Creative and Innovative Network Management

Eastern Europe and western and central Asia are well represented by the 22 contributors discussing computer and communication networks in education. Their topics include managing information technology in an academic environment, the evolution of NYU-NET (New York University) in the context of regional and national networking in the US, pan-European networking structure for research and education, telecommunication regulation in the European Union, bandwidth as a valuable resource, the Nordic approach to distance education and learning, perspectives of collaboration in Albania, structure and infrastructure, information technology for science and education in Uzbekistan, Greek research and technology networks, and the telecommunication infrastructure in Azerbaijan. There is no subject index. Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Research and education are essential and critical factors for the development of any society, particularly the information society, which is based on the free flow of information and knowledge. The prosperity of the citizens in this type of society is a function of the scientific research, the technological development and the general education. They include a wide variety of skills and problem solving methods and techniques that give rise to the appropriate professional performance and competence. Networking methods and the evolving needs for competence on all levels of life demand flexibility and adaptability of the education systems. Every country’s authority should promote networking at all levels of the education process in order to create a suitable environment for life-long learning.