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TOP STORIES FOR FRIDAY, APRIL 15, 2005 Report Supports Distance Education PITAC Calls for More Computer-Based Research Tufts Discloses Data Breach British Officials Address Phone Cheating Intel Pushes Mobile Computing for University Students in Asia REPORT SUPPORTS DISTANCE EDUCATION A program that exempts certain institutions from the "50 percent rule" has been a success and should be significantly expanded, according to the U.S. Department of Education. The rule, which bars federal financial aid from students attending institutions that either offer more than half of their courses online or enroll more than half of their students in online programs, was implemented to act as a check on diploma mills and other shady online degree programs. According to a report from the Education Department, those schools that have been granted exemptions have seen enormous growth in enrollments, particularly of less affluent and nontraditional students. The rate of growth in access to education for those groups prompted the department to call for an immediate expansion of the program to 100 institutions, up from the current cap of 35, and for the end of the 50 percent rule when the Higher Education Act is renewed, either this year or next. While pleased at the increased access to education that relaxing the rule has led to, many higher education organizations said eliminating the rule would be unwise. Becky Timmons, director of government relations at the American Council of Education, said, "One enormous opportunity for abuse in distance education is rapid expansion." Inside Higher Ed, 13 April 2005 http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2005/04/13/distance PITAC CALLS FOR MORE COMPUTER-BASED RESEARCH A summary of an upcoming report from the President's Information Technology Advisory Panel (PITAC) calls on the federal government and higher education to take steps toward greater use of computational science in research. The panel urges using computers to complement research efforts in a wide range of fields. Too often, colleges and universities reward researchers for work in their primary fields of study, discouraging efforts at including technology in research projects, according to Daniel A. Reed, vice chancellor for information technology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a member of PITAC. Members of the panel did not offer specific recommendations about how to achieve integration of computers and other fields of research, but they conceded that financial incentives will likely be necessary. The report summary said that federal agencies must reorganize themselves to achieve the goal and recommended outlining a plan to do so that extends decades into the future. Chronicle of Higher Education, 15 April 2005 (sub. req'd) http://chronicle.com/prm/daily/2005/04/2005041501t.htm TUFTS DISCLOSES DATA BREACH Officials at Tufts University have begun notifying 106,000 alumni that their personal information stored on a university computer may have been compromised. The problem occurred last fall, when university officials noticed unusually large amounts of information passing through the computer, which stored names, addresses, phone numbers, Social Security numbers, and credit card numbers. The problem does not affect current students or employees. According to Betsey Jay, director of advancement communications, no evidence has surfaced about who is responsible or that any of the information was misused. At the time, officials at Tufts saw no reason to notify those affected, but a flurry of recent incidents in which personal information was compromised, including one at Tufts's neighbor, Boston College, prompted the university to inform alumni about the problem. Boston Herald, 12 April 2005 http://news.bostonherald.com/localRegional/view.bg?articleid=78100 BRITISH OFFICIALS ADDRESS PHONE CHEATING Data given to the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA), the British agency responsible for oversight of standardized testing, indicate a rise in the number of students disciplined for using cell phones to cheat on exams. The country's three largest examination boards--AQA, OCR, and Edexcel--disqualified nearly 300 students from exams in summer 2004, an increase of more than 15 percent from the year before. Some students were given warnings for what examiners saw as negligence in bringing cell phones to tests. A spokesperson from OCR said that students are so accustomed to having phones with them that many forget to leave them at home for the tests. Many students, however, were caught cheating with the phones, receiving text messages with answers, particularly in tests for subjects such as math and science. BBC, 15 April 2005 http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/education/4448167.stm INTEL PUSHES MOBILE COMPUTING FOR UNIVERSITY STUDENTS IN ASIA Intel announced an initiative to supply laptops based on its processors to university students at more than 300 institutions in the Asia Pacific region, including more than 100 in China. The company said it is working with HP, IBM, Lenovo, and Ocamar Technologies on a platform called Tanggula that will underpin the laptops and is based on the Common Building Block Program, an Intel-supported program that aims to provide a measure of consistency and quality across various systems. Intel did not disclose how many students it anticipates will receive laptops, saying that further details will be released in the second half of the year. Internet News, 15 April 2005 http://www.internetnews.com/ent-news/article.php/3498041 ***************************************************** 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 [EMAIL PROTECTED] 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 [EMAIL PROTECTED] ***************************************************** OTHER EDUCAUSE RESOURCES The EDUCAUSE Resource Center is a repository for information concerning use and management of IT in higher education. 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