Virtual
Universities:
Myth or Reality?
Panel for EUNIS 2000
Poznań, 13-14 April, 2000
Edward A. Fox
fox@vt.edu http://fox.cs.vt.edu
CC CS DLRL Internet TIC
Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA
Example: Commonwealth of VA
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Internet Technology Innovation Center
VIVA: library “buyers club”
Net.Work.Virginia
Commonwealth Electronic Campus
University/Industry: Virginia’s Internet
Technology Innovation Center
Statewide University Partners - Governing Board
• Christopher Newport University
– William Winter, William Muir, Virginia Electronic Commerce Technology
Center / Southeastern Virginia Network (VECTEC/SEVAnet)
• George Mason University
– Scott Martin, Internet Multimedia Center (ICM)
– Steven Ruth, International Center for Applied Studies in IT (ICASIT)
• University of Virginia
– Alf Weaver, Internet Commerce Group (InterCom)
– Jim French, Internet Digital Library
• Virginia Tech
– Edward Fox, Digital Library Research Laboratory (DLRL), CC, CS
– Scott Midkiff, Center for Wireless Telecomm. (CWT), VTISC, ECpE
Position
• Approach bottom up
• Now entering 2nd generation which is moving us
closer to reality
– Infrastructure: network, DB, digital library, …
– Standards (IMS): metadata, multimedia, …
– Train/motivate/reward faculty
– Universities cooperate, publicize offerings
– Work toward economic viability, sustainability
st
1
Generation Virtual University
• Broadcast courses using TV
– Satellite  Network
• Multiple universities sharing remote facilities for
graduate education @ night
– Graduate Centers in: Falls Church, Roanoke, …
– Community Colleges
– Cooperative Extension Centers
nd
2
Generation Virtual University
• Use digital libraries of (small) knowledge modules
• Train and support faculty innovation
– Faculty Development Initiative
– 8th Year, Each faculty members gets computer
– ¼ faculty each year spends 3-5 days
– Educational technology, distance education,
– Multimedia, online course automation
• Cooperate: integrate IS, enhance network
COMMERCIAL
Internet Technology Development Cycle
COMMODITY
Early ISPs
AOL, Mom’s Internet
Net.Work.Virginia
vBNS
ARPAnet
NSFnet
RESEARCH
Erv Blythe
VP, Information Systems
Virginia Tech
Jeff Crowder
Net.Work.Virginia
Virginia Tech
Abilene
(Q,M,6)-Bone
Broad Wireless
LARGE-SCALE
PROTOTYPE
Networking: What’s Needed?
Six Fundamental Technology and Policy Issues
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Predictable Performance & Symmetry
Interoperability
Network integrity & reliability
Privacy and secure transactions
Ability to Find People & Resources
Commodity Priced Access
Characteristics of a
“Next Generation Internet”
• Sensory Communication
– teleimmersion (beyond the cave)
– visual (+ aural, tactile, kinesthetic, olfactory)
“ go where other noses fear to sniff”
• Death of Distance
– we can move Virginia Tech to Washington, D.C. …
• Design Criteria:
– Reliability and Performance for Mission Critical Applications
– Content and Producers are Everywhere
Net.Work.Virginia Architecture
Backbone / Gateways
ESnet
vBNS
Internet
Over 750 sites by end of 1999
• All have ESnet & SprintLink Access
• Managed by Virginia Tech
•
SprintLink
Router
245 Mbps
OC3
Sprint WTN
Abilene
Sprint RIC
Sprint ROA
jmc 1/3/97
vBNS Backbone Network Map
Seattle
C
Boston
National Center for
Atmospheric Research
C
Ameritech NAP
A
C
Denver C
C
C
Atlanta
A
C
C
C New York City
A
C
C
San Diego
Supercomputer Center
A
Ascend GRF 400
DS-3
C
Cisco 7507
OC-3C
J
Juniper M40
OC-12C
FORE ASX-1000
OC-48
C
Houston
Sprint NAP
Perryman, MD
C
C
MFS NAP
Los Angeles
C
J
NAP
Chicago
Pittsburgh C
A Supercomputing
Center
C
National Center for
Supercomputing
Applications
San Francisco
C
J
Cleveland
Washington, DC
Abilene and Internet2
• Internet2 as infrastructure:
– 150+ campus LANs
– about 35 gigaPoPs
– a few interconnect backbones
• Abilene is the 2nd Backbone
– OC-48 trunks from Qwest
– Cisco 12008 routers with IP/Sonet
– OC-3 and OC-12 access to gigaPoPs
Abilene Network
Seattle
New York
Sacramento
Denver
Indianapolis
Kansas City
Los Angeles
Atlanta
Abilene Router Node
Abilene Access Node
Operational January 1999
Planned 1999
Houston
Abilene Characteristics
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2.4 Gbps (OC48) capacity today
13,000+ miles of circuits
70+ universities connected by end of 1999
Interconnects with other national
R&E networks
• Built on contributions from Qwest, Nortel,
Cisco, and Indiana Univ.
End-to-End Innovation
Regional / National / Global Access
Internet 2 / NGI
Multimedia Network Access Point
Statewide Access
OC3 OC3
OC3
Local Community Access
Blacksburg Electronic Village
LMDS Wireless Technology
Multimedia Service Access Point
NET.WORK.VIRGINIA
World’s Most Advanced Public Network
EUNIS
(1995)
Digital
Library
Initiative
(NSF 1994)
Improving
Education
Virtual
Universities
WWW
(1994)
Poznan
SNC (1993)
Faculty
Development
Initiative (1992)
Internet
(1984)
SGML (1985)
Multimedia
(1986)
University
Scholarly
Electronic
Pub. (1988)
Questions for Audience
• Change agent/leadership:
– Bottom up (faculty driven) vs. top down?
• Campus control/responsibility:
– Educational technology, computing, library, …
– Who owns courses, course materials?
• Who: Current faculty vs. new staff?
• Scope: University, region, nation, international?
Decoupling
• Educational resources
– Producing
– Using
• Assessment, certification
• Collaboration
– Mentoring, tutoring
– Group activities