Connections/EdTech News, October 1999

ARCHIVE DOCUMENT

News and Events
From Connections, October 1999
(Compiled based on selected news items, meeting reports and event notices
appearing in Connections , COL's quarterly newsletter)

New : The Development of Virtual Education: A global perspective.   Dr. Glen Farrell, Study Team Leader and Editor. A study of current trends in the virtual delivery of education, conducted with funding provided by the Department for International Development, London, UK. The Commonwealth of Learning, 1999.  

From Connections, October 1999:

Photo credit: M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation

Using community learning centres to improve reading skills

Literate people find it hard to grasp the full impact of illiteracy. In a world operating on written laws, rules and instructions, being illiterate is a severe handicap...It is tantamount to disability affecting every aspect of living. It confines job opportunities to the most menial and low paid tasks. It means being unable to read instructions on a packet of seed, a tin of powdered milk, or an oral contraceptive. It means being unable to read newspapers, street signs, warning signs. It means the inability to check legal rights...And it means being exposed to fraud and expropriation. Report of the Independent Commission on Population and Quality of Life

A £500,000 COL literacy project is now underway with special funding announced by Britain's Prime Minister, The Right Honourable Tony Blair, at the 1997 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM). With partners identified in three developing Commonwealth countries - Bangladesh, India and Zambia - COL is demonstrating the use of technology-based community learning centres to support literacy work with a focus on reading skills.

The need to increase literacy levels remains the primordial educational challenge facing developing countries in the Commonwealth. Responding to this need, The Commonwealth of Learning sought support from the British Department for International Development (DFID) to undertake a pilot project to explore ways in which literacy programmes might be enhanced through the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs).

This work continues to be particularly relevant as this year's CHOGM approaches in November. Commonwealth Governments have agreed with their South African hosts to focus on human development and the challenges of globalisation. COL is honoured to be responding to this theme through this initiative.

Creation of access to various technologies through pioneering technology-based community learning centres (CLCs) is at the core of the implementation of the project in each of the three countries. While there is an increasing consensus on the usefulness of CLCs, a key goal of this project is to demonstrate and evaluate the appropriateness and effectiveness of technology-based CLCs through which literacy workers can develop learner competencies in reading, numeracy and in the use of information and communication appliances.

The on-site implementation and management of the Project has been arranged with a partner organisation in each of the three pilot countries. Each of these partners will have a primary role in determining the project site(s), programme focus, tutor selection, choice of appropriate technologies, marketing and management of the CLCs.

In Bangladesh, 12 community learning centres are planned and the Bangladesh Open University will be taking a very direct leadership role in the development of literacy curricula, the development of technology-based materials and in the direct delivery of programmes.

Working with the Indira Gandhi National Open University i n India, the focus will be on the development of literacy materials to be used for direct delivery in the sub-centres through various collaborating organisations, including two State Resource Centres.

In Zambia, the project will concentrate on the development of literacy materials, but will have an emphasis on the training of community development workers. Two hundred Community Development Assistants will be trained and 200,000 people are expected to be involved in the literacy programme. The University of Zambia will administer the programme through three learning centres.

In each country, the project will focus on the following outcomes:

• enhancing knowledge of appropriate and sustainable use of ICTs in literacy education;
• training literacy tutors to be knowledgeable in the use and availability of ICTs;
• significantly improving participant learners' reading, numeracy and ICT skills;
• developing materials for use both by learners and in training literacy workers; and
• collecting objective data regarding the role of ICT-based CLCs.

The project's international advisory committee includes representatives from the partner organisations and of literacy education experts. COL's project manager is Dr. Glen Farrell, former President of the Open Learning Agency in British Columbia, Canada. COL has also identified an independent and experienced external evaluator to provide monitoring and objective evaluation of the literacy project as it progresses along its initial pilot phase.

Further information is available on COL's web site.

24 to 27 November 1999 Sherbourne Conference Centre St. Michael, Barbados

TEL-isphere 99, The Caribbean and Technology-Enhanced Learning

Keynote presentations

Mia Mottley	Brian Tobin	Burchell Whiteman	Huguette Labelle	Cardinal Warde

The Commonwealth of Learning and the Caribbean Broadcasting Union are pleased to announce that the following keynote speakers have been confirmed:

The Honourable Mia Amor Mottley, Minister of Education, Youth Affairs and Culture, Barbados. Mia Mottley has been a key player in developing the Barbados government's job-creation initiative and authored a well-known white paper that draws the link between better education and job fulfilment. In 1996, she served as Chairman of the Caribbean Community's Standing Committee of Ministers of Education (CARICOM).

The Honourable Brian Tobin, Premier, Province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. Mr. Tobin is a passionate speaker on overcoming the obstacles and off-shore competition that face human resource development in small island states and isolated regions, including the importance of bringing education to as many people as possible. The Honourable Burchell Whiteman, Minister of Education and Culture, Jamaica. Minister Whiteman will be describing his Government's draft policy on the use of information and communications technologies for education, which defines the roles of all parties in the new "smart partnerships" of the public, private and community sectors. Dr. Huguette Labelle, O.C., President, Canadian International Development Agency. Madame Labelle has held many senior positions in the Canadian government and is widely respected for her leadership in the uses of new technologies for human development. She has headed CIDA since 1993. Professor Cardinal Warde, Faculty Director, Department of Electrical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Professor Warde is a Barbadian who is an eloquent speaker on developmental issues in the Caribbean, including technology in education. Parallel sessions

Over 50 papers will be presented in parallel sessions. Topics range from professional development in education and health care by distance and open learning, to strategic implementation of learning technologies and the appropriate uses of technology in global education. The Journal of Educational Media is working with COL to produce a special issue of the Journal in March 2000. The publication will contain an account of TEL-isphere 99 and six of the highest-rated papers selected by the Journal from among the conference presentations. Sponsor support

The British Department for International Development and the World Bank's InfoDev (Information for Development programme) have joined the Caribbean Development Bank as major financial supporters of the conference, ensuring delegate participation from within the region. Microsoft Corporation, Cable and Wireless, and KPMG (the "global professional advisory firm") are participating as corporate sponsors. All exhibit space has been allocated. The Ministry of Education and Culture, Barbados, and the University of the West Indies Distance Education Centre are acting as local hosts.

Delegate registration is still available.

e-mail: tel99@col.org  

Member government support

The Commonwealth of Learning is extremely grateful for the confidence Commonwealth Governments have shown in its work through their generous support toward the implementation of is current Three-year Plan, 1997-2000. Most Governments are adhering to their pledges and commitments with respect to annual funding for the core budget.

Canada, through the combined generosity of the province of British Columbia and the federal government, continues to be a leading contributor along with Britain, through the Department for International Development. Both these countries have also made further contributions for specific initiatives that would otherwise have been beyond the scope of the core budget.

New Zealand's contribution is also impressive as it is not only one of the larger in absolute terms but even more outstanding in relative terms. Its support, along with that of Australia, has enabled COL to reach out to communities in the Pacific as well as in Africa and other parts of Asia.

The substantive and constant support provided by India, along with a number of other developing Commonwealth countries is also noteworthy. In fact, 33 of the 54 Commonwealth countries have contributed to COL's core funding during the current Three-year Plan period.

This partnership between the developed and developing members of the Commonwealth demonstrates how COL is a shared endeavour, clearly distinguishing it from the more conventional donor-recipient models of co-operation. A cumulative record of member Government funding received and other financial statements are available on COL's web site.

This reality is further demonstrated when one factors in the tremendous direct and indirect local support provided by Governments and institutions hosting workshops, training sessions and other activities spearheaded by COL. These contributions never register in the accounts of COL but they remain critical to the realisation of project objectives.

COL also successfully leveraged the core funding provided such that it was able to generate significantly more project and programme activity than Governments' direct investments of under CDN $5.5 million per annum would otherwise have permitted.

For example, COL was able to secure over half the costs of the Pan-Commonwealth Forum in Brunei Darussalam from sources outside its core budget. COL estimates conservatively that $2-$3 worth of programming is generated for every dollar Governments contribute to its core budget. In a number of cases, the leveraging goes well beyond that. One such case is the feasibility study on the use of broadcasting in the Caribbean for open and distance learning. The study itself will consume some $217,000 while COL will invest resources of $28,000 - a leveraging effect of almost $8 for each dollar of expenditure incurred by COL.

COL has also recently created COL International as a COL affiliate to undertake contractual work funded by international financial institutions and/or national development agencies. Over time, this should generate additional revenues for COL, which will decrease funding pressures on Governments' national treasuries.  

COL in Action

  
Mr. Abdallah M. Ngororo, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Science, Technology and Higher Education, Tanzania, officially launches the certificate training programme for laboratory technicians. The materials have been adapted for local use in African countries through a programme sponsored by COL and the Commonwealth Secretariat, in collaboration with the Commonwealth Association of Polytechnics in Africa. COL-led consortium wins Mozambique work

A consortium led by COL and including the International Extension College (IEC, U.K.) and the University of Namibia (UofN) have been awarded a US$175,000, African Development Bank-funded contract by the Government of Mozambique to conduct a feasibility study on the implementation of a fully integrated national open and distance learning system for one of the Commonwealth's newest members.

Mr. Patrick Guiton (COL), Dr. Barbara Spronk (IEC), Professor Tony Dodds (UofN), Dr. Gary Coldevin and Professor Greville Rumble arrive in Mozambique this month, joining four local consultants, and will work extensively with local stakeholders and experts throughout the country. Mr. Anisio Matangala, Chief of the Mozambique Distance Education Commission, will lead the team of local consultants. Guidelines for franchising education programmes

Globalisation of higher education can potentially provide access to education to countless individuals who might not otherwise have an opportunity to study. Unfortunately, quality assurance of franchised courses and overseas provision is not always adequate. The result can be a qualification that fails to meet professional requirements or that is inadequately delivered.

Guidelines existing in some countries are written primarily from the perspective of the provider. Guidelines created for the benefit of the receiving institution or individual in another country do not exist.

To address this issue, such guidelines are now being developed collaboratively by The Commonwealth of Learning, the Association of Commonwealth Universities, the Commonwealth Secretariat and the Commonwealth Higher Education Management Service in consultation with government agencies and experts throughout the Commonwealth.

As currently outlined, the guidelines will be a series of critical questions which could be raised when evaluating the validity or appropriateness of franchised or overseas provision. The final document should be ready by early next year. Based on an article by Svava Bjarnason appearing in the October 1999 issue of ABCD, the news bulletin of the Association of Commonwealth Universities. The entire article is available on COL's web site. COL signs literacy MOA

COL and The International Literacy Institute (ILI) have signed a Memorandum of Agreement on collaboration in the development of literacy programmes. ILI is located at the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education in Philadelphia and is co-sponsored by the University and UNESCO. It's work focuses on international literacy with an emphasis on improving literacy in developing countries.

The agreement recognises the central role that literacy and basic education play in international development; notes the increasing need for communication, co-operation and collaboration among institutions and agencies working to utilise open learning systems and new information technologies to improve literacy, non-formal education and basic education world-wide; and considers the strengths and capacity of both ILI and COL.

ILI's web site includes information on research and events as well as links to other literacy sites world-wide ( ncal.literacy.upenn.edu/ili ).  

People Mr. M.K. Kaw has been appointed Education Secretary in India's Ministry of Human Resource Development. The Government of India has also named Mr. Kaw as its representative on COL's Board of Governors. He succeeds Mr. P.R. Dasgupta in both roles.

Gajaraj Dhanarajan receives Honorary Degree from Dominique Abrioux, President, Athabasca University

Dr. H. Ian Macdonald, O.C., was recognised by the Open University of Sri Lanka for "his eminence in the fields of academia and government and his special contribution to distance education." OUSL awarded him an Honorary Doctor of Letters in June 1999. COL's President, Dato' Professor Gajaraj Dhanarajan, was meanwhile also receiving an Hon. D.Lett., conferred on him by Canada's Athabasca University "in recognition of his distinguished service to open and distance education throughout the Commonwealth, and his outstanding contributions to higher education." Speeches delivered on these occasions are available on COL's web site.      Krishna Alluri                              Helena Fehr

Dr. Krishna Alluri and Ms. Helena Fehr have joined COL's staff in Vancouver. Dr. Alluri has been involved in agricultural research, training and development for almost 30 years. Starting his career in India, he was later associated with the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR). As Project Co-ordinator, he is responsible for developing activities where distance education and open learning applications could be promoted and encouraged in the agricultural, forestry and fisheries sectors. Ms. Fehr succeeds Mr. Greg Zador as COL's Governance and Programme Officer. With an academic and practical background in international education, she is now administering COL's Canada Caribbean Distance Education Scholarship Programme and supporting the activities of COL's Board of Governors. Mr. Zador has been appointed Economic Development Co-ordinator by the city of Winnipeg, Canada.

COL Director, Mr. Brian Long, was invited to Moscow to receive one of five Awards of Merit conferred by the Russian Association for Canadian Studies on the occasion of its 10^th anniversary. The awards recognise those who have played a critical role in the life of the association. Mr. Long has received similar honours from the International Council for Canadian Studies, the German-speaking Association for Canadian Studies and the Spanish Association for Canadian Studies.  

Events

CHOGM '99

As Chairman of the Board, Dr. H. Ian Macdonald, will lead COL's representation at the biennial Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) to be held in Durban, South Africa, from 12 - 15 November 1999. The Board of Governors will report on COL's progress, highlighting its relevance to this year's CHOGM theme: Globalisation: The Commonwealth and People-Centred Development. Dr. Macdonald will be joined by COL's President and C.E.O., Professor Gajaraj Dhanarajan; COL's Director, Mr. Brian Long; and Board member Dr. Ihron Rensburg (Deputy Director-General, General and Further Education and Training, South Africa Department of Education).  

Reddy Memorial Lecture

The fourth annual Professor G. Ram Reddy Memorial Lecture was held on 2 July 1999 in New Delhi and telecast to national and state learning centres throughout the country. Dr. Ian Mugridge, former COL Director of Programmes, delivered the Lecture on Quality Assurance in Distance Learning.

The event is jointly sponsored by the Indira Gandhi National Open University and COL in memory of the late Professor Ram Reddy, who was the first Vice-Chancellor of IGNOU and first Vice-President of COL.

Quality assurance workshop

A national workshop on Quality Assurance in Distance Education for Malaysia took place in September 1999. It was hosted by Universiti Sains Malaysia and presented with support from The Commonwealth of Learning. Workshop facilitators were Ms. Andrea Hope, Associate Vice President (Development), Lingnan University, Hong Kong and Dr. Michael Robertshaw, Associate Professor, School of Science and Technology, The Open University of Hong Kong. Participants developed a strategic approach towards quality assurance in distance education in Malaysia. Complete details on the workshop and its outcomes are available online (learn.ouhk.edu.hk/~u123/workshop.htm) (link no longer available).

TVET teacher training

COL has developed a core curriculum designed to improve the pedagogical skills of technical and vocational teachers that have been hired for their competency in the particular content area.

Implementation of the programme has taken a leap forward. At a meeting of representatives from the Commonwealth Caribbean, all member countries agreed to adopt the curriculum. Jamaica's University of Technology has been appointed by COL to act as regional co-ordinator.

Dr. Dennis Irvine, Regional Adviser to the President of COL, chaired the meeting. Mr. John Bartram, COL's technical/vocational education and training (TVET) specialist, acted as facilitator. Further details on the programme and the recent meeting are available on COL's web site.

Knowledge management

COL will host a "Knowledge Management Roundtable" at its Vancouver headquarters 19 - 21 October 1999. Experts in distance education libraries and information databases will discuss the changing nature of knowledge management and available technologies and will examine how COL and its Information Resource Centre can best meet the needs of stakeholders around the Commonwealth.  

COL Board to meet in Victoria

COL's Board of Governors will meet in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada from 27 - 29 October 1999. Local government and education officials will be invited to a breakfast meeting with the international dignitaries that will be in attendance. His Honour, The Honourable Garde B. Gardom, Q.C., Lieutenant-Governor of BC, will speak at the meeting.   List of current Board members:  www.col.org/board

Using technology in agricultural training

Immediately prior to TEL-isphere 99, COL is convening a regional consultation on using technology for the enhancement of learning in agriculture in the Caribbean. The meeting will take place in Barbados from 23 to 24 November.

Through pilot studies, COL has made a modest beginning in the use of information and communication technologies for the enhancement of learning in agriculture in the Commonwealth. A more thorough review of literature, sharing of experience and exchange of views are needed.

Findings and recommendations will be presented at TEL-isphere 99. 

Gender barriers to ICTs

In many regions of the developing Commonwealth, increasing opportunities exist to use information and communications technologies (ICTs) to deliver education. There is evidence, however, that there continues to be impediments to the access of these ICTs based on gender differences. These differences will also vary greatly depending on where a person lives (e.g. urban vs. rural).

In view of these challenges, COL is convening four regional "expert group meetings" to identify these impediments and to arrive at strategies to overcome them. The Caribbean regional meeting will be held on 24 November, preceding TEL-isphere 99, and will include representatives from Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Guyana, Jamaica, and the Eastern Caribbean.

Global Knowledge II

The second Global Knowledge Partnership conference will be hosted by the Government of Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur from 7 to 10, March 2000. The conference theme is: Building Knowledge Societies: Access, Empowerment, Governance. The first Global Knowledge conference was hosted by the Government of Canada in Toronto in June 1997. COL is part of the planning team for the KL meeting. www.globalknowledge.org

World trade in education

The World Education Market, an international conference and trade show, will showcase practical, effective and innovative approaches for the delivery of education, training and lifelong learning. The Reed Midem Organisation, a large international event operator, has chosen Vancouver, Canada, to host the inaugural WEM. It will be held from 24 to 27 May 2000 and is expected to draw between 3,000 and 5,000 decision-makers and education leaders from around the world.

The event is designed to facilitate cross-border education business arrangements. Estimated at US$28 billion in 1996, the world trade in education is predicted to surpass US$90 billion by 2005. In this dynamic marketplace, solutions, systems and expertise are being purchased, products and resources are being adapted to local needs, and new collaborations and initiatives are being launched - involving a full range of public- and private-sector partners. www.wemex.com    

How real is virtual education? A study of current trends in the virtual delivery of education, conducted with funding provided by the Department for International Development, London, U.K. Dr. Glen Farrell, Study Team Leader and Editor. The Commonwealth of Learning, 1999.

The term "virtual education" is something that is heard with increasing frequency as the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) becomes ever more present in the conduct of open and distance education. To examine the degree to which the "virtual institution" has really arrived, The Commonwealth of Learning, with funding from the British Department for International Development, commissioned an international group of experts to look at this phenomenon and provide a snapshot report.

While it is clear that the application of ICTs to the practice of open and distance learning is growing rapidly, the study team determined that the concept of truly virtual education is still more rhetorical than real.

The report provides a detailed look at the differences in this development around the world through a series of regionally-based papers and concludes with a number of suggestions for policy makers and education leaders regarding the development of models for virtual learning.

The entire study is available online from COL's web site. Feedback has been very encouraging. Many have already complimented it on its usefulness and timeliness.  

AAOU '98 conference papers

The Open University of Hong Kong Press has published a book based on a selection of papers presented at the Asian Association of Open Universities (AAOU) conference, The Asian Learner, held in Hong Kong in November 1998. As a conference sponsor and partner in the publication, COL has obtained a limited number of copies of the book that it is making available free-of-charge, while quantities last. For requests from institutions in developing Commonwealth countries, shipping charges will be waived. Contact: The Open Learning Agency, Attn. COL Customer Service, 4355 Mathissi Place, Burnaby BC V5G 4S8 Canada; tel: 604.431.3210; fax: 604.431.3381; e-mail: catalogue@ola.bc.ca .

AAOU '99 takes place this month in Beijing. AAOU '00 will be hosted by the University of the Philippines Open University in Manila. The deadline for submission of abstract presentation proposals is 29 February 2000. E-mail: aaou2000@laguna.net for details.

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