ISSUES RECEIVING SPECIFIC FOCUS
ATTENTION FROM THE FORMER CONGRESSIONAL COMMISSION ON WEB-BASED EDUCATION
NOTE: As of January, 2001, the Congressional
Commission on Web-based Education fulfilled its legislative charter
of providing policy recommendations and research to the President and
to Congress. Its Final Commission on Web-based Education Research Report
is available on-line at http://www.hpcnet.org/webcommission
The Commission focused specific attention on the following set of policy
issues to better understand the impact the World Wide Web can have on
transforming and improving learning and achievement.
1.Technology Trends
What technology trends have the greatest potential for influencing
education? How might developments and innovations in hardware, software,
and networking offer new resources that support web-based education?
For further information, view e-Testimony available at http://www.hpcnet.org/webcommission
2.Pedagogy
What are the content and teaching strategies that best utilize the
Internet for learning? What curriculum adaptations are necessary to
take full advantage of web-based content and learning strategies? What
measurements of effectiveness are required to assure that new web-based
learning approaches lead to significant achievement? For further information,
view e-Testimony available at http://www.hpcnet.org/webcommission
3.Access and Equity
What is the potential of the Internet for equalizing access to learning
opportunity, particularly among low-income students and adults, disabled
learners, under-skilled workers, rural populations? What are the characteristics
that should define full access and equity in web-enabled learning environments?
What are the current and potential barriers to access (including barriers
to appropriate online content) and how might they be resolved? For further
information, view e-Testimony available at http://www.hpcnet.org/webcommission
4.Technology Costs
What are the true costs of maximizing the Internet for learning?
Are there tradeoffs in web-based education that lead to savings in other
areas (e.g., textbooks, staffing models, time requirements, etc.)? Who
(or what entities) are responsible for absorbing these costs, and at
what percentage? Are there new funding schemes to consider? For further
information, view e-Testimony available at http://www.hpcnet.org/webcommission
5.Teacher Training and Support
What skills and knowledge do teachers need to use the web most effectively
in teaching? What preparation do teachers require before they enter
the classroom? How can teachers be supported to enable them to grow
with the profession? What are effective models for teacher preparation,
teacher continuing education, and support? For further information,
view e-Testimony available at http://www.hpcnet.org/webcommission
6.Regulatory Barriers
What are the most significant regulatory issues preventing full
deployment of web-based learning strategies, particularly at the K-12
and postsecondary education levels? What changes do you propose? For
further information, view e-Testimony available at http://www.hpcnet.org/webcommission
7.Standards and Assessment
How should we evaluate the success of new web-based approaches?
How must assessment change in response to new web-based content and
learning strategies? Do current standards and assessment approaches
adequately reflect the skills students need in the Information Age?
Are new testing and assessment tools necessary? If so, how will they
keep pace with innovations in content design and development? How will
definitions of content quality conceived in a "narrow-band"
world have to be adjusted for "broad-band" technologies? For
further information, view e-Testimony available at http://www.hpcnet.org/webcommission
8.Accreditation and Certification
What changes in accreditation and certification are necessary in
a distributed learning environment? How do current policies impact web-based
learning opportunities? Are new players, consortia, and/or policies
necessary? For further information, view e-Testimony available at http://www.hpcnet.org/webcommission
9.Intellectual Property Protection
How do current copyright laws affect online education? Are changes
to current law necessary to accommodate web-based content and learning
strategies? What regulations and/or incentives are needed to assure
effective and appropriate use of online content?
For further information, view e-Testimony available at http://www.hpcnet.org/webcommission
10.Online Privacy, Protection, and
Censorship
How must the issue of online privacy be addressed? How can learners
be protected from inappropriate intrusions into online learning materials
and environments without adversely impacting development and delivery
(e.g., advertising in the schools)? Is some censorship of content appropriate
and, if so, who should make these decisions? For further information,
view e-Testimony available at http://www.hpcnet.org/webcommission
11.New Learning Institutions
How is the web giving rise to new kinds of learning institutions,
or remaking existing ones, including corporate and other for-profit
institutions, home schooling, virtual high schools and universities,
etc.? For further information, view e-Testimony available at http://www.hpcnet.org/webcommission
12.Research and Development
What is the research and development requirement to build effective
models for web-based teaching and learning at the individual and systemic
levels? What data is necessary to better understand how best to deploy
the Internet for learning?Who (or what entities) should be responsible
for collecting such data? For further information, view e-Testimony
available at http://www.hpcnet.org/webcommission
13.The Marketplace
What are the most promising business models in the area of web-based
content development and delivery? What are key ingredients within these
models that make for success? What are the existing pitfalls affecting
the growth of the market? What is the potential of the international
market for web-based educational products and services? Are there specific
policy approaches necessary to assure greater stability and growth in
the market? For further information, view e-Testimony available at http://www.hpcnet.org/webcommission
