A Message From Herb Schorr
Welcome to the USC Viterbi School of Engineering's Distance Education Network (DEN), one of the top e-learning engineering graduate programs in the nation. As one of the birthplaces of the Internet, many at the USC Viterbi School of Engineering were aware of the Internet's vast potential for teaching and learning before most of the rest of the world learned of the Web's existence.

USC scientists have been pursuing research on innovative technologies that may be incorporated into DEN over the next few years. Following is a glimpse at some of the exciting research projects we are working on:

• Virtual Amphitheater
  ISI researchers have been intensively pursuing ways to expand Internet bandwidth, and to better use the bandwidth we currently have. They are now pioneering ways to send High Definition Television over the high speed connections offered by the Internet. An intriguing effort in this regard is the "Virtual Amphitheater" project, which is a natural candidate for the real-time distributed classroom of the future.
  
  
• Intelligent Agent
  ISI scientists doing research and development in "Intelligent Agent" technology are perfecting robotic programs that can interact with students real-time in a free, unscripted format. Such agents can ask questions and respond to students answers instantly. They can teach as well as function as aides to human teachers. A special ISI center, the Center for Advanced Research on Technology in Education, is developing such pedagogical agents as part of its Automated Distance Education (ADE) project, its Virtual Environments for Training (VET) project and others.
  
  
• Haptic Interfaces
  At IMSC -- an NSF-funded national research center offering degree programs in multimedia in addition to research -- scientists have made great strides in perfecting "immersive" environments. In these environments, extremely high quality three-dimensional graphics and ultra-high-fidelity sound create an illusion of actually being in another time or place. Additionally, researchers are creating "haptic" interfaces which allow the remote sensation of shapes felt or held, as well as digital recording of textures and shapes.
  
  
• Augmented Reality
  "Augmented reality," in which captions and other information are superimposed upon real world environments, is another longtime IMSC interest. IMSC is also a leader in developing techniques for creating next-generation multimedia educational materials.
  
  
• New Models of Training Material
  For the U.S. Army and other clients, IMSC is developing new models of training material, based on video game models expanded with AI; immersive techniques; and "Flatworld," a simulation technique that borrows from film.

Other research may ultimately have educational applications as well. We invite you to explore the research links on the USC Viterbi School of Engineering web site in addition to DEN's educational offerings.

Sincerely,

Herb Schorr
Senior Associate Dean, USC Viterbi School of Engineering
Executive Director, USC Information Sciences Institute