PUB TYPE Reports Research/Technical (143) Speeches /Conference Papers (150)

This descriptive study examines how the proliferation of electronic hook-ups to remote locations, to databases, and particularly to electronic mail (e-mail), is changing the work, communication patterns and self-image of higher education faculty. In particular the study examined whether technological acquisition had an imnact on professors ' perceptions of their "invisible colleges", and whether or not there were systematic differences between men and women in their constructions of these changes in their worklife. Explored are "invisible colleges, " scientific communities whose members do not live and work in close proximity; human-machine interaction; and literature on gender differences in ce"puter skill acquisition processes and psychological approaches to exploration of computer logic. In-depth open-ended interviews were conducted with six new electronic mail users. Additional data were derived from on