Educational research has reported a multitude of goals for academic institutions of higher education. Specific academic goals focus in various directions. A common theme permeates throughout mission statements, strategic planning documents, and planning committees objectives. That is, to provide an enhanced environment in which students will become actively engaged in the process of learning, achieve their highest possible level of understanding of scientific and theoretical concepts, and develop a sense of ownership of the knowledge that they create. The accessibility of the World Wide Web to students creates a virtual learning environment that facilitates the construction of scholarly activities without traditional restrictions of time, geographic limitations, and facilitates expedience of data collection. This article addresses the five fundamental obstacles faced by students and faculty as they attempt to achieve goals of academic institutions via Web-based support and instruction.

The direct procedure for determining serum cholesterol described by Wybenga et al. [Clin. Chem. 16, 980 (1970)] can be used to assay 29 samples in 10-min reaction time by using the "CentrifiChem" parallel fast analyzer (Union Carbide). Commercial reference serum was used for standardization. Correlation of results with those obtained by the method of Abell et al. [J. Biol. Chem. 195, 357 (1952)] for 54 samples yielded a regression line with a slope (m) of 0.897 and a y-intercept (b) of 231 mg/liter; the correlation coefficient (r) was 0.971. Compared with the manual procedure of Parekh and Jung [Anal. Chem. 42, 1423 (1970)] for 146 samples, the corresponding values were m = 0.991, b = 27 mg/ liter, and r = 0.981. Compared to serum extracts assayed with the "AutoAnalyzer" (Standard Technicon Methodology N-24a), 186 samples gave corresponding values of m = 0.990, b = 92 mg/ liter, and r = 0.979. No bias significant at the 95% confidence level existed versus any of the three methods. Sera containing abnormally high bilirubin concentrations (>50 mg/liter) or abnormally high triglyceride content (>5,000 mg/liter) did not give significantly different cholesterol values on the CentrifiChem as compared with values obtained with either the AutoAnalyzer or the Parekh and Jung method.

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New developments in the area of networking technologies and a rapid growth in processing speeds of computers has facilitated the exponential growth in the use of computers and the Internet. The ability to collect, share, transfer, and evaluate data present powerful proficiencies. In our first article, Electronic Educational Data Security: System Analysis and Teacher Training, Bennett and Miller present a model of security assessment phases as applied to sensitive educational data. In an interesting new way they discuss physical security of data in the classroom, error management, data loss, and other threats to the network. The second article, Let Your Fingers Do the Talking: Conducting Class with "Chat," moves in a divergent way looking at the value added to classroom discussion through synchronous electronic chat via the Internet. In this article Brennan points out that "current educational practices tend to emphasize public speaking and report writing skills." Electronic chat offers students opportunities to gain experience in interacting electronically. In her discussion, she compares asynchronous chat, synchronous chat, and face-to-face discussion. She uses case study analyses and class discussions to answer the question "will the message in the medium detract from other pedagogical purposes of the communication?" The third article, Web-Based Delivery of Information Technology Courses written by Pollacia and Simpson, discusses "any time-any place" distance learning in which teaching and learning occurs via a computer network. The authors tells us that the "successful development of any distance education program rests squarely on the shoulders of the institution's faculty." This article can be read as a guide describing the fundamental cast of developers, as well as offering a list of activities that have been successfully implemented within asynchronous Web-based classes. Computer and Internet Usage in Education: Theories, Practices, and Research Basics continues the discussion of distance learning and the value presented by the integration of the Internet into educational environments. Gray and Cao are quoted: "The computer and the Internet used in education provide critical advantages" [for students]. "Computer and Internet usage in education is making