Journal of Instructional Science and Technology ISSN: 1324-0781 Editors-in-Chief: Olugbemiro JEGEDE (jegede@ouhk.edu.hk) and Som NAIDU(s.naidu@meu.unimelb.edu.au)

Volume 2 No 1, May 1997
- - - Editorial - - -

e-JIST has taken another historic step in its journey towards building up itself as a leading journal in instructional design and technology by embarking on the publication of its second volume. Let us therefore welcome you to the first issue of the new volume (Volume 2, No 1). This issue has two articles which, from a number of perspectives are inter-related. They both come under the broad umbrella of accessibility and diffusion of technology and usage within specific environments.

The first paper by Klemm and Utsumi is on "Affordable and Accessible Distance Education: A Consortium Initiative". e-JIST has opted to deviate slightly from its policy of publishing empirical based papers by publishing this article because the paper appears to touch on a globally sensitive and topical issue of accessibility and affordability of technology especially by many developing countries. It does appear that emerging delivery technologies, while being very useful in modern day instruction by the distance mode, can easily degenerate into an instrument which exacerbates class and socio-economic divisions within countries and between countries. Klemm and Utsumi report on the vision of a Consortium for Affordable and Accessible Distance Education (CAADE). CAADE's vision is for is a flexible high-performance electronic communications infrastructure that can be tailored to integrate technologies for mass delivery of instructional materials with those for facilitating student-to-teacher and student-to-student interactions. CAADE is pursuing a single, integrated distance education system which is appropriate to different cultures and economic situations and provides a front for just-in-time access to instructional materials.

The second paper by Surry and Farquhar discusses how theories of innovation diffusion have been incorporated into instructional technology. The paper critically examines four of the most commonly used theories of diffusion and proceeds to describe how general diffusion theories have been used to build diffusion theories specific to instructional technology. The authors are of the opinion that Developer-Based Theories are flawed in that they overstate the role of technological superiority in the diffusion process. These two papers appear controversial, touching on the nerve centres of delivery and instructional technologies. We wonder what you think of the revolutionary ideas being put forward by the authors of the two articles. Enjoy your interaction with the articles contained in the Vol 2 No 1 of the e-JIST and by all means send your reactions to the journal.

Olugbemiro Jegede and Som Naidu