Computer supported collaboration in academia is becoming increasingly important for two reasons. Firstly, there is a drive to make the most effective use of the resources available to universities, and secondly, there is a growing belief in the pedagogical benefits of using computer support in teaching. In this volume, an international collection of authors from both academia and industry examines ways in which universities can make effective use of asynchronous collaboration. All aspects of academic life are covered, from teaching and research through to support and management. The Digital University contains a range of material, from research-oriented chapters through to the experiences of senior university management in attempting to make their institutions as efficient as they need to be to survive in the 21st century.

University education continues to be revolutionized by the use of Web-based teaching and learning systems. Following on from "The Digital University: Reinventing the Academy", this book provides a fully up-to-date and practical guide to using and implementing this important technology. Looking specifically at asynchronous collaboration, it covers:- policies- management of collaboration- distance learning- support for authoring- course design- educational metadata schemaand will be an essential buy for managers, lecturers, administrators, department heads and researchers.It includes a foreword by Ben Shneiderman, Director of the HCI Laboratory at the University of Maryland, USA.