Edupage, June 02, 2006

*****************************************************
Edupage is a service of EDUCAUSE, a nonprofit association
whose mission is to advance higher education by promoting
the intelligent use of information technology.
*****************************************************

TOP STORIES FOR FRIDAY, JUNE 02, 2006
  Solving the Problem of Distance Exams
  Hummingbird Loses Data on 1.3 Million
  Data Stolen from Auditor
  Government Wants ISPs to Keep Data for Two Years

SOLVING THE PROBLEM OF DISTANCE EXAMS
Troy University is looking to technology to solve a problem created by
technology. Working with a company called Software Secure Inc.,
officials at Troy are directing the development of an electronic
proctor to oversee distance students when they take exams. The device,
called Securexam Remote Proctor, sits next to a student's computer and
connects through the Internet to the host campus. Students verify
themselves by using a fingerprint reader in the device, which also
includes a camera and a microphone that let instructors watch and hear
students remotely as they take tests. Sallie Johnson, director of
instructional design and education technologies, said the Remote
Proctor "allows faculty members to have total control over their
exams." The device is expected to cost about $200, and multiple
students would be able to use the same device for different exams. Some
said the device is unnecessary. Brian Douglas, chief technology officer
for UMass Online, called it "an intrusion into a student’s life." He
said the incidence of cheating among distance students is often
overstated, noting that his institution relies on the honor code and

Edupage, June 05, 2006

*****************************************************
Edupage is a service of EDUCAUSE, a nonprofit association
whose mission is to advance higher education by promoting
the intelligent use of information technology.
*****************************************************

TOP STORIES FOR MONDAY, JUNE 05, 2006
  Looking for Broader Participation
  Teacher Cracks Down on Problem Students
  Spammer Settles, Experiences Change of Heart

LOOKING FOR BROADER PARTICIPATION
A new initiative aims to change the perception of computer
professionals as a bunch of guys who lack social skills by  encouraging
a broader range of students to pursue degrees and careers in computer
science. The Stars Alliance is an organization currently representing
10 colleges and universities, though officials said they hope to
attract more institutions. The organization will send undergraduate and
graduate students in computer science into middle and high schools to
talk to students. Not only will these visits expose younger students to
the idea of going into computer science, it also gives college students
an opportunity to talk about technology with people who are likely not
as computer-savvy, a skill employers say many technical staff lack.
Other efforts of the alliance will include exposing students to
Web-development and multimedia courses earlier in curricula, giving
them a taste of what lies ahead, rather than bogging down first-year
students in "weed-out" math classes. Larry Dennis, dean of the College
of Information at Florida State University and a coprincipal
investigator of the alliance, said, "We're looking at curricular and
infrastructure changes to make these courses more attractive to

Edupage, June 07, 2006

*****************************************************
Edupage is a service of EDUCAUSE, a nonprofit association
whose mission is to advance higher education by promoting
the intelligent use of information technology.
*****************************************************

TOP STORIES FOR WEDNESDAY, JUNE 07, 2006
  Free Books, Electronically
  China Limits Users to Censored Google
  IBM Boosts India Investment for Technology Services
  Study Reports on Employers Monitoring Employee E-Mail

FREE BOOKS, ELECTRONICALLY
Project Gutenberg is organizing a book fair featuring online texts from
its own digital library as well as that of the World eBook Library
Consortia. During the World eBook Fair, which will take place from July
4 to August 4, users can download free copies of books from Project
Gutenberg's collection of 18,000 texts, which are always free, or from
the World eBook Library Consortia, which otherwise cost $8.95 each.
Organizers hope the event will encourage more people to start reading
books electronically, not only on desktop or laptop computers but also
on portable devices. Michael S. Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg,
said, "We get a lot of people reading Project Gutenberg e-books on
PDAs, iPods, pocket PCs, cell phones, etc." Hart said electronic books
benefit those who cannot get physical books from traditional libraries,
noting that the goal of Project Gutenberg is to "break down the bars of
ignorance and illiteracy." Daniel Greenstein, executive director of the
California Digital Library, said that e-books are typically being used
to find facts, not to facilitate "the reading experience that we all
know and love."

Edupage, June 09, 2006

*****************************************************
Edupage is a service of EDUCAUSE, a nonprofit association
whose mission is to advance higher education by promoting
the intelligent use of information technology.
*****************************************************

TOP STORIES FOR FRIDAY, JUNE 09, 2006
  Penn Takes New Approach with Blogs
  Beer Loses Top Spot to iPod
  iTunes in Trouble in Europe

PENN TAKES NEW APPROACH WITH BLOGS
Beginning this fall, all incoming students in the College of Arts and
Sciences at the University of Pennsylvania will keep blogs of their
academic interests and development. Unlike typical blogs, the Penn
blogs will not be public. Access is limited to the student, the
student's advisor, and, under certain circumstances, authorized
university officials. Penn has a long-standing practice of requiring
students to complete questionnaires to help guide their academic
careers, and the popularity of online forums such as Facebook prompted
university officials to introduce the blog format for the questions.
Students will be required to make a small number of entries. Beyond
that, they can keep the blog as current as they choose. The blog
entries will be part of a student's academic record and cannot be
changed later. The introduction of the blogs follows a pilot program
last year involving 300 freshmen.
Inside Higher Ed, 9 June 2006
http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2006/06/09/blog

BEER LOSES TOP SPOT TO IPOD

Edupage, June 12, 2006

Edupage, June 14, 2006

Edupage, June 16, 2006

Edupage, June 19, 2006

*****************************************************
Edupage is a service of EDUCAUSE, a nonprofit association
whose mission is to advance higher education by promoting
the intelligent use of information technology.
*****************************************************

TOP STORIES FOR MONDAY, JUNE 19, 2006
  Ethical Hacking Program to Require Background Check
  Two Universities Report Data Theft
  Addressing Student Plagiarism
  Google Debuts Shakespeare Site
  Wikipedia Adjusts Editing Policy

ETHICAL HACKING PROGRAM TO REQUIRE BACKGROUND CHECK
Students who want to take part in an ethical hacking program at the
University of Abertay in Scotland will be required to pass a background
check to weed out those who might apply the skills learned in the
program to malicious ends. University officials will work with the Home
Office and a Scottish disclosure service to screen applicants, looking
for anyone with a criminal background. The program, called Ethical
Hacking and Countermeasures, is a four-year degree intended to teach
hacking skills to students who will then work with businesses to
prevent hackers from doing damage to computer systems and data. It is
the first program of its kind in the United Kingdom. Responding to
concerns that the program will simply create more hackers, Lachlan
McKinnon, a professor in the program, said the university will do all
it can to ensure students use their skills in a positive manner. He
added, however, that there are no guarantees. "Harold Shipman qualified
as a doctor, after all," he said, "before deciding to become a
murderer."
The Register, 19 June 2006
http://www.theregister.com/2006/06/19/hackers_background/

TWO UNIVERSITIES REPORT DATA THEFT
In unrelated incidents, two universities said personal information on
students had been compromised. At Western Illinois University,
officials said a server that contained between 200,000 and 240,000
Social Security or credit card numbers for current and former students
may have been accessed by a hacker. The school attempted to notify
affected individuals before publicly announcing the breach, advising
them to monitor their credit reports for suspicious activity.
Meanwhile, a thumb drive containing class rosters was stolen from a
faculty member at University of Kentucky. Although the university is in
the process of replacing Social Security numbers as identifiers for
students, the rosters on the stolen drive date back to 1998 and contain
Social Security numbers.
Chronicle of Higher Education, 19 June 2006 (sub. req'd)
http://chronicle.com/daily/2006/06/2006061901t.htm

ADDRESSING STUDENT PLAGIARISM
Sally Brown, pro vice chancellor for assessment, learning, and teaching
at Leeds Metropolitan University in the United Kingdom, believes that
the age of technology has not only made cheating easy but has also
engendered a sense among today's students that there is nothing wrong
with copying and pasting someone else's work into your own. Many
students today, she said, simply do not understand what plagiarism is
and why it is wrong. Of the several approaches Brown suggested for
fixing the problem, the one she thinks the best is designing coursework
around plagiarism. By giving assignments that require personal
knowledge or that compel students to provide regular accounts of their
studies, an instructor can largely avoid the issue of plagiarism,
according to Brown. Other strategies include education, punishments,
and changing the culture among students so that cheaters are looked
down on by everyone.
BBC, 18 June 2006
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/education/5093286.stm

GOOGLE DEBUTS SHAKESPEARE SITE
Google has launched a new Web site specifically for the works of
William Shakespeare and related resources. At the site, users have
access to the full texts of Shakespeare's 37 plays and can search
those texts for words or phrases. The site also has links to academic
resources concerning the plays, online groups that focus on
Shakespeare, and videos of stage productions of Shakespeare's plays.
The site also points users toward Google Earth, which coordinates maps
of the globe with Internet searching. With Google Earth, users can
locate the Globe Theatre in London and find other resources with
information about the site. The site was introduced as part of
Google's sponsoring of New York's "Shakespeare in the Park."
USA Today, 14 June 2006
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/2006-06-14-shakespeare-google_x.htm

WIKIPEDIA ADJUSTS EDITING POLICY
Wikipedia, the online encyclopedia based on the model that anyone can
contribute to or edit any entry, has placed new restrictions on
editing. Certain entries in any reference work are bound to be
contentious, and with Wikipedia, disagreements can escalate to a
"revert war," in which competing factions simply change an entry back
and forth to reflect their opinions. Such disputes have resulted in a
status of "protected" for 82 entries, meaning they cannot be changed at
all, and a status of "semi-protected" for another 179 entries.
Semi-protected entries can only be changed by someone who has been a
registered user for more than four days, the idea being that such a
"cooling off" period will avoid most of the problems resulting from
disagreements. Despite the steps Wikipedia has taken away from the
ideal of "anyone can edit," founder Jimmy Wales says the resource works
and is valuable. Most entries are only protected for a short period of
time, he said, and they represent a fraction of the 1.2 million entries
in the English-language version.
New York Times, 17 June 2006 (registration req'd)
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/17/technology/17wiki.html

*****************************************************
EDUPAGE INFORMATION

To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your settings,
or access the Edupage archive, visit
http://www.educause.edu/Edupage/639

Or, you can subscribe or unsubscribe by sending e-mail to
LISTSERV <at> LISTSERV.EDUCAUSE.EDU
To SUBSCRIBE, in the body of the message type:
SUBSCRIBE Edupage YourFirstName YourLastName
To UNSUBSCRIBE, in the body of the message type:
SIGNOFF Edupage

If you have subscription problems, send e-mail to
EDUPAGE-request <at> LISTSERV.EDUCAUSE.EDU

*****************************************************
OTHER EDUCAUSE RESOURCES

The EDUCAUSE Resource Center is a repository for
information concerning use and management of
IT in higher education. To access resources including
articles, books, conference sessions, contracts,
effective practices, plans, policies, position
descriptions, and blog content, go to
http://www.educause.edu/resources

*****************************************************
CONFERENCES

For information on all EDUCAUSE learning and networking
opportunities, see
http://www.educause.edu/31

*****************************************************
COPYRIGHT

Edupage copyright (c) 2006, EDUCAUSE

Edupage, June 21, 2006

*****************************************************
Edupage is a service of EDUCAUSE, a nonprofit association
whose mission is to advance higher education by promoting
the intelligent use of information technology.
*****************************************************

TOP STORIES FOR WEDNESDAY, JUNE 21, 2006
  Stanford Debuts Computational Earth Science Center
  Blackboard Moving into Assessment
  Telemedicine Program Targets Infant Blindness
  Researchers Claim Fastest Silicon Chip
  Hacking at Ohio University Leads to Staff Suspensions
  High-Tech Cheating Leads to Injuries

STANFORD DEBUTS COMPUTATIONAL EARTH SCIENCE CENTER
Stanford University has launched a new research center to study earth
and environmental sciences. The Center for Computational Earth and
Environmental Science (CEES) includes a new computing facility and an
interdisciplinary research program designed to address geoscience
research, including topics such as climate change, earthquake
detection, oil exploration, and global warming. Jerry Harris, director
of CEES, said, "Underlying interdisciplinary science is computer
technology that allows us to make predictions of what may happen in the
real world." Participating in the new center, which is an extension of
Stanford's existing School of Earth Sciences, are the U.S. Geological
Survey and other governmental agencies and several corporations,
including Chevron, BP, and Sun Microsystems, which donated the hardware
and software for the facility.
CNET, 20 June 2006
http://news.com.com/2100-11395_3-6085937.html

BLACKBOARD MOVING INTO ASSESSMENT
Blackboard, one of the leading providers of course management systems
to higher education, is working on an online course assessment
application for colleges and universities. Assessment is becoming
increasingly important for accreditation and for accountability, and
most observers see online evaluations as the best option. Online
assessment currently takes a number of forms, from loosely regulated
sites for students to rate faculty to more formal course-evaluation
applications. Creating such systems is costly, however, and
institutions that have developed them have spent considerable time and
money to make them workable for administrators who need data and for
faculty and students who use them. Blackboard's system is expected to
focus on evaluating the course as opposed to the professor, and
officials from the company said the application could eventually grow
to include centralized testing, though this would not be part of the
initial version.
Inside Higher Ed, 20 June 2006
http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2006/06/20/blackboard

TELEMEDICINE PROGRAM TARGETS INFANT BLINDNESS
Organizers of a telemedicine program run by Stanford University hope
the technology can save the vision of infants born with Retinopathy of
Prematurity (ROP), a condition that affects 80,000 babies each year and
blinds about 600 of them. Evaluation by a qualified doctor is key to
diagnosing the condition and treating it properly, which can prevent
blindness. The number of doctors who specialize in ROP is dwindling,
however, stretching thin those who can identify and treat it. With the
Stanford University Network for the Diagnosis of ROP (SUNDROP), digital
imaging allows doctors to examine patients remotely, thereby greatly
improving their chances of keeping their sight. Using the technology,
doctors can correctly diagnose about 92 percent of the cases diagnosed
by doctors who perform in-person examinations. Professor Darius
Moshfeghi led development of SUNDROP, which has allowed him to spend
significantly less time traveling to see patients in person, leaving
much more time for evaluating infants for the condition.
Wired News, 20 June 2006
http://www.wired.com/news/technology/medtech/0,71041-0.html

RESEARCHERS CLAIM FASTEST SILICON CHIP
A team of academic and industry researchers has demonstrated a speed of
500 gigahertz for a silicon-based computer chip they developed. The
team included individuals from the Georgia Institute of Technology,
Korea University in South Korea, and IBM. To reach 500 gigahertz, which
is about 250 times faster than many chips used today, the researchers
conducted the test in an environment 451 degrees below zero
(Fahrenheit); at room temperature, the chip reportedly still reaches
speeds of around 350 gigahertz. Technology consultant Dan Olds said the
announcement indicates that "we're not coming anywhere near the end in
what processors are capable of." IBM's Bernard Meyerson said the
chips, which might be available in consumer devices within two years,
could lead to significant leaps in the capabilities of computing
devices.
New York Times, 20 June 2006 (registration req'd)
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/20/technology/20chip.html

HACKING AT OHIO UNIVERSITY LEADS TO STAFF SUSPENSIONS
Following a string of computer breaches at Ohio University, school
officials have suspended two IT supervisors--the director of
communications network services, and the manager of Internet and
systems. The university has suffered five separate incidents since
March 2005, including a recent episode that may have compromised as
many as 173,000 Social Security numbers. About two dozen individuals
have reportedly notified the university that they have been the victims
of identity theft in the past year. The two members of the IT staff who
were suspended will remain on leave through the conclusion of an
investigation into the breaches. Roderick McDavis, president of Ohio
University, is also expected to ask the trustees for as much as $2
million to fund improvements to the university's computer security.
McDavis apologized to those affected by the breaches, saying, "We hold
ourselves fully accountable."
Associated Press, 20 June 2006
http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/14863904.htm

HIGH-TECH CHEATING LEADS TO INJURIES
With nearly four students vying for every available spot in China's
universities, cheating on entrance exams is rampant. As technology has
entered the equation for cheaters, so has it become a tool for proctors
trying to defeat the cheaters. Video cameras and cell-phone blocking
have become common in Chinese testing centers. Students intent on
cheating, then, resort to ever-smaller devices, with some students
finding out how small is too small. According to the "China Daily," one
student used an earpiece for cheating that was so tiny it entered his
ear canal and ruptured his eardrum. Another student had to have an
earpiece removed surgically, according to the paper, and yet another
was injured when a remote listening device exploded. The device was
strapped to the student's body and connected to headphones; the
explosion left the student with an open wound in his abdomen.
ZDNet, 20 June 2006
http://news.zdnet.com/2100-1040_22-6085712.html

*****************************************************
EDUPAGE INFORMATION

To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your settings,
or access the Edupage archive, visit
http://www.educause.edu/Edupage/639

Or, you can subscribe or unsubscribe by sending e-mail to
LISTSERV <at> LISTSERV.EDUCAUSE.EDU
To SUBSCRIBE, in the body of the message type:
SUBSCRIBE Edupage YourFirstName YourLastName
To UNSUBSCRIBE, in the body of the message type:
SIGNOFF Edupage

If you have subscription problems, send e-mail to
EDUPAGE-request <at> LISTSERV.EDUCAUSE.EDU

*****************************************************
OTHER EDUCAUSE RESOURCES

The EDUCAUSE Resource Center is a repository for
information concerning use and management of
IT in higher education. To access resources including
articles, books, conference sessions, contracts,
effective practices, plans, policies, position
descriptions, and blog content, go to
http://www.educause.edu/resources

*****************************************************
CONFERENCES

For information on all EDUCAUSE learning and networking
opportunities, see
http://www.educause.edu/31

*****************************************************
COPYRIGHT

Edupage copyright (c) 2006, EDUCAUSE

Edupage, June 23, 2006

*****************************************************
Edupage is a service of EDUCAUSE, a nonprofit association
whose mission is to advance higher education by promoting
the intelligent use of information technology.
*****************************************************

TOP STORIES FOR FRIDAY, JUNE 23, 2006
  Canadian Project Aims to Coordinate Disparate Efforts
  Cambridge, MIT Create Research Venture
  FTC Laptops Stolen
  USDA Hack May Have Compromised Data
  French Legislators Adjust iTunes Law

CANADIAN PROJECT AIMS TO COORDINATE DISPARATE EFFORTS
A new initiative called AlouetteCanada is designed to bring together
disparate digitization efforts from around Canada into a single online
location. Many universities and museums in the country maintain
small-scale digitization efforts of material relevant to the history
and culture of Canada. Much of this content is inaccessible to most
people, however, according to Carole Moore, chief librarian of the
University of Toronto, one of the universities participating in
AlouetteCanada. The University of Alberta and the University of
Brunswick are also part of the project, and Moore said hundreds of
other organizations could conceivably contribute material. Ernie
Ingles, chief librarian at the University of Alberta, said
AlouetteCanada is, in some ways, the antithesis of Google's
book-scanning project. Although Google is making content available
publicly, he said, "it is making that content available in a commercial
way." Ingles questioned whether Google would be around forever to make
that content available.
Chronicle of Higher Education, 21 June 2006 (sub. req'd)
http://chronicle.com/daily/2006/06/2006062101t.htm

CAMBRIDGE, MIT CREATE RESEARCH VENTURE
Following a growing trend to spin commercial companies off from their
academic roots, MIT and the University of Cambridge have incorporated
the Communications Research Network (CRN), which was begun two years
ago. With the new structure, corporations will be solicited to join as
founding members, which will cost them about $180,000 per year for
three years. British Telecom and Fujitsu are the first two companies to
join as founders, though organizers hope to attract more. Founding
members will set the agenda for the CRN and will own the rights to
intellectual property developed by the organization. The other level of
participation is as an associate. According to David Cleevely, chairman
of the CRN, "The associates are on a much lower scale. They can
participate in the events and the working groups, but the founders who
put up the big money get all the rights." Current efforts of the CRN
focus on issues including telecommunications innovations, spectrum
policy, infrastructure protection, and photonics.
Red Herring, 21 June 2006
http://www.redherring.com/Article.aspx?a=17334

FTC LAPTOPS STOLEN
Two computers belonging to employees of the Federal Trade Commission
(FTC) were stolen from a locked car last week, putting personal
information on about 110 individuals at risk. An FTC official said the
laptops, which belonged to two FTC attorneys, were password protected,
but she noted that the computers contained names, Social Security
numbers, addresses, and some financial information. The FTC has
notified the individuals affected and offered them free credit
monitoring for one year. The agency is working on a new policy that
would forbid employees from taking computers with personal information
out of FTC offices without explicit permission to do so. This incident
follows other recent cases of government loss of personal information,
including one in which the Department of Veterans Affairs lost a hard
drive with information on 26.5 million veterans.
CNET, 23 June 2006
http://news.com.com/2100-1029_3-6087218.html

USDA HACK MAY HAVE COMPROMISED DATA
A computer system at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) was
compromised earlier this month, possibly exposing personal information
on 26,000 current and former employees, including some contractors.
Initially, computer experts believed that although a hacker had gained
unauthorized access to the system, the sensitive information--including
names, Social Security numbers, and employee photos--had been
protected. Further analysis determined, however, that agency staff
could not be certain that the database with personal information was
not viewed or downloaded. The USDA is notifying the affected
individuals, offering them free credit monitoring for one year.
Federal Computer Week, 22 June 2006
http://www.fcw.com/article94991-06-22-06-Web

FRENCH LEGISLATORS ADJUST ITUNES LAW
The French Senate has softened language of a copyright bill drafted by
the country's lower house, the Assembly, in March. As originally
written, the bill would have required Apple Computer to share its
technology for iTunes music and the iPod player so that music formats
and devices would be interoperable with other vendors' products. The
compromise bill, approved by both houses, relaxes some of the possible
sanctions against companies that keep their technologies proprietary,
and it includes a provision that could allow Apple to keep its products
exclusive if it reaches certain deals with record labels and artists.
Despite the legislature's retreat from severe measures, however, Apple
appeared displeased with the bill, which must still pass a vote by both
houses. A statement from the company said it hopes lawmakers will "let
the extremely competitive marketplace driven by customer choice decide
which music players and online music stores are offered to consumers."
A spokesperson from Apple declined to comment when asked if the company
would consider pulling out of the French market, pending the final vote
on the bill.
New York Times, 23 June 2006 (registration req'd)
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/23/technology/23ipod.html

*****************************************************
EDUPAGE INFORMATION

To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your settings,
or access the Edupage archive, visit
http://www.educause.edu/Edupage/639

Or, you can subscribe or unsubscribe by sending e-mail to
LISTSERV <at> LISTSERV.EDUCAUSE.EDU
To SUBSCRIBE, in the body of the message type:
SUBSCRIBE Edupage YourFirstName YourLastName
To UNSUBSCRIBE, in the body of the message type:
SIGNOFF Edupage

If you have subscription problems, send e-mail to
EDUPAGE-request <at> LISTSERV.EDUCAUSE.EDU

*****************************************************
OTHER EDUCAUSE RESOURCES

The EDUCAUSE Resource Center is a repository for
information concerning use and management of
IT in higher education. To access resources including
articles, books, conference sessions, contracts,
effective practices, plans, policies, position
descriptions, and blog content, go to
http://www.educause.edu/resources

*****************************************************
CONFERENCES

For information on all EDUCAUSE learning and networking
opportunities, see
http://www.educause.edu/31

*****************************************************
COPYRIGHT

Edupage copyright (c) 2006, EDUCAUSE