Articles from 1999 Author Dr. Jerry H. Hsia Institution National Open University Country Chinese Taipei General views and perspectives of open learning and distance education (G) Principles of Flexibility Within Open Learning Institutions Institutionalized flexibility is an integral part of open learning institutions. In the optimum open learning institution , the student has maximum ability to choose delivery systems and learning processes most appropriate to his or her individual requirements. For examples, courses offered by the institution are needed to accommodate client perspectives of teaching and learning. The completion of a course by the student depends on flexibility in the handling of work and support for it. Students of the open learning institution should be allowed by the school to put together a program of study from a range of options matching both their past standard of achievement and their particular educational needs and interests. And the advice and counseling provided by the institution should be tailored to the student's needs and wants. Clearly, it is not a simple task for the open learning institutions to achieve all of these. The matching of delivery systems to individual learning needs and styles is hence a particular challenge for open learning institutions. Nevertheless, the ideas generated in this paper still suggest that the open learning institutions are able to expand their positive impacts on education and training with its more open and flexible forms of learning than conventional institutions. Introduction Flexibility refers to adaptability to external changes, resiliency of policies, and responsiveness of the entire organization to meeting new problems (Massie and Douglas 1985, 475). The more often provisions are made for building flexibility in organizational structures, the more adequately an organization structure can fulfill its purpose. This principle has to do with building into every structure devices, techniques, and other environmental factors in anticipating and reacting to change. Every enterprise moves toward its goal in a changing environment, both external and internal. The enterprise that develops inflexibilities, whether these are resistance to change, too complicated procedures, or too firm departmental lines, is risking inability to meet the challengers of economic, technical, biological, political, and social changes (Koontz and O'Donnell 1978, 287). Then, can education be flexible? Can educational institutions be flexible organizations? As a matter of fact, in the field of educational administration, it is commonly known that there are always three possible policy responses open to a Government faced with the following problems identified by John Bynner: 1. encourage young people to stay on in education; 2. adapt education to the needs of employers so that school leavers become more employable; 3. postpone the transition into employment by putting school leavers through training schemes including apprenticeships before they take their place in the labor market (Bynner 1992, 105). Fortunately enough, open learning provides alternatives to cope with these dilemmas. Hodgson states that: Distance (open) learning....means employees can still be developed without the necessity of removing them from the job, and the training they receive is both relatively cheap and of the same quality for everyone” (Hodgson, 1985 - quoted in Asch and Smith, 1988 - requoted in Broadbridge and Davies, 1993, 8) This statement is important because it deals not only with the content and purposes of this paper but also the approach to teaching which has wider ramifications across the whole of education. As we shall see, the term open learning, although relatively new, has become increasingly popular with the general move toward learner centeredness in education and training provision. The ideas originating in the quite different context of opening up access for adults to higher education have been imported into training for teenagers in work-related skills (Bynner 1992, 105). Nigel Paine, editor of Open Learning in Transition says that: We prefer to define open learning as both a process which focuses on access to educational opportunities and a philosophy which makes learning more client and student centered. It is learning which allows the learner to choose how to learn, when to learn, where to learn, and what to learn as far as possible within the resource constraints of any education and training provision (Paine 1988, XI) From Paine’s comment, we learn that since the openness of open learning refers not only to maximizing access to education in terms of time and place but to supporting the learning process through choice of method and mode of education. To achieve this, an open learning institution therefore has to be a flexible organization. As addressed by Som Naidu: ....the separation of the teaching acts from the learning acts means that for the most part of their learning activity, learners (distance learners) do not have to be present at any one place or time. As such, learners have greater control over their learning and the choice to manage it in a manner that best suits them. As a result, especially for those already in the workforce, learning is more easily accommodated into an already full, daily program of activities (Naidu 1994, 25-26) It is generally admitted that the current notion of flexible organizations launches its first view on the use of labor. In this context, the flexible institution of open learning is one which can readily adjust the labor it employs, the way that labor is utilized, and the wages paid to current levels of output and the cost of its academic units. Furthermore, there are three other routes to greater flexibility identified by John Atkinson: financial, functional, and numerical (Atkinson, 1985) can be also applied by open learning institutions into their operations. Mick Campion and William Renner make the following statement: ....an increasingly skilled and autonomous workforce is the key to organizational responsiveness and adaptability. However, critics argue that flexibility could be achieved by drawing on part-time workers in the external labor market as required. Such ‘numerical flexibility’ as opposed to, or perhaps in conjunction with, ‘functional flexibility’ would see the emergence of a dual labor market.... (Campion and Renner 1992, 14) Mainly speaking, financial flexibility relates to the ease by which wage levels or differentials can be adjusted to prevailing conditions of labor resources. The institution achieves functional flexibility by making more effective use of its permanent full-time employees by varying the tasks they undertake to the changing requirements of various works. Numerical flexibility results from closer tailoring of the size of its directly employed labor force to its utilization by a greater use of part-time work, short-term contracts, temporary employment agencies, labor-only subcontractors and the self-employed. Moreover, if open learning institutions like to remain on flexibility more successfully are also needed to depend on securing new students, developing new competitive strategies, designing and redesigning curriculums to meet changing demand and supply requirements, increasing responsiveness to changes. As stated by Pat Rickwood: Given the institutions‘ physical proximity to each other, they cannot necessarily count on being the monopoly supplier in their own areas, and they will have to become more flexible and responsive to perceived student demand. A range of choice will emerge, both in its breadth across subjects and in its depth in terms of particular specialisms. The student will choose, and the money will follow the student (Rickwood 1995, 19) In particular, these adjustments include centralizing or decentralizing the institution itself, increasing or decreasing dependence on outside suppliers, introducing more effective systems of buying-in, introducing new technologies, and initiating managerial and other forms of reorganization. As Greville Rumble puts it: In contrast to the Fordist and neo-Fordist approaches, post-Fordism continues to hold out the promise of high product innovation and process variability....Labor is able to respond in the most flexible manner to changing product markets and organizational requirements. A post-Fordist model of distance education would be decentralized and retain integration between study models. Academic staff would, however, retain autonomous control of their administered courses and, in so doing, would be able rapidly to adjust course curriculum and delivery to the changing needs of students (Rumble 1995, 25) These changes would have implications for the quantity and quality of labor required by the institution and the terms under which the necessary labor is employed and paid. It needs to be noted that these developments are derived from the institution's pursuit of greater flexibility instead of forming the direct objective of that policy. Nick Farnes points out that: ....distance education....is capable of offering flexible teaching and opportunities for autonomous learning....This is more likely to be achieved through organizational changes, flexible modes of study and credit transfer (Farnes 1993, 18) Review of the Five Main Principles of Flexibility The environment of organizations is changing at an accelerating rate. Consequently, goals, strategic objectives, strategies, and related subobjectives and subplans are changing. The control systems and methods employed must be flexible enough to adapt to changing circumstances (Higgins 1991, 580). The use of the term 'flexibility' has become so common that it cannot simply be dismissed as something not worth attention. Furthermore, both the concept and the strategies that it encompasses deserve more than to be routinely trotted out as a panacea for all the ills affecting institutions. Is it a clearly defined idea, or an amalgam of different aspects of change in the system of wage/labor relations? Can the effects of different strategies to increase flexibility (of wages, employment, contracts of work, etc.) be foreseen with sufficient certainty? These are very large questions, and the answers to them are well beyond the scope of this particular section. Because the literature on the subject has been growing steadily since the early 1980s, this section will therefore confine itself to an introduction to the subject and a suggestion of themes for more extensive research. Long ago, the comparison of the experience of the different European countries has already demonstrated the vast range of methods used to adjust the amount and distribution of work to falling growth rates. It showed that the search for flexibility took very different forms. This conclusion is in no way accidental: if we look at the issue in terms of the systems of wage/labor relations, there is a temptation to identify as many types of flexibility as there are elements of the systems. Since the wealth of literature on the subject suggests that 'flexibility' can be defined with reference to so many objectives that a priori appear to be unrelated, that the only common denominator is the term itself. 1. The degree of adaptability of productive organizations constitutes one definition. This depends largely on the decisions made about technology and organizational methods when the production unit (course productions) was set up, which in turn were determined by the size and stability of the market (students). At the same time, new adaptable machinery, designed to cope with uncertain demand fluctuating in volume and in nature, is being introduced and becoming more widespread. Peter Raggatt comments that: Over the next few years....Universities will expand access, increase the number of part-time and mature students, introduce fast track degrees and will combine these developments with flexible learning opportunities....if the university is to function effectively in the changed environment of the 1990s it will need to adopt a different model, one which facilitates: greater flexibility in production - small lot sizes, more frequent product changes, shorter production runs and a reduction of lead and processing times for material development (Raggatt 1993, 21-22) It should be noted that such flexibility can be introduced without having to modify many of the characteristics of the former system of wage/labor relations. At the risk of over simplification, the key word of this form of organization (open learning institution) would be 'plant flexibility', with a high level of automation, and incorporating in the very principle of its organization more or less total adaptability as regards the volume and variety of products (courses and classes) demanded by the market (students). 2. The second possibility concerns the ability of the workers to move from one job to another within a given overall production process (course productions), or eventually within a process that can switch rapidly between products (course products)(which ties in with the first definition). Greville Rumble synthesizes that: ....in responding to the need to educate greater and greater numbers of students, traditional forms of education have themselves undergone changes and have been influenced by ideas derived from the industrialization of labor (Rumble 1995, 15) This kind of flexibility requires skill and competence from the work-force, and specifically requires an ability to master different aspects of the same production process. The 'unemployability' of some skilled workers in more variable jobs in certain cases is due strictly to management persisting in a policy of no training. In contrast, the key word here is 'work-force versatility': this entails the ability of employees to work at different jobs, having had a sufficiently broad general and technical training; financial incentives to involve workers in the quality aspects of their jobs; and the absence of insuperable divisions between supervisors and technicians. The symbol of this new approach to work would simply be a modern version of Proudhon's 'ideal worker' (Boyer 1988, 225). 3. According to a third definition, greater flexibility depends on the laxity of legal constraints governing the contract of employment, and in particular dismissal. In contrast to the above definitions, this focuses on the institutional aspects pertaining to employment law and the details of collective agreements. Many observers are eager to spotlight this as the key to regaining flexibility. This ability to vary the volume of employment can also be achieved by being able freely to vary the length of the working week and the annual distribution of hours worked during the year according to the volume of orders (number of elected courses). By extension, this third model could include all the factors that contribute to workers' mobility between institutions, jobs, or regions. All those measures that reduce workers' ties with a particular establishment or institution are steps towards this kind of flexibility. If the contract of employment binds the worker to a large conglomerate institution, this mobility can be achieved by internal transfer from one kind of production (course team) to another. But usually the debate focuses on external flexibility: in this case the ideal type seems to be a contract of employment with conditions that can be amended from one day to the next. This form of flexibility ideally would be achieved through the extension of temporary employment to society as a whole. 4. Flexibility can however assume a fourth meaning: it can relate to the adaptability of wages (nominal and/or real) to the economic situation facing each institution or the resources of labor as a whole. On the argument put forward above as an interpretation of the 1930s, it was resistance to wage reductions that explained the scale of (primarily classical) unemployment observed at the time. Unemployment could therefore be reduced by removing the restrictions that prevented wages from falling to their 'natural' level. Following another line of argument, the fact that wages do not adapt to deteriorating terms of trade, slowing productivity growth or rising unemployment, favors a belated and inflationary adjustment, which in turn necessitates austerity measures. And to back this up, those countries with the greatest wage flexibility are also those with (the smallest growth in unemployment from 1973 to 1983 the United States and Japan, as opposed to most European countries). This notion of flexibility therefore advocates increased competition in the job searching, wage differentiation according to either the institution's financial position and the productivity of individuals, or the abolition or relaxation of legislation on minimum wages (the introduction of a considerably lower minimum wage for young people than for adults, for example). This flexibility is essentially a variation on the theme of the incentive wage, which can, moreover, assume a variety of forms: a return to the old methods of linking pay to individual effort, the reintroduction of competition, or even, last but not least, some kind of participation, whereby employees are involved in profit-sharing schemes. Beyond the obvious institutional and socio-political differences, there is one common theme: to call into question those agreements that prevent wages from being a function of ex Post productivity. In a sense, this fourth variant is a substitute for the third: if the employees are prepared to work for lower pay, it is then less, or even not at all, necessary to dismiss them. At the risk of being somewhat simplistic, two different models could be put forward. One would give virtually guaranteed employment, but would require acceptance of variations in wages including reductions (the Japanese ideal of employment for life). The other, with wages fixed at a higher level, would entail laying off workers for a short, or sometimes long, term of unemployment (the American model of the 1960s?). Once again, it can be seen how widely concepts of flexibility differ. 5. According to the fifth and final definition, flexibility is seen as the possibility for institutions to relieve themselves of some of their social and fiscal payments and, more generally, of legislation that limits freedom of management. In this case, the aim is to reduce the difference between the worker‘s take-home pay and the total wage cost to the institution; this differential was introduced after the Second World War, and has increased particularly since 1973. In more general terms, the fiscal system and legislation often emerge from an accumulation of institutionalized compromises, culminating in a particularly complicated system, which is difficult for the economic agents to master and which can, moreover, sometimes end up being counterproductive, even frustrating the intended aims of the legislators. Flexibility is therefore synonymous with reforming and rationalizing state intervention for the sake of greater efficiency, particularly in the area of job creation. The symbol of this kind of flexibility could be either the black economy on the Italian model, or a return to minimum state intervention dear to the disciples of liberalism, or -- which is the most likely possibility -- a two-tier work-force, divided on the criteria of social security and employment rights (Boyer 1988, 223-227). Open Learning Institutions: Flexi-schools After reviewing the principles of flexibility, it is the intention of the author to tie the principles into the arena of open learning. According to John Bynner, the educational route is originally concerned with various forms of access to educational institutions which have traditionally selected applicants on the basis of educational qualifications acquired at school. However, in the UK, in particular, there has been a proliferation of open learning initiatives over the last 20 years. Since developments in open learning have predominantly occurred in the UK, we need to examine these UK developments with a closer look. In his article, the Rise of Open learning, John Bynner states that: There is a major movement in Britain typified by London's 'Open Colleges' to form networks of institutions at different levels providing part-time or full-time courses leading to higher education. An adult with no previous qualifications starts with a part-time 'Return to Study' course, perhaps lasting a year....This leads to a full-time access course....which itself leads to certain designated degree courses at a polytechnic or university....Access courses....emphasizes the particular needs of adult learners and courses adopt student-centered approaches (Bynner 1992, 109) Bynner further states that: The Open University, founded in Britain 20 years ago, based its approach to education on what was novel at the time - distance teaching....distance teaching develops a distinctive pedagogical theory and practice to go with it - Open Learning. At its core is a multi-media package of student-centered learning resources....As its name implies, the Open University places no bar on access to its courses; students are accepted on a first-come first-served basis....The Open University's first function was to offer open access to adults wishing to take degrees on a part-time basis. Subsequently the university dropped the age restriction (21) for undergraduate courses and offered advanced courses by distance methods, including professional diplomas and masters degrees. It also branched out into the new field of 'continuing education', offering short courses for professional updating and personal development in such areas as health and welfare, inservice education for teachers, business studies, community education and personal and cultural education....The achievement of the Open University also spawned another government venture which has had more difficulty in establishing itself, the Open Tech and....the Open Colleg (Bynner 1992, 109-110) After these brief reviews, it can be easily recognized that the most distinctive feature of these open learning institutions is the notion of student-centered learning, as indicated by Bynner which in its fullest interpretation becomes 'open learning'. Although much is made in courses directed towards disadvantaged adults and teenagers of the importance of matching teaching to student circumstances and needs, open learning goes further than this in striving for the complete autonomy of the learner (Bynner 1992, 111). Two useful comments show that: ....open learning is....a construct incorporating a number of fundamental values, including the following dimensions: accessibility; flexibility; learner control over content and structure; choice of delivery systems; and accreditatio (Walker 1994, 97) Open learning removes all obstacles of the learner to the learning task, enabling him or her to work at their own pace in their own way and in their own time, with learning resources that enable the learner to achieve specified educational goals (Bynner 1992, 112). Based on the above, open learning can thus be viewed as the principal means of achieving the bigger educational goal, continuing education. Central to government plans and widely acknowledged now is the idea that work and education need to go hand in hand throughout working life. Knowledge acquired earlier on in life, of central importance in a job, becomes obsolete later on. Those who fail to train will need training later and those who have been trained will need to retrain (Bynner 1992, 112). Bruce Scriven points out that: “In most countries at most times and at all levels of the workforce there has usually been a need for professional development and retraining activities. Neither industries nor the professions are able to survive for long or progress without such activities (Scriven 1991, 297) Erling Ljosa also indicates that: “Since modern societies require adaptability in many dimensions, education and training must develop ways to cope with the increasing needs of updating and retraining , as well as the need of mastering completely new situations and developments” (Ljosa 1992, 26) It is hence believed many elements of open learning opportunities are necessary to the achievement of continuing education. A fully flutible learning pattern dictates that students should be able to accumulate a number of credits with the same vocational value from a number of institutions. Similarly, full-time and part-time options must be available to cater for different students' circumstances. And since modularity allows some courses to be taken part time in the evenings and others full time, a typical program will be a mixture of the two modes (Bynner 1992 102-103). As stated by Esther Paist: “....distance educators can provide better access than is possible in the conventional classroom by taking a proactive stance in providing and delivering courses and testing in flexible formats and in forming and fostering partnerships between students and distance education program staff and faculty”(Paist 1995, 61) Finally, it is needed to be noted that, open learning can allow flexibility in instruction, but only effectively in terms of a framework in which teaching support and learning resources match closely the individual student's needs. If the framework can be successfully achieved, individuals and the society as a whole would be greatly benefited from it. Flexi-labor and Open Learning Institutions Changes in labor requirements and organization can be divided into those which are derived from changes elsewhere and those which contribute directly to flexibility. The increasing importance attached to course design/development and course production has had a significant impact on the type of labor an open learning institution employs and how it is organized. The emphasis is on student-centered marketing and cost minimization. In many institutions, this has led to a growth in multi-skilling, for example course designer/media expert, technical director/computer assisted instructional designer (depending on the relative emphasis given to course design or course production). Other than the above, internal and external flexibility are also the managerial strategies for adjusting manpower which can be frequently used by open learning institutions. Internal flexibility has several major dimensions. Multi-skills and aptitudes enable employees to perform many different kinds of task inside the institution. Andrea McIlroy and Robyn Walker identify that: “Only a flexible, trained workforce can provide the continual improvement in service provision required to achieve quality outcomes. Senior management must be prepared to make a formal commitment to empower their people through training programs and other educational initiatives and to make the necessary long-term financial investment” (McIlroy and Walker 1993, 48) Furthermore, the internal flexibility is also secured by a broadening of job categories in the workplace and, as a corollary, by giving more scope for shifting employees between different jobs. In large institutions, these methods may be associated with the reorganization of employees into flexible groups or teams. For external flexibility, it results from a number of practices by means of which employers rapidly adjust their direct labor inputs. It is primarily achieved through turnover, which is likely to be particularly high where output levels fluctuate widely and where employees are easily replaceable. A special case of turnover is temporary lay-off and recall, which combines the advantages to the institution of employment flexibility with buffer stocks of labor that can be called upon as needed. Flexibility is also boosted by increasing the ratio of temporary to permanent workers in the institution‘s labor force. Greville Rumble asserts that: “In nearly all sizable distance education organizations, tutors and student advisors or counselors are employed on temporary contracts which enable the institution to dispense with their services if there are insufficient students to warrant their employment” (Rumble 1995, 17) As a result, through the use of part-time employees, institutions are able to adjust labor inputs more effectively to peak and slack times in their course production schedules. Subcontracting has become a major source of external labor flexibility since it enables institutions to deal with rapidly changing labor needs by increasing or decreasing the volume of work they give out to external supporters. Subcontracting can effectively reduce the institution’s overhead costs. Flexi-time and Open Learning Institutions The concept of flexitime, flexible work schedules, is at least a quarter century old. The fundamental design of flexitime is a fairly simple concept that is adapted by each organization to meet its unique conditions. Whatever the local modifications, a flexitime program establishes a ‘core time’ during all workers are required to be present, and ‘window’ during which workers have flexibility to establish their own hours. The National Open University of Taiwan, R.O.C. has taken the concept of flexible working hours. The result is a radical new approach to schedules that allows employees to work pretty much when they want during the semester. The NOU originally found that the entire staff was in the university at 8:30 a.m., but there were no students asking for services. This time became a ‘window’ and the ‘core’ was the peak period starting from late morning. It is found that some of the advantages of flexitime include reduced rush-hour traffic; reduced absenteeism, improved productivity and employee attitudes; and flexibility for employees to attend to personal matters. The greatest advantage of all is of course the extended office hour for providing more quality services to students. Flexi-operation and Open Learning Institutions The operational flexibility of an institution can be measured by the extent to which it can adjust the utilization of its productive resources to changes in the level and structure of demand. This can be achieved both by the adjustment of the institutions' demand for resources or by their more versatile deployment. The section here will be mainly concerned with the latter alternative. At the production level, a question is always faced by the open learning institutions: the demand of students could or should be met by goods produced by the institution; a decision which covered both finished course products and components. Can we just simply buy and distribute finished course products? Reasons for this include the fact that institutions could buy finished course goods at a lower cost than they could produce them. Other than this, institutions also factor to extend the range of courses provided outside the range of their course production capabilities. Reasons for this include the enhancement of their reputation by adding quality courses to their range; the supply of courses complementary to their produced range; testing the student needs as a prelude to possible production and the supply of goods for which the demand was expected to be short-lived. Bernadette Robinson states that: “....creation takes time, expertise and financial resources....One strategy tried by other countries is the use of imported materials as a short-term measure and low cost solution, for example, the use of UK Open University management materials in Eastern Europe”(Robinson 1995, 8-9) Thus, the reason for buying-in finished course products included specialization in production of demand and uncertainty. Similar reasons explain why institutions subcontract some internal works to external contractors. Nevertheless, one thing is needed to note of, subcontracting do pose major problems of coordination, design and quality control. Conclusions The extent of adjustment to changes in the level and structure of demand can vary widely between institutions. At one end of the spectrum changes made can be relatively minor modifications to pre-existing course production and organization system whilst at the other end these can be totally transformed. The extent of the change depends on a multiplicity of factors some internal and some external to the institution. At the other end of the spectrum institutions are responding to student-centered market changes and opportunities by course product and technical innovations and radically reorganizing their productive and administrative system. Between these extremes ranged the majority who are more or less successfully adjusting to the changed environment. Design, the sourcing of finished course products and components, the techniques and organization of course production and of labor can all affect the institution to varying degrees. Moreover, in a general sense, changes in employment, skill structure and the conditions of employment are derived from technical, organizational and other developments. Roger Lewis points out that: “The main barriers to open learning are educational and cultural and also managerial, for clear strategic thinking at senior management level, followed by concerted action, is essential if deep-rooted attitudes and practices are to change. The main challenge is thus to develop existing education and training systems towards greater openness, enabling learners to benefit from the flexibility new technology, materials and academic structures all make possible”(Lewis 1995, 56) It is therefore possible to classify open learning institutions by the extent of the increased flexibility of their operations. Some institutions may only make little attempt to change and responded to change by adjusting their level of activity. Others may increase the efficiency and responsiveness but largely within the pre-existing technical and organizational framework. This category would include the Atkinson "flexible firm" in which case the adjustments would be mainly confined to labor and its cost but would embrace others who make relatively minor student-centered marketing, design, technical and other modifications. Such institutions increase their flexibility in terms of both cost and responsiveness to change but ultimately the benefits to be so derived are limited by the constraints of the pre-existing structure. The third type of institution is radically reforming all aspects of its operations and, consequently, its scope for academic unit cost, design, delivery and other forms of competition. What these latter institutions usually have in common are a relatively successful school reputation; strong management committed to student-centered marketing, course design and product and process innovation; access to sufficient finance and subject to forms of control which encourage flexibility. As illustrated by Charles Jennings: “Traditional educational establishments....tend to be quite static in their organizational structure....The evolution of specialist distance teaching establishments....are rare exceptions to this stasis....It is interesting that academic organizations, the original ‘intelligence organizations’, seem to be less dynamic in structure than many business and other commercial organizations....More dynamic non-traditional education and training establishments are seeing an opportunities to make inroad into a distance education market where traditional universities have held a dominant position” (Jennings 1995, 30-31) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Author MSc Yolanda Gayol Institution The Pennsylvania State Universitry and Consejo Nac Country United States Building the university of the future (U) 3. Globalisation of education - benefits and constrains b) Cross national qualitiy control and certification Assessing Quality in the Design of Education of International Virtual Graduate Programs. A New Model of Evaluation The purpose of this paper is to present a new model to assess quality of design of virtual graduate programs delivered internationally. Quality is explored using Michael Hannaffin's grounded design approach, which suggest that design of education should be based in theory. Key categories of quality are mapped in a visual display showing the representational coherence of text and images, as compared to the consistent use of key principles of distance education. Institutional experience in distance education has demonstrated that design of instruction is the most critical factor determining quality of a program. This means that the assessment of quality of design ensures satisfactory outcomes. Undoubtedly, quality of outcomes is not only a function of course design, it also depends on the functional relationships established between good teachers, motivated learners, institutional support to faculty and students, wise selection of contents, and the adequate use of technology. Still, the importance of focusing in design of education remains because all these complex interconnections become visible and accountable at the pre-active moment, particularly if the delivery mode is through computer mediated communication. If this model is used to analyze design of education, course designers and decision makers would be able to assess the potential quality and effectiveness of a particular program, even before the program is delivered. Gaps and consistency between principles and practices are easily identified in a visual display through this new model. This model has been tested in two virtual universities chosen as case studies according to the following criteria: 1) They deliver complete graduate programs 2) They are originated in the United States 3) The programs reviewed are fully accredited by a Regional Accreditation Board of the US 4) The admission policies include students from all over the world The results show that this new instrument to assess quality of educational design reduce the tension created for assessment techniques which attribute most responsibility for effectiveness to teachers and learners. The most important benefit derived from this model is the increase of awareness in the design procedures to achieve institutional aims, in a global environment. Assessing Quality of Design of Education in International Virtual Graduate Programs. A New Model of Evaluation Yolanda Gayol The Pennsylvania State University (US) and Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología (México) Abstract The purpose of this paper is to present a new model to assess quality of design of virtual graduate programs delivered internationally. Quality is explored using Michael Hannaffin's grounded design approach, which suggest that design of education should be based in theory. Key categories of quality are mapped in a visual display showing the representational coherence of text and images, as compared to the consistent use of key principles of distance education. Institutional experience in distance education has demonstrated that design of instruction is the most critical factor determining quality of a program. This means that the assessment of quality of design ensures satisfactory outcomes. Undoubtedly, quality of outcomes is not only a function of course design, it also depends on the functional relationships established between good teachers, motivated learners, institutional support to faculty and students, wise selection of contents, and the adequate use of technology. Still, the importance of focusing in design of education remains because all these complex interconnections become visible and accountable at the pre-active moment, particularly if the delivery mode is through computer mediated communication. If this model is used to analyze design of education, course designers and decision makers would be able to assess the potential quality and effectiveness of a particular program, even before the program is delivered. Gaps and consistency between principles and practices are easily identified in a visual display through this new model. This model has been tested in two virtual universities chosen as case studies according to the following criteria: 1) They deliver complete graduate programs 2) They are originated in the United States 3) The programs reviewed are fully accredited by a Regional Accreditation Board of the US 4) The admission policies include students from all over the world The results show that this new instrument to assess quality of educational design reduce the tension created for assessment techniques which attribute most responsibility for effectiveness to teachers and learners. The most important benefit derived from this model is the increase of awareness in the design procedures to achieve institutional aims, in a global environment. Assessing Quality of Design of Education in International Virtual Graduate Programs. A New Model of Evaluation Yolanda Gayol The Pennsylvania State University (US) and Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología (México) Abstract The purpose of this paper is to present a new model to assess quality of design of virtual graduate programs delivered internationally. Quality is explored using Michael Hannaffin's grounded design approach, which suggest that design of education should be based in theory. Key categories of quality are mapped in a visual display showing the representational coherence of text and images, as compared to the consistent use of key principles of distance education. Institutional experience in distance education has demonstrated that design of instruction is the most critical factor determining quality of a program. This means that the assessment of quality of design ensures satisfactory outcomes. Undoubtedly, quality of outcomes is not only a function of course design, it also depends on the functional relationships established between good teachers, motivated learners, institutional support to faculty and students, wise selection of contents, and the adequate use of technology. Still, the importance of focusing in design of education remains because all these complex interconnections become visible and accountable at the pre-active moment, particularly if the delivery mode is through computer mediated communication. If this model is used to analyze design of education, course designers and decision makers would be able to assess the potential quality and effectiveness of a particular program, even before the program is delivered. Gaps and consistency between principles and practices are easily identified in a visual display through this new model. This model has been tested in two virtual universities chosen as case studies according to the following criteria: 1) They deliver complete graduate programs 2) They are originated in the United States 3) The programs reviewed are fully accredited by a Regional Accreditation Board of the US 4) The admission policies include students from all over the world The results show that this new instrument to assess quality of educational design reduce the tension created for assessment techniques which attribute most responsibility for effectiveness to teachers and learners. The most important benefit derived from this model is the increase of awareness in the design procedures to achieve institutional aims, in a global environment. Assessing Quality of Design of Education in International Virtual Graduate Programs. A New Model of Evaluation Yolanda Gayol The Pennsylvania State University (US) and Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología (México) Abstract The purpose of this paper is to present a new model to assess quality of design of virtual graduate programs delivered internationally. Quality is explored using Michael Hannaffin's grounded design approach, which suggest that design of education should be based in theory. Key categories of quality are mapped in a visual display showing the representational coherence of text and images, as compared to the consistent use of key principles of distance education. Institutional experience in distance education has demonstrated that design of instruction is the most critical factor determining quality of a program. This means that the assessment of quality of design ensures satisfactory outcomes. Undoubtedly, quality of outcomes is not only a function of course design, it also depends on the functional relationships established between good teachers, motivated learners, institutional support to faculty and students, wise selection of contents, and the adequate use of technology. Still, the importance of focusing in design of education remains because all these complex interconnections become visible and accountable at the pre-active moment, particularly if the delivery mode is through computer mediated communication. If this model is used to analyze design of education, course designers and decision makers would be able to assess the potential quality and effectiveness of a particular program, even before the program is delivered. Gaps and consistency between principles and practices are easily identified in a visual display through this new model. This model has been tested in two virtual universities chosen as case studies according to the following criteria: 1) They deliver complete graduate programs 2) They are originated in the United States 3) The programs reviewed are fully accredited by a Regional Accreditation Board of the US 4) The admission policies include students from all over the world The results show that this new instrument to assess quality of educational design reduce the tension created for assessment techniques which attribute most responsibility for effectiveness to teachers and learners. The most important benefit derived from this model is the increase of awareness in the design procedures to achieve institutional aims, in a global environment. Assessing Quality of Design of Education in International Virtual Graduate Programs. A New Model of Eva! luation Yolanda Gayol The Pennsylvania State University (US) and Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología (México) Abstract The purpose of this paper is to present a new model to assess quality of design of virtual graduate programs delivered internationally. Quality is explored using Michael Hannaffin's grounded design approach, which suggest that design of education should be based in theory. Key categories of quality are mapped in a visual display showing the representational coherence of text and images, as compared to the consistent use of key principles of distance education. Institutional experience in distance education has demonstrated that design of instruction is the most critical factor determining quality of a program. This means that the assessment of quality of design ensures satisfactory outcomes. Undoubtedly, quality of outcomes is not only a function of course design, it also depends on the functional relationships established between good teachers, motivated learners, institutional support to faculty and students, wise selection of contents, and the adequate use of technology. Still, the importance of focusing in design of education remains because all these complex interconnections become visible and accountable at the pre-active moment, particularly if the delivery mode is through computer mediated communication. If this model is used to analyze design of education, course designers and decision makers would be able to assess the potential quality and effectiveness of a particular program, even before the program is delivered. Gaps and consistency between principles and practices are easily identified in a visual display through this new model. This model has been tested in two virtual universities chosen as case studies according to the following criteria: 1) They deliver complete graduate programs 2) They are originated in the United States 3) The programs reviewed are fully accredited by a Regional Accreditation Board of the US 4) The admission policies include students from all over the world The results show that this new instrument to assess quality of educational design reduce the tension created for assessment techniques which attribute most responsibility for effectiveness to teachers and learners. The most important benefit derived from this model is the increase of awareness in the design procedures to achieve institutional aims, in a global environment. Assessing Quality of Design of Education in International Virtual Graduate Programs. A New Model of Evaluation Yolanda Gayol The Pennsylvania State University (US) and Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología (México) Abstract The purpose of this paper is to present a new model to assess quality of design of virtual graduate programs delivered internationally. Quality is explored using Michael Hannaffin's grounded design approach, which suggest that design of education should be based in theory. Key categories of quality are mapped in a visual display showing the representational coherence of text and images, as compared to the consistent use of key principles of distance education. Institutional experience in distance education has demonstrated that design of instruction is the most critical factor determining quality of a program. This means that the assessment of quality of design ensures satisfactory outcomes. Undoubtedly, quality of outcomes is not only a function of course design, it also depends on the functional relationships established between good teachers, motivated learners, institutional support to faculty and students, wise selection of contents, and the adequate use of technology. Still, the importance of focusing in design of education remains because all these complex interconnections become visible and accountable at the pre-active moment, particularly if the delivery mode is through computer mediated communication. If this model is used to analyze design of education, course designers and decision makers would be able to assess the potential quality and effectiveness of a particular program, even before the program is delivered. Gaps and consistency between principles and practices are easily identified in a visual display through this new model. This model has been tested in two virtual universities chosen as case studies according to the following criteria: 1) They deliver complete graduate programs 2) They are originated in the United States 3) The programs reviewed are fully accredited by a Regional Accreditation Board of the US 4) The admission policies include students from all over the world The results show that this new instrument to assess quality of educational design reduce the tension created for assessment techniques which attribute most responsibility for effectiveness to teachers and learners. The most important benefit derived from this model is the increase of awareness in the design procedures to achieve institutional aims, in a global environment. The purpose of this paper is to present a new model to assess the quality of the design of education of international virtual graduate programs. Quality is explored using Michael Hanaffin's grounded design approach, which suggests that the design of education be based on theory. Key categories of quality are mapped in a visual display that shows the representational coherence of text and images, as compared to the consisten use of key principles of distance education. Institutional experience in distance education demonstrates that the designof education is the most critical factor determining quality of a program. Consequently, the assessment of quality of design ensures satisfactory outcomes. Undoubtedly, quality of outcomes is not only a function of the design of education. It also depends on the functional relationships established between good teachers, motivated learners, institutional support to faculty and students, appropriate selection of content, and the adequate use of technology. Still, the importance of focusing on the design of education remains because all these complex interconnections become visible and accountable at the preactive moment, particularly if the delivery mode is through computer mediated communication. If this model is used, course designers and decision makers would be able to assess the potential quality and effectiveness of a particular program, even before it is delivered. Gaps and consistency between principles and practices are easily identified in a visual display through this model. The model has been tested on the Fall 1998 in two virtual universities chosen as case studies according to the following criteria: 1) They deliver complete graduate programs 2) They are originated in the United States 3) The programs reviewed are fully accredited by a Regional Accreditation Board of the United States 4) The admission policies include students from all over the world. Dr. Michael Moore supervised the development of this research which used dual methodology (quantitative-qualitative) The results show that this new instrument to assess quality of educational design reduce the tension created for assessment techniques which attribute most responsibility for effectiveness to teachers and learners. The most important benefit derived from this model is that it increases the awareness in the design procedures to achieve institutional aims in a global environment. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Author Dr./ Ph.D. Diane Harley Institution Berkeley Multimedia Research Center, South Hall Annex Country United States Building the university of the future (U) 2. The new learning environments a) The technology/pedagogy interface Experimenting with Innovations in Humanities Teaching at UC Berkeley: The Humanities and Technology Project. http://ishi.berkeley.edu/ If one word were chosen to describe how universities are approaching the digital age, it would be experimentation. As centers of pure and applied research, graduate student training, and undergraduate teaching, research universities are under increasing pressure to develop and evaluate models of how best to utilize the new digital communication technologies for enhancing traditional scholarly activities. In addition, there is mounting pressure for American universities to explore the use of the new technologies to serve increasingly diverse student populations at reduced cost. The pace of experimentation will surely quicken as increasing numbers of institutions join the rush to deliver educational programs in distributed environments. In this atmosphere, long and short-term institutional strategies need to recognize that the digital technologies are evolving more rapidly than academic learning and research environments can comfortably absorb them. There is a wide disjunction in the pace of change between the technical realm, which is fueled by substantial funding and a culture of risk-taking, and the academic realm -- particularly in the humanities -- which is grounded in more deliberate and thoughtful scholarly traditions (and does not enjoy unlimited funds for experiments). Issues such as resource distribution, reduction of quality in teaching and learning, added burdens on faculty time, and commercialization of the academic enterprise, need to be addressed as long and short term policies regarding the funding and organization of digital technology initiatives are developed and implemented. In the last three years, UC Berkeley has seen an exponential growth in faculty and student experimentation with new communication technologies for teaching and research. Experimentation ranges from creating course web pages, to developing CD-Roms, to creating on-line courses, to digitizing museum and library collections, to conducting research into the culture of on-line learning environments. Facility with and access to the new digital communication tools, however, has not been distributed evenly among the various departments and programs at UC Berkeley. In particular, the humanities have lagged behind the sciences and professional schools. Various factors have kept most UC Berkeley humanities faculty and graduate students, with a few notable exceptions, at the periphery of the networked communications revolution. They include resource accessibility, varying attitudes and motivation, ambiguous reward structures, and time. Experimentation with the new digital communication tools takes place at UC Berkeley in an atmosphere characterized by a lack of centralized coordination of services. This decentralized support structure, combined with the lack of a clear institutional plan for integrating technology into Berkeley humanities scholarship, has resulted in a strong bottom-up effort by both academic and administrative units (e.g., the Library through external grants) and individual scholars and graduate students. In the case of individual enthusiasts, experimentation is normally achieved through cobbling together limited internal and external resources. For example, top-down initiatives have manifested themselves in the distribution of small sums to individual faculty to put up a course home page here, or digitize some slides there. The most significant institutional resources, however, are directed to service units with large administrative staffs. Unfortunately, these large units, populated by non-academic staff, are not deemed user friendly by many faculty and graduate students. Our work suggests that humanists at UC Berkeley are in need of a variety of support mechanisms that include practical, non-bureaucratic and cost-effective models for integrating the World Wide Web and other technology tools into teaching and research. Specifically, faculty and graduate student enthusiasts need adequate hardware and software, accessible support personnel, and central facilities for academic project development. This paper will describe the genesis and evolution of the UC Berkeley Humanities & Technology (H&T) Project, which three years ago grew out the simple realization that acquiring hardware was only a small step in providing humanities faculty the resources they need for experimenting with digital networks in their academic work. The focus of the H&T Project is to support and train faculty and graduate students in integrating basic web applications into their teaching and research. Our primary assumption is that faculty have neither the time nor the interest in becoming computer experts, but they do need help in utilizing the tools for their teaching and research. Our relatively low-cost and administratively simple model attempts to create a core of graduate students with detailed knowledge of Web technology. These graduate students have the opportunity to share that knowledge directly with those faculty and graduate students who want to develop course home pages and other creative uses of the Internet. One of the strengths of the model is its focus on content, rather than on the technology for its own sake; it is a project born out of scholarship rather than technology. The Project has three goals: 1) Integrating WWW and Internet applications into ordinary teaching and research; 2) Providing graduate student support and training in utilizing these technologies; 3) Providing a one-stop, technologically “smart” venue where graduate students and faculty can meet to share knowledge and collaborate in developing new Internet applications. The efforts that have resulted from the Project’s support represent an interesting mix of approaches fueled by graduate student creativity. They range from creating on-line resources such as interactive quizzes and large image databases, to on-line chat sessions and video-teleconferencing, to publishing on-line journals. Two of the projects entailed the development of modules that draw on existing university collections and can be used for undergraduate teaching and secondary teaching alike. Students supported by the project represent a diverse range of departments and programs including: Rhetoric, History, German, the History of Science, Medieval Studies, Mediterranean Archaeology and History, Chinese, English, Comparative Literature, Classics; Near Eastern Studies; Southeast Asian Studies; French; Italian; Spanish and Portuguese; Scandinavian; Slavic; and Anthropology. The paper will describe the motivations for initiating the project within the context of Berkeley’s institutional organization and culture, and describe the way in which departments, units, and individuals were coordinated to deliver non-bureaucratic technological support services run primarily by graduate students. It will focus on the following areas: 1. What are the larger institutional goals and expectations regarding the integration of technology both in general and in humanities education? 2. What do humanities faculty and graduate students want to achieve with the new digital tools? 3. How do institutional strategies, faculty motivation, and infrastructural support present obstacles and opportunities for creative experimentation? 4. What are the advantages of training and supporting graduate students to create scholarly digital content? 5. How might faculty and graduate student experimentation be leveraged beyond enhancement of teaching to reaching more diverse student populations. Finally, some suggestions will be made for improving the institutional support of graduate student and faculty efforts in the integration of technology into humanities teaching and research at universities like UC Berkeley. ------------------------------------------------------- Author PROFESSOR AND FORMER CHAIRMAN MANMOHAN SINGH Institution Department Of Correspondence Studies, Panjab University, Chandigarh Country India Building the school of the future (S) 5. Breaking down barriers through education and training a) Social and cultural aspects Open Learning And Distance Education : A Proposal To Develop A Course Content On World Religion. Teaching and learning of a course content on World Religion may have many problems in the beginning but an attempt to develop the course can certainly be made. And a course content on World Religion could only be a confluence of universal teachings as enshrined in the World Scriptures. In a modern world of today, apart from a few scholars and devotees, people have no time to go through the whole of the lengthy scriptures of the world. The proposed course would attempt to offer them the quintessence of the world’s greatest scriptures and prove to be fruitful in moulding their thought and culture, even though very few individuals have perhaps been able to reach the ideals laid down in their respective holy books. Since it is not possible to take up all or, for that matter, most of the World Scriptures initially, it is proposed to develop a course content based only on the Holy Bible, the most popular, well-read and the most translated scripture. The course content on World Religion could include the concept of God and His Creation, Man, and the Moral and Ethical Values as perceived by the present writer while going through the text* of the Holy Bible. The present writer does not herein pronounce his own personal convictions, but attempts only to convey the Message in the following manner:CONCEPT OF GOD AND HIS CREATION God is One and the One; He is unique; there is none like Him1. He is Gracious and Merciful2, Righteous and loves the rightous and righteousness3. He is the Judge4 and the Giver of Life and Death5. He is Love and Light6, and the Creator of His Creation, including man and woman7 :1. ? Lord Himself is God; there is none other besides Him. (Deut. 4 : 35) ? He is Unique (job 23 : 13); there is none like Him (Samuel 2 : 2)2. ? The Lord is gracious and full of compassion, slow to anger and great in mercy. He is good to all, and His tender mercies are over all His works. (Psalm 145 : 8-9) ? The Lord God is merciful, gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth,keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin. (Ex. 34 : 6-7)3. ? The Lord is righteous, He loves righteousness. (Psalm 11 : 7) ? The Lord loves the righteous. (Psalm 145 : 8)4. ? God is the judge : He puts down one, and exalts another. (Psalm 75 : 7) ? God never subverts judgement or perverts justice. (Job 8 : 3) ? The judgements of the Lord are true and righteous altogether. (Psalm 19 : 9)5. ? In God’s hand is the life of every thing, and the death of all mankind. (Job 12 : 10)? The Lord kills and makes alive; He brings down to the grave and brings up. ( Samuel 2 : 6)6. ? God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him. (1John, 4 : 16) ? God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. (1 John, 1 : 5)7. ? God has made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth and all things on it, the seas and all that is in them. And He preserves them all. (Necemiah, 9:6)? By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, and all the host of them by the breathof His mouth. He spoke and it was done; He commanded and it stoodfast. (Psalm, 33 : 68)? The heavens and the earth, and all the host of them were created in six days. (Genesis, 1 : 1-5, 9-31; 2 : 1-4) * The present study is based on the Open Bible, The New King James Version, Thomas Nelson, Inc; New York, 1985.? God formed man out of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being. (Genesis, 2 : 7)? God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam (man), and he slept; and He took one of his(man’s) ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place. Then He made the rib into a woman. (Genesis, 2 : 21 – 22)MAN Man is the holy temple of God1. On the one hand he is righteous2 and on the other wicked3; but the righteous is blessed and the wicked cursed4. At the same time he is wise and fool too, and conducts himself accordingly5. His life is like a breath, a passing shadow that does not continue6 : 1. ? Do you know that you are the temple of God and the spirit of God dwells in you ? If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy which temple you are. (Corinthians, 3 : 16-17) 2. ? He who practices righteousness is righteous. ( 1 John, 3 : 7)? If a man is righteous he does what is lawful and right. He executes true judgement between man and man. Such a righteous man shall surely live. (Ezekiel 18 : 5-9)? He who walks uprightly, and works righteousness, and speaks the truth in his heart; he who does these things shall never be moved. (Psalm, 15 : 2-5)3. ? The wicked has ceased to be wise and to do good. He sets himself in a way that is not good; he does not abhor evil. (Pslam, 36 : 3-4)? The wicked travails with iniquity, conceives trouble and brings forth falsehood. (Psalm, 7 : 14)? A wicked man, a worthless person, walks with perverse mouth. Perversity is in hisheart, he devises evil continually, and sows discord. (Prowerbs, 6:12-14)4. ? Blessed is the man who is righteous and upright. His descendents will be mighty on earth; the generation of the upright will be blessed. Wealth and riches will be in his house. The wicked will see it and be grieved; he will gnash his teeth and melt away; the desire of the wicked shall perish. (Psalm, 112:2-10)5. ? The fool always considers himself right, but the wise heeds others’ counsel. (Proverbs, 12:15)? A fool despises his father’s instruction, but he who receives reproof is prudent (wise) (Proverbs, 15:15)? Words of the wise, spoken quietly, should be heard rather than the shout of a ruler offools. (Ecclesiastis, 9 : 17)? The wise shall inherit glory, but shame shall be the legacy of fools. (Proverbs, 3 : 35)6. ? Man is like a breath; his life is like a passing shadow. (Psalm, 144 :4)? As for man, his days are like grass, as a flower of the field, so he flourishes, but whenthe wind passes over it, it is gone and is no more. (Psalm, 103 : 15-16)? Man comes forth like a flower and fades away; he flees like a shadow and does notcontinue. (Job, 14 : 1-2)MORAL AND ETHICAL VALUESSuch as : 1. Get wisdom, knowledge and understanding, 2. Do justice, 3. Love your neighbour as yourself,4. Help the poor, the stranger, the fatherless and the widow, 5. Behave with others as you would like to be behaved, 6. Do not dig a pit for others, 7. Flee sexual immorality, 8. Obey your parents, treat them well, 9. Honour the o?ld, 10. Do not be lazy; be diligent, 11. Be a good wife and a good husband, 12. Do not be a slave to sin, 13. Take no bribe, 14. Guard your mouth and tongue, 15. Seek good, hate evil, 16. Follow the Law/Rules etc. etc. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Author Ms Marina Nezhurina Institution Moscow State Institute of Electronics and Marhemat Country Russia Building the university of the future (U) 2. The new learning environments b) Virtual universities, virtual schools, virtual training Informational and educational environment of the distributive distance education The existing situation in my country, a high demand for education service in provincial regions and a strong desire to get an information and knowledge bases access using modern information technologies - all these factors have emphasized problems different representatives of population face while educating. The higher education problem research performed by world leading and some Russian universities has revealed that development of distance education (DE) and employment of modern information technologies into the education process are the most preferable solutions to these problems. Modern informational technologies and computer-aided communications offer new opportunities in the process of education. However, these innovations also impose new requirements to perform learning schemes and demand new solutions in areas of technological, organizational and methodological basis of multi-level continuous education system. Thus, development of unified informational space on the basis of integrated informational and educational environment (IEE) for learning the geographically remote students is a today’s challenge in modern distance education development. This surely means involvement of new methods and modern distant access technologies. It should be pointed out that during the last year since the 5-th International Conference the working prototype of such IEE has been developed in Distance learning center (DLC) of MIEM. Development of IEE required completion of the following steps: - research and analysis of modern technologies of information delivery to remote users, application building systems which are employed to develop computer aided learning software, and models of spread distance learning; - development of methodological, organizational and technological support of distance learning system within the frames of standalone higher education institution; - development of the conceptual framework of IEE and relational knowledge data bank with a remote access; - application of module approach to large amounts of educational information structuring and development of module study unit for distance learning; - development of the education server structure as a kernel of IEE and relational knowledge data bank of DLC MIEM; - development of education process management algorithm and knowledge control methods in the MIEM system of distance education; - development of software and hardware framework of IEE; - testing and mastering of new methods and modern technologies of distributive distance education at MIEM. The practical results of mentioned above activities became the development and running the MIEM system of distance education on the basis of IEE of the distributive distance education. This integrated system allows the remote user getting education staying on his or her existing work position. This education is a high quality one, which is close to full time studying, no matter what are the technical abilities and geographical allocation of student. The unified approach to the process of structuring the distance education study and methodical materials has been elaborated. That would allow unifying and building standards on education environment, to minimize teacher’s cost connected to development of study courses and to build up a user friendly system. MIEM DLC team has developed the set of normative documents covering interactions between organizations and people participating the process of distance education; and methodical literature for professors and teaching staff. They could be a methodical and agreement basis for interchange between Russian higher education institutions in area of distance education. The software and hardware complex developed at MIEM DLC could be employed in any organization to establish and perform distance education schemes. The software and hardware, and methodical system realizing information and educational environment of MIEM system of distance education has been employed in MIEM DLC to perform an educational process in area of professional education program, as an second or additional education. This project cover the specialization «Networking technologies» and «Software and Hardware means of data protection», inner university code 220100. Software system of organization and maintenance of distance education on the Lotus Notes platform with involvement of WWW technology contains of the following elements: - module of multiple user type registration; - module of managing the education process; - module of structuring the education material; - knowledge control module; system of data stream interchange between modules; system of collecting and processing the statistical data on the work of the system; - system of bi-directional information stream establishment between users of all types using e-mail, discussion rooms and chat channels; - interfaces for each category of users. Usage of universal template for module learning course databases allows keeping unified structure and design of studying information at an education network site. System of distance learning management unlike traditional dean’s office at a university has additional features of mobility, absence of paper documentation processing, authorization of data access rights. This system also possesses all functions of Lotus Notes databases: efficient information search, change and update of information, data protection etc. - The module of knowledge examining system allows organizing the preliminary, interim and final testing, and statistically processing the result of education process. Particular features of this environment are connected to possibility of real-time change and update of the studying courses, and also to build up new ones. Also a valuable feature of this system is connected with its’ ability to involve conferences between different types of users (students – lecturer, lecturers – management office etc), and within one user group, for example within one group of students. It is a well-known fact that data protection means in the Lotus Notes environment are the most reliable among existing systems. That’s why the system, that has been built on a Lotus Notes basis possesses all its’ user authorization features. Thus, protection of server and system developers and lecturers who are the authors of study courses, copyright rise significantly. Also an important feature of this system being developed is keeping the possibility to change and update information and system contents at any stage of its’ development and usage. The environment is localized and is simple in usage. To participate distance education using this system the student should have the following software and telecommunication abilities: è Netscape Navigator web browser (freeware of Netscape Communications Corp.) or Internet Explorer (freeware of Microsoft Corp.) è Connection to the Internet or in case of absence of accessibility to this telecommunication service as a minimal requirement – availability of an electronic mail address. We would like to invite all interested educational institutions to establish cooperation connected to the Informational and Educational Environment of MIEM Distance Learning Centre. Moscow State Institute of Electronics and Mathematics (MIEM), Distance Learning Center (DLC) director. tel.: (095) 916-8905, 916-8904; fax: (095) 916-8993; E-Mail: min@min.informika.ru DLC Homepage http://dlc.miem.edu.ru -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Author Friedrich Scheuermann Institution Universität des Saarlandes, Institut für Rechtsinf Country Germany Building the university of the future (U) 2. The new learning environments a) The technology/pedagogy interface Moderating the Future: The Challenge of On-Line Education by Ken Larsson, Roxanne Toto and Friedrich Scheuermann Distance learning via WWW is a new field for higher education. In times of financial restrictions, the demand for more efficiency and effectiveness is often connected to the potential of tele-supported university teaching. New media require different styles of conveying knowledge and it raises questions about which didactic methods are applicable to Web-based teaching. New methods also demand intensified preparation. Whereas it is becoming more popular to use the Internet as the technical platform for the distribution of on-line study, many descriptions, and reports, promote the thesis that almost unlimited possibilities exist in education that just have to be implemented. Frequently, a positivistic view is held which pushes the discussion of problematic areas such as interactivity, appropriateness of web delivery, and learner control that on-line learning offers into the background. The educational gain in relation to the effort for development and realisation of effective instruction is seldom mentioned.The on-line seminars of the Institute for Law and Computer Sciences (ILCS) at the Saarland University have proven to be far more time and personnel intensive than regular courses, but they open up new possibilities for students and teachers; and afford interdisciplinary and international collaboration. One advantage of on-line courses is the potential for communication, collaboration, and the exchange of knowledge between students and educators which can be made available that can bring them closer to (and perhaps supersede) 'real life' teaching. Computer-mediated communication (CMC) therefore becomes an important research area for education. We intended to outline some basic thoughts about the development of communication-centered on-line web-based courses and relate some of our experiences concerning the development and administration of such courses. The structure and content of the recent on-line course (http://seminar.jura.uni-sb.de) will be described identifying problematic aspects specific to on-line courses and how those issues might be resolved in future courses. Our investigation will explore the role of organisation of communication and moderation, the analysis of interactivity and working styles, and the results of the learning process. A questionnaire filled out by the participants points out student opinions and finally adds another perspective concerning the effectiveness of such kind of courses. Designing and developing effective on-line courses requires attention to technical execution and adaptation of content and course concepts according to principles of human-computer interaction. This attention to design supplies a clearly structured learning environment that orients, involves, and motivates the learner. “Motivation” and “interaction” are keywords for the implementation of effective communication-based on-line courses. Maintaining high motivation until the end is essential. How these critically important components can be influenced and regulated before and during the course through accompanying organisational measures is one of several criteria analysed when evaluating a course. Group work phases are often crucial for continuing communication processes and therefore the success of the whole course. Problems in this area can cause frustration which can lead to drop-outs - depending on the relevance of the course for the participants and their extrinsic motivation. Drop-outs then influence the continuity of group work which can have an avalanche-like effect on the whole course.This explains why the role of “moderators” is so vital in these courses. They always have to be alert and yet only intervene in discussions when problems occur. In this course it was obvious that the "Online Team" could not manage that task on their own because of the high number of participants - it would not have been possible to supply the feedback necessary to maintain interactivity and motivation. To support the "Online-Team" help from former students was sought to aid in the moderation of the course. The most important objective for moderators is to make the participant feel that they are never left alone with problems, to motivate effectively and to assist immediately when support is needed.Regarding this effort, certain aspects are problematic. A vast investment of time during the development and the realisation of such on-line courses is mandated to maintain organisational and support activities. Participants who offered support included professors and lecturers (occupied with content support, management and didactics) as well as a number of students who volunteered to take the on-line course. On-line support consisted of technical work as much as on on-line mentoring support. We found that communication between participants needed to be regular and if that the communication processes needed to be checked continually (several times daily) to detect possible problems and initiate immediate intervention to avoid negative outcomes. On average about 87 messages a day had been written during the seminar. The majority of these communiqués were between participants (38) or between team members for the organisation of instructional sequencing. Additionally, there was an average of 8 messages to the team that required an immediate response. Given these facts, participant interaction and their mails have to be monitored constantly - even on weekends or else there will be a huge workload at the beginning of each week. This would not be manageable and would negatively affect the overall communication in the course.As we move toward a global community, this course demonstrates that the presence of the Internet paves the way to unlimited inter-cultural collaboration. This is true for learners as well as for educators who can now offer joined courses regardless of large geographical distances. The development of on-line courses presents a variety of new challenges. In today's world, an international orientation is welcome and necessary - not only for students as the evaluation of the courses shows - but the evaluation also suggests that students really value on-line learning which allows them to study independently of a specific time or place. But the "other side of the coin" is easily overlooked. The development of on-line courses presents many new challenges for teachers. One of the challenges of on-line courses is their design, diffusion, and integration into daily university life within with feasible economic constraints. To develop an approach that is both efficient and effective, special attention has to be given to the user utilising instructional design principles that consider learner needs, existing skills, learning habits and work conditions.In the end, the implementation and diffusion of new course offering depends heavily on the financial situation. Although high international participation lifts the quality level, limiting the number of participant has to be considered as well as the finding an adequate financial base for running such courses. Since enrolment is 'open', cost-sharing with the sponsoring should be discussed. Furthermore an adequate legal base must be found for integrating on-line teaching in Higher Education. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Author DR Marietjie Oosthuizen Institution University Of South Africa Country South Africa Building the university of the future (U) 2. The new learning environments c) Learner support and instructional design Student Support In A Distance Learning Situation - A Holistic Approach Recent research clearly shows that the distance education student has an imperative need for close contact with the University and its lecturers. The research also shows that distance learners feel strongly about their isolation and the estranging effect of distance teaching and that they would greatly appreciate contact with other persons or groups with similar needs and problems. Many other affective needs came to light, for example the lack of and/or maintenance of intrinsic motivation, role discontinuity, role diffusion and tension, academic anxiety and fears, identity crises and identity confusion. There is a serious lack of self-knowledge, and therefore a great need for guidance concerning correct subject and career choices. Apart from academic support, the distance learner requires general support in the form of advice, regular contact, the nurturing of confidence and support towards becoming more independent and handling his life roles, in addition to those of being a distance learner, more effectively. A tutor system should go a long way towards meeting these needs of the distance learners. A tutor system for distance learning should be aimed at: · establishing contact between lecturer and student by means of tutors · accompanying students through their tutorial matter, particularly with a view to dealing with problem areas · institute affective accompaniment · accompanying students towards becoming independent, autonomous learners In order then to provide answers to the question: „What support may distance learners need?“ literature research has been done on the following topics: · the context of the distance learner compared with that of the conventional learner · the characteristics of the adult learner · the special characteristics of the distance learner · the social context of the distance learner · securing a niche for the distance learner in the academic learner environment · unrealistic expectations that the distance learner may have and a · student-oriented approach at the learning institution. The University of South Africa, like all other tertiary institutions in South Africa, is facing great challenges as a result of the pressure for transformation in higher education. This pressure has also begun materially to affect the lives of learners as regards the way in which their educational and social needs are met. One of the ways in which Unisa is trying to meet these needs is reflected in the work of the Department of Student Support which is committed to advancing and enriching academic performance of our students through student support. Unisa has introduced a number of initiatives aimed at addressing the support needs of the students with a view to enriching their learning experience. To this end Unisa has established a network of learning centres at its regional offices of which the first decentralised learning centre was in the Western Cape. Study centres located in certain community based facilities were also established. One of the key support services is the tutorial support programme, which was originally launched as an experiment and is now one of the major mechanisms through which the University seeks to overcome the barrier of student isolation and improve the students’ performance by putting the „human touch“ back into distance learning. Unisa does this by linking the students with highly trained tutors who supplement the course material, by linking students with fellow-students for motivation, and by assisting them to link up with professional counsellors for subject and career choices. In order to provide the best quality support to the distance student, a holistic approach is needed. A holistic approach cannot, however, be regarded as complete if the student is not involved; if theory is not related to practice. This is done by means of a questionnaire specifically designed for this purpose whereby students assess their tutors. The questionnaire measures the tutor’s knowledge of the subject, tutorial techniques and whether the tutor promotes active participation in the tutor class. It also evaluates the tutor’s interpersonal relations with the students and his or her role in assessing students’ performance. The questionnaire is administered twice a year: the first, formative, assessment in April is of the utmost importance, especially to ascertain the development of tutor competencies of new tutors. The second, summative, assessment in September is of equal importance since it serves the purpose of recommending tutors to the academic coordinators for reappointment for the following academic year. Tutor assessment also reflects on the initial process of recruitment, selection, appointment and training of the tutors, aspects which are of the utmost importance if a learning centre wishes to attain its goal of offering optimum support to its distance learners. When tutors are appointed, the learning centre staff guides them and the academic departments train them and give them guidelines on the course(s) they will tutor. The tutorial support programme is therefore integrated into the overall academic work of the academic department concerned. Over the past four years Unisa has not only invested in developing a qualitative tutorial support programme but also invested in the development and training of tutors at all the learning centres. This is proved by the fact that for the past four years the tutors have repeatedly made themselves available for tutoring, thus gaining experience and the confidence of the students and academic staff. The adult distance learner is a special kind of learner who, given his particular situation in life, is entitled to education of the highest quality and deserves all the attention and dedication that a University can offer. This study concludes that a tutor system can only become a reality if the distance learning institution, its lecturers and the tutor treat the optimal success of the student’s learning enterprise and the total development of the distance learner as a human being as a top priority. They should also regard the achievement of this joint objective as a team effort, thereby following a holistic approach. ------------------------------------------------------ Author doctor Elena Barbera Institution Universitat Oberta de Catalunya Country Spain Building the university of the future (U) 2. The new learning environments b) Virtual universities, virtual schools, virtual training Students Skills In A Virtual University In this poster is presented the results of a research which is focused on the analysis of the actions and skills that make up the study and learning process in a virtual university and, more specifically, the analysis of certain aspects of this process. It has the following objectives: - To identify the type of actions that students develop as part of their study processes in order to achieve the learning objectives, keeping in mind two distinct areas: the actions that are related to the use of the virtual campus and the actions of a more personal nature that do not require the direct use of the campus. · To pinpoint both the good study practices and the less common study practices, to study under which conditions these practices are carried out and to assess their level of effectiveness based on partial and global results, whenever possible. - To pinpoint regularities in the succession of repeated actions and to assess which variables are constant in these action patterns and their level of effectiveness. - To suggest series of actions which allow the results of the analysis to be applied to the revision and improvement of the study process for both professors and students by means of an educational process. - Given the quality of the objectives, we have opted for a methodology that combines both qualitative and quantitative aspects (virtual interviews, auto-observation registers and questionnaires) and which uses a study group of 447 students from the degree programmes of Educational Psychology, Business Studies, Law and Humanities. - Out of the 23 actions that we believe more accurately characterise the study process, opinions have been gathered on: a)the frequency with which students use these actions throughout the course of a semester and b)the degree of usefulness that each of the described actions has from the student's point of view, although this may not necessarily coincide with the frequency with which the students use them. - From the series of actions that are developed in order to study the subject in question, two large groups of actions can be defined: 1.the actions that refer to the consultation, communication and collaboration among students and, in the case of distance education, those actions that are carried out on a "virtual campus" (for example, participation in a virtual debate or professor consultation) and 2. the actions that refer to steps that are part of the individual study process and do not require using a computer for their execution (for example, organising time and reading books). After summarising a part of the results and always speaking in general terms, the actions that are carried out with higher frequency are those that do not require the intervention of third persons, be it a professor or classmate, thus assigning a less important role to consultation or co-operative-type activities which require a greater degree of interaction. This does not mean that communicative activities do not exist as they are of great importance in the educational system and are highly valued by the students; they are not considered, however, to be directly attributable to the progressive building-up of a specific area of knowledge. It also should be pointed out that these actions do not vary from one study programme to another and, all in all, suggest a study strategy that is more interactive than other strategies that have been developed in distance education up until now but are still defended by traditional focuses. These results, presented in an excessively partial way due to space limitations, make it necessary for us to reflect upon the responsibility of such preliminary conclusions. These conclusions point to a triple source for future investigations owing to the variability that can be attributed to the results obtained: the format and quality of distance study materials, which can be of both an open or closed nature and in this way encourage a learning process based on student decision-making; the educational focus of the professor, which is not the same even though the material is identical and can be made to fit one's own learning process to a greater or lesser degree; and the specific use made of the new technologies, which are not in themselves an end but rather an excellent educational means, although we detect some limitations that are not so much communicative as collaborative. All of this ought to be considered in relation to the cognitive and social activity that is asked of students. Finally, each of the three areas on their own and all together are variable in consideration of the way in which students approach the information we are teaching at our universities and may include from the simple reproduction of study material (copy-type teaching and learning based on associative trends) to the individual building-up of information under the direction of the professor alongside other types of educational processes such as programmed education that some multimedia material incorporates. It is necessary to reflect upon the type of learning/teaching process that we want to promote and are currently carrying out so as not to fall into future contradictions. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Author PhD Eng Marian Piotrowski Institution Institute for Terotechnology Development Staff Education Centre Country Poland Building the school of the future (S) 3. Globalisation of education - benefits and constrains b) Cross national qualitiy control and certification Tools and methods of quality assurance in forming vocational qualifications in cooperation between, educational institutions and enterpreises. The basic principle of the Polish educational system is to emphasise the quality of training and vocational development especially when we consider the forthcoming integration of our country into the EU. The integration concentrates on: the necessity of obtaining comparable effects of training and levels of vocational competence that would allow the workers to move freely across the EC countries. That is why it is very important to carry out work in the area of: – initiating the systems assuring the quality of educational and vocational qualifications – initiating the systems of certification and accreditation – introducing an easy way of the acquired skills and knowledge storage – assuring the methods of mutual recognition of diplomas and certificates – enlarging the training of the individual. The system of providing certain vocational qualifications should be offered in most schools and training centres. It is important that the candidates, employers, enrolment officials and others connected with the system are convinced that the assessment process carried out in those institutions is characterised by the high level of quality and furthermore, that the candidates are being assessed according to the appropriate for the given qualification standards. The 12 educational institutions from Poland und 3 institutions from: England, Germany and Finnland introducing realisation of the project „Tools and methods of quality assurance in forming vocational qualifications in cooperation between educational institutions and enterprices", on the Leonardo da Vinci Programme in 1999, hope for satisfying their needs in the area of: 1. familiarization of the management staff with the latest trends connected with the quality control preferred by the EC countries 2. acquiring by the workshop participants (teachers, instructors and vocational trainers) the ability to use the aids and management techniques of quality in the training institutions. 3. improving and enlarging the work effectiveness and stability of training inst! itutions controlled by quality (TQM), in case of introducing new programmes of training. 4. relating the Polish methods and ways of management practised in educational institutions to the ones preferred in the West European countries The main results of the project will include: n Enriching knowledge and skills of beneficiary groups: - curricullum developers and planners, effectiveness of the education and training experts in the area of: · designing and initiating systems providing quality training and vocational development in educational institutions and staff certification · drawing guidelines for systems providing basis for comparing given levels of knowledge and professional qualifications · designing contents and methods of vocational training and development leading to gaining specific flexible professional qualifications enabling better vocational mobility and easier adjustment to work market requirements (with special emphasis on small and middle sized enterprises needs) · designing vocational qualifications standards as well as educational processes standards - teachers, instructors, vocational trainers in the area of : · planning, coordinating, managing and evaluating of vocational training effectivness, · planning and methods of realizing education within innovative systems of education · applying new flexible methods and techniques of teaching and training and planning teaching aimed at moduls, educational packs and multuimedial education · tools and methods evaluating students' skills and qualifications in processes of vocational training and development - school managers, employers' representatives, government institutions, associations and - educational authorities in the field of: · elaborating the ways and methods of co-operation between the educational institution and the employers on the local and regional markets, including key skills in aspects of technological development and the function of inner markets, · elaborating the main lines for recognition of new vocational qualific! ations with the participation of the educational institutions, representatives of the employers, local autonomies in aspect of creating European area of education and vocational improvement and natural access to the educational institutions · increasing flexibility and individualisation of the education and improvement though the function of quality assurance system. · organising and running vocational school students practical training, with employing them in consequence of successful realization of training plan · shaping new skills and qualifications of graduates taking into consideration employers' needs in vocational education and development institutions The paper will coutain results of the Project first of all information about modification of methods and content of education as well as tool of assessment of skills and qualifications in vocational schools. ------------------------------------------------------ Author Graduate Student Tzy-Ling Chen Institution The Pennsylvania State University Country United States Building the university of the future (U) 5. Breaking down barriers through education and training a) Social and cultural aspects The Relationship Between Older Adult Learning Styles and Attitude Toward Distance Education: A Case Study of National Open University in Taiwan (E) According to the report of 1995 census conducted by the government, at that time there were approximately 1.6 million people in Taiwan over the age of 65 which comprised about 7.5 percent of the total population. This demographic figure indicated that Taiwan has already evolved into an aging society by definition and in the meantime, it revealed a need and challenge as well for Taiwan government to help this increase in the number of older people to live better economically, socially, and psychologically rather than survive physically. In addition, the government policies for a crucial educational revolution had been announced in 1996, and its direction is towards constructing a lifelong learning society, by providing people in Taiwan with a variety of learning opportunities for pursuing their own learning throughout the lifetime. Therefore, not only the provision of education has been increasingly extended to accommodate the learning needs of a majority of learners in their middle and late lives instead of merely focusing on those children, youth and young adult in the formal educational system, but this educational revolution also aims at the various application of educational approaches, particularly distance education, to deliver education by all means to meet a broad range of learners' needs. However, from a review of related literature, in general, there is a lack of research on examining older adult learners' individual learning style in relation to attitude toward their distance learning experience in the Open University. Meanwhile, in Taiwan, there is specifically little endeavor made to study the field educational gerontology as well as those older distance learners at National Open University in Taiwan (NOUT). As a result, the primary purpose of this study is to understand the older distance learners in Taiwan by examining the relationship between their individual learning style and attitude toward own distance learning experiences at NOUT . For achieving this main purpose, there are, thus, two sub-purposes needed for this study: one is to identify the individual learning style of older adult learners who currently study at or had already graduated from NOUT, and the other is to investigate their attitude toward own learning experiences of distance education. Basically, this study is built upon the principal tenets of Kolb's theory of experiential learning, the congruity theory of attitude delineated by Osgood and Tannenbaum, and Moore's theory of transactional distance for distance education. In terms of research design, both quantitative and qualitative paradigms are applied to the design of this study, and thus, practically a self-assessment instrument, Kolb's Learning Style Inventory (LSI), and a structured interview developed based on the integration of congruity attitude theory of Osgood, Suci, & Tannenbaum and theory of transactional theory of distance by Moore will be implemented. The target subjects for this study will be those older people who are 65 or over 65 years old with the learning experience whether they currently study at or had already graduated from NOUT. Since the data collected will include quantitative data for determining individual learning style of each older adult learner and descriptive data for evaluating their attitudes, data analysis will view each learner participating in this study as an individual case. Additionally, the translated instrument (LSI) and the questions for interview will be validated by 15 adult educators or experts in the field of adult education and distance education in Taiwan to acquire the content validity. As there is a trend of increase in numbers of older people all over the world, including Taiwan, they will express new demands on the educational system to provide for their educational needs and wants. These needs and wants of older adult learners will have individual differences and the response of educational system will be required to be respectful of their individual abilities and styles. This study will conduct a thorough investigation to examine the relationship of older adult learners' individual learning style and attitude toward own distance learning experiences in Taiwan's National Open University. The findings should be able to reveal individual learning style and attitude of older distance learner at NOUT respectively and conclude the overall attitudinal tendency of those older distance learners with the same learning style. Moreover, this study will be able to help teachers at NOUT employ the appropriate teaching strategies to facilitate distance learning by taking into consideration older adult learners' individual learning styles as well as provide educational authorities in Taiwan with an understanding about older adult learners' attitudes toward distance learning experiences at NOUT. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Author Katherine Watson Institution Departments of International Languages and Distance Learning Institution, Coastline Community College and University of Maryland Country United States Building the university of the future (U) 3. Globalisation of education - benefits and constrains c) Diversities in culture and language Electronic Enhancement of Education in French: Using the Internet as an Intercultural Interface Linking Language and Technology Scarcely fourteen percent of the people of France are regular users of the Internet, while it is a rare home in the United States that is not yet "connected" as the twentieth century comes to a close. But even though France lags far behind the US in Internet use, the two countries' political leaders and populace have recognized the utility, if not the exigency, of electronic communication awareness in the new millennium. French President Lionel Jospin and American Vice-President Al Gore especially have emphasized the increasing need to take advantage of the benefits that improved access to cyberspace can offer in education. As an international network, the Internet might be expected to have been found to be a boon to the teaching of foreign languages and cultures. Unfortunately for students in these fields, however, the educational area of cyberspace has until now been populated by those who would transmit course materials concentrated in science and technology. In at least two cases, though, use of the Internet has been demonstrated to improve students' fluency in the French language and to have enhanced their awareness of francophone culture. Students enrolled in the Web-based "French Topics" course at Coastline Community College and those in the University of Maryland University College's "French in Action Online" have improved in reading comprehension, in writing fluency, and in their general "comfort level" with their new language, primarily by virtue of Internet links and regular use of asynchronous and synchronous writing activities. Internet links and World Wide Web connections allow students to take virtual visits to francophone lands, where vocabulary, grammatical structures, perspectives, and proclivities of the people residing in those lands are necessarily apparent. Students have remarked that they find themselves absorbing language in its context more easily in these "virtual immersion" visits abroad; they find themselves able to notice if structures or words "sound right" or "sound wrong" ! after having cybersurfed through the waves of words used by native speakers in their natural contexts. Synchronous Internet chat sessions have offered them a free forum for comments and questions, a forum freer than the classroom; students in i-chat can remain somewhat anonymous if they wish, they may "lurk" in the chatroom until they see an appropriate moment to enter, or they may even sit at home with dictionaries and grammar books open preparing to enter their chat queries. E-mail, too, allows students a freedom to communicate that they seem not to feel in traditional classrooms. Whereas the classroom student may feel intimidated to ask what he may think is a "stupid question", the cyber student can ask what he wants whenever he wants to do so. The Internet is open to him twenty-four hours a day, and students need not fear each other's or their instructor's irritation. Indeed, the hermaphroditic nature of e-mail encourages writing that is at once free and often prolix, like speech, and slightly constrained and careful, like letter-writing. Students who have visited francophone countries after having participated in either one of these two Internet-enhanced courses have remarked that their electronic writing practice has helped them in speaking and in understanding spoken speech in ways they had not expected. There are, of course, frustrations and difficulties in teaching and learning language over the Internet. The obvious obstacle is, quite naturally, that training in speaking and listening is not yet available to Internet-linked cyber students. The synchronous live chats pose a problem as well: logistical planning of real-time communication among students living in Australia, Austria, Arizona, and the Andes can present problems. But even this difficulty can be turned to an advantage when students come to realize how their "classroom" communication difficulties might represent, writ small, what international leaders encounter each day, writ large. Their very participation in a timeless, spaceless mediu! m where time and space constraints impose themselves is enough to educate students from different continents about the need for sensitivity tob the demands of others. The Internet can be seen, then, not only as an adjunct, a mode of transmission of materials that will enhance student understanding of a place and a culture where a different language is spoken; it will be recognized as a true interface offering a paradoxical anonymity and intimacy. Students can be made to feel free to take advantage of the medium of exchange while it is hoped the message in that exchange will render them more aware of the structure of language and the structure of the World View the language reflects. ------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------- ICDE Profile International Council for Open and Distance Education INTRODUCTION The International Council for Open and Distance Education (ICDE) is the global membership organisation of educational institutions, national and regional associations, corporations, educational authorities and agencies in the fields of open learning, distance education, and flexible, life-long learning. ICDE facilitates international cooperation in distance education and open learning throughout the world. Through the ICDE membership and partnership structure, more than 142 countries are represented. ICDE has its world headquarters in Oslo, Norway, where the ICDE International Head Office is located. Connected to this office, there are a number of local ICDE offices around the world that offer local administrative capacity and services. International Recognition of the ICDE ICDE is officially recognised by the United Nations as the global non-governmental organisation responsible for the field of open and distance learning, and is affiliated with the United Nations through UNESCO. ICDE is also an affiliate member of South East Asian Ministers of Education Organisation (SEAMEO) and a World Bank partner organisation. THE ICDE MISSION: Since the foundation of ICDE in 1938, the needs of millions of people for education and training have been met throughout the world using the methods of open learning and distance education. Through the increasing influence of educational technologies, education and training systems all over the world are adopting new models of teaching and learning. Open and distance learning has moved to the centre of the educational systems. The ICDE Constitution lays the foundation for Council?s activities in the 21st century. It embraces the emerging educational paradigm shift, and aims to secure ICDE?s position as a truly representative global membership organisation, embracing the broad diversity of cultures, nations and systems of distance education and open learning which exist throughout the world. The mission of ICDE is: · To promote open and distance education, along with associated goals for flexible learning, training, continuing education, community education and adult education, throughout the world; · To be instrumental in developing networks and systems for educational purposes at national, regional and global levels; · To facilitate the emergence of new educational paradigms which recognise the importance of open and distance education and their allied principles and practices; · To contribute to the development of new methodologies and technologies applied to education and training in order to improve lifelong learning; · To ensure ICDE is an initiating base for the development of international strategies and policies related to open and distance education; · To foster international collaboration in education and training across national borders; · To create an appropriate environment for collaboration and the planning of new educational initiatives, in co-operation with cultural industries and services; · To provide a forum where individuals, corporations, institutions, governments and associations involved in open and distance education can engage in professional enhancement and interaction. MEMBERSHIP As a member, ICDE provides you with a broad range of networks, partners and connections throughout the world. ICDE is the one-point of entry to open and distance education in the world; with universities, colleges and schools, with governments and intergovernmental organisations, with corporations, and with researchers, professionals and academics in the field. For its members, ICDE offers consultancies and advise at reduced cost, as well as the brokering of partnerships and alliances internationally. ICDE offers opportunities for professional development of different staff categories involved in open learning and distance education. ICDE member institutions, agencies and corporations are represented in the ICDE Standing Conference of Presidents (SCOP) by their chief executive officers. ICDE publishes the international journal of distance education, Open Praxis twice yearly. It is distributed free of charge to all ICDE members. Open Praxis provides you with information on worldwide developments in the field of open learning and distance education, it provides a forum for communication among members, and offers opportunities for publishing scholarly papers. There are five types of membership: Educational Institutions; Educational Authorities and Agencies; Corporations; Individuals; Honorary. Please see the attached membership application form. The Standing Conference of Presidents of ICDE member institutions (SCOP) SCOP was established in 1993 as a unique forum for the Principals and Chief Executive Officers of ICDE member institutions. Through its annual meetings and working programs, SCOP offers unique opportunities for access to the latest developments and trends in distance and web-based teaching institutions around the world in areas such as policy, strategy, technology, innovations, management, quality assurance, and market approach. SCOP is a closed forum of policy level decision-makers of ICDE member institutions for exchange of information, sharing of expertise, building cooperation, and establishing advocacy activities. It gives unique access to transnational and global views, and to invaluable and detailed information about policy, strategic thinking and development in distance teaching around the world. It offers strong opportunities for exploring partnerships and strategic cooperation with other ICDE institutional members from all over the world. It also offers opportunities to participate in setting the international priorities and agenda for the future of open, distance and e-learning. SCOP is a forum where chief executive officers come together in a peer atmosphere. The following categories of delegates from ICDE member institutions may participate in meetings of SCOP: Presidents, Rectors, Vice Chancellors, Principals of universities, schools, and other education and/or training organisations; Presidents and/or Chief Executive Officers of departments or institutes of open learning and distance education and training within a conventional (dual mode) university, school or training system. Participation in SCOP is restricted to member institutions of ICDE. Deputies will not be accepted as participants at the SCOP meetings. SCOP's value is based on its quality and incomparable service: meeting principals from well-known Distance Education Institutions offer a unique occasion to exchange and assess information on the highest level in confidence and exclusiveness. Thus, validated data become available for use in regional and national contexts and for the benefit of our own institutions. Making the acquaintance of other CEOs on a personal and even "familiar" level facilitates and supports the building of strong and sustainable co-operation in a global context. The SCOP Summit SCOP meets annually in a summit of chief executive officers of ICDE member institutions. SCOP is the operational structure for developing the ICDE initiatives and activities of institutional and strategic nature. In order to provide SCOP with an ongoing working capacity, ICDE appoints task forces and working groups composed by internationally recognised leading experts from ICDE member institutions. ICDE SCOP has become the global meeting ground and laboratory for inter-institutional collaboration and development in open and distance learning. It is one of ICDE?s most important mechanisms for development and cooperation in our work to address the challenges related to the transformation taking place in the education systems around the world today. The globalization process, as well as the technological developments which today affect most education and training systems around the world, forces a need for more systematic collaboration, partnership building and sharing of resources and expertise in distance education internationally. This means that your institution should probably participate in the ICDE SCOP meetings, where strategies and partnerships are being shaped for the future and business opportunities explored. The 2001 SCOP meeting took place in Neuss, Germany, in conjunction with the 20th ICDE World Conference held in Düsseldorf. Next ICDE SCOP meeting will take place in Pretoria, South Africa, 20-22 October 2002, being the University of South Africa (UNISA) the host institution. For more detailed information see: www.icde.org. ICDE activities within the frame of UNESCO The long-standing relationship between ICDE and UNESCO has always been positive and mutually appreciated. Further developments are expected in the near future, as education becomes an ever-greater challenge at global level, and as solutions can probably be found in the extensive use of information and communication technology for education. The Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), representing the Civil Society help to implement UNESCO objectives. Thousands of NGOs have contacts with UNESCO, but only few chosen large international NGOs are in official relations with this organisation. They are represented at UNESCO by a Liaison Committee of 10 members ICDE being one of them. The major activities of the Committee consist in: · Organizing the International Conference of NGOs every 3 years; · Taking part in the joint programme committees set up by UNESCO; · Taking part in collective consultations on the main issues treated by UNESCO; · Taking part in regional consultations; · Setting up commissions and organizing special events. UNESCO has long been interested in open and distance education as a means of providing solutions for some of the major issues in the field of education, such as education for all or reaching the un-reached. ICDE is very active and present at UNESCO, either through the Liaison Committee or within the various actions and programmes: · ICDE is leader at UNESCO of a working group of some 30 NGOs on the theme of ?Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) applications to Higher Education within the framework of Globalisation. · To pursue the implementation of the Education For All Global Initiative, a Collective Consultation of NGOs was convened at UNESCO in 2001 to formulate proposals on various aspects of the financing of EFA, resources and mechanisms. The consultation was chaired by ICDE. · ICDE plays a prominent role in UNESCO's work with quality issues in education. Apart from these very large programs mentioned above, ICDE is implied in several other actions at UNESCO: - The Working Group on Secondary Education, - A Joint Commission on Education for a Sustainable Development?: - The Joint Commission on ICT and Communication? which was created by the Liaison Committee, largely at the initiative of ICDE in association with other main NGOs. - The Symposium on the Culture of Peace The World Conferences on Open and Distance Education ICDE organizes the World Conferences on Open and Distance Education biannually. These conferences are considered the main world events in open and distance education, and offer a tremendous variety of presentations on open and distance education in the world. The last ICDE World Conference took place in Düsseldorf, Germany, 1-5 April 2001 (more detailed information at www.icde.org ). The 21st ICDE World Conference will take place in Hong Kong, SAR, China, 1-5 June 2003 REGIONAL ACTIVITIES ICDE is also the world federation of open and distance education associations at national and regional (continent wide) levels. Our member institutions as well as our national and regional chapters represent the world?s leading expertise and experience in their respective field of competence. ICDE member services include opportunities for access to and developments of working relations with ICDE?s partner regional and national associations and networks for open and distance education. ICDE has decided to organize regional conferences in the years between our biennial world conferences. The regional conferences will feed into the following year?s world conference, and vice versa. ICDE will have regional conferences in the year 2002 for: · North America: Calgary, Canada, 26-29 May 2002 · Europe: Moscow, Russia, June 2002 · Latin America and the Caribbean For updated information, visit regularly our web site at: http://www.icde.org .- In order to provide members with the best possible services at the regional level, ICDE has entered into formal agreements of joint membership and collaboration with the major regional associations for open and distance learning around the world, as well as with some of the major national associations. ICDE has close working relations and/or join membership agreements with: - African Council for Distance Education (ACDE) - Association of Asian Open Universities (AAOU) - Association for International Education, (AIE), Russia - Associazione Campo, Italy - American Distance Education Consortium (ADEC), USA - Brazilian Association for Distance Education (ABED) - Consorzio Nettuno, Italy - Danish Association of Open Universities (DAOU) - EuroPACE 2000 - European Federation of Open and Distance Learning (E.F.ODL) - European Schoolnet - European Association for Distance Learning (EADL) - European Association of Distance Teaching Universities (EADTU) - European Distance Education Network (EDEN), - Finnish Association for Distance Education (FADE) - Iberoamerican Association of Higher Education at a Distance (AIESAD) - Latin American Federation of Informatics and Communications Users (FLAI) - National Council for Distance Education, Hungary - Norwegian Association for Distance Education (NADE) - The Open Learning Foundation (OLF), United Kingdom - Swedish Association for Distance Education (SADE) - The Inter-American Distance Education Network (CREAD) - University Continuing Education Association (UCEA), USA - Open and Distance Learning Association of Australia (ODLAA) - Western Cooperative for Educational Telecommunications (WCHE), USA The ICDE Administration ICDE International Head Office Main Administration and International Coordination, Chief Executive Officer: Reidar Roll, Secretary General of ICDE, Gjerdrums vei 12, N-0484 Oslo, Norway. phone: +47 22 02 81 70 fax: +47 22 02 81 61 e-mail: icde@icde.org Ana Perona Fjeldstad, Chief, International Coordination e-mail: perona@icde.org Anne Beret Lilloe Chief, Financial and Administrative Affairs e-mail: lilloe@icde.org ICDE International Head Office for Online Operations and Services Marta Merino Flor, Executive Assistant Av. Tibidabo 47, 08035 Barcelona, Spain phone: + 34 93 252 5771 fax: + 34 93 434 0577 e-mail: merinof@icde.org General Delegate at UNESCO: Recteur Bernard Loing ICDE Senior Intergovernmental Liaison Officer 5, rue Jean-Cairrès, 75007 Paris, France phone: +33 1 43 06 55 55, fax: + 33 1 45 66 40 08 e-mail:: b.loing@noos.fr ICDE LOCAL OFFICES: France, responsible for French speaking countries and European Union Head: Jean-René Bourrel Centre National d'Enseignement à Distance Téléport 4 - Astérama 2-BP 300 F - 86960 Futuroscope cedex, France phone: : + 33 5 49 49 34 85 fax: : + 33 5 49 49 05 84 e-mail: : Bourrel@cned.fr Germany, responsible for Germany and European Union: Head: Ulrich Bernath, Director Center for Distance Education Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg D-26111 Oldenburg, Germany. phone: +49 441 798 4415 fax: +49 441 798 4414 e-mail: bernath@zef.uni-oldenburg.de http://www.uni-oldenburg.de/zef/icde.html Axel Kleinschmidt, Assistant Director, e-mail: Kleinschmidt@zef.uni-oldenburg.de Australia, responsible for Australia/Pacific Head: Janette Kirkwood, Executive Manager, University of Southern Queensland, Toowoomba, Queensland 4350, Australia. phone: + 61 76 312054 fax: + 61 76 3128 68 e-mail:kirkwood @usq.edu.au http://www.usq.edu.au/dec/icde.htm India, responsible for West Asia, and South Asia Head: H.P. Dikshit, Vice Chancellor, Indira Gandhi National Open University, Maidan Gandhi, 110 068 New Delhi, India. phone: + 91 11 6862 707 fax: + 91 11 6865 933 / +91 11 6960 863 ignou@giasdl01.vsnl.net.in;igvc@ren.nic.in Republic of Korea, responsible for East Asia. Head: Soon Jeong Hong, Director, Institute of Distance Education Korea National Open University 169, Dongsung-dong, Chogro-ku, Seoul, Republic of Korea phone: + 82 2 7404 323 fax: + 82 2 7404 7100 e-mail: ide@av9500.knou.ac.kr Russia, responsible for The Russian Federation Head: Aleksey Skuratov, Director Association for International Education, PO Box 775 ul.Ordzonikidze 3, Moscow, 117419, Russia. phone: +7 095 952 0769 / 232 2090 fax: +7 503 232 3654 e-mail: Aleksey_Skuratov@informika.su South Africa, responsible for Southern Africa Head: Dermot M. Moore, Vice-Principal: Academic, Technikon SA, Private Bag X6, Florida 1710, South Africa. phone: +27 11 471 2065 / 2284 fax: +27 11 471 3457 / 2977 e-mail: dmoore@tsamail.trsa.ac.za