Career Resource Videos, CDs

The Sloan Career Cornerstone Series is a set of nine videos and CD-ROMs designed to give high school and college students a comprehensive overview of career options in engineering, math, and physical science. Developed with the assistance of several professional societies and sponsored by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, the series is also a tool for professors, career counselors, and parents.

The video series features in-depth interviews and profiles of engineers, mathematicians, and scientists at work, and includes a user's guide with career planning resources and Internet links.

The CD-ROMs offer information on degree programs, current salary ranges, internships and co-ops, job descriptions and industry profiles. The CDs also feature self-assessment exercises and provide direct Internet links to universities and related associations.

The Sloan Career Cornerstone Series costs $350 for a boxed set of nine CD-ROMs; $250 for video set; or $500 for both. For more information or to order, call (800) 228-0810; e-mail: order@kendallhunt.com ; or see www.careercornerstone.com .

NEA Resource for Educators

The National Education Association's new CD-ROM, The Future of Higher Education, is a discussion and training tool for educators, students, administrators, and policymakers. The CD uses 3-D graphics, charts, and video and audio clips to explore key issues in education.

Users can access current enrollment and employment listings, experiment data and analysis, and demographic trends. The CD also provides information on improving teaching strategies, earning tenure, and organizing unions. Other topics include distance learning, the effects of technology on education, and intellectual property.

The software requires a PC or Mac with 16 MB RAM or higher. A complimentary copy is available for a limited time. To request a copy, write: Office of Higher Education, National Education Association, 1201 16th St., NW, Washington, DC 20036; or e-mail: HigherEd@nea.org .

Online Homework Service

WebAssign is an online subscription service for educators that automatically posts, collects, grades, and records student homework assignments. Developed by the North Carolina State University Physics Department, it provides students with regular access to grades and their progress in the course.

The service features problems from corresponding classroom textbooks, as well as unique, online-only exercises. Other features include automatic feedback, answer keys, and password-protected access. A comprehensive user's manual and student guides are also provided.

WebAssign runs on a semester basis. There is a $5 per student charge per course, plus a $250 instructor start-up fee for the academic year. For more information or to sign up for a free one-month trial, see www.webasign.net , or call (800) 955-8275.

Online Grant Search

Find grants with GrantSelect, the online version of the Grants Database published by Oryx Press. Updated daily, the database contains 10,000 funding programs and opportunities from more than 3,400 nonprofit organizations, foundations, and private sources, as well as federal, state, and local agencies in the United States and Canada.

Searching is made easy with four search functions: field, deadline, Boolean search, and category. Records include detailed information about the grant and contact information. The service also includes tips on proposal planning and writing, a bibliography, and an extensive list of major online databases and other relevant websites.

GrantSelect offers an optional alert service to notify subscribers via e-mail when there are changes in grant records. A one-year subscription to the full database costs $1,000, and segments can be purchased for $350. For more information, and to sign up for a free 30-day trial, see www.oryxpress.com/gs.htm ; or call (800) 279-6799; outside the United States call (602) 265-2651.