DEOSNEWS, Vol. 1, No. 21
William Dubie
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DEOSNEWS Vol. 1 No. 21 This document has about 430 lines.
Copyright 1991 DEOS - The Distance Education Online Symposium
DEOSNEWS has 620 subscribers in 28 countries.
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Review: Margaret Koble
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EDITORIAL
The last issue of DEOSNEWS included a paragraph titled "Internet--the
Ultimate International Electronic University?". This article gives a more
thorough and detailed review of some services provided by Internet, pres-
ented from a distance educator's point of view. Some of the e-mail ad-
dresses presented in this article may vary between the different networks
in Internet.
INTERNET--THE DISCOVERIES OF A DISTANCE EDUCATOR
Walter J. Howse
Western Australian Distance Education Consortium
Electronic address: ho...@csuvax1.murdoch.edu.au
This paper is an account of some of the services available through Inter-
net--the large international network of computer networks whose members
include universities, research institutions, government facilities, and
many corporations. The purpose of this article is to provide pointers so
that interested persons can explore the network to find what is most
relevant and useful to them.
In Australia, access to Internet is obtained through AARNet (the Australian
Academic Research Network). AARNET is a private telecommunications network
service provided under the auspices of the Australian Vice-Chancellors'
Committee (AVCC) to the participating member institutions of the AVCC and
the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Organisation (CSIRO). The
network seeks to provide dedicated telecommunications services in support
of members' research, academic, and service activities. Networks serving
similar purposes in North America include NSFNet, BITNET, and in Europe
JANET and EUNet.
The technical nature of the network itself can be ignored. The important
thing is that the personal computer plus modem and the physical connection
to a host computer can open access to a huge array of resources from all
over the world.
The author has a strong interest in technology and therefore was prepared
to accept the challenge provided at Murdoch University by the Unix inter-
face between the individual and the Network. User friendliness is not a
strong point of this interface but with the help of the electronic mail
system "elm", an introductory text on Unix and help from staff of the
Computing Services Unit, much has been learned (and is yet to be learned!-
-but it is worth learning!!)
Useful additional information was obtained from "RFC 1118 - The Hitchhikers
Guide to the Internet" and "RFC 1175 - FYI On Where to Start - a Bibli-
ography of Internetworking Information" which can be FTP'd (see later) from
nic.ddn.mil. Both are in the directory rfc and the filenames are RFC1118-
.TXT and RFC1175.TXT respectively.
Examples of some services from Internet with relevance to distance educa-
tion are:
- Electronic mail
- "Newsgroups"
- "Lists" or "computer conferencing boards"
- Library searches
- Electronic journals
- Data bases
- Access to computer software, text and other information (FTP)
- Use of software for statistical or other purposes.
*Electronic mail*
Much emphasis is placed on the benefits of sending messages in the form of
electronic mail through Internet to allow people to maintain contact and
exchange information and gain help from each other. This is an important
service and can provide sufficient motivation for people to connect to the
system. However, the many other services offered through Internet must not
be neglected.
*"Newsgroups"*
In addition to the person-to-person electronic mail, there is the one-pers-
on-to-many persons connections which can be made. The existence of interna-
tional newsgroups (over 1,000 available at Murdoch University) carrying in
excess of 250,000 items everyday (with the accumulation of many others from
the past maintained in archives) is overpowering. Some time is needed to
find the newsgroups of relevance to you. However the potential for obtain-
ing help from around the world and for finding out what is going on, can
make newsgroups invaluable. Not all universities carry all newsgroups, and
frequently a university will include some held only within that university.
The "news" which is posted tends to be dominated by USA sources but
frequently countries will have additional groups relating to that country.
For example aus.education for Australia and can.jobs for Canada.
The largest grouping of newsgroups relates to computers - hardware,
software and operating systems. Examples are:
comp.binaries.ibm.pc comp.binaries.mac
comp.lang.c comp.laser-printers
comp.sys.amiga comp.unix.questions
Distance educators may have a specific discipline of interest which they
wish to follow. Some newsgroups in this category are:
sci.chem sci.math.stat
sci.pyschology soc.culture.greek
soc.culture.nordic soc.politics
bionet.agroforestry soc.history
There is a newsgroup alt.education.distance specifically for distance
education. Others of interest could be:
aus.education misc.education
There are many newsgroups dealing with hobbies and other interests.
Examples are:
rec.arts.cinema rec.arts.tv.soaps
rec.food.cooking rec.radio.amateur.misc
rec.sport.soccer alt.sewing
*"Lists" or "computer conferencing boards"*
Catering to more specific areas and/or interchange of ideas are computer
conferencing groups available through "Listservers". A person subscribes to
the "list" and contributes to and receives mail from other subscribers.
A list of lists with a short description of each list can be obtained by
sending the command "LIST GLOBAL" to any Listserv address. An address
example is:
LISTSERV%bit...@cunyvm.cuny.edu
A longer list (the "List of lists") which contains most of the major lists
of specialist interests, describes their primary topics and explains how to
subscribe to them. It is obtainable by "anonymous FTP" file transfer
protocol (see later) (1). This is a large file, approximately a megabyte of
space, and consumes transmission time and storage space. Some universities
may already have this and want you to use their copy!!
A typical example from that file is as follows:
EDUCOM-W%educom...@cunyvm.cuny.edu
EDUCOM-W is an unmoderated list to facilitate discussion of issues in
technology and education that are of interest to women. The list is
intended to promote discussion of how EDUCOM can help address those
issues in its services to members.
To subscribe, send a message to LISTSERV@BITNIC with the following
line of text:
SUB EDUCOM-W Your_full_name
where Your_full_name is your name, not your login ID.
The list coordinator is Sue Ellen Anderson, Ande...@EDUCOM.Bitnet
[The address given in that quotation is the BITNET address. For Internet
users it can be changed to LISTSERV%BIT...@CUNYVM.CUNY.EDU]
Distance educators should subscribe to DEOS-L%ps...@cunyvm.cuny.edu and
DEOSNEWS%ps...@cunyvm.cuny.edu. The first is an on-line symposium and the
second is an electronic journal edited by Morten Flate Paulsen.
Another list which may be of interest is Comserve (2) which is targeted at
human communication studies. Within Comserve there are a number of separate
conferences with particular foci. Five examples from the 25 listed on 24
April 1991 were:
MassComm. For discussion of issues in the areas of mass communication,
mediated interaction, new technologies of communication, etc.
Methods. For discussion of research methodology including qualitative
and quantitative procedures.
Gender. For discussion of issues pertaining to the study of communica-
tion and gender.
HealthCo. For discussion of issues pertaining to the study of communi-
cation and health and communication in the health care profession.
CMC. For discussion of computer-mediated communication, diffusion of
computer communication systems, impacts in education, business,
government, etc.
*Library Searches*
Many libraries have On-line Public Access Catalogues (abbreviated OPAC's).
These can be searched through Internet. Examples of the guidance provided
by Deidre Stanton, the Social Sciences Librarian at Murdoch University, (3)
are as follows:
University of Melbourne. Baillieu Library
terminal type = VT100
vax1> telnet library.unimelb.edu.au
OR
vax1> telnet 128.250.129.2
login> select from the CATALYST and SEARCH menu
options, without pressing <Return>
Help = [Ctl] Y
Exit = [Ctl] X, which returns you to the VAX1 prompt
Deakin University Library
terminal type = VT100, VT52, H19
vax1> telnet library.deakin.oz.au
OR
vax1> 128.184.1.1
login> alice (use lowercase)
to start> press <Return> twice (if necessary, to start
type Q
Exit = press <Return>, type ~. (i.e. tilde, dot) and
press <Return>
OR press <Return>, type ~ may return you to the
VAX1 prompt
Addresses for library catalogues that are accessible via Internet are
usually available at a university computer services unit or held in printed
form in the university library. In April 1991, the printed list at Murdoch
University was 70 pages long. A source of American listings which is being
extended to include overseas libraries can be obtained electronically. (4)
*Electronic Journals and Books*
The availability of electronic journals is increasing. The following is an
extract from a notice from the Association of Research Libraries (ARL). (5)
ARL to Produce Directory of Electronic Publications
As part of its keen commitment to promote networked academic journals
and other serials, the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) plans
to publish a directory of electronic journals, newsletters, and
scholarly discussion lists/interest groups. These represent publica-
tions which are created and distributed principally for Bitnet,
Internet, and any affiliated academic networks, largely for free.
The directory will be available at the end of June [1991]. It will
contain some 30 journal listings, about twice that number of newslet-
ters, and over 1000 scholarly lists. Its length is anticipated to be
close to 200 pages...... The listings are compiled with the intention
of providing the uninitiated networker with clear directions on how to
navigate the sometimes puzzling world of electronic scholarship.
[This directory is now available. (6)]
*Databases*
An example of a very useful database for distance educators is that of the
International Centre for Distance Learning (ICDL). This is held at The Open
University in the United Kingdom and contains information about distance
teaching institutions worldwide, a bibliographic catalogue of the ICDL
collection, and information on individual courses taught at a distance by
Commonwealth institutions.
Access is via a facility known as "telnet". Telnet enables a user to log-in
to a remote computer which is part of Internet. Usually the user must have
an account and be registered on the remote host with a name and password.
In the case of the ICDL database, this is not necessary and current
instructions (7) are as follows:
- Telnet to sun.nsf.ac.uk - currently 128.86.8.7
- Login as janet - in lower case; there is no password
- Enter the NRS name of the Open University VAX cluster when
prompted, i.e. uk.ac.open.acs.vax
- When asked for a username, type: ICDL
*Access to computer software, text and other information (FTP)*
Within Internet it is possible to use "anonymous file transfer protocol
(FTP)" to gain copies of computer software, text and other information
contained in files made available in a public directory in a distant
computer. As with most of the challenges and opportunities offered by
Internet, the main problem is to know where you might obtain the informa-
tion or software you want. There is a list of Internet sites accepting
anonymous FTP prepared by Jon Granose from the host pilot.njin.net in the
directory pub/ and the file ftp-list.
Another method is to use "Archie". The archie system is a program which can
query a database maintained by the Computer Science Department of McGill
University. The database contains a list of software which is available by
means of anonymous ftp to hosts connected to the Internet network.
The system can be accessed in an interactive fashion or via electronic
mail (email). In order to use the interactive system:
1) Connect to host quiche.cs.mcgill.ca
(132.206.2.3 or 132.206.51.1) with telnet.
2) Login as user archie (no capitals, no password
required). The system prints a banner message and
status report.
3) Type "help" for further information.
In order to use the email interface, send requests to
Send the word "help" in a message for available commands and features.
Please note that this is an automated interface: no human sees it. (8)
Australians can use "Archie" by telnet to sol.deakin.oz.au and login as
"archie" rather than use the Pacific link to North America. They can also
obtain MaasInfo.Archie from the host aarnet.edu.au, directory pub/doc. This
is a guide to how to get started using Archie to find files if you know
their names and suspect they may be available somewhere on Internet.
In addition to the above sources, it is possible to use the newsgroups
described earlier to request help in locating a wanted item. The help
message can be posted to the newsgroup or list of special interest.
Files obtained in this way are not limited to computer software or text.
For example, graphics can be transferred via this method. James Cook
University provides graphics of current satellite weather pictures such as
Australialast and globelast in the directory JCUMetSAT at mar...@JCU.edu.-
au. These files are binary and can be viewed on an MS-DOS machine using the
software viewpc.exe which can be FTP'd from the same directory.
*Use of software for statistical or other purposes.*
On most mainframe computers there is a vast array of software for a variety
of purposes - particularly statistical packages to remove much of the hard
work in analysis of data. Academics and students can be given access to
some or all of these. By arrangement, access to software on distant
computers can be gained for computational purposes. University computer
services units can guide the novice in this area.
FUTURES
Many academics involved with distance education do not know much about
Internet. Many may find its services currently of little relevance to their
work. For example, a high proportion of the newsgroups relate to computer
languages. This is understandable, since the network has arisen from
computer services units.
The social sciences are poorly catered to in newsgroups. "Netiquette"
requires proposals for new newsgroups to be posted to general or to similar
newsgroups to test the support for such a group. One can expect expansion
in this way of services for the social sciences from Internet.
Increasingly people need to become information literate. Access to informa-
tion and computing power, and use of this access, will not only enhance
learning but it will empower those who have these skills. Distance educa-
tors should explore Internet. Better still, they can use the network to
help their students.
REFERENCES AND FURTHER HELP
1. Available by ftp from host ftp.nisc.sri.com in directory netinfo/ as
file interest-groups. This is a large file approx 900 kbytes which
when downloaded into Word 5.0 and printed out in Times Font 12 came to
305 pages!
2. An electronic mail message addressed to COMS...@VM.ECS.RPI.EDU with
no subject heading and a first line entry of "Send Comserve HelpFile"
will be replied to with a mailed message with that file. The list of
conferences was obtained with the first line entry of "Show Hotlines".
3. Unpublished communication 25 April 1991 from
sta...@csuvax1.murdoch.edu.au
4. Send an electronic mail message to
listserv%unmvm....@cunyvm.cuny.edu and in the body of the message
say GET Internet LIBRARY (for text format) or GET LIBRARY PS (for
postcript) - see RFC1175 page 21 (source quoted above) for more
details
5. Electronic communication to the author (by a listserver) from Michael
Strangelove 441495%UOT...@acadvm1.uottawa.ca
6. Directory available by electronic mail by sending a message
GET EJOURNL1 DIRECTRY
GET EHOURNL2 DIRECTRY
to LIST...@UOTTAWA.BITNET
7. Morten Flate Paulsen "The ICDL Database for distance education",
published in DEOSNEWS May 1991.
8. Obtained from Richard Lee Holbert X075RT%TAM...@RICEVM1.RICE.EDU
Footnote
Since the above was completed, Deidre Stanton (referred to earlier) has
drawn attention to MaasInfo.TopIndex available from aarnet.edu.au in
directory pub/doc. This is an index of indexes pointing to all the major
indexes that are posted on Internet or BITNET. These indexes then point at
all the known interest groups, archive sites, special services such as
library catalogues, file-finding and FTP via electronic mail and some major
tutorial documentation that are located on Internet, BITNET or Usenet!! The
author has not examined this one yet. Europeans and North Americans will
have access to the "original" in the Northern Hemisphere. (One of the
trade-offs made by network designers is to reduce the costs of interconti-
nental communication links by holding important reference information in
more than one location.)
-------------------- End of DEOSNEWS Vol. 1 No. 21 ----------------------
William Dubie
Digital Equipment Corp.
du...@tnpubs.dec.com