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The growing knowledge economy is transforming the dynamics of the workplace. New trends are creating
new realities; new realities are requiring new tools; and new tools are giving birth to new possibilities.
A growing number of organizations are now delivering training and education over the Internet. This article
gives an overview of e-learning, its current status, its benefits, what the future holds, and what it promises for
the developing world.
This article dispels four common myths about what e-learning is by discussing what e-learning is NOT. In
doing so, this article establishes what e-learning must be about and what questions corporations should ask
when evaluating e-learning.
E-learning offers a powerful alternative to a traditional form of training that has worked for many
centuries. Here we see what factors are driving corporations to make e-learning a priority.
19 TechKnowNews
♦ India and Brazil Are Bringing Computers to the Masses ♦ Legislation Introduced in USA to Encourage IT
Training in the Workplace ♦ Latin America’s Widest Reaching E-Learning Solution is Launched ♦ Virtual Cell
Site Wins Pirelli “INTERNET”ional Award ♦ University Libraries in Developing Countries Gaining Greater
Access to Academic Journals.
21 The Rio Salado Experience: Partnerships – An Essential Ingredient for E-Learning in the
Workforce
Dr. Linda M. Thor, President, Rio Salado College
When you don’t have a campus, you tend to get rather creative about delivery formats. The Rio Salado
College serves 50,000 students annually through customized, unique programs and partnerships, accelerated
formats and distance learning.
Since 1982, NIIT has been bringing quality computer education to vast numbers throughout India despite
almost insurmountable obstacles. Now, with the power of online learning, even geographical constraints have
disappeared. This is the story of how India is joining the Information Technology revolution.
Corporations are adopting e-learning to train and re-train their workforce. This article summarizes solutions
found by corporations located in three different parts of the globe, to meet their training needs.
31 Higher Education and Enterprise Training in Latin America: The Case of the Virtual
Campus of Peru’s Higher Technological Institute
Laurence Wolff and Norma Garcia, Inter-American Development Bank
Higher education institutions in Latin America are only beginning to realize the potential of working with and
supporting industry and commerce through Internet based learning opportunities for technical and
professional workers. This article describes a rapidly expanding program being undertaken by Peru’s Higher
Technological Institute (TECSUP).
San Ramón, a remote village located in the hills of Honduras, is proof of the power of technological
leapfrogging over traditional barriers to development. This community has become the world's first solar
powered community hooked up to the Internet.
This article reviews distance learning in the context of developing countries and examines how to determine
its value, cost and yield. The author also suggests some implementation approaches through a case study in
China.
39 The Power of the Internet for Learning: Moving from Promise to Practice
Kathleen Fulton, former Project Director, Web-based Education Commission
This article highlights the Report of the US Congressional Web-based Education Commission, which studied
the use and impact of the Internet in enhancing learning opportunities for all in schools, universities, and the
workplace.
This article summarizes the results of research that evaluated the role of instructors in e-learning
environments.
It is essential that when shopping for e-learning, both corporate training officers and individual students do so
with caution. Here are four guiding steps.
There are a number of strategies that various countries are taking to support and enhance the development of
skilled IT personnel. This article discusses five such strategies.
This article identifies the main obstacles to community and individual participation in telecenter initiatives and
the strategies to overcome them.
This article describes fora such as chat rooms, webcasts, email and videoconferences that are being used as
e-learning tools in a wide variety of educational and corporate settings.
62 WorthWhileWebs
John Y. Jones, Master’s Degree Student, George Washington University
There are multitudes of resources found on the web related to e-learning in the workplace. Here you will find
a handful of these e-learning resources, both for the corporation interested in starting a corporate e-learning
program, and for the student interested in enhancing workplace skills individually.
Remarkable progress has been made in the field of 3-D computer-generated animation, which can help
people with autism, profound deafness, stroke-related aphasia and linguistic learning disabilities improve
pronunciation, lip-reading, vocabulary, language fluency or other linguistic skills.
In recognition of the power of the Internet and its potential as an important development tool in the African
context, the African Global Information Infrastructure (GII) Gateway Project – more commonly known as the
Leland Initiative, was launched in February of 1995 and was designed to extend full Internet connectivity to a
minimum of 20 sub-Saharan African nations.
This article profiles four institutions that offer distance education in Poland: Distance Education Center at
Technical University of Gdansk; Kielce University of Technology; The Distance Education Certificate Program
at the University of Lodz; and Virtual University at the Institute for Vocational Training in Warsaw.
Management Science and e-Learning for Social Action Early Childhood Language
of Education Math Education the Work Place Development and Education
Systems Parental Ed.
E-Learning
Beyond the Workplace
Network technologies have the potential to deliver the most
New Economies - New Realities timely and appropriate knowledge and skills to the right
people, at the most suitable time, in the most convenient
The growing knowledge economy is transforming the place. This is what E-Learning is about. It allows for
dynamics of the workplace. The competitiveness - and personalized, just-in-time, up-to-date, and user-centric
sometimes the economic survival - of countries, firms and educational activities.
individuals depends on the intelligence, knowledge and
updated skills of the workforce and on the efficiency, E-Learning has been most popular (and successful) in the
productivity and networking of the workplace. corporate world, probably due to the culture of innovation
and light bureaucracies, to the feasibility of having limited
The new trends in the economy are creating new realities: and clear educational objectives, and to quantifiable trade-
• Competition, quality standards, and economic changes offs. It is also suitably used by consumers for informal skill
are not confined within country borders, and monopolies formation and for professional training and upgrading in
and protectionism are decreasing. certain specializations. But corporate and consumer E-
• Acquired skills have a short life and many new skills are Learning modalities have opened new paths, raised new
needed within the lifetime of an individual. ideas and generated new paradigms in the academic world.
• There is a proliferation of new products and services. The sector that responded most to E-Learning applications is
• Work solutions are more flexible (telecommuting, the tertiary level sector, worldwide. Examples are: Jones
virtual partnerships, etc.). International University, University of Phoenix,
• The workplace is becoming more global. Anything that KaplanCollege.com, The Open University of Hong Kong,
can be digitized can be transmitted and worked on The African Virtual University and the University of the
anywhere, provided the necessary knowledge and skills Highlands and Islands. (More examples can be found in the
are available. January/February 2000 Issue of TechKnowLogia.) But other
• The knowledge-based economy is just beginning. We applications are picking up. For example, Online High
will experience further dramatic and unpredictable Schools (Class.com, Keystone National High School) and
shifts. Homework Help (Homeworkhelp.com, TopTutors.com and
• The amount of information being generated is vast and it Tutor.com).
doubles every three years. The need is for building
efficient and easily accessible knowledge bases and The tools and methods that have been developed for E-
packages that can be tapped at any time to help solve Learning for the workplace will increasingly play an equally
problems encountered, formally and informally, in the crucial role in learning at all levels:
workplace and in everyday life. • Collaborative environment tools allow students to
connect with instructors anywhere.
• Multimedia learning materials can be prepared by few
New Realities - New Tools experts and used by many more.
• Network technologies allow students to learn anywhere,
Traditional training programs cannot adequately address anytime.
these new realities; they are costly in terms of travel and lost • Learning management systems facilitate the monitoring
time on the job, disruptive, slow to be modified, and of the user's progress, the diagnosis of the learner's needs
incapable of responding to new needs and provisions in a and problems, and the adjustment of structure and flow
timely fashion. of content and of instructional style to effectively
address learning objectives and needs.
************
ADVISORY EDITORIAL COMMITTEE:
Joanne Capper, Sr. Education Specialist, World Bank
Mary Fontaine, LearnLink, AED
Kathleen Fulton, Independent Consultant
In Memory of an E-Learner Gregg Jackson, Assoc. Prof., George Washington Univ.
Sonia Jurich, Consultant
Frank Method, Consultant, former director UNESCO
On March 18, 2001, Jim Johnson passed away. He was a Washington
member of TechKnowLogia's editorial advisory committee Laurence Wolff, Sr. Consultant, IDB
and a frequent contributor. Jim was a decent human being, a
daring innovator, a motivator and genuine friend. He MANAGING EDITOR:
Sandra Semaan
believed in the power ICT infrastructure but was equally
committed to human learning. This Issue of TechKnowLogia GUEST EDITORIAL ADVISER:
is dedicated to his memory. Joanne Capper, World Links for Development,
World Bank
Jim wrote in an article in September 1999, "In launching GENERAL QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
TechKnowLogia the editors are continuing to weave a very FEEDBACK ON ARTICLES
long and grand golden thread which holds together the EDITORIAL MATTERS:
civilizations of the world. This thread is the development of TechKnowLogia@KnowledgeEnterprise.org
technologies and tools that have given us alphabets, SPONSORSHIP AND ADVERTISING
language, writing, communication, preservation of human Sandra@KnowledgeEnterprise.org
experiences, the sharing of knowledge, the search for new
ideas and information, the ability to learn more, and to apply ADDRESS AND FAX
Knowledge Enterprise, Inc.
new facts to human endeavors." Every time we weave "the P.O. Box 3027
grand golden thread" we will remember Jim. Oakton, VA 22124
U.S.A.
Fax: 703-242-2279
Wadi D. Haddad
This Issue is Co-Sponsored By:
UNESCO,
Academy for Educational Development (AED),
Educational Testing Service (ETS)
E-learning companies tend to fall into one of the following • John Chambers, CEO of Cisco Systems argues that,
categories: "Education over the Internet is going to be so big it is
going to make e-mail look like a rounding error." (Close,
• Providers of content – often corporate and IT training. Humphreys and Ruttenbur, SunTrust Equitable Securi-
Within this category are three subcategories: companies ties, March 2000)
that develop content and sell to all who choose to enroll; • The online training market is expected to nearly double
those that aggregate content developed by others; and in size every year, reaching approximately $11.5 billion
those that custom design content for the specific needs by 2003. (Urdan and Weggen, 2000)
of an organization. Two organizations that evaluate on- • Venture capitalists see the growth potential of e-
line content are www.Lguide.com and www.Brandon- learning. Over US$1 billion in private capital has been
Hall.com. distributed to e-learning companies and more than
• Providers of learning platforms. These companies pro- US$302 million in public equity was raised in 1999
vide a range of hard- and software technologies that fa- alone. (Close, Humphreys and Ruttenbur, SunTrust Eq-
cilitate the development and delivery of online courses, uitable Securities, March 2000)
ranging from content creation to learner registration and • Knowledge services – education and corporate learning
course record keeping. for the new economy – is a $2-trillion industry globally.
• Learning hubs or portal companies offer learners or or- (Moe, 2000)
ganizations consolidated access to learning and training • By 2002, technology-based training will capture the
resources from multiple sources. majority of dollars for IT training, at 55% versus the
120
100
80
60
40
20
0
Classrm/Teacher Classrm/Student Tutor/Student asks Tutor asks/Student
asks asks answ ers
Source: Woolf and Regain (2000)
Instructional Setting and Courseware Type Number of Studies Percent Time Reduced
Military Training (CAI) 23 28
Military Training (CAI) N/A 30
Tertiary Education (CAI) 17 34
Adult Education (CAI) 15 24
Average Time Reduction (CAI) 55+ 29
Tertiary Education (Knowledge-Based Tutors) 3 55
Source: Woolf and Regain (2000)
Most developing countries have tremendous education and Moe, M. (2000) The Knowledge Web: People Power – Fuel for the
training needs. Few have even close to adequate numbers of New Economy. Merrill Lynch.
IT professionals and most companies and government agen-
cies will need to spend considerable investments in preparing Ruttenbur, B., Spickler, G. and Lurie, S. (2000) E-Learning: The
their current staff to use information technology in their jobs. Engine of the Knowledge Economy, Morgan Keegan & Co., Inc.
The overwhelming demand for secondary and tertiary edu-
Urdan, T. and Weggen, C. (2000) Corporate E-Learning: Exploring
cation is an issue that will not go away and will have to be a New Frontier. Hambrecht & Co.
addressed in some way or other. Internet based learning of-
fers the possibility of expanding that access. Upgrading of Woolf, B. and Regain, W. (2000) "Knowledge-based Training
government staff, health workers and teachers is an ongoing Systems and the Engineering of Instruction." In Tobias, S. and
process and the current training-of-trainers approaches often Fletcher, D. (Eds.), Training and Retraining: A Handbook for
suffer from quality dissipation as the training works its way Business, Industry, Government and the Military. New York:
down the cascaded system. The plague of HIV/AIDS is ex- Macmillan.
acerbating already existing shortages of trained teachers and
Corporate Motivation for E-Learning learning, do be reminded that e-learning is NOT all about
hardware, software, boxes and wires. For decades,
educators, administrators and researchers have been lured
The Pentium speed of technological development has
into the fantasy that radio, television and videotapes are
brought about the short shelf life of information in the
going to take over the human instructor. In 1922, Thomas
market place. To compete in such a fast-changing world,
Edison predicted that motion picture was likely to supplant
corporations need employees who know how to seek out
the use of textbooks. As we now know, such optimistic
new but relevant information, think critically and show
predictions were shattered by subsequent media
initiatives to meet up with challenges. Lifelong learning is
comparison studies that failed to prove that any one
no longer a buzzword for corporations, but rather, a basic
medium is superior to another. It depended on the context
necessity for survival in the market place. On-going
of how the media were used.
corporate development then, becomes one of the most
important strategies to sustain growth in corporations.
Therefore, e-learning does not exist in isolation; it is
However, the rate at which knowledge becomes irrelevant
interwoven with the rest of the media and human
and the far-flung globalized workforce scattered around
participants in the corporate environment. The success of
the world impose a huge financial drag on corporations
e-learning in a corporation depends on the way e-learning
engaged in corporate development.
is situated within that environment. If nothing significant
changes in that environment save the introduction of e-
Over the last few years, e-learning in corporate training
learning, few, if any, import effects can be expected. E-
and development has been perceived to be what the relic of
learning then, must be about the processes, NOT just the
the True Cross was in the Age of Faith: emblems of
products.
salvation. It is believed that this Internet- supported
learning innovation allows workers to learn anywhere and
anytime, promotes active and independent learning, and
supports communication between experts and novices. Not About Information
The anywhere-anytime nature of e-learning generates
substantial cost savings to corporations. The monetary Even if e-learning is considered as a process, it is easy and
costs of e-learning are much lower than traditional inaccurate to confine one’s perception of e-learning to
classroom training due to the absence of transportation, giving employees greater access to more up-to-the-
accommodation and other miscellaneous costs. More millisecond information, faster and more conveniently. E-
importantly, the opportunity costs of e-learning are much learning is NOT about disseminating information.
lower: employees learn on-site, on-the-job, rather than Employees in the 21st century are already bombarded with
away from the job in some other training sites. Therefore, too much information. With so much information
the primary motivations for e-learning in corporate available, corporations need people who can synthesize
development are cost-effectiveness and a well-trained meaning from large bodies of diverse knowledge. Craig
workforce that gives the corporation a superior competitive (1996, 2) warns, “information is not knowledge,
advantage. knowledge is not wisdom, and wisdom is not foresight.
Each grows out of each other, and we need them all.” E-
learning then, must be about making possible successful
Not About Technology knowledge management to leverage upon the intellectual
capital of the entire corporation.
Before you become entranced with the gorgeous hardware
and mesmerizing interactive multimedia displays of e-
Costly but Valuable ties usually involve higher skilled individuals. Countries
and economies seeking to advance need a reasonable
Training and constant human development has become a
mix of high value items to export or produce. 1
priority for a majority of firms operating in modern and in-
2. Speed and agility are key to maintaining high
creasingly global economies, and for countries searching for
value—this requires communication and quick under-
development approaches. In the United States alone, with a
standing—meaning additional training and people who
GDP for 1999 of $9.3 trillion, estimates of the percentage of
know how to learn.
funds spent on education and training vary from $800 billion
3. Modern firms need a web of relationships to produce
to $1.0 trillion per year—just under 9% to just under 11% of
what they do—as an example, the modern automobile,
GDP across all sectors within the economy. In selected sec-
sold in the U.S., may have parts from 25 or 30 countries,
tors (such as tertiary education—a $258 billion per year en-
all brought together to create one automobile. In
terprise in itself) the expenditures for training and continuing
emerging economies, such webs of relationship are also
education of employees has been estimated at over $200 bil-
important, because the various factors of production are
lion per year. Other developed economies are spending on
now very distributed. A classic example is flowers pro-
average 4.5% of GDP directly on education. One of the big-
duced in Kenya for sales in Amsterdam. The entire ac-
gest factors in the variability of estimates for training and
tivity, including transportation is arranged via the Inter-
education is whether the income and living expenses of those
net.
being trained is factored in as a cost. For example, 90% of
all corporate and government training in the U.S. occurs on
paid time. The cost of a senior executive attending training, New Needs
at a location different from his/her normal workplace, in- In addition, the focus on Web and Internet based ways of
cludes not only the direct outlay for the training activity operating firms has created a new set of needs. Two innova-
(speakers, computers, rental site, other costs) but also the tions (used in both the service and the product economy)
cost of attendance. This covers the trainee's salary, transpor- have driven much of the recent dialogue on these matters:
tation costs, living expenses, out-of-pocket costs and, in
some cases, business that was not conducted or not accom- 1. Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) involves
plished, because the person was off being trained. integrating the “back office” of firms so that one can
provide ordered goods rapidly and accomplish all the
In many instances—particularly for international training— needed inventory, distribution, quality control, financial,
the cost of attendance far exceeds the direct cost of training. and status updating easily and rapidly. ERP involves
The higher the salaries of persons involved, the more pre- reengineering the normally separate functions within
cious their time is, and the more the training costs a firm. enterprises (including educational institutions) so that
For most educational enterprises, the effective cost of a stu- services and goods are produced more consistently and
dent’s time is zero. The institution does not pay students a rapidly.
salary, nor, in most cases, does it cover their living expenses.
Hence, formal education seems to be a much less expensive 2. Customer Relationship Management (CRM)
enterprise than training for those who are employed. For an involves recording all interactions with a customer/client
employer who is effectively bearing the full cost of train- in order to note past buying patterns, anticipate new pur-
ing—direct outlay plus the cost of the employee—training is chases or interests, determine changes in lifestyles, and
very expensive. And yet, most modern firms in modern respond to preferences in ordering. CRM is becoming
economies continue to place extremely high priority on increasingly powerful as multiple firms attempt to be-
training. Several factors are driving this type of priority come the preferred supplier of goods and services—not
setting: only to individuals but to other businesses as well.
1. Modern economies tend to move from High Volume Attention to this level of service and speed requires an up-
activities to High Value activities—high value activi- graded workforce—which in the past may have been used to
By Mary Fontaine1
THE BUSINESS OF DEVELOPMENT IS…BUSINESS? time. Geography has been virtually eliminated as a determi-
Lately there seems to be more buzz about business than is nant of participation in an activity, rendering almost irrele-
usual in development circles, where the notion of trade not vant where one is in the world. Likewise, time has been
aid is being bandied about. While the two need not be mutu- compressed, making speed a more crucial condition of com-
ally exclusive, the extent to which the idea gains ground petitiveness than ever before. The time needed to accom-
could cause a shift in development programming and funding plish the same tasks just a few short years ago has been
priorities that, in fact, would not be altogether surprising. greatly reduced. Indeed, an Internet year is considered to be
Recent sea changes in the global economy suggest that the just six months long. The Internet has changed even the way
ability of developing countries to succeed economically will divisions between the world are understood, with some now
depend increasingly on their ability to participate in elec- viewing nations not in terms of geography but velocity, re-
tronic commerce. E-commerce involves conducting business ferring to societies as “fast” or “slow.”
over the Internet. It includes exchanging products or services
through business-to-business transactions (B2B), business- Because of the Internet, business has been fundamentally
to-consumer transactions (B2C), consumer-to-consumer transformed. Ten years ago, e-commerce did not even exist.
transactions (C2C), and transactions between public agencies Yet today there is increasingly only one economy and one
and both private- and voluntary-sector consumers and con- marketplace, all connected, and more transactions take place
stituents. online every day. While being a player in the global econ-
omy does not guarantee success, the consequences of not
Broadly speaking, a new paradigm is emerging in which playing could be dire indeed. And with the speed at which it
participation in the global economy is becoming a is all changing, catching up is becoming more difficult than
fundamental component of socio-economic development. ever before.
Within this paradigm:
The worst case scenario is that the digital divide will grow,
! socio-economic development depends increasingly on e- economic inequality will increase both within and between
commerce; countries, entrepreneurs not plugged into the global network
! e-commerce depends on easy access to information will be unable to reach markets, and nations not online will
technology (IT); and fail to attract international investment, leaving regions with
! access to IT depends on an appropriate infrastructure, large populations facing an economic crisis of unparalleled
regulatory environment, and labor pool. proportions.
This article briefly explains the connection between IT and Through the Internet, the business community forms strate-
development, describes some of the “e-opportunities” and gic alliances, networks, and chains that work together online,
entry points open to developing countries, and identifies and it is neither cost-effective nor efficient in terms of time
some of the conditions that must be in place for participation. to do business with groups that are out of the loop. Given
the role of multinational corporations today, with big busi-
ness becoming more and more influential in setting agendas
WHY IS IT IMPORTANT FOR DEVELOPMENT? and determining priorities at the international, national, and
even local levels, it seems almost impossible for countries
The Internet has spread faster and further and has trans- not sufficiently connected to advance or progress socially or
formed more aspects of life more rapidly than any phenome- economically. Just as the ability of companies to compete is
non in the history of the world. Not only has it changed how increasingly dependent on connectivity, it seems that so, too,
millions of people live, work, and play, but in less than ten is the ability of nations to develop.
years it has altered even the universal notions of space and
WHAT CONDITIONS MUST BE IN PLACE FOR Limited bandwidth is perhaps the greatest challenge to Inter-
net use in many developing countries, where it causes incon-
IT-FACILITATED DEVELOPMENT? sistent, unreliable, expensive, and maddeningly slow con-
nections. In some areas, where access to the Internet has
Half the world’s population still has never made a received an enthusiastic reception from people from all walks
telephone call. of life, their efforts to access information online are frus-
trated by busy signals, disconnections in the midst of work,
There is no question that IT can help hasten the development and charges for time spent waiting for web pages to down-
process, both economic and otherwise. But certain critical load. In too many places, one needs to go online at 4:00 a.m.
conditions that are by no means easy to achieve must be in to get connected.
place for it to work.
A country’s regulatory policies can either stimulate IT par-
First, there must be easy, affordable, and unfettered access to ticipation and attract investment, or they can restrict them.
information technology itself. Computers, peripherals,
REFERENCES
Armstrong, C. Michael, “The Internet and E-Commerce,” Internet Policy Institute, March 2000
(http://www.internetpolicy.org/briefing/3_00.html)
Barksdale, Jim, “Briefing the President: What the Next President of the United States Needs To Know About the Internet and
its Transformative Impact on Society,” Internet Policy Institute, November 9, 1999
(http://www.internetpolicy.org/briefing/index.htm)
Blinder, Alan S., “The Internet and the New Economy,” Internet Policy Institute, January 2000
(http://www.internetpolicy.org/briefing/1_00.html)
Kahn, Robert E. and Cerf, Vinton G., “What is the Internet (And What Makes It Work),” Internet Policy Institute, December
1999 (http://www8.techmall.com/techdocs/TS991227-7.html)
1
Mary Fontaine is the Information Dissemination Specialist with LearnLink, a USAID-funded Global Communications and
Learning Systems Project, where she is responsible for describing IT applications and disseminating insights and lessons from
IT-supported development activities worldwide.
2
For more information, go to http://www.aed.org/learnlink. Also, visit TechKnowLogia's archive and search for keyword
“Telecenter.”
With the Digital Divide an ever present and continuously Brazil’s version of the Simputer is the Volkscomputer. Very
enlarging threat, countries are diligently coming up with similar in configuration, the machine will have a 500-
solutions to bring technology to the masses. Two examples megahertz processor, 64 megabytes of main memory and 16
of this are India, with the Simputer and Brazil with what is MB more on a flash chip that substitutes for a hard drive.
being dubbed as the Volkscomputer – the peoples’ computer. There's a 56 kbps modem and the software is Linux-based
and, therefore, free. Because the machine is modular, schools
Conceived in 1998 to address the need for a low-cost access can link a series up to a regular PC that would act as a server.
device that will bring local-language IT to the masses, the
Simputer project has finally reached its goal. As of this Volkscomputer was created by the Federal University of
writing, the Simputer was scheduled to be launched late Minas Gerais as a result of a commission last year by the
April 2001. What is it you ask? Simply put, the Simputer is Brazilian federal government. Still in its prototype stages,
an Internet device that will have the potential to help even Brazil hopes to manufacture the device for US$600 and sell
non-literate users to check the Web, and get access to it to individuals on an installment plan for as little as $15 per
information, which until now has been impossible. month. In addition, installing the Volkscomputer in schools
will give Internet access to 7 million students. Brazil is
The device, named the Simple Inexpensive Multilingual currently looking for a local manufacturer to begin
People's Computer, uses a touch screen interface, but allows production of the device.
for an external keyboard through a USB interface, for those
who require data entry capability. It is built around Intel's Sources and for more information, visit:
StrongARM CPU, and is based on the Linux operating http://www.simputer.org, http://www.bytesforall.org, and
system, with 16MB of flash memory, a monochrome liquid http://www.siliconvalley.com/docs/news/tech/082944.htm
crystal display (LCD), and a touch-panel for pen-based
computing.
Legislation Introduced in USA To
One main attraction is, other than it will be sold for about Encourage IT Training in the
US$200 to the home user, you don’t have to know English to Workplace
access the Simputer, nor do you have to be literate.
Currently, the device supports Hindi, Kannada, and English. Legislation that is said to promote technology instruction in
And to help fight illiteracy, the Simputer reads out text in the workplace was re-introduced by a group of Senators in
these same languages. late April. It was introduced last year, but did not receive
strong support. Legislators say the bill currently has bi-
An important feature of the device is the smart card partisan support and is being strongly lobbied for by industry
reader/writer. This feature will help increase the and expect that the bill will most likely pass this time.
functionality of the Simputer and provide more value-added
services. Some applications for which the Simputer can be Known as the Technology Education and Training Act, the
used include: micro-banking, dissemination of agricultural bill would provide businesses with US$1500 tax credit per
information, Internet access, education, and census data employee for information technology training. This is
collection. expected to cover about one quarter of the total cost of
training. In addition, a second part of the bill would make
people enrolled in non-degree information technology
Just three or four years ago, most of us had never heard of $217 billion per year to operate. To meet the full
“e-tailing and e-commerce and e-learning.” Now, with the potential demand by the year 2010, a campus would
New Economy and widespread Internet availability, we have have to be opened every eight days.”
a whole new vocabulary, with terms like “dot.coms” and
“cookies” – that is, the non-edible variety.
The Rio Salado College Model
Who is behind the e-revolution? Certainly some of the more
successful Internet ventures have originated within the world Rio Salado College is a publicly-funded institution that was
of higher education. This explosive growth in e-learning has established in the metropolitan Phoenix market in 1978 as an
been fueled by demands from adult learners who have time educational change agent. At the time it was one of only
constraints. In addition, corporate education and training seven colleges in the country without the bricks and mortar
have skyrocketed as many CEO’s realize they need knowl- approach to conducting higher education. Rio is the third
edge workers. According to Merrill Lynch, 710,000 U.S. largest of the 10 colleges in the Maricopa Community Col-
college students took an online course in 1998. By next year, lege District, the largest such district in the U.S. We serve
that number will more than triple to 2.2 million. In 1998, just nearly 50,000 students annually through customized, unique
48% of traditional two and four-year institutions offered on- programs and partnerships, accelerated formats and distance
line courses. Two years later that figure increased signifi- learning.
cantly to 70%. And it is expected to become 84% by next
year, prompting someone to label this the “bricks to clicks
movement.”
“Using our existing educational model, the number As you can imagine, when you don’t have a campus, you
of learners would require an additional 672 cam- tend to get rather creative about delivery formats. From the
puses with an enrollment of 30,000 each. At an es- start, distance learning has been closely associated with Rio
timate of $350 million each, the 672 campuses Salado. It has proven to be one of the biggest growth areas of
would cost $235 billion to build and an additional our college. This academic year we will have more than
This partnership is much more than an agreement for articu- Rio Salado pro-actively seeks out such partnerships as a
lation. The entire curriculum has been co-developed by both strategy for growth and as part of its “New Economy” ap-
institutions, with significant input from the actual practitio- proach to conducting the business of higher education.
ners, which in this case are police executives in major mar- During the past 18 months, BusinessWeek and other major
kets across the country. We intend for this program to set the media have devoted extensive coverage to “The New Econ-
national standard by which all criminal justice degree pro- omy.” This phrase is a way of saying that our economic
grams are measured. structure is undergoing such fundamental change that we are
entering an entirely new era of economic relationships and
In another example of collaboration, Rio Salado has been growth.
selected as one of 29 colleges and universities across the
country that will serve as educational providers for the U.S. The New Economy is not just for business. At least 60% of
Army in their new Army University Access Online pro- our Rio Salado’s FTSE (full-time student equivalent) now
gram. Participating soldiers will receive laptops and tuition comes as a direct result of the community partnerships we
waivers compliments of the army. Three Rio Salado degree have established. This area of workforce development has
programs are currently offered. Rio Salado was selected on proven to be so ripe for us that we have established a sales
the basis of our leadership in distance learning, as well as for force at the college. Our representatives are in the commu-
our long-time work with the military at Luke Air Force Base nity daily, meeting with officials at major employers to de-
in Glendale, Arizona. The consulting firm known as Price- termine the educational and training needs of their workers
waterhouseCoopers is coordinating the program. and helping employers identify career paths for employees.
Still another example is a working agreement Rio Salado has Our partners include major players in fast-track industries,
recently formulated with Charter Oak State College in Con- including banking, telecommunications, and credit card
necticut. Charter Oak maintains a contract with one of the services, the airlines, travel services, high tech, insurance and
nation’s largest insurance firms for career-path educa- aerospace. We assess our partners’ needs, and fulfill them at
tion. Charter Oak is able to broker specific health-related a higher level than the competition. We customize, custom-
courses that are offered by Rio Salado to employees of its ize, customize until we meet or exceed their specialized
client. needs.
In addition to these programs, Rio Salado has been partner- A research think tank, the Morrison Institute for Public Pol-
ing for four years with the Arizona State Dental Associa- icy, recently produced a document describing eight charac-
tion (AzDA). The newest joint venture is a clinical dental teristics of this New Economy. One of these traits, according
assisting program that offers a distance-based curriculum to their report, states “Alliances are the way to get things
using audio and videocassettes and print-based materials. done.” Their report reads in part:
*
Dr. Thor is president of Rio Salado College, Tempe, Arizona. Rio Salado, which serves nearly 50,000 students annually, is
one of the 10 colleges that comprise the Maricopa Community Colleges. Rio Salado specializes in serving working adults
through distance learning, customized partnerships with corporations and government agencies, and accelerated programs.
Prior to joining Rio Salado in 1990, Dr. Thor was president of West Los Angeles College.
Developing countries are always at crossroads when it comes to technology training. Torn between the
wish to be self-sufficient and the inability to invest, they often end up missing the upside that technology
can bring. In 1982, in a setting of this kind in India, a company was born - NIIT. In the years that fol-
lowed, this enterprise brought quality computer education to every major neighborhood in every major
city and town and played a major role in paving the way for India’s emergence as an Information Tech-
nology superpower. Today, with the power of online learning, its geographical constraints have disap-
peared and without significant infrastructure investments, NIIT computer education can be brought into
any home or any office anywhere in the world.
We believe that online technology provides us with a very We are still in the process of understanding how this learning
powerful tool to change the way people learn. One of our can be harnessed and used to design better and more effec-
research projects titled “A hole in the wall” is based on a tive learning. Several questions arise. Can this type of on-
hypothesis that children, even terribly poor ones with little line learning be the gateway to narrow the gap between the
education, can quickly become computer literate, provided information haves and have-nots. Can we imagine the power
they find it interesting enough. Based on the principles of of placing online learning stations like this in every urban
“Minimally Invasive Education,” this is an ongoing experi- neighborhood, in every town, in every village? How do we
ment that explores the convergence of three domains: educa- design online outdoor learning kiosks that can withstand the
tion, the psychology of learning, and technology. searing heat waves, dust storms and monsoons that season-
ally sweep the country? How do we handle mercurial phone
The project initially involved installing a personal computer connections and paper-thin bandwidth, along with the power
with high-speed data connection in a window carved out in a surges and blackouts that are daily or even hourly occur-
boundary wall at the NIIT headquarters in New Delhi. The rences?
wall separates the company's building from a wasteland
housing a slum. The computer is encased in a weatherproof In Conclusion
housing with a plexiglass screen. There's no external key-
board, but there's a joystick for a mouse and two push- The power of online learning is awesome. We are learning
buttons for clickers. While installing the computer, NIIT to create content, design interfaces, and provide services that
engineers also rigged up a video camera in a nearby tree so encourage continuous learning. By combining online con-
they could watch the comings and goings at the wall and tent with online services, by combining structure with the
monitor the sites and applications that the children are using. ease of discovery and by providing access everywhere and
all the time, we hope we will be able to address the need for
The experiment came up with some astonishing results. The lifelong learning - everywhere and all the time.
children from the slum, all of them desperately poor, speak
Corporations are adopting e-learning to train and • Supervisors’ support is essential for the success of any
re-train their workforce.1 This article summarizes training project; they must be allies, rather than barriers
to employees’ training.
solutions found by corporations located in three
• It is important to have a place reserved for the training
different parts of the globe, to meet their training process and someone to encourage and prod the trainee;
needs. few individuals will have the self-discipline to search for
training independently.
AXA, THE FRENCH SOLUTION2 • Developing training materials for multinational work-
The growth of e-learning training in France has been slow, forces is a major challenge, since learning preferences
when compared to the United States. While e-learning vary across countries – for instance, the Anglo-Saxons
makes for 60 percent of the expenses of corporate training in preferred to begin with anecdotes and move into the
the U.S., in France it makes for only 11 percent. Surveys of general, while the French preferred to look at the general
French companies indicate that face to face is still the pre- and move into the particular, and the Germans required
ferred training model and that many human resources em- traditional structures.
ployees are not clear about the e-learning potential as a
training tool.3 Axa is among the exceptions. Training varies between 40 and 400 hours per employee.
The employee can go through the training individually or
Axa is a multinational insurance group with close to 100,000 with a tutor’s help. Tutors are experts in the content area
employees in 25 countries. Like many other large compa- who volunteer to work with the distance education experts.
nies, Axa was having difficulties in providing training to its They can be reached by mail, telephone or face-to-face. Pi-
large and scattered workforce. However, sending employees loted in one of the French branches, e-learning training is
out for training or bringing trainers to its different branches now available to all Axa employees worldwide.
was becoming increasingly complex and expensive. Axa’s
Human Resources Department, in France, decided to use CARREFOUR, A BRAZILIAN EXPERIENCE4
their Intranet connection to develop a distance learning pro- Carrefour is probably the largest wholesale chain in Brazil,
gram based on modules, which would ensure a fast distribu- with almost 50,000 employees. The chain, founded in 1963
tion for a large audience. The modular structure made it in France, has a long tradition of employee training. In the
easier and less costly to establish a schedule of frequent re- late 1980s, Carrefour had founded one of the first “corporate
views of the content material to maintain the curriculum up- universities” in the world, the Institute Marcel Fournier, and
dated. was using video-conferencing for employee training. Cur-
rently, the chain has three “corporate universities,” one of
The company started its e-learning training project in 1997.
them in São Paulo, Brazil – the Instituto de Formação Carre-
It entered into partnership with IBM for the technical aspects
four (Carrefour Training Institute). The universities offer a
of the training and with other partners for the production of
variety of training not only to employees, but also to clients
educational material. Before starting the project, the Human
and vendors.
Resources Department organized a five-day retreat with the
managers where they had to play a game of opening new The Brazilian Institute provides 114 courses in different ar-
markets using only telephone and portable computers to eas that include informatics, marketing, management, etc.
communicate. The exercise gave the managers an opportu- The programs have different platforms, including multime-
nity to rethink their views about ICTs and their potential. dia, video, DVD, television broadcast via satellite, and Intra-
After ensuring the managers’ support, the Department met net. The training programs vary from four hours to 15 days.
with the employees to discuss the changes and teach them Some courses are mandatory while others are elective and
how to use the Intranet for training purposes. Only then, the participation depends on the interests of the employee and
Department began to gradually introduce e-learning strate- his or her supervisor. Courses can also be provided on site,
gies in the employees’ traditional training schedule. The pilot and the Institute has many training rooms in addition to a
stage provided good results and some important lessons, in- large auditorium with simultaneous translation capabilities.
cluding the following: At this time, the Institute is serving only employees, but
training programs for clients and vendors are programmed to
Higher education institutions in Latin America are only now beginning to realize the potential of working with and sup-
porting industry and commerce through Internet based learning opportunities for technical and professional workers.
The most well known and successful program is that of Mexico's Technological Institute of Monterey (ITESM), de-
scribed in the January/February 2000 issue of TechKnowLogia. This article describes a rapidly expanding program
being undertaken by Peru’s Higher Technological Institute (TECSUP). TECSUP has a similar history to that of ITESM.
It was established in 1982, by leading Peruvian industrialists, who wanted an institution that could service industry's
needs for technical workers. TECSUP has grown to be an institution that now enrolls students in two campuses in a wide
variety of technical, technological, and business subjects, and in 1999, it started its virtual campus.
Meeting Skill Needs courses for technical personnel as well as for using innova-
tive teaching tools and methods. TECSUP has two campuses,
Peru, a country of approximately 26 million people, has a per
one in Lima and the other in Arequipa, the country’s second
capita income of only $2400 and wide disparities in income.
important city. Peruvian enterprises have been the main
Both local and foreign private investments have grown con-
source of funding, with a total of 175 enterprises donating
siderably during the past 10 years, which have resulted in the
over US$18 million for TECSUP’s operation. Entrepreneurs
country’s economy becoming more modern and technology-
actively participate in the institution’s technical committees
intensive. But a shortage of skilled technical workers, espe-
to assist in the process of designing, evaluating, adding or
cially in the country’s core production industries that include
discontinuing courses, appraising teaching tools and meth-
mining, energy, oil and communications industries, continues
ods, etc.
to be a major constraint. Employment in these sectors has
grown rapidly in the 1990's, and now accounts for over half a
TECSUP currently offers three-year technical programs that
million jobs. The communications sector is currently the
confer a technical degree, as well as individual courses in
fastest growing sector of the Peruvian economy. In 1999
areas ranging from leadership and discipline, to top computer
alone, it recorded a 21.6% growth and investments are ex-
and management skills, and maintenance, installation and
pected to reach US$ 2.5 billion by 2003.
operation of modern equipment. More than 90% of the stu-
dents who graduate from these programs are able to find a
In response to the shortage of skilled workers, the past 20
job in a relatively short period of time. TECSUP also offers
years have seen an explosion of Higher Technology Institutes
short-term technical development courses for those who are
(Institutos Superiores Tecnologicos, or ISTs) throughout the
already part of the work force and need to sharpen their
country. These institutes offer short-term (up to three years)
skills, in the areas of heavy equipment maintenance, plant
post secondary training programs focusing on practical, not
maintenance, industrial electronic engineering, electronics
theoretical, learning. Many, but not all, of these institutions
and industrial automation, chemical and metallurgical proc-
suffer from ill-equipped facilities, outdated teaching tech-
esses, data networks and communications. TECSUP also
niques and weak links with the industrial sector.
delivers “closed” courses that are specifically tailored to
meet the needs of the particular enterprises, delivered either
The Case of TECSUP at the TECSUP or at the enterprises’ facilities. So far, over
Among the group of technical institutes TECSUP is widely
known for delivering high quality training and development
A Path of Stones – A Pathway to Knowledge Second, San Ramón, like many remote villages throughout
the country, suffers from low levels of education, productiv-
San Ramón, a village of about 840 people located in the hills ity and, in general, quality of life. It was a zero (on the scale
above Choluteca (Honduras), is proof positive of the power of one to ten) according to its cacique, or leader, Don
of new technologies to leapfrog over traditional barriers to Jeronimo. Given its remoteness, the village could neither
development. San Ramón, with support from UNESCO and maintain teachers for its school (primary level only) nor
Consejo Hondureño de Ciencia y Tecnologia (COHCIT) and benefit in a timely manner from a number of other public
others, has become the world's first solar power community services - e.g., vaccinations. Aspirations also were low. In-
hooked up to the Internet. Above and beyond the potential of deed, as one villager joked, "the moon seemed closer than
the Internet and other less sophisticated technologies (e.g., Tegucigalpa."
television) to expand horizons beyond San Ramón and
Choluteca, the results are interesting for a number of reasons. With the support of UNESCO and COHCIT, San Ramón
started exploring the potential of alternative energy sources
First, the fact that solar energy has been the power source of as a way to trek out of its darkness and isolation. In February
choice says volumes about the status of San Ramón vis-à-vis 1999, and in the wake of Hurricane Mitch, solar panels were
public policy. To say that San Ramón is an isolated commu- strategically installed throughout the village. This process
nity may be an understatement. Access doesn't come easy. culminated on 8 July, 1999, when the President of Honduras
Although located a mere 24 kilometers from a main thor- Carlos Roberto Flores, inaugurated San Ramón as the first
oughfare, the journey up to San Ramón requires a good 45 solar energy village of Latin America. Since then, the results
minutes in a 4x4 all-terrain vehicle - and a strong stomach. and experiences of San Ramón have caught the attention of
There is no road to speak of. Rather, a path of stones, ra- many, both within Honduras and beyond.
vines, and otherwise tough conditions leads slowly upwards.
It has been this lack of accessibility, coupled with the rela- The energy generated through the solar panels powers a vari-
tively low number of inhabitants, that has made the govern- ety of community services. Included here are:
ment less than anxious to extend the distribution network • five streetlights;
from Choluteca to San Ramón. At least not in the short- to
• six classrooms, each of which has its own electrical
medium-term. Per unit costs as well as accessibility consid-
outlets for a TV/VHS, computer, or other pieces of
erations meant that if power were to come to the village, it
equipment;
would have to do so by means other than the "traditional"
• a community center, also with outlets for fans, comput-
methods at the disposal of the state and public policy.
ers, TVs, etc.;
Among these, solar energy figured prominently.
• an innovative classroom equipped with 11 computers, a
TV, video and tape recorder, digital cameras, scanners,
printers, etc.;
• a health clinic, including a heating and cooling system
for water, storage of medicines and vaccines; and
• lighting within the village's church.
Distance Learning is becoming a major issue in education sponsored by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation featured
and in strategic planning for regional development. To the almost two dozen papers by researchers at US universities
college administrator it is a possible source of an entirely who had developed new approaches to Distance Learning –in
new model for deploying resources for students. For busi- individual courses, like Calculus, Physics, English Composi-
nesses it is both a way of changing the traditional methods tion, Biology, Statistics and many others—and in complete
used to teach skills and a possible new source of profitability. academic programs like the MBA.3 While each course was
For multinational organizations like the United Nations De- well planned and apparently very popular with students, it
velopment Programme (UNDP) or the World Bank, Distance was not certain whether there was any significant difference
Learning may have the potential to deliver the precious re- between the special treatment and the traditional delivery
source of knowledge to some of the most destitute countries methods. Did the students really learn more? If so, was it
of the earth, while at the same time stimulating the growth of because they preferred the convenience of the Distance
fledgling telcom infrastructures. This article takes a brief, Learning process? Did the Internet-based graphics attract the
sober look at Distance Learning in the context of developing interest of these technologically literate college students?
countries. Distance Learning is a significant topic in Infor- Was there an improvement in retention of the material pre-
mation and Communications Technology (ICT) discussions sented? Issues like these are at the heart of any Distance
because it is both a medium and a metaphor. As a medium, Learning discussion that seeks to determine the true value of
it promises to deliver knowledge to the poorest countries and the technology—yet they are precisely the questions that
as a metaphor it connotes the harnessing of many ICT capa- have proved so difficult in the Distance Learning debate.
bilities in a noble cause—what Alfred Bork calls “a new The Institute for Higher Education Policy, supported by the
learning paradigm.”1 For those who view education as the American Federation of Teachers and the National Education
most important priority for the world’s poorest countries, Association, examined Distance Learning in the United
Distance Learning is perhaps the most significant method for States and concluded, “there is a paucity of true, original
accomplishing a miraculous, leapfrogging transformation. research dedicated to explaining or predicting related to dis-
tance learning.” 4 This finding seems improbable since there
Even in the continent of Africa, which, by any standard, is have been thousands of studies comparing Distance Learning
among the world’s poorest regions in ICT and especially with “traditional” teaching. Yet most of these studies have
Internet deployment, there are scores of significant attempts been found to be flawed statistically, either not controlling
to implement Distance Learning. The Japan International for extraneous variables, or use subjects that are not ran-
Cooperation Agency (JICA), a significant donor in develop- domly selected, not controlling for reactive effects, etc.
ing countries, sponsored a study of Distance Learning in Af-
rica last year and found an abundance of Distance Learning Crucial Information for Investing in Distance
programs being initiated and managed, even in some of the
world’s most destitute countries.2 These programs use all the Learning: Cost and Yield
technologies that are normally associated with Distance
Learning: correspondence courses, radio, television, tele- The debate over the effectiveness of knowledge transfer
phone, Internet, telecenters, CDROM and satellite broad- through Distance Learning continues—but there is virtually
casting. Similar efforts are underway in developing coun- no debate at all about its cost, even though in the US alone
tries in Asia, and in South and Central America. the annual education budget (K-12, postsecondary and busi-
ness) approaches one trillion dollars. Are courses adminis-
tered at distance expensive compared to “traditional" ones?
Determining the Value of Distance Learning: What is the cost per student for an on-line MBA, versus one
Too Difficult? taught face to face with an instructor? Surprisingly, the cost
discussion is muted. The press is beginning to take note of
Despite the proliferation of Distance Learning applications this disparity between the increasing popularity of on-line
worldwide, there has been a problem in comparing results of programs and the lack of cost figures. A recent article found
technology-assisted instruction with traditional methods, that only the highest volume (high student count) courses
even in the most developed countries. A recent conference were able to operate without a financial loss. 5 Apparently,
YIELD
CORRESPONDENCE
COURSES
• TV/RADIO
•
RADIO INTERNET/CD-ROM
• •
VIRTUAL UNIVERSITY
•
COST
Figure 1: Estimated cost vs. yield points for developing countries’ current implementation of
various Distance Learning approaches. (Each region would have different characteristics and,
over time, the virtual university would move more upward, and probably outward, on the
graph.)
gram cost. Program cost includes all the materials, technol- nesses. Radio is the dominant electronic communications
ogy, advising, infrastructure, rent, travel, software and hard- device in the world, but is sometimes cumbersome to use in
ware, etc., that must be paid by an organization or donor to distance education without adequate recording systems. TV
achieve the desired result. Several viable cost models exist is also popular but not as available as radio. Most African
to facilitate this computation.6 The second variable is countries, for example, have several hundred radio receivers
yield—the aggregate result or outcome that was obtained for per 1000 inhabitants but less than a third of that for TV.10
the investment. Yield can be measured in graduation rates, CD-ROM has the advantage of combining the best of WWW
new approaches developed for further improvement, job suc- and audio, but the disadvantage of requiring computer skills
cess after training, etc. A recent study in Romania developed and culture.
a four-step approach for measuring the yield of technology
courses using a traditional model widely employed by large The yield of virtual universities in developing countries is
global businesses.7 The methodologies exist but organiza- relatively low, compared with the cost. Virtual universities
tions seem unwilling to employ them. are expensive, require good bandwidth, and need an ICT
infrastructure that is daunting, even for a developing nation.
Recommended Approach: Slow, Volume-based three others joined, to pioneer distance learning development
in the country. By early 2000, the initial four pioneers had
Growth, Emphasizing Proven Technologies grown to a consortium of over thirty universities and col-
leges, with considerable autonomy over admissions, pro-
If bandwidth is a problem even in the most developed coun- grams and degree offerings. Nearly 200,000 students were
tries, what kinds of Distance Learning implementation offered seats in these programs.13
strategies are possible in Africa, South America and Asia?
The answer lies in some of the insights from Figure 1 above. Since less than one in ten graduating high school students
Simple technologies gradually lead to higher usage rates and has a chance to enter college, there is increased demand from
ultimately to gradual leveraging of newer capabilities—a that population to matriculate through technology-based
progression from correspondence courses to radio/TV means if the campus-based curriculum is not offered. An-
In late 1998, the U.S. Congress established the Web-based The Internet may be the most transformative technology in
Education Commission. Under the leadership of the Com- history, reshaping business, media, medicine and social in-
mission Chair, Bob Kerrey, then Senator of Nebraska and teractions in profound ways. But for all its power, it is just
Vice Chair Johnny Isakson, Representative of Georgia’s 6th now being tapped to transform education. It has the power to
Congressional District, the bipartisan sixteen member Com- customize learning to the needs of each learner, building on
mission set out to discover how the Internet is being used to strengths, targeting weaknesses, and evaluating progress. In
enhance learning opportunity for all learners from pre- a similar way, the Internet has the power to disaggregate and
kindergarten through high school, at postsecondary colleges distribute educational services in ways that can reshape all
and universities, and in corporate training. While the focus existing learning institutions.
was national, the lessons are global.
We finally possess the power to school the illiterate, to bring
Supported by a staff of four, the Commission identified a set job training to the unskilled, to open a universe of wondrous
of core issues to study: technology trends, costs, access and images and knowledge to millions of needy children, and to
equity, pedagogy, distance education, standards and accredi- enrich the understanding of the lifelong learner.
tation, web-centered learning institutions, instructional and
teacher training, adult learning, disabled learners, regulatory The good news is that new broadband technology will soon
and institutional barriers, marketplace stability, and data bring us closer than we ever thought possible to making
collection needs. learning--of all kinds, at all levels, any time, any place, any
pace-- a practical reality for every man, woman and child.
The Commission solicited input in both traditional and
unique ways. In addition to meeting with stakeholders and The bad news is that millions of Americans still cannot ac-
inviting experts to testify at five national hearings held on cess the Internet and do not understand how to use it to reach
Capitol Hill and around the U.S., the Commission expanded the web of knowledge it provides.
its outreach through an open solicitation of “e-testimony”
through the Commission website: www.webcommission.org. To assess the real magnitude of the opportunity before us,
one need only look to the private sector. The investments
Through these combined processes, over two hundred twenty made by U.S. businesses in technology and training, vast as
five (225) pieces of testimony were submitted to the Com- they are, are dwarfed by their results—a one-third increase in
mission from a wide variety of stakeholders—educators, national productivity.
policymakers, business leaders, content developers, corporate
trainers, researchers, parents, and students. This testimony The many and varied programs represented at the Web-based
formed the backbone of the Commission’s report, which was Education Commission’s national hearings and via online
released on December 19, 2000. The report, The Power of testimony suggest that technology and training, properly ap-
the Internet for Learning: Moving from Promise to Practice, plied, could lead to similarly strong productivity gains in
as well as every piece of live and e-testimony, is available on education. This potential will only grow as broadband tech-
the website. nology greatly enhances the power of that technology.
• Skilled jobs now represent 85% of all jobs.6 Between 1998 and 2008 more than 2 million new skilled information tech-
nology workers will be needed to fill newly created jobs and to replace workers leaving the field.7 By 2006 nearly half of
all workers will be employed in industries that produce or intensively use information technology products and services.8
• There is a shortage of skilled workers in the U.S. today. In 1999 nearly 720,000 IT positions went unfilled.9 The de-
mand for high tech labor in California’s “Silicon Valley” alone is fully one third greater than the current high tech
workforce in the U.S. overall. 10
• The need for training in industry is a continuous one. It is estimated that 50% of all employees’ skills become outdated
within 3 to 5 years.11 In order to deal with this, corporate training budgets have increased 23.5% between 1994 and
1999.12
• Industry has shifted to web-based training for workers. Traditional classroom-based training in corporate training is ex-
pected to continue to drop, representing only 64% of all corporate training in 2001.13 Reflecting this new emphasis, the
market for web-based corporate learning is expected to reach $11.4 billion by 2003, up form $550 million in 1998.14
• There is a huge boom in corporate universities. In the last thirteen years, the number of companies that have opened cor-
porate universities grew from 400 to 1,800.15 Today 40% of Fortune 500 companies have established corporate universi-
ties16 and, if growth continues at the current rate, the number of corporate universities will exceed the number of tradi-
tional universities by the year 2010.17
We saw the shift to e-learning in such major national ini- ate entirely online. However structured, these virtual univer-
tiatives as the $600 million program of the U.S. Army, Army sities offer students around the world access to postsecon-
University Access Online (http://eARMYU.com). The dary and graduate level educational resources anytime, any-
Army plans to build the largest online educational portal in where, at any stage in life. Among those we profiled are
the world, with the objective of enabling any enlisted Army UNext’s Cardean University (http://www.unext.com/), the
personnel to earn a postsecondary degree or technical certifi- Concord University School of Law
cation, wherever they are stationed or deployed. The Army’s (http://www.concordlawschool.com/), OnlineLearning.net
commitment to distance learning will expand the market for (http://www.onlinelearning.net/), and the University of
online content and courses, creating powerful incentives for Phoenix Online program (http://www.phoenix.edu/). We
development. also learned of unique partnerships between industry and
higher education to provide workforce learning opportuni-
We found that 84% of four-year colleges are expected to ties, like Pace University’s partnership with the telecommu-
offer distance learning courses in 2002, up from 62% in nications industry in the National Coalition for Telecommu-
1998, and that 2.2 million students are expected to enroll in nications Education and Learning, (NACTEL),
distributed learning courses, up from 710,000 in 1998.18 (http://www.nactel.org).
While traditional site-based institutions are adding distance
learning courses to their offerings, new players are exploiting But we also heard there is a long way to go, especially in
the burgeoning demand for online educational courses and assuring that quality web-based education reaches learners of
programs. The market is no longer limited to the students all ages, in all economic conditions and locations.
who can come to campus. With 15 million students enrolled
in higher education in the U.S., and another 84 million stu- For American education to benefit from the power of the
dents enrolled in higher education around the world19, there World Wide Web, many new connections need to be made.
is a substantial market for bringing courses to the students, Changes in policies and priories will become more acute as
rather than students to the courses. this technology matures. We heard a need for:
• Powerful new Internet resources, especially broadband
Some online providers are offshoots of existing public insti- access that is widely and equitably available and afford-
tutions, while others are private institutions funded through able for all learners;
public companies. Still others are “born on the Web” virtual • Continuous, relevant training and support for educa-
institutions that leverage the power of the Internet and oper- tors and administrators at all levels;
Jeanne Meister, a leading expert in corporate education, de- the future would be, corporate universities have become the
fines a corporate university as “the strategic umbrella for means through which that vision is shared with others.
developing and educating employees, customers, and suppli-
ers in order to meet an organization’s business strategies.”1 A corporate university today is in a favorable position in
Its purpose is to provide company-related business education relation to traditional universities. Barley writes that the cor-
for individuals affiliated with the business and to foster a porate university’s “most powerful accomplishment is the
shared company vision. There are several reasons why a fact that the corporate university has encouraged higher edu-
growing number of companies are establishing their own cation and business to rethink their existing relationships.”7
corporate university. It can enhance productivity, profits, Some companies are even creating entire degree programs in
and global competitiveness as workers apply their education cooperation with traditional universities,8 enhancing both
to the marketplace. It can provide added incentives for em- their educational opportunities and prestige, both of which
ployees to stay where they are rather than leave for a rival also help to retain top employees.
company or even another country. It may also become a
profitable division, offering courses to the public for a fee Structuring a Corporate
and bringing prestige to the company. University
Jeanne Meister notes that, in order to
In 1927, General Motors was the first company in North set up a corporate university, a
America to develop its own educational division, calling it company must do several things:
the General Motors Engineering and Management Institute form a governance system that includes active participation
(GMI).2 It was a novel idea that soon caught on with other by the CEO; create a vision of the future that is easy to
firms, although the focus for much of the twentieth century communicate to others; ascertain who the students will be
was just on grooming future managers. In addition, “classes (i.e. employees, suppliers, customers, and/or the general
were not typically aligned with overall business plans but public); establish the scope of the educational program; cre-
were consistently reactive to observed problems in the work- ate educational products and services; select learning part-
place.”3 ners such as e-learning companies or universities; develop a
technology strategy to determine how the educational mate-
The modern incarnation of the corporate university began in rial will be delivered; and create a measurement system that
1961 with McDonald’s “Hamburger University,” a facility reflects the effectiveness of the education on individual per-
designed to prepare McDonald’s executives and franchisees formance.9
for running the now-famous fast-food restaurants.4 The idea
behind Hamburger University was simple: to retain a sense Corporate university faculty is not just traditional academic
of company unity through instilling corporate values and Ph.D.s who introduce theory and research. Faculty also in-
teaching basic business skills to all employees. In this way, cludes managers and supervisors who can teach first-hand
the corporate university played a direct role in helping ex- from their own experiences and share anecdotal information
pand McDonald’s influence worldwide. Hamburger Univer- with junior employees that will help them succeed and excel
sity now has branches in England, Japan, Germany and Aus- in their jobs.
tralia.5
Curricula are as diverse as the corporations served, but many
The fundamental difference between the corporate training of successful companies base their corporate curricula on the
old and corporate university education of today is that train- three C’s: “developing Corporate citizenship, providing a
ing is reactive to past or current issues, while education is Contextual framework to the company, and building Core
proactive, anticipating and shaping the future. A corporate workplace competencies among employees.”10
university also differs in its scope, educating not just em-
ployees but people throughout the company’s “value chain,”
• The first “C,” developing Corporate citizenship, in-
such as suppliers and customers.6 Although successful com-
volves building a sense of community among employees
panies have always carried on with a corporate vision of how
so that they “buy into” the company. The corporate uni-
versity helps build Corporate citizenship by teaching
Not only big companies can benefit from corporate universi- Regardless of how a company sets up its corporate univer-
ties. Verifone, a company of about 2,500 employees in re- sity, “if you’re going to do it right, it’s going to cost you
gional offices of the Americas, Africa, Asia, and Australia, money.”15 But, Titchenal observes, “if your training pro-
operates its own university. Verifone University created its grams meet your company’s business goals, the corporate
curriculum using in-house experts when possible and con- university will pay for itself.”16 Developing a corporate uni-
tractors when necessary. They made all course information versity can be an expensive process, however, and one
available on each employee’s computer or at office-based should carefully study company needs and future trends be-
learning centers, and are now moving towards making all fore deciding to do so.
education available on company web sites. Verifone encour-
age employees to take charge of their own education, going Government Involvement
so far as to provide subsidies for employees’ home computer To date, Government involvement
purchases. has played little role in the
functioning of corporate universities.
Costs and E-Learning Pro- There are, however, several roles
governments could play in fostering
viders corporate universities. Government
As of this writing, there are a variety
grants might be provided to help
of estimates regarding the costs for
companies establish corporate universities that are expected
developing, implementing, and
to contribute to expansion of the national economy. This is
maintaining a corporate university. The cost of attending a
especially applicable to scientific, technical, industrial, or
corporate university education is usually free to employees.
medical companies. Governments could offer tax credits for
Large U.S. corporations are estimated to spend an average of
the same purposes. Traditional colleges and universities
$10-12 million, or about 2.2% of the payroll on their corpo-
could be rewarded for forming partnerships with corporate
rate universities.12 13 Such figures are often unrealistically
universities. Finally, governments might set up technical-
high for smaller companies, but there are several ways in
assistance organizations that would share information and
which these high costs can be reduced.
Resources Conclusion
Two professional associations may be The underlying foundation of a successful corporate univer-
of assistance to those establishing sity involves a number of factors: the company’s commit-
corporate universities. The American ment to its business ideals, its emphasis on education as a
Society for Training and Develop- means of providing both guidance and inspiration, and its
ment is a professional association of willingness to view employees as its most valuable resource.
corporate education officers and Since the concept is relatively new, the long-term benefits for
consultants. The European Consortium for the Learning Or- developing a corporate university are still little known. Nev-
ganisation is a network of business and academic profession- ertheless, paired with the Internet, corporate education ap-
als that collaborate on learning. pears to have great potential for boosting productivity and
helping companies in developing countries compete in the
There is now a journal, Corporate University Review.17 Sev- global marketplace. When developing a corporate univer-
eral websites now index e-learning firms, such as L-Guide; sity, however, companies must contend with high start-up
the Clearinghouse for Training, Education, and Develop- costs and the unregulated e-learning market, and aligning
ment; and EdSurf. For-profit firms have also sprung up to education with their vision of the future. Although govern-
consult and provide services in this new field. These include ments are currently playing little role in corporate universi-
the Corporate University Xchange, The Corporate Univer- ties, governments of developing countries may wish to con-
sity, The Virtual Corporate University Extension, Woohoo sider such a role. Implemented skillfully, a corporate univer-
Inc., and McGraw-Hill. For a description of these organiza- sity may be just what a business needs to succeed in the
global economy.
*
John Yoshito Jones is a Master’s Degree student and graduate assistant in the Education Policy Program at The George Washington Uni-
versity in Washington, DC.
1
Meister, J.C. (1998) Corporate Universities: Lessons in Building a World-Class Workforce. McGraw-Hill: New York, NY.
2
Barley, K.L. (1998) Adult Learning in the Workplace: A Conceptualization and Model of the Corporate University. Master’s
Thesis, Virginia Polytechnic and State University. http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/theses/available/etd-32398-
17336/unrestricted/thesis.pdf
3
Ibid.
4
Schugurensky, D. (2000) McDonald’s starts the first corporate university.
http://fcis.oise.utoronto.ca/~daniel_schugurensky/assignment1/1961mcdonalds.html
5
Ibid.
6
Meister, J.C. (1998) Corporate Universities: Lessons in Building a World-Class Workforce. McGraw-Hill: New York, NY
7
Barley, K.L. (1998) Adult Learning in the Workplace: A Conceptualization and Model of the Corporate University. Master’s
Thesis, Virginia Polytechnic and State University.
8
Chase, N. (1998) Lessons from the corporate university. Quality Magazine
http://www.qualitymag.com/articles/1998/jun98/0698tt.html
9
Ibid.
10
Ibid.
11
Ibid.
12
Dubin, C.H. (1999) The Mountain Comes to Mohammed. Food Distributor http://www.fdi.org/fdimag/990404sidmtn.html
13
Meister, J.C. (1998) Corporate Universities: Lessons in Building a World-Class Workforce. McGraw-Hill: New York, NY
14
The Business of Borderless Education http://www.deet.gov.au/archive/highered/eippubs/eip00_3/chp2.pdf
15
(2001) Learning from a distance. Business First of Buffalo Online
16
Titchenal, J. Starting a Corporate University. http://www.trainingworks.org/pdf/corpuniversities.pdf
17
This journal is also available online at: http://www.traininguniversity.com/
Abstract: In online classrooms the messages the instructor posts are the avenue
through which they fulfill their role in the online classroom. This paper de de-
scribes the role of instructors in e-learning environments. We have developed a
coding scheme to capture the range and variety of instructional acts as re r e-
vealed in the content of instructor postings to an asynchronous online confe
conferr -
ence. Multiple offerings of three different online post-secondary courses (Fine
Arts, Statistics, and Psychiatric Nursing) are analyzed using a modified version
of Consensual Qualitative Research. A description of instructors’ online acts in
four categories (Pedagogical, Managerial, Technical, and Social) was develdeve l -
oped and presented to an online conference of experienced online instructors
for review. We also investigated the distribution of Pedagogical, Managerial,
Social, and Technical activities across different courses over time and found
that instructor postings contained more Pedagogical and Managerial codes
than Social and Technical codes, and this occurred equally at all stages in the
course. In addition, we found that although the number of student postings rose
with the number of students in the course, the number of instructor postings
remained con
co n stant.
In the past decade the implementation of e-learning in edu- McCabe (1998), Berge (1996) and Eastmond (1995) all offer
cation and the corporate sector has led to a proliferation of cases of online classrooms modeled on traditional, non-
technologies aimed at supporting virtual learning. From collaborative educational models.
email to real-time chat rooms to asynchronous conferencing
software, the Web has played a large role in the computeri- In order to investigate the role of instructors who are using
zation of the classroom, especially in post-secondary institu- collaborative online environments as part of their teaching
tions. Much of the early research into this trend focused on we have chosen to study courses in which student participa-
describing the new technology, and on hailing the potential tion in collaborative online discussions and projects was a
of these advances to foster learning environments where stu- significant component of the student’s experience and as-
dents can collaborate with one another and take on increased sessment in the course. The courses selected for the research
responsibility for their own learning (Feenberg, 1989; Hara- were also delivered entirely online. In this study we provide
sim, Hiltz, Teles & Turoff, 1995; Hiltz, 1994; Kerr, 1986; an in-depth investigation of the kinds of activities. It begins
Mason & Kaye, 1989; Moore & Kearsley, 1995). with a review of the literature describing the key characteris-
tics of collaborative online environments, and the implica-
Although much of the rhetoric around online classrooms tions of these characteristics for the role of the online in-
focuses on collaboration, it is important to point out that on- structor.
line classrooms are not necessarily collaborative in nature.
The three courses were selected to represent a diverse range Results and Discussion
of topic areas and level of student: a virtual dance course for
undergraduate students, a first-year undergraduate statistics The results from our research show the distribution of the
course, and a graduate course in psychiatric nursing. subcategories of the online instructor’s roles, the student-
instructor participation rate, and the relative proportion of
Course 1: Dancing in Cyberspace (referred to as FPA – instructional roles.
Faculty of Performing Arts)
3. Relative proportion of instructional roles cial and Technical codes. This was most striking in the three
Several trends emerged in our analysis of the distribution of Statistics offerings, in which 82%, 83% and 96% of the in-
roles by course offering. In all courses, instructor postings structional behavior was pedagogical or managerial in nature.
contained more Pedagogical and Managerial codes than So-
STAT 97-3 STAT 98-1 STAT 98-2 PNUR 97 PNUR 99 FPA 97 FPA 98
Pedagogical 51.5% 55.8% 76.5% 30.8% 23.5% 44.3% 34.3%
Managerial 30.8% 27.9% 19.1% 38.9% 46.6% 32.3% 42.9%
Social 8.9% 8.5% 2.9% 24.3% 21.7% 14.4% 22.2%
Technical 8.9% 7.8% 1.5% 6.1% 8.3% 15.3% 13.0%
Total 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0%
In many cases, the pattern of pedagogical and managerial shift of pedagogical activity into the middle and late stages of
codes being dominant over social and technical codes oc- the course. This suggests that more managerial issues were
curred equally at all stages of the course. In addition, more anticipated and dealt with earlier in the course as instructors
managerial codes appeared at the early stages of courses that gained online experience.
had been offered more than once, usually accompanied by a
Shopping for e-learning is like exploring a jungle. There may be great treasures to find, but there are predators
ready to pounce on the vulnerable. Some esteemed universities are having their faculty teach regular courses
through the Web, but others are creating e-learning enterprises with the intent of maximizing profits with un-
known part-time instructors. “Diploma mills” which have long sold fake degrees by mail now are prospering on
the Web. Well-respected corporate training organizations are using the Web, but they have been joined by hun-
dreds of dot.com startups with quickly constructed Web sites and limited expertise in training. Both corporate
training officers and individual students need to shop with caution. This article discusses four steps for doing so:
1
Knowing What Is Needed Evaluating the Provider’s Training
There are three important aspects of what is needed—the
content of the training, the certification that may accompany
it, and the instructional supports. The content of the training
includes the knowledge conveyed, the skills developed, and
the habits acquired. It should fill identified gaps between
current competencies and needed or desired ones. There are
3
There are three levels of evaluation—alignment with needs,
quality of instruction, and costs. To determine whether the
training appears to align well with what is needed, it is best
to examining the providers’ Web sites and ask for clarifica-
tions by e-mail.
several forms of possible certification. These include certifi- To determine the quality of instruction is often a challenge.
cates of completion, skill standards certificates awarded for E-learning institutions will try to provide an appearance of
demonstrated skills, professional certifications awarded after high quality instruction—up-to-date content, widely re-
successfully completing a series of courses specified by a spected certification, and effective instructional approaches.
professional association, and college or university degrees. Some can fulfill the promise and others cannot. Some por-
Certificates of completion are usually of little value, unless tals provide apparently objective information and even rat-
the provider has a reputation for high quality training and ings of courses, but their impartiality is in question. For in-
performance standards. Skill standard certificates, such as stance, Peterson.com Distance Learning requires payment of
Microsoft Windows NT MCP certificate, are sometimes con- fees for the substantial descriptions on its site.
sidered better certification of competencies than college de-
grees. The bottom end of e-learning instructional supports is Buyers should review the descriptive material carefully and
old training manuals posted on the Web; the top end includes with a skeptical eye. Look for more than self-promoting
extensive interaction with renowned professors or with an generalizations. Check for how the content is selected and
adaptive tutor who uses artificial intelligence to adjust the how often it is updated. Review the qualifications of the
instruction to the students prior knowledge and learning pro- instructors—the certifications or degrees that they hold, their
gress. If the targeted skills are easy to learn, bottom end experience in the field, and their experience as teachers.
supports may be sufficient, but if they are difficult to master, Ascertain with whom the student will interact when he or she
more learning supports will be needed. has questions, who will guide student discussions, and who
will provide feedback on submitted assignments. Sometimes
Search for Providers a well-known expert has helped design the course, but other
less qualified people actually teach it. Review carefully the
Any good search engine will find several hundred e-learning nature of the learning supports. Some common supports are:
2
providers within an hour, but unless the need is for short reading and graphical materials, links to related Web sites,
computer technology skill training, more effort may be self-scoring quizzes, interactive tutoring modules, interactive
needed to identify several potentially suitable providers. simulations, e-discussions with other students, collaborative
There are several Web-based portals that allow more targeted projects with other students, and assignments on which the
searching. They include America’s Learning Exchange, E- instructor provides feedback. Many short courses involve no
learners.com, L-Guide, and Peterson.com Distance Learning. interaction with an instructor. That may be fine to acquire
The URLs and a brief description of each of these organiza- relatively simple knowledge, but make sure the automated
tions are included in this issue’s WorthWhileWebs. Note instruction allows the learners to go back and review previ-
that some of these portals index not only e-learning courses ously completed material. Other courses are mostly auto-
and programs, but also face-to-face instruction. mated but have one instructor who is on-call for hundreds of
students to answer questions when they are confused. Still
4
of courses, testimonials from satisfied students, and claims of
accreditation. The cited accrediting associations are fraudu- additional precautions that can further protect one’s invest-
lent or non-existent. An impressive building may be pic- ment. Avoid large contractual obligations and arrange to
tured, but usually is not occupied by the institution. Some pay as you go. Diploma mills like full payment in advance
diploma mills rationalize that they are offering students de- and usually offer big “discounts” if a student will pay imme-
grees in recognition of knowledge and skills acquired diately. Even reputable providers may ask for large up-front
through their life and work experiences, but then do little to payments, but many will agree to a series of payments as the
ascertain those experiences. Most use “admissions officers” student progresses. Corporations should negotiate contracts
who are salespeople who earn a commission for each student that specify important aspects of quality and including pen-
they enroll. Detecting most diploma mills is fairly easy. alties and escape clauses if the provider does not perform as
Their degrees can be acquired in a few weeks or months, promised. In some countries, students who pay by credit
with little or no actual study and assignments, and with little cards may be exempt from paying for fraudulent services.
or no effort to assess student competencies. Very simply,
they offer students a deal that is too good to be true. If you are well-prepared when heading into the jungle of e-
learning, you have a good chance of surviving and finding
The www.brandon-hall.com Web site offers some shopping valuable treasures. If you go in unprepared, the animals will
guidance to corporations that wish to make use of e- feast on you for their dinner.
learning. It appears to be independent, accepting no funding
from training providers. Most of the advice is in publications *
sold through the site - and the publications are expensive. Gregg B. Jackson is Associate Professor and Coordinator of
There are several Web sites that offer guidance to students in the Education Policy Program at The George Washington
how to find e-learning and avoid diploma mills. These in- University.
clude www.degree.net, www.pbs.org/als, and
www.ed.gov/NLE/USNEI (which is specifically for those
outside of the United States who are interested instruction
from U.S. higher education institutions). The Global Alli-
ance for Transnational Education (GATE)
(www.edugate.org) has established “Principals of Transna-
Investment in IT Workforce although the demand has slowed some in the current eco-
nomic climate, it is expected that developing countries are in
The Internet and the growth of information technologies (IT) the very early stages of generating adequate human capacity
are causing a radical restructuring of governments, busi- in this sector. Consequences of such shortages are numer-
nesses and education providers, with an increasing trend to- ous, including: slowed economic growth; a loss of foreign
ward e-commerce and e-learning. The hopes of increased investment to countries with greater supplies of trained per-
efficiency and the possibility of accessing new markets be- sonnel; missed business opportunities; negative impact on
yond traditional national or regional boundaries fuel these the growth of communications, Internet, electronic com-
dramatic changes in large part. Using digital technologies merce and electronic business; inflated salaries and higher
can generate substantial savings. For example, turnover of skilled labor, which leads to increased operating
• Banking transaction costs have been reduced from costs and lower profits; and outsourcing of IT-related work
US$1.14 for face-to-face transactions to an average of to overseas markets.
1¢ each when conducted on the Internet.
• The cost of finding a barrel of oil has been reduced from Strategies Toward A Solution
nearly $10 a barrel in 1991 to under $1 a barrel in 1999 There are a number of strategies that various countries are
by using 3D seismic technology. taking to support and enhance the development of skilled IT
• Studies show that telecommuting, working from home, personnel. Because the IT field addresses such a broad range
at least one day a month by using electronic links to the of jobs, skills, uses, certifications and training requirements,
office saves U. S. businesses roughly $10,000 annually much of the activity in this area is an attempt to bring order
for a worker earning $44,000. (Federal Reserve Bank of and clarity to the task. Categories of activities intended to
Dallas 1999: 11-15) support the rapid deployment of a skilled IT workforce in-
Investments in IT benefit both large and very small compa- clude: establishing partnerships, setting standards, and pro-
nies. For example, the Naushad Trading Company, a Kenya- viding certification for IT skills, trainers and training pro-
based crafts company, found that marketing their products on grams.
the Internet increased income from US$10,000 to over US$2 Partnerships
million in the two years since it went online. It is predicted The International Data Corporation (IDC, 1999) recommends
that the largest growth in the use of IT will come from the that government agencies and local companies accelerate
small and medium sized business and that 90% of all IT jobs partnerships with IT industry representatives and academic
and 70% of all demand for IT workers are expected to come institutions to promote learning in the IT sector. IT-related
from non-IT companies. Small businesses are expected to companies, such as Sun Microsystems, Cisco, Oracle and
increase spending on IT from 1.5% of annual turnover to Novell are "intensely interested in increasing the supply of
4.5% by 2002. And skill development takes up a substantial competent workers that will allow these companies to assess,
portion IT expenditures of companies– currently estimated at plan, configure, integrate and deploy products and services
60% of annual IT budgets (IDC, 1999). effectively and efficiently, with technical certification serv-
Companies and other organizations are spending large ing as evidence of competence.” They further note beneficial
amounts of their IT budgets both to develop the IT skills of effects in countries where education ministries and academic
their existing staff, as well as recruit skilled IT workers. But institutions have partnered with industry to construct a cur-
shortages of skilled IT workers have been legendary and, riculum that supports the skill needs of the local job econ-
Reference
International Data Corporation, IDC (1999). The Internet Economy - An Employment Paradox: A Study into the Network Skills
Shortage. An IDC White Paper Sponsored by Cisco Systems.
This is a Web portal to 6,000 U.S. education and training providers and more than 300,000 programs, seminars,
and courses. Some are offered through the Web. Note: This portal does not screen providers or courses; anyone
who wants can list their courses.
ASTD is one of the leading professional organizations concerned with learning in the workplace. Its members
include corporate officials responsible for training, academics who specialize in workplace learning, and consult-
ants who help businesses with education and training. ASTD funds research, publishes numerous books and jour-
nals, and sponsors an annual international conference on learning in the workplace.
The first site is the parent site for providers and students of MBA programs (Masters of Business Administration)
in the United Kingdom. The second site, which is part of the first, is a forum for exchanging ideas, “best prac-
tices,” and information regarding corporate universities.
The Corporate University’s Web site indexes many executive development programs, management seminars, and
other education and training of use in corporate education. It also rates faculty strengths for the executive devel-
opment programs, although the basis of the ratings is not clear.
The Corporate University Xchange is both a professional association and consulting firm for companies seeking to
establish their own corporate universities. It offers seminars, books, and memberships, and an annual conference.
This is the first online journal devoted to corporate universities. Subscribers can access past issues as well as the
current one.
Run by the University of Wisconsin Extension program, this site provides links to numerous resources, including a
section for those new to web-based distance education.
EdSurf
http://www.edsurf.net
Billing itself as the online distance learning resource for adult learners, EdSurf has numerous free links to distance
learning resources.
E-learners.com
http://www.elearners.com/gna/schools.asp
This Web site offers a list of U.S. colleges and universities providing web-based distance education from the asso-
ciate’s degree to doctoral level, as well institutions offering web-based training in a variety of fields.
ECLO is a European network of business and academic professionals seeking to improve the relationship between
businesses and educational organizations through research and collaboration.
Peterson’s publishes popular Web-based and hardcopy guides to higher education programs in the U.S. This Web
site indexes many courses and programs offered by distance technology.
*
John Yoshito Jones is a Master’s Degree student and graduate assistant in the Education Policy Program at The George Washington Uni-
versity in Washington, DC.
At the Tucker-Maxon Oral School in Portland, Oregon, 3-D Clearly interactive 3-D programs like Baldi have applications
animation is being applied in the form of a computerized to other children with disabilities. Animated 3-D programs
language tutor named Baldi. A wide-eyed, glossy-cheeked are also helpful to children with social disorders such as
fellow with rosy lips, the unassuming Baldi holds the dis- autism, which commonly manifests an inability to develop
tinction of being the most accurate computer-generated copy normal social relations, communicative abilities and, in some
of visible human speech in the world. Developed at the Uni- cases, visuospatial skills. In particular, many autistic children
versity of California, Santa Cruz, Baldi was designed on a will use single words, phrase sentences as questions, engage
principle that is intuitive to anyone who has begun a foreign in echolalia (speech imitation) and echopraxia (movement
language or taught a child to read: people learn language best imitation), all of which create awkwardness for social inter-
by watching, hearing and doing. actions with others. However, 3-D programs can at least pro-
vide vocabulary-building, facial expression and pronuncia-
tion exercises to facilitate their interactions with the outside
world. Three-D programs can also be used by people with
In early l995, very few people in Sub-Saharan Africa had integrating the Internet into an organization. By the end of
heard of the Internet and even fewer saw any potential for the training sessions, each organization created an action
its use in Africa. Only about 1,000 people outside of South plan outlining their feasible next steps in introducing or
Africa used the Internet. South Africa, Namibia, Ghana, using the Internet in their organization. This two-pronged
Uganda, and Zambia were the only African countries that training approach imparted the necessary skills to those
managed their own Internet connections. who were poised to help their organizations begin to con-
sider the Internet as a viable tool and reflect on how this
Recognizing the power of the Internet and its potential as might be achieved.
an important development tool in the African context, the
U.S. Agency for International Development launched the Most training sessions lasted two days, enough time to get
African Global Information Infrastructure (GII) Gateway participants familiar with the software and issues that
Project – more commonly known as the Leland Initiative, email and Web use involve. It was intended to be an in-
in February of 1995. The project, which ended last De- troduction that would get participants interested and com-
cember, was designed to extend full Internet connectivity fortable enough to use the Internet after the training was
to a minimum of 20 sub-Saharan African nations. The over. By providing participants with exposure to the
goal was to facilitate and encourage Internet use by Afri- Internet’s resources and capabilities, they were able to
cans and their international development partners to meet understand how the Internet could be of use to them and
the challenges of achieving sustainable development. The their organizations.
initiative addressed many of the regulatory, technical, and
user-based challenges by involving a number of partners The program took advantage of the Leland Initiative
with a variety of expertise. The Academy for Educational training to set the stage for further networking by grouping
Development was asked to build demand for the Internet participants by sector – education, economic growth, envi-
among the development community, and spearheaded an ronment, health, and so on. In this way, when organization
approach to help development organizations build skills representatives planned their next action steps, they could
and create strategies to use the Internet effectively. also plan with other similar organizations, and even come
together as sector Internet champions. Given that a variety
End-User Assessments of kinds of organizations participated, this promoted some
Early Leland Initiative assessments conducted in Ghana, public-private collaboration around expanding access to
Benin and Mali found that though very few people had had information for the sector, and building people’s interest in
exposure to the Internet aside from what they learned advocating their mandates on an international scale.
through international media, many, nonetheless, had an
understanding of and appreciation for the importance of Through the training, people in government agencies, non-
information sharing. profit organizations, private sector entities, and donor
agencies acquired an understanding of the potential uses of
As a result of having talked with more than 85 partner or- the Internet for development, built necessary skills, and
ganizations in Ghana, Benin, and Ethiopia, we developed a became advocates for using it. More than 1,500 African
list of indicators that would help determine an organiza- development partners and selected USAID staff from nine
tion’s readiness for effective Internet use. These indicators African countries participated in the training. Training-of-
formed the basis for the design of a training program trainers (TOT) sessions introduced Leland Training con-
called Internet for Development and its accompanying tent and techniques to over 182 host country trainers for
training manual “Making the Internet Connection Count: their future use.
Effective Use of the Internet in Seven Steps.”
Evaluation of the Training
Training Given the incredible growth and the changes in the Internet
The Internet for Development training focused on the fun- environment over the last five years, AED conducted a
damentals of Internet use and provided guidance on as- survey to better understand how the Internet for Develop-
sessing information use and action planning strategies for ment training worked in support of and contributed to
Distance Education
in
Poland
Miroslaw J. Kubiak*
Polish Association of Teachers of Computer Science
ul. Nauczycielska 2/4
86-300 Grudziadz, Poland
e-mail: mirek_k@to.onet.pl
At present, most of the classes are done by the long distance The full training cycle for the first faculty lasts 3.5 years and
method, but there are also class sessions offered once or can be completed by obtaining the title of a Qualified Engi-
twice a month since not all of the students have access to a neer of Information Technology. Within the same course of
telephone or computer network. studies, after 1.5 years, the students can pass external exams
and obtain the title of Information Technology Associate.
The current group of 30 students lives throughout Poland and The second part of the 3.5-year course is provided in the
are graduates from different university level institutions in- form of regular studies that can be completed at the Univer-
cluding: universities, technical universities, or medical sity of Information Technology and Management in Warsaw.
schools. Possible positive results of the first-phase research work may
be the basis for continuing virtual training during the second
Faculty members from the University of Lodz conduct the stage of studies.
courses. Classes are divided into lectures, exercises, and self-
development modules. Some of the courses are to be con- CONCLUSION
ducted directly from the University of Maryland using com-
pressed video.
Beside the four above-mentioned institutions in Poland there
are some small centers of distance education, mainly located
4. Virtual University at the Institute for Voca- near the Center for Continuing Education, which can offer
tional Training in Warsaw different vocational courses. Moreover, some educational
organizations offer correspondence courses. During 2001,
The Institute for Vocational Training undertook an attempt to Polish Television (public TV) intends to create an Open
apply computer technologies in distance learning within the
REFERENCES
[1] M. J. Kubiak, Internet for teachers. Learning on distance, MIKOM, Warsaw 1997, r., ISBN 83-7158-177-7, (in Polish).
[2] M. J. Kubiak, Virtual education, MIKOM, Warsaw 2000, ISBN 83-7279-032-9, (in Polish).
[3] Distance Education Centre at Technical University of Gdansk - http://www.pg.gda.pl/dec/
[4] Kielce University of Technology, Centre for Continuing Education - Distance Education Centre -
http://www.cku.tu.kielce.pl.
[5] The Distance Education Certificate Program at the University of Lodz - http://pamctr.uni.lodz.pl/
[6] Virtual University - http://www.uniwersytet-wirtualny.edu.pl/index1.htm.
*
Miroslaw J. Kubiak is editor of "Wirtualna Edukacja" ("Virtual Education") - Polish online journal of distance education -
http://lttf.ieee.org/we .