Connections/EdTech News, May 1998

ARCHIVE DOCUMENT

News and Events
From Connections, May 1998
(Compiled based on selected news items, meeting reports and event notices
appearing in Connections, COL's quarterly newsletter)

 

COL, Brunei to hold open learning forum

In celebration of ten years of The Commonwealth of Learning, the first Pan-Commonwealth Forum on Open Learning will be held next year in Brunei Darussalam. The event will be co-hosted by COL, the Brunei Darussalam Ministry of Education and Universiti Brunei Darussalam, and is being organised in collaboration with the Commonwealth's open and distance learning professional associations. It will be held at the International Convention Centre in Bandar Seri Begawan from 1 - 5 March 1999.

Empowerment through knowledge and technology

With the theme, Empowerment through Knowledge and Technology, the Forum is designed to help the countries of the Commonwealth to:

• Extend open learning into all aspects of education, training and human resource development
• Achieve effective leadership, management and staff development in open learning
• Share ideas, expertise, research and best practice in the development and delivery of open learning
• Strengthen and extend collaboration and networking
• Plan for future open learning activities throughout the Commonwealth

This Forum will examine open learning in world-at-large applications ranging from the macro to the micro level. It will showcase what is achievable with vision, concern for the learner, effective teaching and learning, and appropriate applications of technology. Agendas ranging from basic literacy to postgraduate and professional education will be addressed.

Keynote and plenary presentations will set the context for the Forum and the agenda for the next decade of open learning in the Commonwealth. Case studies and workshops will follow five sub-themes:

• Non-formal adult/community education
• Corporate/industrial training
• Primary and secondary schooling
• Technical and vocational education and training
• University education

Delegate participation

The Forum is designed to achieve maximum participation and interaction and to meet the needs of newcomers to open learning as well as those more experienced in this field.

There will be opportunities for delegates to meet informally to discuss matters of mutual interest, share examples of their work, participate in meetings of regional distance/open learning associations and special interest groups, take part in round tables, and visit local educational institutions and places of interest.

No-charge accommodation

The Forum registration fee is US$400. This covers the costs of registration, the proceedings, all lunches and refreshments, three dinners and local transportation. At no additional cost, accommodation and breakfast at the UBD student hostels is available on a "first come, first served" basis (upon submitting completed registration and fee). Delegates may also choose to stay at their own expense in the UBD Guest House, SEAMEO Voctech International House, the ASEAN-EC Management Centre or hotels in Bandar Seri Begawan, the capital of Brunei Darussalam. Financial assistance will be available to selected participants from developing Commonwealth countries. (Conference organisers reserve the right to limit numbers attending from each country or organisation.)

Further information

A brochure, registration form and "call for papers" will be mailed to all regular recipients of Connections. Further information is also available by contacting the Forum Secretariat at COL's Vancouver headquarters (e-mail: forum@col.org) or by visiting the Forum web site (http://www.col.org/forum). Expressions of interest, suggestions and comments are also welcome.

 

Honouring excellence

COL honours and fosters excellence in distance education through recognition of outstanding achievements. To mark its tenth anniversary, COL is pleased to announce a Commonwealth-wide Excellence in Distance Education Programme (EDEP). The EDEP has four categories of awards:

• COL Anniversary Honours: recognising institutional achievements
• COL President's Awards: recognising excellent distance education materials
• Honorary Fellows of COL: recognising individual achievements
• COL Learning Experience Award: recognising learners' experiences

Award ceremonies will be held during the Pan-Commonwealth Forum on Open Learning being held next March in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei Darussalam. The deadline for entries is 31 August 1998.

Further information, including the call for submissions and nominations, is available from COL. E-mail: edep@col.org

 

Abdul Khan leaves COL to head IGNOU

On 27 March 1998, the Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India, announced the appointment of COL's Principal Communications Specialist (Educational Media and Non-formal Education) as Vice-Chancellor of the Indira Gandhi National Open University. Dr. Abdul Khan takes up his new duties on 1 June, for a five-year term.

"COL will be a little poorer without Dr. Khan", says COL President, Professor Gajaraj Dhanarajan. "He brought to the organisation his knowledge and experience in educational media, development communications and the appropriate use of technologies in distance and non-formal education. His insight into, and enthusiasm for, changing the ways of delivering knowledge and education fitted well with the mission and mandate of this agency. While he will be missed by all his colleagues here in Vancouver, on the brighter side, we are looking forward to working with him in his new role. His appointment to this prestigious post is a bold and imaginative one by the authorities, and one which will further strengthen the bonds that already exist between our two organisations."

Since its inception, all three of IGNOU's chief executives have been closely associated with COL. Retiring Vice-Chancellor, Professor Ram Takwale, will continue in his current role as Regional Adviser to the President for South Asia and founding Vice-Chancellor, the late G. Ram Reddy, served on COL's founding Board of Governors and as COL's first Vice-President.

Dr. Khan's illustrious professional career has included senior positions and advisor roles with several international agencies. He previously served IGNOU as Professor and founding Director of the Communications Division, where he established a state-of-the-art educational media centre. He was also Director, Farm and Home Broadcasts, for All India Radio and initiated several innovative programmes, including the Farm School of the Air. He has been a member of COL's senior staff since 1992.

 

Funding update

New funding partners

Since the last issue of Connections, COL gratefully acknowledges new contributions to its 1997/98 funding received from Mozambique, South Africa and the Canadian province of New Brunswick. In each case, this represents first-time participation in COL funding.

COL in Action

 

Human rights education

A pioneering workshop designed to develop human rights materials for serving teachers, backed by COL and arranged by the University of London's Institute of Education, took place in Barbados from 20 - 23 April 1998. This Caribbean regional workshop included representatives from seven countries, the Universities of the West Indies and Guyana, the Caribbean Examinations Council, UNESCO/CARNEID and the Commonwealth Secretariat. It was chaired by Mr. Richard Bourne of the International Centre for Intercultural Studies at the London Institute and Dr. Dennis Irvine, Caribbean Adviser to the President of COL.

Workshop participants prepared a framework from which self-instructional materials can be developed, forming the basis for a certificate programme by distance education. The materials would include an introductory module, covering historical and philosophical foundations, and modules on conventions, civic and social rights and responsibilities, social justice, justice and the law, diversity, ethical dilemmas, the role of the state, and human rights activists in the Caribbean region.

Participants also recommended that Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Ministers of Education be asked to support this work and that other Commonwealth regions be encouraged to develop similar materials.

The Institute of Education has recently completed a Commonwealth study on school-based understanding of human rights.

 

Training youth workers

COL is working with the Commonwealth Youth Programme (CYP) in the development and delivery by distance of a diploma programme to train youth workers.

CYP sought COL's advice and technical assistance in preparing such a pan-Commonwealth initiative to provide better access to its traditionally delivered Diploma in Youth Work. COL's recognised expertise in the field of distance education and its extensive network of partner institutions in all four regions of the Commonwealth provided an excellent resource for CYP.

COL professional staff worked with CYP to design the overall framework, advising on materials development, training in the practice of distance education, use of media in delivery, and models for institutional collaboration for delivery. Concurrently, CYP worked with the University of Huddersfield, in the UK, to develop a curriculum for the new diploma programme.

Following meetings with CYP staff, four regional meetings were held during 1996 in South Africa, Solomon Islands, Guyana and India. These meetings brought together regional and pan-Commonwealth CYP professional staff members, representatives of potential partner educational institutions and COL staff. Discussions focused on strategies to ensure that regional diversities were reflected in the curriculum materials and that delivery mechanisms were appropriate given the local conditions and within the capacity of partner institutions.

COL facilitated training sessions during these meetings, which assisted in developing a common understanding of distance education and it's impact on the provision of the diploma programme. COL also planned and delivered a week-long instructional design workshop (held in India in August 1997) to train individuals, chosen from the various regions, in the preparation of the curriculum materials in an interactive, independent learning format.

COL is continuing its support and is currently assisting the Commonwealth Youth Programme in monitoring and assessing the outcomes of the pilot delivery phase of the project.

Commonwealth Youth Ministers will meet in Kuala Lumpur from 25 - 30 May 1998. Dr. H. Ian Macdonald, Chairman of the Board of Governors, and Ms. Patricia McWilliams, COL's Senior Training Specialist, will represent COL.

 

50 to graduate with master's degree in distance education

A convocation ceremony will be held later this year, via teleconference, to award almost 50 students with a master's degree that they earned through COL's Rajiv Gandhi Fellowship Scheme (RGFS).

In 1995, COL and India's Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) jointly launched the RGFS to deliver a post-graduate diploma and Masters of Arts in Distance Education (MADE). The selected students, about 100 at the start of the programme, were from fourteen developing Commonwealth countries and were nominated by their Governments to receive the fellowships, which would enable them to undertake the diploma and masters certification without leaving their home countries and with no costs to themselves.

Partial funding for the RGFS was provided by the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation. The Staff Training and Research Institute of Distance Education (STRIDE) at IGNOU is responsible for delivering the courses and for assessment of the assignments and examinations.

This is the first time a programme of this magnitude and scope has been offered anywhere, and it is with gratitude that COL acknowledges the hard work and effort that both the students and the staff of STRIDE have put forward in order to ensure the success of the Scheme.

 

USP-Net

At the invitation of the University of the South Pacific, COL was asked to participate in the annual Centre Directors' Meeting, held last month in Suva, Fiji. This year's meeting focused on information technology and the issues the university will have to deal with upon implementation of the Japan/Australia/New Zealand-funded USP-Net. Mr. David Walker, COL's Education Specialist (Educational Technology), was asked to lead discussion on a number of related issues, such as the virtual university movement and the development of online distance education courseware.

USP-Net will extend the present system, which connects five campuses in five different Pacific island states, to one that will eventually cover all 12 USP centres with both data and voice transmission. The new network is planned to be operational by the first quarter of the year 2000.

 

COL videos on the web

Short videos describing COL's work are now available for viewing on COL's web site. If not already equipped, viewers will need to download from the Internet either Microsoft NetShow or RealPlayer.

 

Consultancies

In response to requests from the governments of the Commonwealth's newest members, Cameroon and Mozambique, COL commissioned studies of national education systems and the potential for increased use of distance and open learning systems.

The consultancies were carried out by COL's Regional Advisers to the President for Western and Eastern Africa, Professor N. Kofi Pecku of the University College of Education of Winneba, Ghana (Cameroon) and Mr. Jakes Swartland of the Ministry of Education, Botswana (Mozambique). Both reports contain several recommendations for action, many of which involve central roles for COL. Follow-up is in progress.

A similar study, with a focus on teacher training, was also undertaken for the Government of Seychelles and conducted by Dr. David Murphy of The Open University of Hong Kong and Professor Rob Walker of Deakin University, Australia.

 

School networking makes CENSE

A meeting concerning the issues of networking and information exchange among Commonwealth schools was held in Vancouver in March. Presentations were made by participants representing a number of Commonwealth countries and organisations, each outlining current provisions for Internet activity in linking schools and accessing educational resources.

In-depth working sessions on various issues then led to the main recommendation that "a Commonwealth-wide electronic network be established that facilitates Internet connections between national learning networks and promotes international co-operation as well as contact between individual schools." With support offered by other participants, The Commonwealth of Learning, the Commonwealth Secretariat and COMNET-IT agreed to jointly develop and promote the Commonwealth Electronic Network for Schools and Education (CENSE).

www.col.org/cense.   

 

Open schooling

COL and India's National Open School (NOS) worked together to convene an international workshop to raise the profile of and increase awareness about open schooling - the use of open and distance techniques and methodologies to provide school-level education for people of all ages. Knowledge about the characteristics of open schooling will assist educators that are facing challenges within the disadvantaged and vulnerable segments of the population, such as rural and tribal women, street children and the physically handicapped.

The workshop, held in New Delhi in March, brought together educators from Australia, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Canada, India, Kenya, Malawi, Maldives, Nepal, New Zealand, South Africa, Sri Lanka, and the United Kingdom. Participants developed plans to share experience, expertise and resources and identified appropriate communications and information technologies for delivery of education at the school level.

The workshop was hosted by NOS, which is the largest and most active open school in the world today. Assistance to support international participation at the workshop was provided by UNESCO, UNICEF and the World Bank. Both COL and NOS are grateful for this support, without which it would not have been possible to bring together such an extensive cross-section of educators to take part in and contribute to the proceedings.

A publication containing the papers delivered at the workshop will be produced by NOS and COL, and copies will be available within six months.

 

Upcoming events

• Values in Commonwealth Education, a St. Catharine's residential conference will be held at Cumberland Lodge (Windsor, UK) from 10 - 12 July 1998. St. Catharine's conferences, organised by the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Foundation of St. Catharine's, provides an annual forum for the discussion of issues of current concern under a Commonwealth theme. COL's President, Professor Gajaraj Dhanarajan, will deliver a presentation on "Values education and the new technologies." Further information is available from St. Catharine's, Cumberland Lodge, The Great Park, Windsor, Berkshire, UK; tel: 44.1784.432.316/434.893; fax: 44.1784.438.507.
• The 12th Annual Conference of the Asian Association of Open Universities will be held in Hong Kong SAR, China, from 4 - 6 November 1998. Hosted by The Open University of Hong Kong, this year's theme is The Asian Distance Learner. Further information is available from the AAOU Conference Committee (c/o OUHK, tel: 852.2768.6800; fax: 852.2789.1170; email: tmwong@ouhk.edu.hk) or by visiting the conference web site at http://www.ouhk.edu.hk/~etpwww/AAOU98.htm (no longer available). COL is assisting AAOU in organising a pre-conference roundtable on electronic libraries.

 

Information resources

COL's Information Resource Centre (IRC) continues to grow to meet the needs of COL staff, visitors, consultants and, increasingly, individuals such as isolated distance education students or those who seek basic direction and orientation to the opportunities of open and distance learning. The IRC library management software is currently being upgraded to create a catalogue of holdings that will be searchable with a Web browser - and links from the catalogue to full text electronic resources will gradually be added. Quarterly acquisitions lists are also available on COL's web site as an aid for those wishing to remain current in the field. Paper copies are also available on request.

 

New books

Connections and COL's IRC are pleased to note the publication of three new books that provide a welcome addition to the rapidly expanding literature in open and distance learning. They are available directly from the publishers or through local agents.

Distance education for primary school teachers: Papers and proceedings of the Regional Seminar on Distance Education. Asian Development Bank, 1997. "A collection of the technical working papers and the national plans of action presented at a Regional Seminar co-hosted by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and UNESCO in Bangkok in October of 1996. The seminar was one aspect of an ADB Technical Assistance Project designed to enhance human resource development in five of the nine high population countries in the Asian region by supporting distance education to train primary level teachers. The papers constitute an insightful analysis of current thinking on key issues and a detailed overview of the status of distance education for primary teacher training in the five Asian high population countries." COL was responsible for designing and implementing the technical assistance programme and for developing this publication.

Staff development in open and flexible learning. Colin Latchem and Fred Lockwood, editors. Routledge, 1998. "This book draws together the experiences, insights and findings of some of the world's leading staff developers in open and flexible education. It is designed to provide an overview of the trends, influences and events which are shaping the work of these professionals, and the policy changes, processes and outcomes they are helping to bring about in this expanding field." The book includes contributions by COL staff members.

Knowledge societies: Information technology for sustainable development. Robin Manuel and Uta Wehn, editors. Oxford University Press for and on behalf of The United Nations, 1998. "This sourcebook shows how information and communication technologies are being harnessed to development goals. It emphasises the urgency of building new social and technological capabilities and of ensuring that effective national and regional strategies are in place."

 

People

Staff news

Board news

COL's Chairman, Dr. H. Ian Macdonald (President Emeritus, York University, Canada) will be awarded an honorary Doctor of the University by The Open University (UK) at Newcastle Town Hall on June 13.

COL is pleased to announce that Dr. Ihron L. Rensburg has been appointed to serve on COL's Board of Governors as a regional appointment representing Africa. Dr. Rensburg is Deputy Director General, General and Further Education and Training in the Department of Education, South Africa. His appointment is on the advice of Commonwealth Ministers of Education in order to replace Mr. John Samuel, who has now taken up new duties with the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.

 

Speeches

Many of the speeches and keynote presentations delivered by members of COL's staff and board are available on COL's web site (http://www.col.org/speeches).