The National Technological University: Sharing Premier Educational Resources via Telecommunications

Since the mid‐1960s, instructional television (ITV) in the US has grown steadily so, today, ITV is the primary way engineers and technical managers continue their education while at work. Regional ITV systems operated by individual universities continue to grow, and these networks, since 1985, have been simultaneously interconnected nationally by satellite via the National Technological University (NTU) network. By cooperating, 45 major universities are each year providing almost 26 000 hours of high quality instruction to more than 100 000 technical professionals. Last year, more than 180 MSc degrees were awarded by NTU in 11 disciplines and more than 1750 adult learners are now working towards this goal as part‐time students. In addition, 3000 hours of continuing education, research seminars and symposia were delivered to more than 100 000 participants. NTU provides 78% of all university instruction delivered by satellite in North America. The network consists of 43 uplinks and more than 300 receivers linked by a state‐of‐the‐art 2.9 Mbps compressed digital video system. NTU is an accredited and widely respected university. All programmes focus strongly on learner needs. Total quality management is an organizational hallmark. The rapid growth of both member universities and sponsoring employers attests to the success of this unique, cooperative endeavor. To extend educational services globally, national ITV networks interconnected by satellite to serve Europe, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Africa, Latin America, and so forth, need to be planned and implemented. On occasion, for mutual benefit, these satellite networks could be interconnected globally.     

Self-efficacy and the stages of exercise behavior change.

This study examined the application of constructs concerning stage of readiness to change and self-efficacy to exercise. We developed two scales to measure stages of change for exercise behavior. Prevalence information on a sample of 1,063 government employees and 429 hospital employees was then obtained. Next, the ability of a questionnaire measuring exercise self-efficacy to differentiate employees according to stage of readiness to change was tested. Results from both stages-of-change scales revealed that 34-39% of employees were regularly participating in physical activity. Scores on efficacy items significantly differentiated employees at most stages. Results indicated employees who had not yet begun to exercise, in contrast with those who exercised regularly, had little confidence in their ability to exercise. Continued work at understanding the stages of exercise behavior and exercise self-efficacy could yield important information for enhancing exercise adoption and adherence.