommunications in education. The course is designed for educators to help them apply the latest developments in telecommunications technologies to their own work in education or training . During the course we will be working with two text-based conferencing systems, FirstClass® and a WWW Whiteboard on our web page. The whiteboard will be used for sharing web sites. Students who are enrolled will be given access to FirstClass® for class disc ussion and to post homework.
Textbooks	There are two texts: Computer-Mediated Communication and the Online Classroom, by Zane Berge and Mauri Collins (1995, Hampton Press). Using Communications Media in Open and Flexible Learning, by Robin Mason (1994, Kogan Page).
Topics	Topics covered include: Issues in telecommunication; Local, regional and national problems; Instructional design for the online classroom; Audio and video tools for distance education; Copyright problems and the electronic classroom; and Distance education research. Online resources will supplement the text materials. This class is meant to be an interactive seminar in which students and instructors take active roles in contributing to discussions. You will be expected to have access to the Internet and be proficien t in using e-mail and downloading files. Assignments include weekly discussion papers directed to issues covered in the readings. Some of these discussions will be written. You will also choose a topic which you explore extensively for the final resear ch paper.