C-Level View :: July 26, 2006

  • 07/25/06

Worth Noting

Rice Brings Back University Press as Digital

After a ten-year-long print publishing hiatus, Rice University in Texas announced plans to re-establish its university press in exclusively digital format, promoting Rice University Press as the first fully digital university press in the United States.

Vice Provost and University Librarian Charles Henry says, “Our decision to revive Rice’s press as a digital enterprise is based on both economics and on new ways of thinking about scholarly publishing.” Using the existing Connexions open source electronic platform, the publishing venture will explore new models of peer-reviewed scholarship. The technology gives authors the flexibility to publish in multimedia formats, include live links and/or amend content, offer works for print “on demand” through partner QOOP, and avoid many of the economic constraints of print publishing. Among its many goals, Rice University Press will foster publishing in fields that have been impacted by high costs or difficult distribution models, and they will work with other universities on reducing publishing backlogs.

UMassOnline to Deploy Horizon Wimba’s Live Classroom

A One of the largest distance education programs in the world, with some 1,000 online courses offered annually, UMassOnline will use Live Classroom to support all live classes and meetings.

Horizon Wimba’s live virtual classrooms support audio, video, application sharing, and content display. A seamless integration with UMassOnline’s course management system, (the Blackboard Learning System) Vista Enterprise, was at the heart of the decision. Brian Douglas, Chief Technology Officer and Director of Operations for UMassOnline explains: “ Through integration with Vista, we will enable faculty to use Live Classroom as they see fit for their programs and courses.” Horizon Wimba’s synchronous platform will support live interaction in many of UMassOnline’s professional programs, including the RN-BS in Nursing and other high-touch, highly interactive professional areas.

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