In September's Vision article, Terrence Redding explores the world of distance education as he discusses ways in which Internet technology overcomes many of the limits of traditional education. He suggests that Global Learn Day, a yearly conference on and celebration of the use of technology in education, may serve as a gateway to the future of online interaction.

Our Commentary for this month comes to us from Brett Swope, who debates The Future of the Written Word as embodied by the many different forms of electronic books currently in development. Each of these books has different features and a unique format, and there are both advantages and disadvantages to each. New horizons are within our reach, if we can decide which roads will bring us to them.

In using new technologies in distance education, it often seems as though they dehumanize and limit the interaction between instructor and student. But if used to their full potential, telecommunications and Internet technology can actually allow for greater interactivity among the participants. Stephen Buchanan illustrates this for us in this month's Case Study.

Iola Peed-Neal offers us Teaching Centers, Instructional Technology, and Course Development in this month's Faculty and Staff Development section. By outlining a generic model for course development, she addresses the major concerns of teaching centers and faculty members regarding course development. Both the faculty involved and the centers assisting them have certain rights and responsibilities, and being aware of this fact can lead to better and more fruitful interaction.

This issue's Spotlight Site features the League for Innovation in the Community College, a group that encourages experimentation and new forms of teaching in community colleges, technical institutes, and other organizations. By sponsoring projects and providing useful links in the form of a "virtual campus," the League has created an incredibly useful Web page for educators in community colleges and elsewhere.

The debate continues to rage over virtual versus classroom learning, as Jerald Schutte and Ed Neal respond to critiques. Schutte responds to Neal's earlier criticisms by further explaining the design and methodology of his study comparing the two delivery systems, and Neal responds to earlier letters from Ralston, Ehrmann, and Brown in defense of Schutte's study and the Flashlight project.

The debate continues to rage over virtual versus classroom learning. Jerald Schutte responds to Ed Neal's earlier criticisms by further explaining the design and methodology of his study comparing the two delivery systems, and Neal responds to earlier letters from Ralston, Ehrmann, and Brown in defense of Schutte's study and the Flashlight project.

The debate continues to rage over virtual versus classroom learning, as Jerald Schutte and Ed Neal respond to critiques. Schutte responds to Neal's earlier criticisms by further explaining the design and methodology of his study comparing the two delivery systems, and Neal responds to earlier letters from Ralston, Ehrmann, and Brown in defense of Schutte's study and the Flashlight project.