Re: Our new committee

Peter S. Donaldson (psdlit@MIT.EDU)
Sun, 16 Oct 94 09:17:19 EDT

Responding to your message and Hal's rejoinder: communications
technology might be too specific. CD ROM is a communications
technology, but hypertext is broader. The shorter name also resonates
with recent usage in humanities -- Virginia's Institute is named the
Institute for Advnaced Technology in the Humanities, MIT has the
Laboratory for Advanced Technology in the Humanities. People know that
means computers, networks, multimedia -- whereas communications
technology suggests only a part of what computer assisted sytems for
learning and teaching can do.

|> Thank you for agreeing to be a member of the newly formed
|> ad-hoc committee on educational delivery via advanced
|> technologies such as hypermedia or multimedia. (Chris,
|> I have not heard from you yet but I assume you will agree to
|> serve.)

|> The membership of the committee is Hal Abelson (EECS), Peter
|> Donaldson (Literature), Greg Jackson (IS), Bob Jaffe (Physics),
|> Chris Kemerer (Sloan), Dick Larson (EECS), Bill Mitchell
|> (Architecture and Planning), Tony Patera (ME), and Paul
|> Penfield, chair (EECS). This is a great bunch of people,
|> but, being nine in number, all of us busy, we will have to
|> stretch the concept of "calendar permitting" to be able to
|> meet.

|> Name: The first thing we need is a name for the committee.
|> I propose the following:
|> "Ad hoc committee on Education Via Advanced Technology"
|> or "EVAT" for short. Unless one or more of you hollars at
|> me, that name will probably stick.

|> Charge: The next thing we need is a charge. I have written
|> the following, based on the constraints Joel Moses gave me:

|> Inv|> estigate the opportunities offered by advanced technology
|> to the delivery of education. Recommend a course of action
|> to the President of MIT. The specific technologies to be
|> considered include, but are not necessarily restricted to,
|> the following:
|> The Internet and the World Wide Web
|> CD-ROMs
|> Hypertext and hypermedia
|> Multimedia
|> Personal portable computation and communication

|> What do you think of this as a charge? Please let me know.

|> Time: We are supposed to be done in no more than two
|> months, i.e., by the end of this semester. Is this
|> possible? Maybe. Let's try.

|> Support: My secretary, Vera Sayzew, 3-4624, vera@eecs.mit.edu,
|> will serve as support staff for the committee.

|> So welcome on board. Vera will be calling you shortly to
|> set up our first meeting. ..../Paul