eliot@june.cs.washington.edu (Eliot Lim) (09/17/88)
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**** Application form at bottom of file ****
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Information and Software for Instruction and Research
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When you join ISAAC, information and software for instruction and
research are as close as your computer terminal. ISAAC is the
Information System for Advanced Academic Computing. It has been funded
by IBM to serve as a clearinghouse for information about the use of
IBM-compatible software and hardware in higher education. ISAAC
provides this information in several ways: by describing recent
projects which have used computers in instruction and research, by
listing addresses for the principal researchers on those projects, by
cataloging sources of software and software reviews, by listing the
software packages available through Wisc-Ware (a software distribution
network), and by providing an on- line forum for questions and
discussion.
All this information is easily accessible, thanks to the ISAAC
bulletin board and databases. The bulletin board and the user
interface for the databases are maintained at the University of
Washington in Seattle. Material for the databases is provided by
independent projects at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the
University of Texas-Austin, and the University of Bridgeport in
Connecticut. Additional information is provided by IBM's Academic
Information Systems (ACIS) group.
Users can connect to ISAAC in 3 ways:
- using a PC and modem
- using the BITNET network
- using the INTERNET network.
All the 3 methods costs the user nothing. Once connected, users can
exchange information with other users (by reading, writing or copying
messages) or they can search the databases.
If you'd like to join ISAAC, complete the application form below.
Please include your full mailing address. All students, faculty and
staff at institutions of higher education and members of participating
professional societies are eligible to join. There is no charge for
membership and our toll-free number makes modem access free, too. Be
sure to put a mark on your application next to the methods you plan to
use to connect--that way we'll know which user materials to send to
you. The two methods of connecting to ISAAC are quite different, so
we've described them separately below.
ISAAC has two parts: a bulletin board and several databases. The
bulletin board is a place where users can ask questions, make
announcements or leave messages for one another. The databases contain
a wide range of information which can be retrieved by means of
user-defined searches.
ISAAC's bulletin board is divided into "rooms." Each room is devoted
to a particular topic. Eight of the rooms are devoted to academic
disciplines. Four others are devoted to technical exchange,
announcements, questions to ISAAC, and information from IBM. Another
four rooms have been made available to independent organizations,
namely Wisc-Ware (a software distribution center), the Association for
Institutional Research, the League for Innovation in Community
Colleges, and the MUSIC-SP Users' Group. These groups are using
ISAAC's bulletin board as a means to share information with the
general public and/or as a means for their members to keep in touch.
ISAAC contains 14 databases which are compiled and maintained by
various groups around the U.S. Some of them are: the AEP Database, the
Special Studies Database, the SoftInfo Database, and the Academic
Software Database. These are described below.
The AEP Database contains abstracts of over 2,000 projects from
nineteen universities. These projects were funded by IBM as part of
the Advanced Education Projects program. The purpose of the AEP
program was to improve the quality of instruction and research in
higher education by expanding the use of IBM computers and software.
Many of the projects developed original software. Each project
abstract contains the investigator's name and address, a description
of the project, and a brief description of the software that was used.
Special Studies projects are joint research projects between IBM and
selected university investigators. Their abstracts follow a format
similar to the abstracts for the AEP projects.
SoftInfo is a database of sources of information about IBM-compatible
software for both PCs and mainframe computers. It was designed for the
academic community and covers a broad range of subject fields and
professions. Each of the listed sources describes, reviews, evaluates,
and/or recommends software. The sources include: professional
organizations, networks, state departments of education, journals,
newsletters, magazines, directories and databases. Each database entry
explains exactly what kind of information the source provides and how
to obtain that information.
Wisc-Ware is a distribution network for research and instructional
software for IBM computers. As such, it has two purposes:
- to provide a convenient mechanism that allows faculty to locate
software that is appropriate to their teaching or research. to
assist university-based software developers who wish to distribute
- their software to faculty and researchers nationally.
All software distributed by Wisc-Ware is described in the Academic
Software Database.
If you choose modem access, the ISAAC staff will send you the
communication and terminal emulation software you'll need. ISAAC's
toll-free number operates in the United States, Canada and Puerto
Rico, so prospective users outside these areas should consider trying
BITNET or INTERNET access.
INTERNET users can connect to ISAAC provided they have local IBM3270
emulation (TN3270).
BITNET users must have interactive message capability.
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Request for access to ISAAC
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revised 9/88
The Information System for Advanced Academic Computing is a free,
computer-based system devoted to information about the use of IBM
computers and compatible software in higher education and research. All
students, faculty and staff at institutions of higher education and
members of participating societies are eligible to use ISAAC.
Send the following information to:
isaac@uwaee (bitnet)
isaac@uwaee.engr.washington.edu (internet)
or mail to:
ISAAC Access
m/s FC-06
University of Washington
Seattle, WA 98195
USA
User materials will be mailed to you.
(1) Name
(2) Address, City, State, Zip
(3) Phone: (w) Please include area code.
(4) University
(5) Your BITNET and/or INTERNET address
(6) You may connect to ISAAC in 3 ways. Each method requires
separate authorization. Please indicate which method(s) you
would like to use. If you choose modem access, we will provide
the communications software you'll need.
* IBM PC, XT, AT or compatible and a modem. (U.S. except WA)
Please specify diskette size 5-1/4 or 3-1/2
* BITNET. (You must include your BITNET address above.)
* INTERNET. You must have access to the Internet network and local
IBM3270 emulation software (tn3270).