While emphasizing the engineering-related issues, this book examines the business, engineering, and regulatory factors shaping the growth of the distance learning industry, and proposes specific business and application solutions that can speed the process of industry development. The book examines issues affecting potential providers and users, application and networking solutions, and current efforts to build a National Information Infrastructure.
Distance Learning fills in the gaps in existing literature, with detailed analyses of wide area networking (WAN) services, including ATM, SMDS, Frame Relay, Cable TV, Data Over Cable, Switched Data Services, ISDN (BRI and DRI) and Satellite; application solutions including Groupware, Continuous Presence, Business TV, Video Broadcasting and the Internet community. A valuable resource for:
• Education providers—deepen your knowledge of the links you need to establish with students, and the networking solutions that can provide those links.
• Administrators and IS managers—learn about existing and emerging networking solutions available to you.
• Corporate managers—acquire a sense of the necessary economic investments and potential paybacks.
• Network service providers—pinpoint the needs of the distance learning market, and how your services meet these needs.
• Public policy makers—get updated on the current status of distance learning initiatives and the requirements they impose on the NII.