A comprehensive survey on the Internet based virtualisation of experiments is presented, covering several individual as well as collaborative efforts in various engineering disciplines. From this survey it could be concluded that there is a pressing need to develop full-fledged remote laboratory experiments for integrated directly into engineering…

To help users develop a long-term strategy for software acquisition, this article outlines two rules: (1) "Know exactly the nature of the problem you want to solve"; and (2) "If you can't try it, don't buy it." Use the sharpest precision software tool you can find to solve your problem and keep a constant look out for something…

Offers tips for choosing an automated library system. Topics include dealing with vendors; talking to other librarians; visiting a similar library with the same system; print sources for system information; demonstration disks; salespeople; costs; and learning about automation company competitors. (LRW)

This guide is intended for individuals and organizations interested in hosting online conferences. For the purposes of this guide, a host is the administrator or manager of a conferencing system and of the conferences held on that system. Eight sections cover the following important processes for hosting online conferences: (1) determining…

This guide focuses on moderating non-pedagogical online conferences that use World Wide Web-based conferencing software, whether synchronous or asynchronous. The first section provides information on getting ready and discusses features and advantages of synchronous and asynchronous systems. The second section focuses on getting started, including…