Chapter 1 Introduction
Chapter 2 Benefits of advanced services
Chapter 3 Telecommunications in context
Chapter 4 The present
Chapter 5 What is needed?
Chapter 6 Recent developments
Chapter 7 Recommendations
Annex A Membership of the Task Force
Annex B Terms of reference
Advanced services _ this term is used in this report to refer to a variety of services available over external telecommunications links including e-mail, data transfer, videoconferencing and access to the Internet and other on-line services.
FE _ further education
ICT _ information and communications technology
ISDN _ Integrated Services Digital Network. The type of ISDN referred to in this report (and known as `basic rate' access) is that offering customer bandwidth of 128kbit/s, which gives about four times more capacity as that available from an ordinary phone line and modem.
Learning applications _ educational software and courseware
1 The Education and Public Access Points Task Force (the Task Force) was established by the Director General of Telecommunications in June 1996 to advise on how the telecommunications industry might best play its part in improving access to advanced services provided over external networks for educational establishments and public access points.
2 The Task Force consists of education, library, consumer and industry representatives.
3 It has focused on the telecommunications needs of the 33,000 schools, 541 further education (FE) colleges and 364 other institutions which provide FE (referred to as `the FE sector' in this report) and the 4,363 public libraries in the UK.
4 The Task Force has recognised that telecommunications links are just one of the elements needed if schools, colleges and public access points are to use advanced on-line services effectively. The Task Force appreciates that it is not simply the availability of infrastructure and equipment, of which telecommunications is but a part, which is required but also the development of learning applications (ie educational software and courseware) to support education and the provision of training and support for staff. The full integration of information and communications technology (ICT) into the work of schools, FE colleges and libraries will also require a cultural change.
5 The Task Force is strongly convinced that advanced services provided over external telecommunications links could bring significant benefits to learners and teachers in schools and colleges and to members of the community using public libraries. Furthermore, it believes that providing affordable access to advanced services in these institutions will bring wider gains to the community, the UK economy, and the information and communications technology (ICT) sector of which the telecommunications industry is a part. In order to realise these benefits, solutions are needed which address the multifaceted issues relating to infrastructure, applications, training, support and cultural barriers, and take into account any additional needs of those who want access to these on-line services.
6 Current use of external telecommunications links to access advanced services in schools, FE colleges and public libraries offers considerable potential for growth subject the affordability and predictability of telecoms prices being addressed. The majority of schools with access to external telecommunications links, such as the Internet, are using ordinary telephone lines. This limits the use of on-line services because of the slow speed of access and restrictions on the number of pupils able to access these services simultaneously. For example, most UK schools only have an individual Internet subscription available only on a single PC. Very few primary schools have access to external networks. Although many FE colleges have invested heavily in college learning centres providing PCs and internal network facilities it is still quite rare for them to have adequate access to external networks. Internet access in public libraries is very piecemeal.
7 The Task Force has identified the following telecommunications issues as requiring action:
8 The Task Force believes that a `baseline' of at least ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network _ basic rate access _ see Glossary on page 2) or equivalent is the minimum level at which schools can use advanced services effectively, particularly if they are to be more widely used within the school, for example, through local area networks. This `baseline' represents a first step in digital connectivity.
9 FE colleges and public libraries have varying needs and require access to appropriate bandwidth. Different criteria apply to assessing the affordability of telecommunications charges for FE colleges and public libraries compared with schools.
10 The Task Force's assessment of what is required was widely supported in a survey of "informed" teachers, education IT advisers, FE and library staff.
11 In response to the work of the Task Force the cable industry has recently introduced low fixed prices for schools which allow for unlimited use of the Internet using dial-up via an ordinary phone line or an ISDN connection or its equivalent.
12 Kingston Communications which operates in the Kingston Upon Hull area is planning to introduce a special ISDN package for schools offering unlimited local calls at a low fixed annual fee.
13 BT has recently announced that it will be introducing new ISDN pricing packages which combine rental and usage charges offering the equivalent of 3 or 8 hours of local rate calls a day. These packages will be available to all customers, including schools, colleges and libraries.
14 The telecommunications industry should:
Ensure that a `baseline' of digital connectivity at ISDN or equivalent (ie offering bandwidth of at least 128kbit/s) is available to all schools throughout the UK and take appropriate action to address the needs of those schools which are unable to access ISDN or its equivalent.
Introduce more affordable charges for telecommunications links for schools. These should take the needs of primary schools into account, particularly the small size of many primary schools and their low spending power.
Where possible develop flat-rate charges which allow for unlimited usage so as not to restrict access to advanced services.
15 The telecommunications industry should:
Initiate discussions with representatives of the FE sector to understand better the telecommunications requirements of FE colleges and to identify measures which help meet the needs of FE colleges including access to appropriate bandwidth on terms which are affordable.
16 The telecommunications industry should:
Initiate discussions with representatives of the Library and Information Commission and the Library Association to better understand the telecommunications requirements of public libraries and develop packages to meet the identified needs.
17 The telecommunications industry should:
Play its part in actively promoting and disseminating the benefits of external telecommunications links.
Develop charges which are predictable and controllable to enable effective budgeting of on-line expenditure (the inability to do so is currently a major impediment to many schools, colleges and libraries using on-line services).
Allow schools, FE colleges and public libraries to purchase network connections separately from services so that they are free to choose which company they buy services from and are not tied into taking service from the company providing the network connection.
Work in partnership with software producers, equipment manufacturers and others to ensure that schools, FE colleges and public libraries have the full range of services they need and can access them in a user friendly way.
18 In terms of priorities, the Task Force recommends that schools and FE colleges are the focus for immediate action. Schools, particularly primary schools, have been identified as a top priority. When these sectors have been dealt with the Task Force recommends that the needs of public access points, such as public libraries, are considered.
19 Oftel has confirmed that there are no regulatory constraints which would prevent the telecommunications industry meeting these recommendations. The Director General of Telecommunications has provided clear guidance about the way in which the regulatory framework would be applied if BT offered a tariff specifically for schools. This framework gives BT scope to offer very considerable price reductions to schools.
20 The Task Force has requested Oftel to undertake a review this summer of progress made by the telecommunications industry in meeting the recommendations set out in this report. This review will cover:
21 The Task Force will consider what further action is needed on the basis of this review and reconvene as necessary.
1.1 In June 1996 Oftel, the telecommunications industry regulator, established a Task Force of industry, education, consumer and public library representatives to make recommendations on how the telecommunications industry might improve access to information and communications technology (ICT) for educational establishments and public access points. Annex A provides details of the membership of the Task Force.
1.2 The Task Force has met on four occasions. This report provides a summary of the Task Force's work, details its recommendations, and highlights progress made by the telecommunications industry in meeting these recommendations.
1.3 The aim of the Task Force was to make recommendations on action needed to secure affordable access to appropriate telecommunications services for educational institutions and public access points across the UK to enable them to realise the benefits of advanced services provided via external telecommunications links. The terms of reference of the Task Force are at Annex B.
1.4 Widespread consultation by the UK Government Education Departments in 1995 on superhighways for education, identified telecom-munications prices as a significant factor for educational institutions in deciding whether to connect to networked services.
1.5 The Task Force has focused on telecommunications issues. In doing so, it recognised that telecommunications links and the costs of accessing them, while significant, are but a small part of what education institutions and public access points need to use ICT to the full. Chapter 3 considers these other needs.
1.6 The Task Force has concentrated on:
Schools: the 33,000 schools in the UK were identified by the Task Force as a priority for action. The Task Force agreed that all types of school (primary, secondary, special, maintained and non-maintained sectors) should be accorded priority. Primary schools were identified as a particular priority, because of their relatively low use of ICT and low spending power. Schools are clearly defined in statute and so there is little definitional problem in identifying them as a class of customer eligible for any targeted offerings by telecommunications companies.
Further education (FE) colleges: were identified as a priority sector for action by the Task Force because of the important role they play in contributing to national economic success through the achievement of national education and training targets. The FE sector is the principal provider of education and training facilities for those studying for vocational qualifications. For the purposes of the Task Force's recommendations, the FE sector is defined as the 541 further education sector colleges and 364 other institutions providing further education which are sponsored by the further education funding bodies. These institutions are clearly identified in statute and listings of them are available from the further education funding bodies. There is therefore little problem in identifying them as a class of customer for any targeted telecommunications offerings.
Public access points: the Task Force wanted to ensure all sections of the community are able to benefit from advanced services and are not disadvantaged through lack of access to them. The Task Force considered that when the telecommunications industry had responded to the needs of schools and FE colleges, the needs of public libraries should be reviewed as a focus for bringing the benefits of communications technology to the wider community. The 4,363 public libraries in the UK are used by 60% of the population each year. Unlike schools and FE colleges there is no statutory definition of public libraries and so the targeting of any potential telecommunications offerings to public libraries will require further consideration.
1.7 The Task Force did not consider the needs of the higher education sector as it was considered to be relatively well catered for in terms of network connectivity by the JANET _ the Joint Academic Network _ and SuperJANET _ the Super Joint Academic Network _ which connect higher education institutions and are funded by the Higher Education Funding Councils.
1.8 The Task Force has drawn on its own expertise and a survey of informed teachers, local education authority IT advisers, further education representatives and local authority librarians in reaching its conclusions.
2.1 The Task Force's starting point was to consider the benefits of external network links to provide access to advanced services for schools, FE colleges and public libraries. The Task Force recognised that there are many projects underway to evaluate these benefits. Whilst not wishing to pre-empt the outcome of these projects, the Task Force, based on the experience of its members, considered that there was sufficient evidence of the benefits associated with external network links to justify its focus on how access to these could be improved.
2.2 Providing schools, colleges and public libraries with external telecommunications links to advanced services will bring significant benefits:
3.1 The Task Force recognised that telecommunications links are just one of the elements that schools, FE colleges and public libraries need in order to use advanced services effectively. The Task Force appreciates that it is not simply the availability of infrastructure and equipment, of which telecommunications is but a part, which is required but also the development of learning applications (educational software and courseware) to support education and the provision of training and support for staff. The full integration of ICT into the work of schools, FE colleges and libraries will also require a cultural change. This chapter briefly summarises the Task Force's views on these other elements to put its more detailed consideration of telecommunications into context.
3.2 UK schools are relatively well served in terms of pupil to computer ratios compared with other Group 7 nations2. However, obsolete computer equipment is a problem. For example, 44% of computers in English primary schools are over five years old3. Local area networks (LANs) are relatively well provided in secondary schools but are virtually non-existent in primary schools. Further education colleges tend to be better provided for in terms of equipment and local area networks and many have recently invested in learning resource centres which are well equipped.
3.3 Also of importance are applications to use on the equipment. The Task Force noted that there is a need for the development of high quality educational on-line applications to support the teaching of the school curriculum and the FE curriculum in colleges. It considered that this needed to be addressed for ICT to be used to its full potential.
3.4 There is a need to identify and develop teaching skills and styles appropriate to the use of new technology. Additionally, adequate training and support of staff was considered by the Task Force to be critical. Training needs to focus on using ICT in all aspects of the curriculum as well as teaching specific computer skills. For teachers this should feature in initial teacher training as well as continuous in-service training. In the further education sector a five year staff development programme to train staff in the use of ICT has recently been launched taking forward a key recommendation of the Higginson Committee4.
3.5 The Task Force considered that external network links could assist with training and support. Such links also offer the opportunity for teachers to share ideas and resource material and reduce the isolation of all teachers, especially those in rural or other remote schools. External networks can also be used to assist with administrative tasks to allow more effective use of teacher time.
3.6 In addition, external network links offer the potential
for ICT to be managed remotely.
This was seen to be of particular benefit to small schools and
libraries which may lack the necessary resources to manage ICT
effectively in-house.
3.7 It is clear that addressing these issues requires multifaceted action by a range of different agencies. The UK Education Departments' follow up to their consultation on education superhighways5 includes these issues in their priorities for action and sets out what action the Government, industry and the education service need to take to address them.
3.8 Addressing telecommunications needs alone will not lead to the full realisation of the potential of ICT. Nevertheless, the Task Force concluded that tackling the telecommunications element is an essential first step in enabling educational establishments and public access points to derive the considerable benefits of advanced services that are available over external telecommunications links.
4.1 To inform its consideration of whether or not schools, FE colleges and public libraries face any telecommunications barriers in using advanced services the Task Force looked at current use of ICT in these establishments, and in particular the use of advanced services using external telecommunications links.
4.2 Although there is a paucity of nationally representative quantified data on schools' use of external networks, the Task Force believes that an accurate assessment of the current situation in schools is as follows:
4.3 An indication of the relative priority given by schools
to expenditure on ICT and external telecommunications may be obtained
by showing it as a percentage of their overall budgets. Schools
spend a relatively low proportion of their overall budgets on
ICT ranging from considerably less than 1% to 1.6% according to
different surveys. They have discretion to spend more but because
of other spending priorities few choose to do so. Furthermore
80_90% of schools' delegated budgets are currently committed on
teaching and non-teaching staff costs.
4.4 These proportions translate into an average ICT spend (excluding ICT spend for administration) for primary schools of £2,500_£5,150 per annum and for secondary schools of £17,000_£19,350 per annum. The range of spend on ICT varies enormously between schools.
4.5 There is a lack of data on the proportion of ICT budgets spent on telecoms charges to access on-line services but evidence from industry sources suggests that an average of 5% of ICT budgets in secondary schools and 2% of ICT budgets in primary schools are spent on telecommunications and service provider charges. However, it is estimated that schools would need to spend the equivalent of 25_75% of their current ICT budgets on telecommunications and service provider charges to use on-line services in any serious manner (based on telecommunications prices which prevailed in summer 1996).
4.6 The view of teachers and local education authorities contacted in Summer 1996 in the course of the Task Force's work is that telecommunications charges are not affordable to schools in part because of their unpredictability which causes budgeting problems. This view is also conditioned by the fact that on-line charges are seen as an additional expense rather than a substitute for something else and also by the uncertainty about the benefits of advanced technology.
4.7 The Government's education superhighways consultation5 exercise indicated that high telecommunications set-up costs and tariff levels, and in particular fear of unlimited telephone bills had inhibited the willingness of schools and colleges to use advanced technology. The report of the Education Sub-Group of the Government's Multimedia Industry Advisory Group6 concluded that prices for on-line services exceeded the reach of most schools and variable costs such as call charges for on-line access caused problems for schools.
4.8 The availability of ICT in FE colleges is improving with recent investment in college learning centres in which internal networks, multi-media PCs and servers are clustered to provide maximum accessibility and use. However, it is still quite rare for such centres to have adequate access to external networks. As the Higginson Committee noted in its examination of the use of ICT in the FE sector in England4 there is enormous diversity in the extent to which ICT is used effectively in colleges and the full benefits of external network links remain unrealised in the FE sector.
4.9 One of the Higginson Committee's recommendations was £60 million investment in a high-speed communications network, which would be managed and owned by a third party, to link FE colleges to each other, to relevant national agencies, to the Internet and to other networked information resources and databases. This recommendation is still being progressed. It remains within the terms of reference of a steering group set up by the FE Development Agency and the National Council for Educational Technology, and supported by the FE Funding Council which is considering the Higginson recommendations.
4.10 Provision of Internet access in public libraries is small-scale and piecemeal. A survey commissioned by the Library and Information Commission found that Internet access was available to the public at only 0.7% of public libraries in 19957.
4.11 The Library and Information Commission and the Library Association are looking at how advanced services available over external telecommunications links, including Internet access for the community, might be provided at public libraries throughout the UK.
5.1 From its consideration of the current use of ICT in schools, FE colleges and public libraries the Task Force concluded that the following telecommunications issues needed to be addressed to improve access to advanced technology:
5.2 The Task Force considers that these general needs are common to schools, FE colleges and public libraries, but that each of these sectors has its own specific more detailed requirements. For example, the level of charges that a school and FE college could afford to pay varies considerably.
5.3 The low speed of access to advanced services when using an ordinary phone line was considered by the Task Force to be a considerable barrier to schools' ability to use advanced services effectively, particularly if these services are to be more widely used within schools, for example, through local area networks. The Task Force therefore considered it important to set a `baseline' which offered a faster speed of access. A `baseline' of at least ISDN (basic rate access _ see Glossary on page 2) or its equivalent was agreed by the Task Force. ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network) offers bandwidth of up to 128kbit/s which is more than four times faster than technology currently used by most schools to access the Internet.
5.4 The benefits of ISDN or its equivalent as a "baseline" are that it:
5.5 The Task Force considered it important that this `baseline' should not be seen as a prescriptive set standard that would limit innovation and inhibit progress to faster broadband services. Instead this `baseline' should be regarded as the minimum level at which advanced services can be used effectively and an important first step in giving schools the opportunity to realise the benefits of advanced technology. Furthermore the Task Force recognised that given the varying sizes and needs of schools a single ISDN line or equivalent per site will not be appropriate to all.
5.6 The Task Force considered it important that there should be access to this `baseline' for all schools in the UK. The Task Force asked BT to investigate the extent to which this `baseline' is available to schools throughout the UK if they wished to use it. BT reported that 98% of schools could access ISDN. The remaining 2% of schools contain less than 0.25% of pupils. Inability to obtain access to ISDN arises for two reasons. The first is exchange related. BT has a programme to upgrade its electronic exchanges with modern digital switches, which should be completed by March 1998. After this time a small number of schools will still be unable to get ISDN because they are connected to early digital exchanges which do not provide ISDN. These schools are mainly located in Scotland and a few in Wales. The second impediment to ISDN access is if the school is located at too great a distance from the exchange.
5.7 In future many of these problems should be addressed through a number of measures. General improvements in network technology will increase the range over which such services may be provided. The roll-out of other operators' networks should also increase the availability of ISDN as well as giving schools a choice of operator. In addition, high speed modems that are due on the market soon will increase the data speeds that are available over ordinary telephone lines. It should also be possible to utilise fixed radio access links which several operators are licensed to provide for ISDN provision.
5.8 The FE sector needs affordable and predictable prices and access to appropriate bandwidth. Further education colleges vary in size and type from specialist institutions with a few hundred students to further education colleges with many thousand students. Because of this diversity the Task Force considers it inappropriate to recommend a `baseline' bandwidth for FE colleges as it has done for the schools sector. Instead the Task Force recommends that FE colleges should have access to appropriate bandwidth which will vary from college to college. In general the majority of FE colleges will be able to afford to pay more for telecommunications than schools.
5.9 Because of the diversity in the size and opening hours of public libraries the Task Force considered that it was inappropriate to suggest a `baseline'. Instead, public libraries need access to appropriate bandwidth at affordable and predictable rates. The assessment of the level of telecommunications charges that are affordable by public libraries will vary from that for schools and FE colleges.
5.10 In order to test whether the telecommunications needs the Task Force had identified accorded with the requirements as viewed by "informed" teachers, educational IT advisers, further education staff and librarians, a postal questionnaire was sent to nearly 100 "informed" representatives working in or with schools, FE colleges and public libraries. Responses were received from 53 respondents. Responses to the survey verified the conclusions reached by the Task Force:
5.11 The telecommunications industry has already taken some action to meet these needs:
6.1 This chapter summarises recent offers and announcements made by the telecommunications industry in the course of the work of the Task Force.
6.2 In November 1996, CableTel (one of largest cable operators in the UK) launched a special deal for schools in its franchise areas. This offers schools free connection and rental for the first ISDN line, and a flat-rate fixed charge (ranging from £50 to £500 per annum depending on the number of pupils in the school for each line) for unlimited access to the Internet for about £1 per pupil a year. This offer is available to schools using an Internet service provider with an actual point of presence in the school's local call area.
6.3 This was followed in January 1997 by the rest of the cable industry launching a package to give schools unlimited access to the Internet for a low fixed charge. This package offers access to the Internet via dial-up using an ordinary telephone line for a fixed price of:
The cable industry also offers unlimited access to the Internet via ISDN or its equivalent for £600 per annum. These offers are available to any school passed by the cable network using an Internet service provider with an actual point of presence in the school's local call area.
6.4 Kingston Communications is planning to introduce a special ISDN package for schools in the Hull area offering unlimited local calls for a low fixed fee.
6.5 In February 1997 BT announced that from May 1997 it would be offering new ISDN pricing packages which offer a combined rental and usage fee. These new prices are:
These prices will be available to all customers including schools, colleges and libraries.
7.1 To improve the opportunity for schools, FE colleges and public libraries to take advantage of the benefits of ICT the Task Force has made a series of recommendations to the telecommunications industry.
7.2 In terms of priorities, the Task Force recommends that schools and FE colleges are the focus for immediate action. Schools, particularly primary schools, have been identified as a top priority. When these sectors have been dealt with the Task Force recommends that the needs of public access points such as public libraries are considered.
7.3 The telecommunications industry should:
Ensure that a baseline of digital connectivity at ISDN or equivalent (ie offering bandwidth of at least 128kbit/s) is available to all schools throughout the UK and take appropriate action to address the needs of those schools which are unable to access ISDN or its equivalent.
Introduce more affordable charges for telecommunications links for schools. This should take the needs of primary schools into account, particularly the small size of many primary schools and their lower spending power.
Where possible develop flat-rate charges which allow for unlimited usage so as not to restrict access to advanced services.
7.4 The telecommunications industry should:
Initiate discussions with representatives of the FE sector to better understand the telecommunications requirements of FE colleges and to identify measures which help meet the needs of FE colleges including access to appropriate bandwidth on terms which are affordable.
7.5 The telecommunications industry should:
Initiate discussions with representatives of the Library and Information Commission and the Library Association to better understand the telecommunications requirements of public libraries and develop packages to meet the identified needs.
7.6 The telecommunications industry should:
Play its part in actively promoting and disseminating the benefits of external telecommunications links to schools, FE colleges and public libraries.
Develop charges which are predictable and controllable to enable effective budgeting of on-line expenditure (the inability to do so is currently a major impediment to many schools, colleges and libraries using on-line services).
Allow schools, FE colleges and public libraries to purchase network connections separately from services so that they are free to choose which company they buy services from and are not tied into taking service from the company providing the network connection.
Work in partnership with software producers, equipment manufacturers and others to ensure that schools, FE colleges and public libraries have the full range of services they need and can access them in a user friendly way.
7.7 Oftel has confirmed to the Task Force that there are no regulatory obstacles to prevent the telecommunications industry responding positively to these recommendations for schools as a discrete class of customer. BT is the only company with formal regulatory controls on its prices in respect of this market.
7.8 The Director General of Telecommunications has given clear guidance about the application of the regulatory framework if BT offered a tariff specifically for schools as a discrete class of customer. He considered that BT would be within the regulatory framework if:
7.9 This framework would allow prices to be designed in such a way to allow for unlimited use. Prices based on long-run average incremental costs are considerably below BT's current and recently announced ISDN charges.
7.10 The Task Force has requested Oftel to undertake a review this summer of progress made by the telecommunications industry in meeting its recommendations. This review will cover:
7.11 The Task Force will consider what further action is needed on the basis of this review and reconvene as necessary.
Chairman
Don Cruickshank, Director General of Telecommunications
Members
Professor Mel Collier, Chairman of the Research and Development Committee, the Library and Information Commission
Stephen Davidson, Chief Executive, TeleWest
Mike Fischer, Managing Director, Research Machines
Bob Frost, Chief Executive, Cable Communications Association
Jean Gaffin, Chairman, Advisory Committee on Telecommunications for Disabled and Elderly People
Bala Gnanapragasam, Chief Executive, Ctel
John Gray, Principal, Newark and Sherwood College
Denise Hall, Educational Manager, BT
Professor Stephen Heppell, Director, UltraLab
Alan Hindley, Group Managing Director, CableTel
Councillor Andy Howell, Association of Metropolitan Authorities/Birmingham City Council
Deirdre Hutton, Chairman, Scottish Consumer Council
Helen Jenner, Head Teacher, Harbinger School
Mary Marsh, Head Teacher, Holland Park School
Jeff Morgan, Director of Electronic Communications, National Council for Educational Technology
Lord Renwick, Parliamentary Information Technology Committee (PITCOM)
Joyce Wood, Consultant and Member of English Advisory Committee on Telecommunications
Government Department representatives
Andrew Partridge, Department for Education and Employment
Duncan Wilson, Department of National Heritage
Iain Osborne, Department of Trade and Industry
The aim of the Task Force was to make recommendations on action needed to secure affordable access to appropriate telecommunications services for educational institutions and public access points across the UK to enable them to realise the benefits of advanced services provided via external telecommunications links.
In meeting this aim it was agreed that the Task Force would focus on the following issues:
Identifying any aspects in the availability or terms of provision of telecommunications services that act as barriers to the realisation of the benefits of advanced services for educational institutions and public access points.
Identifying which educational institutions and public access points are placed at a disadvantage by these barriers and the scale of the problem.
Evaluating the extent to which these disadvantages will be overcome by existing and planned initiatives of individual companies, and assessing the need for any further action.
Recommending what further action is needed by individual companies, cross industry initiatives or Oftel.
1 Integrated Learning Systems: A Report on Phase 2 of the Pilot Evaluation of ILS in the UK, NCET (January 1996)
2 The RM International Report on IT Provision in Schools _ Research Machines plc (July 1996)
3 Survey of Information Technology in Schools _ DfEE Statistical Bulletin (1995)
4 Report of the Learning and Technology Committee _ The Further Education Funding Council (1996)
5 Superhighways for Education _ The Way Forward _ UK Education Departments HMSO (1995)
6 Multimedia Industry Advisory Group Report _ Department of Trade and Industry (1995)
7 Library and Information Commission Public Library Internet Survey A report by the UK Office for Library and Information Networking (1995)