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TOP STORIES FOR WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 01, 2006 Report Predicts Growth in Online Education Users Populate the Vulnerability Database Internet Bill of Rights Proposed REPORT PREDICTS GROWTH IN ONLINE EDUCATION A new report from Eduventures suggests that the market for online education has considerable room to grow. In a survey of 2,000 people who are planning to enroll in college, 19 percent were interested in an online-only program, 18 percent in mostly online programs, and 14 percent in programs that offer equal time online and face-to-face. The data show that students just out of high school are most interested in a traditional college experience. As age rises, up to the 35-55 range, students are more interested in online education, reflecting working adults' need for the convenience of online classes. According to Richard Garrett, author of the report, online education has failed to remove geography as a factor in educational choices, defying predictions of just a few years ago. Even when considering online education, he said, most students still express a preference for a local campus, at least one that is in the state where they live. Chronicle of Higher Education, 1 November 2006 http://chronicle.com/daily/2006/11/2006110101t.htm USERS POPULATE THE VULNERABILITY DATABASE A database of computer vulnerabilities created by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has proven extremely popular, both for reporting new problems and for researching existing ones. Since its debut one year ago, the National Vulnerability Database receives hits at the rate of 25 million per year and has grown from 12,000 vulnerabilities to 20,000, with new ones being reported regularly. According to Peter Mell, senior computer scientist at NIST, who created the database, "I think 20,000 is just the tip of the iceberg." The database categorizes vulnerabilities by product and version number, directing users to resources to fix the problems. The database uses the Common Vulnerability Scoring System to rate the severity of each vulnerability recorded. Alan Paller, director of research at the SANS Institute, noted that a significant portion of the most recently reported problems affect Web-based applications. Federal Computer Week, 31 October 2006 http://www.fcw.com/article96645-10-31-06-Web INTERNET BILL OF RIGHTS PROPOSED Supporters of an Internet bill of rights made their case for such an effort at the Internet Governance Forum, a United Nations meeting in Athens. According to Robin Gross of civil liberties group IP Justice, such a document is vital to ensuring that the human rights and liberties "enjoyed in the traditional age must move with us to the digital age." Because the Internet is a "place of conflict," said Stefano Rodota, former head of the Council of European Data Protection Agencies, a bill of Internet rights is necessary to ensure that the Internet remains a "place to give citizenship and democracy new opportunities." Specifics of what exactly the bill would include were not discussed, though proponents agreed that the Universal Declaration of Human Rights would be a good starting point. Critics of an Internet bill of rights argued that sufficient structures already exist to accomplish the stated goals of the bill of rights, and they noted that such a document would not be legally binding for any country or corporation. BBC, 1 November 2006 http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/6106452.stm ***************************************************** 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. To access resources including articles, books, conference sessions, contracts, effective practices, plans, policies, position descriptions, and blog content, go to http://www.educause.edu/resources ***************************************************** CONFERENCES For information on all EDUCAUSE learning and networking opportunities, see http://www.educause.edu/31 ***************************************************** COPYRIGHT Edupage copyright (c) 2006, EDUCAUSE
