Techknowlogia Journal 2001 May June

TM
Volume 3, Issue 3 May/June 2001
This issue is co-sponsored by:

UNESCO; Academy for Educational Development; Educational Testing Service
The contents of this Issue do not necessarily reflect the policies or the views of the co-sponsors or their affiliates
Thematic Focus: Technology for E-Learning in the Workplace
5 E-Learning Beyond the Workplace

Wadi D. Haddad, Editor
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.
7 E-Learning Growth and Promise for the Developing World

Joanne Capper, World Links for Development, The World Bank
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.
11What Isn’t E-Learning

Cher Ping Lim, Ph.D., National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
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.
13 The Role of E-Learning in Training and Development

Kurt D. Moses, Vice President, Academy for Educational Development
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.
15 How Information Technology Can Help Development: Opportunities and Obstacles

Mary Fontaine, The LearnLink Project, Academy for Educational Development
! 1 ! TechKnowLogia, May/June, 2001 © Knowledge Enterprise, Inc. www.TechKnowLogia.org

This article explains the connection between IT and development, describes some of the “e-opportunities” and
entry points to developing countries, and identifies some of the conditions that must be in place for
participation.
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.
25 India: How NIIT Brings People and Computers Together…Successfully!

C.N. Madhusudan, President, Strategic Alliances, NIIT USA Inc.
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.
29 Corporate E-Training: Three Examples from Across the World

Sonia Jurich
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).
33 Honduras: Solar Energy Bridges the Digital Divide

Aimee Verdisco, Education Unit, Inter-American Development Bank, and Analyda Melara de Fanconi,
Minister, Honduran Council for Science and Technology
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.

35 Distance Learning in Developing Countries: Is Anyone Measuring Cost-Benefits?
Stephen Ruth and Min Shi, George Mason University
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.
43 Business, Corporate Universities and E-Learning

John Y. Jones, Master’s Degree Student, George Washington University
A corporate university today is in a favorable position in relation to traditional universities. Some

companies are even creating entire degree programs in cooperation with traditional universities.
46 The Role of the Instructor in E-Learning Collaborative Environments

Lucio Teles, Stacy Ashton, Tracy Roberts, Irina Tzoneva, Simon Fraser University
This article summarizes the results of research that evaluated the role of instructors in e-learning
environments.
51 E-Learning Buyer’s Guide

Gregg B. Jackson, Associate Professor and Coordinator, Education Policy Program, George Washington
University
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.
53 Development of a Skilled I.T. Workforce: Strategies, Standards and Resources

Joanne Capper, World Links for Development Program, The World Bank
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.
56 Digital Divide or Digital Bridge? Exploring Threats and Opportunities to Participation in

Telecenter Initiatives
Raul Roman and Royal D. Colle, Development Communication Research Group, Cornell University
This article identifies the main obstacles to community and individual participation in telecenter initiatives and
the strategies to overcome them.

60 E-Learning Solutions
Editorial Staff
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.
64 Hearing the Sights: Seeing the Sounds!

Tressa Steffen Gipe
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.
66 African Global Information Infrastructure Gateway Project: The Leland Initiative

Academy for Educational Development Staff
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.
68 Country Profile: Distance Education in Poland

Miroslaw J. Kubiak, Polish Association of Teachers of Computer Science
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.
EDITORIAL CALENDAR YEAR 2001

January/ March/ May/ July/ September/ November/
February April June August October December
Management Science and e-Learning for Social Action Early Childhood Language
of Education Math Education the Work Place Development and Education
Systems Parental Ed.

Wadi D. Haddad, Editor
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.

TechKnowLogia™
New Tools - New Possibilities Published by
Knowledge Enterprise, Inc.
With the accumulation of experience in E-Learning for the
In editorial collaboration with
workplace and the advancements in networked technologies United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural
(broadband, wireless, etc.) it is hard to imagine the Organization (UNESCO )
possibilities and manifestations of E-Learning at home, in the Organization for Economic Co-operation
school, in community centers, and conceivably anywhere. and Development (OECD )
But the expansion of E-Learning is not without problems.
There are issues of bogus providers (see Jackson's article, "E- EDITOR-IN-CHIEF:
Learning Buyer's Guide," in this Issue of TechknowLogia), Wadi D. Haddad, President, Knowledge Enterprise, Inc.
certification, compatibility of "parts" and overall quality of
materials. INTERNATIONAL ADVISORY BOARD:
Jarl Bengtsson, Head, CERI, OEDC
The most successful technologies are those that become Claudio Castro, Pres., Advisory Bd., Faculdade Pitágoras
unnoticed. We do not think anymore of the spectacle of Gajaraj Dhanarajan, President & CEO,
The Commonwealth of Learning
printing every time we read a book, or of the miracle of the Dee Dickenson, CEO, New Horizons for Learning
telephone every time we make a call. The ultimate success of Alexandra Draxler, Director, Task force on Education for
E-Learning will be reached when we stop marveling about the Twenty-first Century (UNESCO)
the E and apply our minds and emotions to the wonders of Pedro Paulo Poppovic, Secretary of Distance Education,
Federal Ministry of Education, Brazil
Learning. Nicholas Veliotes, President Emeritus,
Association of American Publishers
************
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 Growth and Promise
For the Developing World
By Joanne Capper
World Links for Development, The World Bank
The Status of E-Learning • A complete package. Some e-learning companies are

A growing number of organizations are now delivering attempting to do all of the above.
training and education over the Internet, including colleges
and university, corporations, military institutions, and even The Future of E-Learning
secondary schools. Just last month, the Massachusetts Insti- Increased access to the Internet and greater bandwidth are
tute of Technology (MIT) announced that learning materials both expected to increase the number of individuals moving
and syllabi for all courses were being put on the Internet for into online learning. International Data Corporation (IDC)
anyone to use. While access to the materials will not grant forecasts that there will be 320 million Internet users world-
course credit with the institution, the faculty and administra- wide by the end of 2002, up from 97 million at the end of
tion determined that knowledge is for sharing and the Inter- 1998. And broadband connectivity is expected to grow from
net is the most efficient transmitter of knowledge ever avail- approximately one million households in 2000 to almost 26
able. The United States Army recently announced the launch million by 2003 (Close et al. 2000). Broadband access in-
of the Army U., a complete online university degree program creases the speed of Internet access and does away with the
available to all Army personnel. frustrating tedium of waiting for Web pages to download – a
disincentive for the e-learning process. A study conducted
There are an estimated ten million courses now online, and by MediaOne found that households with broadband cable
the U.S. alone reports about 700 e-learning companies. Internet connections averaged 22.5 hours of usage per week
Some companies or institutions offer online tutoring to stu- as compared with just 4.7 hours for households with dial-up
dents at specific grade levels, ranging from primary through connections.
university; others offer courses only for corporations; some
offer courses for individuals in career development and/or In the past year, four US investment firms have conducted
personal development; and many offer training in various detailed market analyses of what they refer to as the e-
management, finance and IT-related skills. Increasingly, learning sector, encouraging their clients to consider invest-
training and support for teachers is occurring online, and a ing in e-learning companies. They project remarkable
number of institutions now offer either partial or complete growth in online learning worldwide and have peppered the
secondary diplomas through e-learning. reports with dramatic statistics and claims. For example:
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

45% share captured by instructor-led methods. (Moe, teachers, researchers, scientists, and experienced profes-
2000) sional developers. Online courses also can provide
unique opportunities for teachers to share innovations in
The Advantages of E-Learning their own work with the immediate support of electronic
groups and expert faculty.
There are a number of benefits to learning online that are
unique to the medium: • Integration of computers. The online learner has access
to a computer, so computer applications can be used
without excluding some participants. This means, for in-
• Any time. A participant can access the learning program
stance, that a mathematical model implemented in a
at any time that is convenient –not just during the spe-
spreadsheet can easily be incorporated into a lesson and
cific 1-3-hour period that is set for a conventional
downloaded so all participants can run, explore, and re-
course. The episodes can be quick snatches at odd times
fine the model and then share their findings and im-
or long late-night sessions. Cross-time-zone communi-
provements.
cation, difficult to arrange in real time, is as easy as
talking to someone across town when using the Internet.
Does E-Learning Work?
• Any place. The participants do not have to meet. That
means they can be anywhere. International sharing is The individualized interactivity provided by an Internet-
feasible. Individuals can log on at work, home, the li- connected computer is believed to contribute significantly to
brary, in a community learning center or from their hotel the effectiveness of the online learning environment. And
when traveling. even without the Internet connectivity, computer-based
• Asynchronous interaction. Unlike face-to-face or tele- learning programs have shown compelling results in both
phone conversations, electronic mail does not require effectiveness and efficiency. While no machine can come
participants to respond immediately. As a result, inter- close to the quality of instruction that can be provided by a
actions can be more succinct and to-the-point, discussion good human teacher working with a student one-on-one,
can stay more on-track, and people can get a chance to teachers typically have 25 to 35 students to deal with at one
craft their responses. This can lead to more thoughtful time – and often many times that number. A well-designed
and creative conversations. computer-based or online learning program can offer much
• Group collaboration. Electronic messaging creates new more opportunity for individualized interactivity than is
opportunities for groups to work together, creating available in most classrooms. Studies have shown that indi-
shared electronic conversations that can be thoughtful vidualized learning environments are considerably more in-
and more permanent than voice conversations. Some- teractive. For example, as the graph below shows, the aver-
times aided by on-line moderators, these net seminars age number of questions a teacher asks in one classroom
can be powerful for learning and problem-solving. hour is three, and the average number of questions asked by
• New educational approaches. Many new options and one student during one classroom hour is less than one.
learning strategies become economically feasible However, when learners are in a one-on-one tutoring envi-
through online courses. For instance, the technology ronment, they typically ask up to 21 questions per hour and
makes it feasible to utilize faculty anywhere in the world tutors ask and students answer an average of 117 questions
and to put together faculty teams that include master per hour.
GRAPH 1: Number of Questions Asked and Answered in

Classrooms vs. One-on-One TutoringOne Hour Session
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)

In a classroom, teachers are seldom able to spend more than sistently showed superior performance both in terms of
a couple of minutes with any one student. Consequently, higher learning achievement and quicker mastery of learning
students must often practice new skills on their own. If the objectives. The results are likely to be even more substantial
student does not understand the skill or concept, then he or given Internet access, for which research evidence is still
she may be practicing problems or exercises incorrectly, or quite limited. Tables 1 and 2 show achievement and time-to-
developing inaccurate conceptions. mastery comparisons between traditional computer-based
instructional programs at various levels, and the more robust
A 1990 review of computer-based instructional programs knowledge-based tutoring programs developed more re-
using interactive videodisc (a precursor to CD-ROMs and cently, also called intelligent computer-assisted instruction
DVD) to train adults across a range of sectors revealed quite (ICAI).
positive findings. Of the 21 studies that compared the com-
puter-based training with traditional instruction, all showed Table 1 shows that on average, across levels of education
equal or significantly superior performance of the computer- and training, the 233 computer-assisted instructional (CAI)
based students, and eight studies found that these students studies resulted in increased student performance from the
learned in less time with savings ranging from 10% to 60% 50th percentile to about the 65th percentile (Kulik, 1994,
and from 4.7 hours to 8 hours (Capper, 1990). Studies repre- Fletcher, 1997). But the three studies of the more recently-
sented a range of subjects, topics, sectors and settings, in- developed knowledge-based tutors resulted in increased
cluding health (giving intra-muscular injections or CPR), learner performance from the 50th percentile to about the 84th
college science, management training, sales training, military percentile. Table 2 shows that this increased performance is
terrain analysis, troubleshooting and repair of large and accomplished in 55% less time than traditional instruction,
costly equipment, use of a 35 mm camera, use of hazardous compared with an average of 29% reduced time for CAI. In
materials in the workplace, and smoking cessation. fact, contractors who bid to develop online training for the U.
S. military bid on the promise of reducing time to mastery by
These studies and those listed in Tables 1 and 2 did not have 50%, and one study of Italian Air Force training reported an
the benefit of the increased interactivity and accesses to vast 80% time savings. Such time savings can result in substan-
libraries of resources available on the Internet, and yet con- tial cost savings (Fletcher, in press).
Table 1: Effect Sizes Achieved with CAI and Knowledge-Based Tutors

(%) Performance Increase
Instructional Setting and Courseware Type Number of Studies Effect Size Compared to Traditional
Instruction
Elementary School (CAI) 28 0.47 68
Secondary School (CAI) 42 0.42 66
Tertiary Education (CAI) 101 0.26 60
Adult Education (CAI) 24 0.42 66
Military Training (CAI 38 0.40 66
Average Effect Size (CAI) 233 0.39 65
Tertiary Education (Knowledge-Based Tutors) 1 0.97 83
Military Training (Knowledge-Based Tutors) 1 1.02 84
Secondary School (Knowledge-Based Tutors) 1 1.00 84
Average Effect Size 3 1.00 84
(Knowledge-Based Tutors)
Table 2: Reduction in Time Needed to Reach Instructional Objectives

for CAIand Knowledge-Based Tutors
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

ICAI programs are able to generate and solve problems, store other workers and in some countries, two people are being
and retrieve data, diagnose students’ misconceptions, select trained for every one that is needed to replace those lost to
appropriate teaching strategies and carry on dialogues with this ravage.
students. They incorporate some very sophisticated concep-
tions about learning, and, for the most part, are designed by Clearly we cannot expect that most individuals will be able
researchers who have devoted a great deal of time to the to afford a computer at home. But a viable option is to es-
study of how people think, learn and solve problems, and tablish a nationwide network of community learning centers
thus offer useful standards and expectations for the use of stocked with computer laboratories with broadband access
computers as tools for learning and staff who are trained to access online distance education
opportunities and provide tutoring support to individuals and
Courses designed for online learning tend to be much more groups as they engage in learning activities. Such centers
richly developed than are typical in-person courses where the can be connected to schools, hospitals, clinics or other com-
instructor expects to be able to provide clarifications as munity service centers where community members congre-
questions arise. In fact, interviewed e-learning directors gate and the existing needs are strong.
stress that it is important to completely reinvent how a course
is taught when it is put online - that simply putting We don’t yet know what it will take to make such centers
PowerPoint slides onto the Web will not result in high- work, but with the compelling evidence in support of com-
quality learning. They claim that the online courses they puter-based learning and the growing array of learning op-
develop are highly robust, are specifically designed for Web- portunities available through the Internet, it seems worth the
based learning, attempt to have all the learning resources effort to experiment, study, refine and disseminate knowl-
embedded into the course, and include detailed tracking and edge about this new approach to education and training.
reporting tools.
References
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What Isn’t E-Learning?
Cher Ping Lim, Ph.D.
National Institute of Education
Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
cplim@nie.edu.sg
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-

with them their own set of experiences and expertise that
contribute to the community’s repertoire of knowledge.
Four E-Learning Myths
Such interactions promote the creation of lifelong learners
1. E-learning is all about who collaborate with colleagues and other stakeholders
technology; within the e-learning context and across the globe to build
and share knowledge. These interactions may be
2. E-learning is all about synchronous or asynchronous where employees and their
information; learning communities can assemble virtually, across time
and space, to engage in and extend the powerful dialogue
3. E-learning is all about web- of learning. E-learning then, must be about providing the
based learning; and interactions among the employees and their communities
to develop the competitive advantage of the corporation.
4. E-learning is all about the
interactions between the
computer and learner. Conclusion
In this article, I have dismissed four myths about e-

learning:
1. E-learning is all about technology;

Not About the Web 2. E-learning is all about information;
3. E-learning is all about web-based learning; and
Much too often, e-learning courses have been attempting 4. E-learning is all about the interactions between the
to replace traditional learning and teaching media without computer and learner.
much thought to their underlying pedagogical principles.
For example, from textbooks to e-books, or from overhead By doing so, I have, indirectly, established what e-learning
transparencies to PowerPoint slides. The learning medium must be about, and hence, how corporations can evaluate
may have changed, but the methods employed in using e-learning courses by asking these questions:
these new innovations remain constant. Human beings
have a tendency to maintain order and control in their lives • Does the course emphasize on both processes and
that many will unconsciously alter innovations to fit into products?
the existing ways of doing things. Therefore, e-learning is • Does the course focus on knowledge management
NOT just about web-based learning. Without considering rather than information provision?
the strengths and weaknesses of each medium, e-learning • Does the course harness the strengths and address the
courses may adversely affect the learning experiences of weaknesses of web-based learning?
the course participants. E-learning then, must be about • Does the course provide interactions among the
harnessing the strengths and addressing the weaknesses of learners and their communities?
web-based learning to create a conducive learning
environment. E-learning is a double-edged sword; it can be used either
to enhance the corporations’ competitive advantages or to
Not About Interaction with amplify their disadvantages. E-learning can foster a
Computers learning community of ‘knowledge workers,’ or it can
cause abstraction and individualism among employees.
Therefore, embedded within the opportunities of e-
Many e-learning courses have also over-emphasized the
learning, is the responsibility to design a corporate
interactions between the computer and the learner. These
environment with the goal of developing a learning
interactivities are often seen as control over pace, choice of
community of ‘knowledge workers.’
activities and sequences, and may not necessarily bring
about learning. The learning of an individual is the
outcome of the interactions with his/her community. This Reference
community consists of his/her colleagues, employers,
clients, partners and other industrial stakeholders. The Craig, W. (1996). New technologies mean new goals.
interactions with the community enable newcomers to Learners Together, 4, 1, pp.1-3.
become old-timers. However, the newcomers also bring

The Role of E-Learning
In Training and Development
Kurt D. Moses, Vice President
Academy for Educational Development
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

do one job or several related jobs on a repetitive, moderately
changing basis. In more modern economies, change be- Some of the features of E-Learning—the organization and
comes much more the theme of an economic operation. It technology for which are still undergoing rapid change and
would then come as no surprise that the key functions that development—have begun to emerge:
allow firms to operate in the above manner also need to
change. ♦ We must continue to focus on the outcome of learning—
what is it that must be known to prepare for or perform
Training in a modern economy needs to respond in the fol- key functions?
lowing ways: ♦ Different learning outcomes require different skills and
ways of acquiring those skills (such as the obvious
1. Highly focussed on needed skills in the context of the challenge of teaching laboratory skills remotely). Cor-
work enterprise. porations may value convenience (instruction at the
2. Provided at the right time in the cycle of work and travel desktop) much more than face to face interactivity—un-
for an employee. dergraduate education institutions do just the opposite.
3. Structured to respond to personnel who begin at differ- ♦ Humans require interaction in order to learn well. Inter-
ent points in the learning cycle—for example, some action is a human enterprise that technology may only
people have more mathematics than others, some need partially be able to support.
more drill and practice to understand an issue, others ♦ Younger learners may not be the best candidates for a lot
need more writing practice. of E-Learning, even though they may conquer the tech-
4. Easily modified and quickly mounted—training which nology faster than adults may. There are issues of so-
can be reconfigured and delivered rapidly. cialization, teamwork, and physical presence, which
have become a part of every culture’s education process.
Advantages of E-Learning Training, the imparting of skills, and commercial
Traditional training and education, delivered most often in a judgement for a mature learner may, however, be very
face to face mode, has had trouble adjusting to the above appropriate for E-Learning.
pressures. While face to face training can be rapidly modi- ♦ Learning styles differ by culture and the culture that
fied (with good instructors) such training may have a limited most advances E-Learning will also tend to dominate the
audience or access, and cost pressures can become intense, style (just as has happened traditionally).
particularly for senior personnel. E-Learning and E-Training ♦ The mass customization of learning will become in-
offers an opportunity to respond more cost effectively to the creasingly important as more and more countries wish to
pressures noted above. In most instances, as long as E- know the basic skills that others share, but also wish to
Learning can provide equivalent or better outcomes (reten- alter and make it their own.
tion of knowledge, demonstrably better skills, or higher lev- ♦ We still need to certify the outcome in some fashion,
els of problem solving) at the same or lower cost than tradi- either through the pedigree of the sponsoring institution
tional training, then the convenience of E-Learning and its (becoming less likely), through certification by respected
ability to reach a wider audience will often win out. persons (connections still count), or through various
“objective” tests which are independently certified.
As will be noted in subsequent articles, there have been a
wide variety of approaches to E-Learning—many of which E-Learning offers a powerful alternative to a traditional form
are in fact, multi-mode—using a variety of means to carry of learning that has worked for many centuries. Perhaps as
the instruction and a variety of means to create the necessary importantly, it has forced us to rethink our working environ-
“learning experience.” The best of these techniques, bor- ments, what we need to learn, why we need that learning, and
rowing heavily from A.W. (Tony) Bates’ excellent taxonomy how we go about measuring success. In some ways, that
for Open Learning is:2 process may be as important as the new form of learning
implementation. Just as changes in commerce have forced
1. Audience appropriate—in terms of access and level; corporations to evaluate how they convey and add to their
2. Cost effective for the economies in which it is operating core capabilities to produce goods and services, so E-
(perhaps higher cost in richer economies, lower cost in Learning now offers a chance to rethink learning in many
less well to do environments); other sectors of society.
3. Teaching and learning appropriate—suits the styles of
1
the learner; Robert Reich, The Work of Nations (1992)
2
4. Interactive and user friendly; A.W. (Tony) Bates, Technology, Open Learning & Dis-
5. Organizationally appropriate; tance Education (1995)
6. New enough to generate interest and enthusiasm; and
7. Capable of being speedily altered and rapidly delivered.

HOW INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY CAN HELP DEVELOPMENT:
Opportunities and Obstacles
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

amples include the Mauritius “Technology Diffusion
In addition to the negative prospects of not participating in e- Scheme” and the “Multimedia Super Corridor” project in
commerce, there are plenty of positive reasons for doing so. Malaysia.
Not only are technology costs falling, but also the potential
profitability of online business is growing. Attractive op- E-commerce enables small entrepreneurs to sell their prod-
portunities exist for developing countries to assume cultur- ucts and services in the global bazaar directly through a web
ally appropriate and economically advantageous roles within site or indirectly through arrangements with foreign dis-
the networks and alliances that are operating. Moreover, due tributors. Even local arts and crafts can reach global markets,
to rapid advances in infrastructure options, developing coun- as demonstrated by the classic PEOPLink
tries need not progress through all of the same technological (http://www.peoplink.org) example. PEOPLink is a nonprofit
stages that other nations have but can jump right to the fiber, marketplace whose web site serves as a virtual catalog where
satellite, wireless, or broadband options that are now avail- the sale of handmade goods, such as sculptures, baskets, mu-
able. Finally, perhaps the best news of all is that the Internet sical instruments, and paintings, benefit grassroots artisans
is inherently inclusive, offering abundant entry points for and their communities.
newcomers.
A wide variety of ancillary economic activities accompany
WHAT KINDS OF “E-OPPORTUNITIES” the growth of e-commerce and the use of IT, both to support
ARE AVAILABLE? the industry and take advantage of IT applications. Some
examples include:
The most obvious benefit of e-commerce for people in de-
veloping countries is that, as consumers, they can find lower ! Software development, production, and sales
priced goods and services. But the most exciting opportuni- ! Computer repair and installation
ties growing out of the electronic business network are for ! Word processing, typesetting, and data entry
producers. Below are some examples. ! Training in computer use and software applications
! Establishing telecenters, Internet cafes, and busi-
Using global communication networks, companies are lo- ness/communication centers
cating different parts of the production and distribution proc- ! IT careers in management, administration, and technical
ess in different countries, and all parts are taking place on support
multiple continents simultaneously. Participating in the ! Providing Internet services
“global factory chain” is possible for anyone anywhere who ! Graphic design, digital imaging, and desktop publishing
can acquire the necessary skills and access the needed ! Web site creation and multimedia authoring
equipment. Entrepreneurs in developing countries need only ! Web site hosting
find their niche and join in. Business-to-business e-
commerce can reduce the isolation of small and local entre- Such activities provide immediate opportunities for new
preneurs by connecting them to a global business community business development, employment creation, and increased
with similar interests. By joining global value chains, trans- income generation. When IT-based activities launch in a
action costs can be decreased and access to global markets community, the ancillary opportunities quickly become
increased. available not only in urban centers but also in secondary cit-
ies and even rural areas, offering economic development
Throughout the developing world, companies offering “in- opportunities to anyone able to seize them, including minor-
formatics” services are launching, offering cost-effective ity and disadvantaged populations that can develop the skills
services ranging from web site hosting to multimedia pro- needed for participation.
duction to database design. Have a look at the Himalnet web
site at http://www.himalnet.com for an example from Nepal. Adding value to information-based goods and services, or
creating new information products, is increasingly profitable.
Some countries have established specially designed zones or Information—which is virtually anything that can be digit-
large office parks that participate in the information econ- ized—has become a commodity, and producing it, while
omy. In these zones, individuals highly trained in computer costly, can be highly lucrative. There is a great deal of inter-
systems and software applications work on a wide variety of est in content from developing countries that is created for
projects with companies around the world. State-of-the-art global audiences. Currently, the vast majority of information
hardware and high-speed satellite links are provided to en- available on the Internet and in multimedia formats comes
able quality workmanship and facilitate competitive bidding from the US and other “digital” countries, and there is a
for contracts. A variation on the theme is the creation of growing demand for information from others, especially
informatics parks designed to encourage industries to locate products designed to document the richness and diversity of
offices, plants, and workers in-country, which brings in valu- cultures around the world. According to the 1999 African
able hard currency capital and international investment. Ex-

hardware accessories, and software must be available, and
conscious, specific, and bold steps must be taken not only to
permit but promote access. The following would help:
The Internet has changed
even the way divisions be- ! reduce the cost of IT to the end user;
tween the world are under- ! remove import duties and sales tax on IT;
stood, with some now view- ! offer tax deductions to offset costs;
! provide soft loans for IT acquisition by businesses,
ing nations not in terms of
schools, NGOs, individuals—indeed all consumers; and
geography but velocity, re- support the establishment of public access points, such
ferring to societies as “fast” as telecenters, especially in secondary cities, towns, and
or “slow.” rural areas.2
Second, telecommunications policies must be liberalized.

Development Forum (ADF), developing countries can use Given the massive and expensive investment needed, gov-
their expertise in a wide variety of knowledge domains to ernments cannot monopolize IT because they need large-
create content that would be valuable globally. Because this scale private investment. Therefore, the doors to private
knowledge has not been codified and is largely regional in sector involvement, even ownership, must be opened.
application, its perceived value has been undermined. In
Africa, for example, ecology, wildlife behavior, and tradi- Government monopoly of the telecommunications industry,
tional healing methods represent areas of interest to a world- in which antiquated and non-market driven PTTs (Post,
wide audience. This type of content could have an indirect Telephone, and Telegraph administrations) keep old policies
benefit of promoting African culture, which also could con- in place to safeguard one of their few consistent and highly
tribute to tourism. The ADF also suggests that, when pro- profitable revenue streams: the local and international tele-
ducing knowledge products, Africans should target areas of phone systems they manage. Lacking incentives to modern-
importance to national economies, such as agriculture, rural ize, they continue to charge high prices under the existing
development, monitoring of water and land resources, food system and disallow competition that might jeopardize their
transportation and storage, crop-diseases control, and preser- revenues by replacing the traditional system with a digital
vation and export of natural resources. For more information network. The results are evident: Antiquated telephone net-
and ideas, see the ADF documents at: works geared mostly toward voice applications at the 64k
http://www.bellanet.org/partners/aisi/adf99docs/docs.htm bandwidth level, making connectivity to data systems, which
require broadband networks, a near impossibility. The devel-
Gaining entry to global business chains can be achieved by oping world is starving for additional bandwidth, but it can-
participating in the growing number of electronic networks not be provided with the existing analog telephony infra-
and virtual communities of interest that are operating online. structure. If PTTs would use their profits to update their
Joining listservs, consulting online bulletin boards, even vis- networks instead of funneling the funds elsewhere—perhaps
iting chat rooms can open doors leading to opportunities in back into the same system causing the problem—the tech-
research, education, software development—virtually any nology gap could be mitigated, developing countries could
field—and consulting online lists of contracts to let and em- literally “connect” to the digital side of the world, and activi-
ployment searches can lead to interesting international col- ties that bring exciting new applications to development
laborations. could be implemented with greater effectiveness.
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,

Policies that limit free Internet access work against the need attention. Fortunately, there are valuable lessons about
growth of e-commerce. Governments should resist the what works and what does not from the experiences of those
temptation to control IT media. For one thing, it really is not already in the thick of this business that can be drawn on for
possible in the long term anyway, and in the meantime, it guidance.
will diminish development returns.
Of course, there is more. Ultimately, atmospheric conditions
Developing an IT economy also requires national-level sup- matter, too, such as political stability, a safe financial system,
port for the business community, including: an openness to change, and a climate conducive to innova-
tion.
! credit and financing for start-ups;
! policies that stimulate new business development; THE BOTTOM LINE
! strategies to bring connectivity to secondary cities and The impact of the Internet in a mere ten years is no less than
rural areas; and amazing. One can only wonder what it might do in the next
! business incubators for disadvantaged communities. decade. For developing countries, it presents an opportunity
to accelerate development almost beyond one’s wildest
Finally, a massive commitment to improving the quality of dreams. As developing countries consider their strategies for
education, training, and lifelong learning opportunities, ac- the future, and as those providing development assistance
companied by an increased focus on math, science, technol- plan their programs and determine their funding priorities, let
ogy, business, and trade in education systems, is essential for us hope that they will recognize this potential and pursue it
preparing people to work in IT fields. A technologically so- with vigor.
phisticated work force is a sine qua non for IT-based devel-
opment. Privacy, security, electronic payments, intellectual
property, and other e-commerce related issues also would
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.”

TechKnowNews
India and Brazil Are Bringing The Simputer Trust, the non-profit entity that developed this
Computers to the Masses device, will license the device for manufacture by
commercial companies.
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

training programs eligible for scholarship tax credits, now models. The world language students translate the text.
available only to students enrolled in two- and four-year Mentor teachers monitor the process and guide the
colleges. development of the models. Collegiate level content experts
review the models for accuracy. The head of the project is
While the bill has its supporters, critics say that a tax Mr. Jim Rusconi, who teaches at Coyle and Cassidy High
exemption that goes directly to an employee’s income would School. Mr. Rusconi was invited to Italy to receive the
be more desirable. If passed, the bill will cost the US $2700 award, which was given to the school.
Government $700 million over 5 years.
The Pirelli INTERNETional award was created by Pirelli,
Source: The Chronicle for Higher Education the Italian multinational company that manufactures tires and
http://www.chronicle.com/free/2001/04/2001042502t.htm cables, and systems for telecommunications and energy
transmission. The award is carried out entirely on the
Internet and is given to the multimedia work that best
spreads science culture.
Latin America’s Widest Reaching
E-Learning Solution is Launched The website http://www.pirelliaward.com/english provides
all the details of the award and who is eligible for
On April 25, 2001, VCampus and UOL Inc., SA announced consideration.
the launch of UOL-Argentina’s e-learning campus.
VCampus is the leading provider of end-to-end e-learning Sources and for more information, visit:
solutions, headquartered in Virginia, USA, and UOL is Latin http://www.virtualcell.com,
America’s largest Internet portal. Together, this partnership http://www.pirelliaward.com/english, and
will make e-learning available to 1 million UOL users in http://www.wired.com/news/culture/0,1284,42759,00.html
Argentina, and is the first step to reaching the 17 million
UOL users throughout Latin America and the world.
University Libraries In Developing
VCampus will be the exclusive e-learning solutions provider
to UOL-Argentina for a period of three years. Argentineans
Countries Gaining Greater Access
now have immediate access to 150 information technology To Academic Journals.
and telecommunications courses, accessible on:
http://www.UOL.com.ar/e-ducacion/vcampus. As reported by EdInvest, the education investment
information facility at the World Bank:
Source and for more information, visit:
http://www.individual.com (search for Vcampus) “A cooperative project among four universities in northern
Europe and ten universities in East Africa will enable
African scholars to have wide access to academic journals
for the first time. The project -- known as the Supply of
Academic Publications to and from Universities in
Virtual Cell Site Wins Pirelli Developing Countries, or SAP -- is set to begin in July 2001
“INTERNET”ional Award (Source: Chronicle of Higher Education). A separate
initiative is being undertaken by the Association of
Information Systems (AIS) which has announced that all
The Virtual Cell site won the Pirelli INTERNETional Award
university libraries in middle and low-income countries will
2000 given to a multimedia work that best spreads science
be granted free subscriptions to the Communications of AIS
culture. VirtualCell.com is a multidisciplinary collaboration
(http://cais.aisnet.org/) and the Journal of AIS
between Science, Computer Graphics, and World Language
(http://jais.aisnet.org/). These libraries should contact
Classes at Coyle and Cassidy High School in Taunton,
Jennifer Davis at jdavis@cis.gsu.edu of the AIS Office.”
Massachusetts. The students in advanced science classes
design models and create the written text that will
accompany the models on the web. The 3D computer
graphics students take these specifications and develop the

The Rio Salado Experience
Partnerships: An Essential Ingredient for E-Learning in the
Workforce
By
Dr. Linda M. Thor*
President, Rio Salado College, Tempe, Arizona, USA
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.”
The Advantages of E-Learning
The advantages of e-learning become clear when you con-

sider that although there are 15 million U.S. students enrolled
in traditional higher education degree programs, there are
actually 75 million adult learners who are enrolled in
workforce training and other forms of lifelong learning.
This increase in lifelong learners is problematic in terms of

serving their needs through traditional means. Educational
futurist Michael Dolence made these comments in his 1995
book, Transforming Higher Education:
“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

25,000 duplicated distance learning enrollments in 300 indi-
vidual courses. Almost all of our distance learning courses
can be taken by anyone, anytime and anyplace. These
courses are offered in multiple delivery formats, including
the Internet and CD-ROM; mixed media, such as audio and
video cassettes; and print-based materials. By far, the most
popular delivery format at Rio Salado is the Internet. Three
out of every four of our distance learning students are en-
rolled in at least one Internet class.
One of the outstanding features of distance learning at Rio

Salado is that students can begin most of these courses every
two weeks, rather than waiting for a new semester to begin.
That’s 26 different start dates a year! We never cancel a
course because registration doesn’t meet some pre-
determined number. Neither do we close a course because it
is full; we simply open another section.
To make sure every new distance learning student transitions

well, we offer “successful starts.” This program walks them
through everything they need to know to survive the first two
weeks of class. A similar program helps our newest faculty
members learn the strategies they need for distance learning.
But there is more. In 1996, the entire college was placed

These Generation X students have been raised to expect con-
online. Since then students can receive everything they need
venience and flexibility. They don’t want to waste their time
with the click of a mouse. That includes academic and career
standing in line, so at Rio Salado we have eliminated lines.
advising, counseling, tutoring, HelpDesk support, textbooks,
Instead students have six options for registration: online, fax,
even financial aid.
phone, mail, computer-assisted registration by touchtone
phone, and traditional in-person.
The Rio Salado E-Learning Student
Likewise, these same students won’t accept e-learning
courses that are merely the transfer of some professor’s old
Let’s focus specifically on the traits of Rio Salado’s e- and yellowing notes to the screen. Instead, they have come
learning students. About two out of three of them are fe- to expect dynamic presentations such as they find in Rio
male, many of them are single, and the average age is 31 Salado’s human anatomy and physiology courses, which
years. That makes them a member of Generation X. The feature 360 degree rotating models of every major bone and
majority of them are juggling their education with their ca- organ.
reers and family responsibilities. These statistics mean that
they fall into the category of non-traditional students. How-
ever, research shows that the majority (86%) of U.S. college The Importance of Workforce Training and
students now have one or more non-traditional traits. These Partnerships
traits may include attending college part-time; not living on a
campus; being older than 25 years; and being in the
workforce while pursuing degrees. Because they don’t want Rio Salado’s e-learning students may simultaneously take
to spend a lot of time commuting, e-learning is the perfect career-path courses from us on-site at their places of em-
solution for their educational needs. They also appreciate ployment. This is made possible because Rio Salado forges
receiving the entire spectrum of student services online any- customized educational service partnerships with dozens of
time they want. corporations and government agencies to provide relevant
and industry-specific certificate and degree programs. Exam-
The most popular online courses for most of these students ples of such programs are Airline Operations and Quality
are general education courses such as English, history, psy- Customer Service.
chology, and biology.
Consider that nearly 100% of this nation’s employers indi-
cate that all their existing workers need additional training to
manage an exploding knowledge base. Yet only 20% of all

work-related training is currently being provided by colleges Hands-on skills are taught through unique “distance labs.”
and universities. Obviously, a vast untapped market is out Prior to undertaking a paid internship, students attend their
there for us. Clinical Dental Assistant Practicum in dental clinics where
they learn to expose radiographs, perform chair-side skills,
operate sterilizers and perform many other procedures re-
Examples of E-learning Collaborations quiring close instructor supervision and/or the dental clinic
environment.
One of Rio Salado’s most unusual e-learning collaborations
is a public/private, college/university partnership between Rio Salado and AzDA have also partnered for a highly suc-
Rio Salado and Ottawa University, headquartered in Kansas. cessful program to ease the state’s shortage of qualified den-
Together these two institutions have created the nation’s first tal hygienists. Although this program is currently offered
online degree program for working police officers. Can- on-site at a state-of-the-art $1.2 million training facility in
didates for this program complete their Associate’s Degree in Phoenix, in the future students in rural communities will be
Law Enforcement Technology through Rio Salado, which able to access the course content via e-learning.
has been partnering with regional police academies for 11
years. Officers are then eligible to continue working toward Collaborations like these are taking e-learning beyond the
one of two Baccalaureate degrees in police science. These realm of individual adult learners and allowing large blocks
practitioner degrees are structured so they can be earned re- of students to be served based upon their workplace needs.
gardless of where the officers live. This is possible because
the upper division courses are self-paced and taken at the
New Economy Partnerships
officers’ discretion over the Internet.
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:

gressed from being about connections to being about com-
“Maybe the most fundamental shift in business munity. It is forcing us to rethink what we were sure we
thinking – a logical one, given the significance of already knew, namely, the purposes for the existence of the
networking—is the shift away from self-reliance to- college or university community.
ward a new model that places more value on alli-
ances…The secret to success, experts say, is not just Other public and private colleges and universities that are not
to align once but to do so over and over again to yet on the Internet bandwagon would do well to understand
gain a competitive advantage.” these trends and to immediately take action. One way to
enter the e-learning marketplace is to join a higher education
Rio embraces this thinking and therefore seeks to align itself alliance dedicated to this purpose. In Arizona, an example
with leading community organizations. would be Arizona Learning Systems, an alliance of the
state’s 10 community college districts. The ALS will provide
learner-centered education environments that are supported
Tough Competition in E-learning by a strong technological backbone. It has received $2.4
million in start-up capital from the state legislature. Similar
Rio Salado recognized some time ago that to reach this vast alliances exist in many other states.
and underserved market of adult learners through e-learning,
our publicly-funded institution must compete against firms in
Predictions for the Future of E-learning
private industry. These upstart for-profit firms are invading
our turf, transforming our ideas, and even renaming academe
“the knowledge industry.” With more than 150 million Americans now online, the de-
mand for e-learning can be expected to greatly increase in the
Many of these entrepreneurial ventures are receiving multi next two years. Likewise, the intense competition among e-
millions of dollars in venture capital. Nearly $3 billion in learning providers will most likely result in an eventual
venture capital was raised last year. Another $4 billion will shakeout. Those who succeed in workplace e-learning will be
follow this year. So far these firms are not suffering the the ones who understand the needs of their target markets,
stock market declines so prevalent in e-commerce today. It’s develop highly visual and interactive course content, and
interesting to note that while most technology stocks were form alliances that are mutually beneficial for all parties.
plummeting in March of 2001, many educational online
stocks were hovering near 52-week highs. In conclusion, e-learning in the workplace continues to gain
in credibility as more corporate leaders attest to its value. A
Like it or not, the traditional public colleges and universities 1997 report issued by KPMG Peat Marwick, the international
are being forced to change in order to compete. Change accounting and tax firm, reads in part:
means that those in public and private higher education will
have to reinvent ourselves and the way we conduct our busi- “Technology is increasingly difficult to ignore.
ness. You’ve probably heard the famous and controversial From the education perspective, the whole way that
quote attributed to management guru Peter Drucker during an learning takes place will change. In the future, we
interview with Forbes Magazine. He said, “The future is out- can expect very different arrangements, many of
side the traditional campus, outside the traditional classroom. which will take place online. Increasingly, the
Distance learning is coming on fast.” learning will be time and location independent.
Educational institutions may no longer need the
Here is another quote worth noting. It comes from Reed large physical plants that have proven so costly.
Hundt, the chairman of the Federal Communications Com- And adults will be able to fit continuing education
mission from 1993 to 1997: “The Internet is the biggest and training around their work schedules.”
threat to the system of higher education in this country that
the system has ever seen, and it is a welcome, healthy It is only a matter of time before e-learning enters the main-
threat.” The reason, Hundt says, is that the Internet has pro- stream of higher education.
*
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.

How NIIT Brings People And Computers Together … Successfully!
By C.N. (Madhu) Madhusudan
President, Strategic Alliances, NIIT USA Inc.
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.
The Initial Years

The initial positioning was towards bright undergraduates
In 1982, Indians had very limited access to Information who had degrees in other than Engineering and Medicine and
Technology (IT) education. Only the best technology had no jobs. These youngsters found the prospect of a job at
schools like the Indian Institutes of Technology and a few the end of an IT training program appealing. NIIT created a
universities offered IT education. Around this time, a power- placement network for them that worked with industry and
ful technology was making its impact - microprocessor based ensured that its trainees got jobs upon successful completion
computers. But there was one stumbling block in reaping the of training. In a couple of years, with the popularity of the
benefits of this powerful force – lack of trained people. NIIT courses increasing, thanks to the success of placement, NIIT
began operations in 1982 with a vision of fulfilling the mas- re-positioned its training offering to run concurrently with a
sive requirements for IT talent in an information-based econ- traditional undergraduate program. Thus when the young
omy. Its mission was to deliver IT training to a broad spec- undergraduate emerged from the university with a bachelor’s
trum of people - from students seeking a career in computers degree, he/she would also have an NIIT certificate and a job
to IT professionals requiring advanced skills, from managers based on that. The popularity of job-oriented IT training
needing to use IT, to school children using computers as a increased dramatically over time and fueled the success of
learning tool. Indian companies in the world of software. Real success in
terms of social acceptance came about when matrimonial
The initial years were uphill and challenging, primarily due advertisements in leading newspapers preferred NIIT gradu-
to NIIT being a for-profit enterprise in a society that was ates – as it was a passport to a great job! The tides had
used to state funded education. In addition, IT education was turned, and IT training was now mainstream. Today, NIIT
not commonly sought after – the disciplines of value were has around 350,000 students on its rolls and has, over this
Engineering and Medicine. The shortage of capital, import period, trained around two million people.
restrictions and tariffs, and poor infrastructure compounded
the difficulty of doing business.

The Growth Factors
1. Need Driven Offerings – The Learner Is The Key
To increase access in the metro
NIIT developed a range of curricula for people with diverse cities and to cater to the large
requirements - from students seeking careers in computers to number of second and third tier
IT professionals needing advanced training, from business
managers seeking a competitive edge to housewives wanting cities, NIIT adopted a unique
to be computer literate. NIIT offers a wide and comprehen- franchising model that har-
sive range of IT education programs to meet the diverse set nessed entrepreneurial talent
of training needs. NIIT’s education services are: and resources…. In November
• Futurz. It focuses on students who are preparing for a 2000, the Far Eastern Eco-
career and combines academic rigor with hands-on work nomic Review called NIIT “the
experience. It includes a series of programs of duration McDonalds of software busi-
varying from six months to four years leading to DNIIT ness.”
and iGNIIT titles. Content areas include e-Commerce
Computing, Technology Edge, Quality Management and
Personal Effectiveness to create well-rounded IT profes-
sionals. The broad-based iGNIIT program comes with a
7-year bank loan that covers the fee of the program, a 2. Focus on Access – Nothing succeeds like Ac-
modem and a printer, and is repayable when the students cess!
begin earning their first stipend.
To impart IT education, NIIT had to establish education
• CATS (Curriculum for Advanced Technology Studies). centers. Its initial reach was hampered by the shortage of
CATS exposes IT professionals to the latest technolo- working capital. Establishing education centers is fairly
gies, helping them to upgrade their skills and stay ahead capital intensive – real estate, interiors, hardware, software,
of the competition. CATS opens the window to the staff … and takes a fair amount of financial resources. NIIT
freshest state-of-the-art technologies in the software started its operations in Mumbai and through organic growth,
arena across the breadth of the Indian professional slowly expanded into the major metro cities in India.
community.
To increase access in the metro cities and to cater to the large
• SWIFT (Short Work Programs in Information Technol- number of second and third tier cities, NIIT adopted a unique
ogy). SWIFT demystifies computers for people who franchising model that harnessed entrepreneurial talent and
could gain by making computers an integral part of their resources. This model became wildly successful and NIIT’s
lives. Users include housewives, businessmen, lawyers, network today has 2000 education centers. In November
doctors, government employees and retired profession- 2000, the Far Eastern Economic Review called NIIT “the
als. It provides simple and affordable solutions for peo- McDonalds of software business.”
ple catering to the wide literacy needs of non-IT people
keen to learn computers. Delivery is through a huge The easy availability of NIIT education is a key growth fac-
network of user-friendly, informal and vibrant learning tor. Most education centers are located in residential or
centers across India. commercial neighborhoods making access very easy. Given
their schedules, students pick a convenient NIIT education
• LEDA (Learning through Exploration, Discovery and center and a time slot of their choice.
Adventure). NIIT created and sourced multimedia soft-
ware that brings fun back into learning and caters to the To realize its vision to ‘build a computer literate India’, NIIT
needs of families. Apart from school curricula, the took several more initiatives to broad base access to IT edu-
LEDA programs address the overall development of a cation. Some of these initiatives are:
child's personality and skills. NIIT has set up a network
of around 100 LEDA Family Clubs- centers for the en- • Student Loan Program: NIIT recently launched a Stu-
tire family to use computer-based facilities for learning. dent Loan Program in association with IFC (of the
World Bank Group) and Citibank. Worth Rs. 4400 mil-
The availability of a range of training programs to address lion, this loan is the first step towards the creation of an
specific user category needs has been a very important factor education loan in India and will allow thousands of stu-
in ensuring training effectiveness. dents to access NIIT training over the next five years.

The loan has a unique repayment plan that allows stu- instructor results in a better understanding and retention
dents to repay once they start earning incomes. of the concepts.
• Computer-Based: The computer based training courses
• Overseas Recruitment: The Infocomm Development are for those individuals who would like to enhance their
Authority of Singapore entered into an agreement with technical skills and complete the international certifica-
NIIT to recruit 1,000 qualified IT professionals from its tion programs. Typically working IT professionals and
global training centers in China, India, Indonesia and individuals interested in pursuing a career in IT stand to
Malaysia for employment with Singapore companies. benefit the most from the computer-based training
courses. Without having to visit education centers per a
• Distance Learning via TV: NIIT leveraged the ex- fixed schedule, trainees can learn anytime with flexible
ploding cable and television medium in India and timelines.
launched BOOT IT, a program on computers. Using the • Web-Based: In the Web-based or Internet-based learn-
Indian television network, it reaches millions of viewers ing methodology, the learning is through the Internet.
across the country. This allows the learner the flexibility of anywhere, any-
time learning.
• Computer Education in Schools: NIIT works with • Hybrid: This mode of learning recreates the classroom
various State governments in the area of IT education in for the learner on the Web. The learning here is achieved
schools. Following the successful implementation of the through an integration of Classroom-Based, Computer-
Tamil Nadu Schools project where NIIT is providing Based and Web-Based learning, drawing on the best of
computer training to 371 schools in the deep interiors of what each medium has to offer. NIIT’s hybrid or Brick
Tamil Nadu, NIIT is also working with the Karnataka & Portal model blends the Mortar (the physical side of
Government to offer computer training to students of the business) with the Portal (the virtual side), thus,
700 government schools throughout the state. This am- helping leverage 'Brick & Mortar' (Instructor-led Train-
bitious project is expected to touch over 175,000 stu- ing) investments with the power of Portal / Online sup-
dents every year. port (Internet-based Training).
• Globalization: NIIT’s learning centers are not re-

stricted to Indian markets alone. NIIT launched its first
International Center in October 1996 in Hong Kong .
Given the fast changing world of
NIIT's training is available at over 2000 Learning cen-
ters in over 25 countries including China, Malaysia, the technology, R&D is a vital ele-
USA, Thailand, South Africa, and Zimbabwe. In the ment in NIIT’s ability to ensure
global spread, the key to success has been that its training is most effective
"GLOCALIZATION:"
and relevant to industry.
The Curriculum and the mode of learning offered in
each country, is influenced by the stage of development
of the IT Industry in that country. NIIT courses are de-
livered in local languages like Mandarin in China, Ba-
4. Research and Development (R&D)
hasa in Indonesia, and Thai in Thailand. The idea is to
reach customers in the language with which they are
Given the fast changing world of technology, R&D is a vital
most comfortable.
element in NIIT’s ability to ensure that its training is most
effective and relevant to industry. R&D at NIIT focuses on
The availability of online learning technologies has added a
areas including Multimedia, Instructional Design Methodol-
completely new dimension to NIIT’s ability to provide
ogy and Interface Design. This focus on R&D has enabled
training.
NIIT to be a leading producer of Educational Multimedia and
OnLine Learning Software and Instructor-Led training. The
3. Models of Learning
Internet opened up new opportunities in learning. In 1996,
NIIT’s R&D scientists set up the NIIT NetVarsity, an online
Over the last 18 years, NIIT has studied the various models
learning university. Its aim is to make IT education easily
of learning and the effectiveness of such models.
accessible to people, all the time and everywhere through the
Internet.
• Classroom-Based: This mode of learning is by far the
most widely used and the most effective of all the modes
of learning. A direct interaction between the learner and

The power of OnLine Learning - Content
and Services
NIIT's training programs are now delivered based on the
Brick & Portal model providing the learner with an inte-
grated delivery mechanism that combines physical mentoring
with online content and services.
OnLine Services include:
• Testing : Students can take tests on a wide range of

topics as many times as they want.
• First Access: Provides students with the latest updates
on technological advancements.
• Experts Answer: Provides students with a resource to
respond to subject-specific doubts - 24 hours a day and 7
days a week. only Hindi, and at first they didn't even know what a com-
• Global Forum: A forum to discuss issues with a computer was. They simply called it “the thing.” The hourglass
munity of peers. icon is something unknown, so the kids use the word damru.
The god Shiva’s drum is called damru in Hindi - and it's
The quality of content and the ability to provide learning shaped just like an hourglass. So that's the word they use. To
content online are important elements that determine the ef- describe the on-screen pointer, the kids say sui. In Hindi, it
fectiveness of the learner. OnLine Learning Services form a means “needle”. So when the computer is working, the sui
very powerful mechanism of determining and ensuring becomes the damru.
learner effectiveness – with help desks, mentors, peer groups, Through trial and error, the children quickly taught them-
testing tools and all the advantages of a traditional classroom selves some basic computer operations, and it wasn't long
environment. before they were downloading Hindi music files from the
Web, playing cartoon games online, and landing 747s on
Future Directions Flight Simulator.
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

CORPORATE E-TRAINING:
Three Examples from Across the World
Sonia Jurich
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

open late this year. Plans for expansion also include courses The Cisco Networking Academy Program prepares high
on the Internet and a mix of online and face-to-face strate- school and college students in how to design, build and
gies. In less than one year of functioning, the Institute has maintain computer networks. There are more than 6,000
trained about 3,000 employees. academies spread through all 50 American states. The
Academies reflect partnerships between the company and
The reasons Carrefour moved into e-learning are similar to private or governmental organizations, including public
Axa’s. As the chain spread throughout the country, the dis- schools. Other training activities provided by Cisco include
tance between stores and training centers pushed costs up; e- online seminars and Career Certifications programs. The
learning provides economies with traveling costs and reduces certification program has grown from 6,000 students per year
the time that employees are away from work. E-learning to 100,000 and is offered online or through more than 130
also avoids the complex logistics of planning and imple- sites and 750 certified instructors worldwide. Some of the
menting training for large numbers of individuals coming courses are offered by Cisco Learning Partners – organiza-
from many different places. In addition, it is easier and less tions authorized to deliver Cisco-developed learning content.
expensive to actualize e-learning material than printed mate-
rial. The company also perceived a need to maintain a tech- CONCLUSION
nological lead. According to the Institute’s Training Direc- According to Cisco, in the current economy “the key to
tor, “The majority of large businesses in the world is invest- gaining a competitive advantage is the ability to rapidly dis-
ing in online training . . . and some are well advanced in this seminate information, education, and training.” When faced
area. We could not be left behind.” with the need to improve and expand their training programs,
all three companies described here came to the conclusion
CISCO LEARNING NETWORK5 that e-learning strategies were the ideal solution. They are
Cisco Systems is one of the largest network companies in the only three among a growing number of corporations world-
world with annual revenues of over US$20 billion. Head- wide that are discovering the potential of Information and
quartered in the U.S.A., the company has 225 sales and sup- Communications Technologies as a training tool. It is esti-
port offices in 75 countries. For years, its training programs mated that in France, despite cultural resistance, e-learning
were managed independently at each different unit, resulting will grow by 42 percent in the next five years.6 In the U.S.
in redundant and unequal programming. To streamline, ex- the size of the online training market is expected to double
pedite and improve the quality of the training programs, the yearly until the end of 2003, when it will be worth $11.5
Company developed the Cisco Learning Network (CLN). billion.7 E-learning is proving to be the solution for compa-
nies that need to provide high quality, cost-effective and on-
CLN training contents are developed using multimedia tech- going training to a growing network of employees, business
nologies and stored in a centralized database. The employee partners and customers across the world.
selects either a full curriculum or individual modules and
takes an assessment test. The test results guide the adapta- 1
In addition to the articles in this issue, for more on e-Learning see
tion of the module to respond to the employee’s individual also Vigil, R., "Getting the most out of online training: Integrating
needs. The employee is evaluated at different intervals to the missing ingredients." TechKnowLogia, July/August, 2000. A
gauge the effectiveness of the program, and results are stored discussion of advantages and disadvantages of different e-learning
in a personal training file in the human resources database. models is found in Ghys, S. (2001). L’e-learning en cinq méthods.
ZDNet France, at http://www.zdnet.fr/actu/busi/a0018468.html.
2
E-learning programs can be provided in two ways: (1) in Based on Ghys, S. (March 5, 2001). Comment Axa a mené la
scheduled delivery, at fixed time and place or (2) on-demand, bataille de l’e-learning. ZDNet France, at
for individuals who have particular needs. Scheduled deliv- http://www.zdnet.fr/actu/busi/a0018470.html.
3
ery uses three platforms: multicasts (videos that are sent over Ghys, S. (March 5, 2001). E-learning: les enterprises françaises
restent à convaincre. ZDNet, France, at
the network to desktops), virtual classrooms, and remote http://www.zdnet.fr/actu/cgi-bin/affiche.pl?ID=18467.
laboratories. On-demand training uses web-based on- 4
Based on Britto, M. De olho no futuro. TI Master, Brazil, at
demand content, CD-ROM, and remote labs. The laborato- http://www.timaster.com.br/ext_materia.asp?codigo=286.
ries are used to supplement complex topics. They include 5
For details about Cisco’s e-learning activities, see Metz, M.
simulations that provide virtual access to equipment and (2000). The New World learning challenge, at
techniques too costly to be available for every learner. The http://www.cisco.com/warp/public/10/wwtraining/elearning/implem
CLN system promotes significant savings of time away from ented/best.html.
6
work - it was observed that CLN courses reduced the time In Ghys, S, E-learning: les enterprises françaises restent à con-
that the sales employees spent away from their customers by vaincre. (above)
7
In Desmond, M. (November 15, 2000). The Evolution of Corpo-
up to 40 percent. rate E-Learning at
http://www.cisco.com/warp/public/750/iq/ele/fea/pul/ele_fea_pul_0
Cisco’s training expertise has outgrown the corporation and 001/ele_fea_pul_0001_1.shtml
the company is now a major developer of training solutions.

Higher Education and Enterprise Training in Latin America:
The Case of the Virtual Campus of Peru's Higher Technological Institute
By Laurence Wolff and Norma Garcia

Inter-American Development Bank
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

1,136 short-term training courses have been delivered to other students, and interact with the teacher through the
more 18,700 students. Internet. Students are required to present themselves to take
a final examination at a specified TECSUP testing center at
Over 55% of the students enrolled in TECSUP come from the end of each course, but may log in and study at any given
low socioeconomic levels with family monthly incomes of time. The virtual courses are designed, monitored and
US$ 500 or less. However, TECSUP is able to deliver evaluated by a team of experts, hardware and software are
courses at relatively low fees, with an average course costing updated on a regular basis, and teachers constantly receive
approximately the equivalent of US$57. Some of the stu- training on virtual campus teaching methodologies in order
dents taking the “open” short-term courses are sponsored by to better serve the needs of the students online or through e-
their companies and others cover their own expenses. In mail.
addition, students can take advantage of a system of educa-
tional loans (créditos educativos), which allows students to TECSUP Virtu@l has been able to take advantage of the
pay for their education during a set period of time after development of communication systems and the increased
course completion. access by the Peruvian population to the Internet to expand
its course availability throughout the country. However, it
Because of its track record, TECSUP has attracted a total of should be pointed out that TECSUP's programs are still
US$13.6 million in external funding from sources such as reaching just a small portion of Peru’s needs for in-service
USAID, the Inter-American Development Bank, the Cana- training of workers.
dian government and the European Union. The German State
of Baden Württemberg has helped to fund TECSUP since The Future of Internet-Based Programs
the beginning, including the initial creation of the curricula,
There is a need and potential for Internet-based programs
expert advise, teacher training and equipment acquisition.
provided by higher education institutions, like those of
TECSUP and ITESM, throughout Latin America as well as
Going Virtual other developing countries. Private institutions, with their
Aware of the potential for virtual training, TECSUP, in 1999, greater agility and ability to identify new clienteles, have, in
became the first IST in the country to set up a virtual cam- general, taken the lead. The key to success appears to be a
pus, TECSUP Virtu@l. TECSUP received assistance from close and continuing relationship with industry to identify
the Monterrey Institute of Technology (ITESM), as well as new and evolving training needs, direct industry financing,
the Open University in Cataluña (Spain) in course design. It gain flexibility in designing courses and course content, and
has signed a cooperation agreement with the Madrid Poly- establish start-up technical assistance in virtual course design
technic University to accredit its distance education courses. and management. To begin to meet these needs, many
higher education institutions, especially public ones, will
Currently over 1600 technical workers are enrolled in need to overcome an accumulation of attitudes and condi-
workforce Internet training. The Inter-American Develop- tions which lead them to be suspicious of providing services
ment Bank is supporting expansion of the virtual campus. It to private industry. These institutions still have the remnants
is expected that within the next three years, 7900 technical of the "ivory tower" concept that they should only seek and
workers and 840 students pursuing technical degrees will disseminate theoretical knowledge and be unsullied by asso-
participate in virtual courses in areas such as informatics, ciations with industry, commerce and other profit-making
business applications, and engineering. institutions. Throughout Latin America, there are efforts to
reform public sector higher education institutions, including
The virtual campus enables students to take courses at their encouraging them to seek non-public funding, and to become
convenience from TECSUP facilities, their workplace, their more entrepreneurial, without abandoning some of their more
homes or public Internet kiosks that are rapidly becoming traditional functions and objectives. Given the needs, suc-
available throughout the country. Approximately 40% of cess in this effort is important since it will help to increase
TECSUP’s distance continuing education students log into the number and quality of institutions offering both virtual
the campus from their workplace, 30% from public booths and in-person training services to industry and commerce.
and 20% from home. Roughly 40% of students enrolled in
the campus are from Lima and 60% are from over 67 other
localities. Sources
Inter-American Development Bank Interactive Distance-
TECSUP’s Internet courses generally have a fixed seven- Learning System for Technology Education project; Mario
week duration. Once enrolled in a course, the student is able Rivera TECSUP Director, Andrés Astorne, TECSUP Direc-
to study the course content, perform self-evaluations to tor of Promotion and Development; TECSUP website:
monitor his or her performance, participate in debates with http://www.tecsup.edu.pe

HONDURAS : Solar Energy Bridges the Digital Divide
Aimee Verdisco
Education Unit, Inter-American Development Bank
Analyda Melara de Fanconi

Minister, Honduran Council for Science and Technology
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.
As of October of 2000, San Ramón has gone global, wired to

the Internet through each of the 11 computers in its innova-
tive classroom. These changes, literally, have given power to
the people. On a scale of one to ten, villagers claim the qual-
ity of life has improved from a zero to an eight.
Governed by a local development council comprised of rep-

resentatives from throughout the village, resources have been

allocated, decisions taken, and activities prioritized. The use new meaning and substance to "lifelong learning," opening
of new technologies to improve the quality of education has new possibilities for learning to populations outside the for-
received considerable attention, both from village elders and mal education system, and may serve to motor small and
across Honduran society. His Eminence, Cardinal Oscar micro enterprises (although the lack of access is likely to
Andrés Rodríguez recently lauded the project, as did the limit any real possibilities along these lines).
Vice-Minister of Education, Dr. Armando Euceda, who re-
ferred to the experience in San Ramón as the most promising The Beginning of a Long Journey
in the country.
That said, the potential of technology has yet to be maxi-
mized. Technology offers neither a magic wand for improv-
Pathways to Efficiency ing the quality of education nor a means for short cutting the
Although no hard data are available, a number of convincing educational process. Technology can help inform, but it can-
arguments can be made for bringing technology to commu- not "knowledge." Knowledge results from using a series of
nities such as San Ramón. For one, technology - including intellectual and analytical tools to interpret information and
TVs, VHS and computers - increase the "attractiveness" of make it relevant to a given situation. Considerable care needs
school. This may be subjective, but it is no minor considera- to be taken in introducing technology into the educational
tion. In a country plagued by low education attainment, process in that considerable distance separates information
where repetition and dropout run rampant, any "incentive" and knowledge. If technology is used and programmed as an
that keeps kids in school and channels their energies towards add-on, something additional requiring extra time and effort
learning-related activities is likely to go a long way in re- from teachers, and is not integrated into the learning process
ducing overall costs. Witness the volume of resources gov- itself, neither attitudes nor learning are likely to change. In
ernments throughout the world lose due to repetition. (By fact, technology thus added on top of the learning process
one estimate, the total amount of resources the Inter- may do little more than trivialize education. As Claudio de
American Development Bank has invested in education over Moura Castro, former Chief of Inter-American Development
the course of the last four decades pales in comparison with Bank’s Education Unit, convincingly argues, access to ma-
the amount lost each year throughout Latin America and the chines is only a part of the problem. The crux of the problem
Caribbean due to repetition.) Seen in this light, investments is how to get the education potential of the computer to take
made in machines, software and training are likely to be re- off. This, of course, is not something that can be left to
covered in a relatively short timeframe. chance - just as education, as a process and a public good,
can't be left to chance. Nor is it something that can left to the
In much the same vein, and especially in a community as invisible hand of the market.
isolated and remote as San Ramón, technology increases the
chances that teachers will actually show up for class and re- If San Ramón is to take full advantage of the doors access to
main at the service of the village for years to come. Again, technology opens, the state, in all its instances and in all
this is no small consideration. Students across Honduras re- senses of the word and despite all obstacles (including infra-
ceive merely 180 hours/year of class time (compared to structure), will have to have a larger presence in the commu-
1,200 hours a year in industrialized countries), given high nity (this process has already begun). Issues of sustainability
rates of absenteeism among teachers and other factors, in- will have to be explored in details, as will those related to
cluding strikes (according to the OAS, anywhere from 10 to cost-recovery. To wit, San Ramón's local development coun-
40 days a year can be lost due to strikes). A formidable cil already has mandated user-fees for all activities not
challenge thus is making better use of time actually spent in strictly related to the community. For example, villagers
the classroom. wishing to use the Internet to communicate with relatives
beyond San Ramón must pay to do so. Issues of coordination
Technology has considerable potential for improving the also will take on added importance. COHCIT will have to
quality of education. The options are many and run the expand its supervision and, if access and coverage of public
gamut from the use of distance education modalities to in- policies such as education and health is to be increased, col-
crease access to students as well as to provide training for laboration between San Ramón and respective Secretariats at
teachers, to the use of materials (e.g., CD-ROMs, videos, the state, regional and municipal level will have to be deep-
case studies) to supplement official curricula. And, in San ened. The foundation for such collaboration has been laid
Ramón, solar energy and other technologies have served to and, if the experience to date is any indication of what the
leverage more from the state. As of 2000, a basic education future holds, expectations should be kept high. It is in this
center operates in the village (grades 1-9; previous to this regard that the experience of San Ramón may have the most
date, education was offered only through the 6th grade), as lasting effects: serving as a catalyst for mobilizing commu-
does a pre-primary cycle. Future plans include the creation of nities around and in the name of the common good. Perhaps
the diversified cycle (grades 10-12). Technology also gives now a new road?

Distance Learning in Developing Countries:
Is Anyone Measuring Cost-Benefits?
Stephen Ruth and Min Shi, George Mason University, Virginia, USA
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,

Distance Learning does not have an inherent economic ad- Sample of the Cost/Yield Approach in Develop
Develop-
vantage.
ing Countries
The literature on Distance Learning implementation in de-
veloping countries, like that in the United States, is charac- Figure 1 describes cost and yield graphically. Five Distance
terized by a paucity of data about assessment and cost. The Learning approaches are positioned on an x-y graph. The
extensive JICA report on Africa’s Distance Learning, men- ideal case is an approach that has low cost and high yield, the
tioned earlier, includes no information whatsoever about cost upper left segment of the graph. The least valuable case is in
or assessment. Even the great multilateral organizations, the lower right part, where high costs are accompanied by
like the World Bank and UNDP, seem reluctant to do eco- low effectiveness. Correspondence courses are positioned on
nomic outcomes measurements that could guide effective the graph as being the best mix of cost and yield. This form
implementation. Are virtual universities in the poorest parts of Distance Learning has been used since mid 1800’s and is
of the world a solid investment? What are the outcomes of still highly effective in poor countries.8 Despite the difficul-
courses that are delivered electronically in countries that ties of postal systems and the delays in lesson transmission,
have only the most tenuous ICT infrastructure? From our correspondence courses are widely employed. In the middle
perspective there are two very simple dimensions that can of the cost/ yield continuum are the combination of corre-
and should be used in developing policy level decisions spondence with TV as well as with and radio9 and Inter-
about Distance Learning investment. The first is total pro- net/CDROM. Each of these has its own strengths and weak-
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.

While this method is ideal from a theoretical perspective, it is courses, to some Internet-based courses, and ultimately to
not likely to deliver results proportionate to its cost for a dec- completely virtual universities. An example can be found in
ade or more. The most successful private virtual university the experience of China in leveraging the potential benefits
in the US, University of Phoenix, has market-driven entrance of Distance Learning. The evolution of culture, infrastruc-
requirements; i.e., students must be over 21 and have a job. ture, technology, content and deployment has led to ex-
The degree programs cost between $20,000 and $30,000 per tremely rapid developments. The diffusion of the Internet
student. Of course, the student must also have access to a in China in business and government has been closely linked
good Internet/WWW infrastructure. So far University of to the rise of Distance Learning at Chinese universities.
Phoenix has less than ten thousand graduates, while most China has experienced two generations of technology-
other US private virtual universities have far fewer.11 assisted Distance Learning. The first is broadcast/TV-based
Distance Learning, which has led to China having the largest
Internet Connectivity—the Digital Chasm education network in the world. This network consists of the
Central Radio and TV University (CCRTV), forty-four Pro-
Table 1 is a reminder of the severe difficulty that is entailed vincial TV Universities (PTVU's) and thousands of branch
by trying to implement a virtual university or any other schools and study centers. Over one hundred million Chinese
Internet-based Distance Learning approach in a developing are currently receiving training or further education through
nation. It shows the numbers of Internet host sites and the special television channels, and as of 1997, more than two
number of Internet users worldwide. Africa has approxi- million Chinese had received university diplomas from these
mately one-fifth of one percent of the world's Internet host TV universities. 12 For more on China’s CCRTV, see “China:
sites. Many of the poorest countries of Asia show Africa- Teacher Training with TV Technology,” TechKnowLogia,
like numbers, too, since over half the Asia totals are due to November/December 2000.
one country: Japan. (China is emerging rapidly—with over
20 million Internet users. See below) Even in the regions China's second distance learning generation, based on Inter-
where bandwidth and host site numbers are exceptional, as in net technologies, began in mid 1990's. In 1994, the first
the US, Britain, Finland and Netherlands, the kinds of user TCP/IP-based public computer network, China Education
services needed for synchronous or asynchronous Internet and Research Network (CERNET), linked Tsinghua Univer-
availability around the clock are still not adequate to provide sity and nine other universities in a manner similar to the
broadband service to a large population. So even the Inter- early BITNET in the United States. In 1997, Hunan Univer-
net-rich countries do not have sufficient broadband service. sity became China's first on-line university, and a year later
Table 1: Internet Hosts and Users by Region as of April 1, 2001

Region Internet Hosts (000) Internet Users (000)
Africa 265 (0.2%) 2,901 (0.7%)
Asia 8,929 (7.86%) 70,073 (17.8%)
Europe 20,309 (17.9%) 89,066( 22.6%)
Oceania 2,062 (1.8%) 17,227(4.0%)
Central America 467(0.4%) 1,538 (0.4%)
South America 1,264 (1.1%) 16,593(4.2%)
North America 80,299(70.7%) 194,556(49.3%)
Total 113,595(100%) 394,573(100%)
Source: Telecordia Internet Sizer site Internet Hosts and Users by Country http://www.netsizer.com/.
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-

other large demand comes from students who are already Endnotes
matriculated, including those in colleges, high schools and
primary schools. Millions need help with tutorials, focused 1
Bork, Alfred. “Learning Technology.” EDUCAUSE Review,
learning in a specific area of specialization or the opportunity January/February 2000. [On-Line] URL:
to take a course not offered at their school or region. A recent http://www.educause.edu/pub/er/erm00/pp074081.pdf)
2
report of China's Internet Development found that country- Fillip, Barbara, “Distance Education in Africa: New Technologies
wide there were 22.5 million people online, 69 percent of and New Opportunities,” JICA report, February 23rd, 2000.
3
whom used dial-up connections. Almost 30 percent of these Andrew W. Mellon Foundation: “Cost Effective Uses of Technol-
users were in the cities of Beijing, Shanghai, and ogy in Training (CUETT) program,” November 8th, 2000, Columbia
University. http://www.ceutt.org/
Guangzhou. About 60 percent of these users were between 4
Institute for Higher Education Policy: “What’s the Difference? A
18 and 30 years of age. Of six main Internet Service Provid- Review of Contemporary Research on the Effectiveness of Distance
ers in China, one, CERNET, has been designated as the pri- Learning in Higher Education,” April, 1999.
mary provider for the academic community and is offering http://www.ihep.com/difference.pdf
links in the 500 kilobits-per-second range.14 5
Carr, Sarah, “Is Anyone Making Money on Distance Education?”
Chronicle of Higher Education. February 16, 2001. Available on-
Conclusions line, via subscription, at:
http://chronicle.com/weekly/v47/i23/23a04101.htm
6
Bacsich, Paul, et al., “The Costs of Networked Learning.”
China approach as an exemplar. Distance Learning is Telematics in Education Research Group, Sheffield Hallam Univer-
destined to become a major contributor in the implementa- sity, 1999.
tion of new models of teaching, worldwide. The Chinese http://www.shu.ac.uk/virtual_campus/cnl/report1/index.htm
7
experience may be highly valuable as a pointer toward the Ruth, Stephen, "Measuring Long Term Effects of Technology
ideal approach. China has made effective, sequential use of Transfer In Developing Nations: The Case of Internet Training at
the Romanian Academy of Science," International Technology for
all the predecessor Distance Learning methodologies, from
Development, 10(1), 105-121 (January 2001).
correspondence courses to radio, TV, CDROM, Internet and 8
Jurich, Sonia. “Before the E-mail there was the P-mail: Distance
World Wide Web and is poised to leverage that experience Learning by Postal Correspondence.” TechKnowLogia, Septem-
into a significant use of virtual universities. This suggests ber/October 1999. http://www.techknowlogia.org
several points that may be appropriate for developing coun- 9
Bosch, Andrea. “Interactive Radio Instruction: Twenty-three
tries that are not as successful so far as China has been. Years of Improving Educational Quality,” Education and Technol-
ogy Technical Notes Series, Vol. 2, No. 1, World Bank, 1997.
Move slowly up the technology curve. The example of Dock, Alan & John, Helwig (eds.). “Interactive Radio Instruction:
virtual universities trying to succeed in Africa in spite of the Impact, Sustainability, and Future Directions,” World Bank (Edu-
cation and Technology Team)/USAID (EDC). Education and
severely limited Internet technology infrastructure is a re-
Technology Technical Notes Series, Vol. 4, No. 1, 1999.
minder that the predecessor Distance Learning technologies 10
UNESCO—Radio and Television Receivers.
need to be mastered and ramped up before attempting to leap http://unescostat.unesco.org/en/stats/stats0.htm
to higher technology levels 11
Rewick, Jennifer, “Off Campus: Private Virtual Universi-
ties challenge many of the assumptions long held by educa-
Invest more in people than in technology. In developing tors. Their challenge: survival,” Wall Street Journal, March
countries the budget allocations often are tilted toward 13, 2001, E-Commerce Section.
equipment, infrastructure and content. A higher overall yield 12
See http://www.crtvu.edu.cn/, About Us Section
is possible if the major investment is in facilitating users to 13
Ministry of Education, P.R.C.: Annual Educational Statistics,
become fully indoctrinated and conversant with the ICT mi- 1999. http://www.moe.gov.cn
14
lieu, thereby assuring the highest return on technology in- China Internet Network Information Center: SemiAnnual Survey
vestments. Report on Internet Development in China, 01/17/01.
http://www.cnnic.net.cn/develst/e-cnnic200101.shtml
Place strategy before structure. Often the acquisition of a
technology comes before the rational process of planning for
its use. A maxim taught in business schools is that the struc-
tural decisions, like buying teleconferencing facilities, should
be preceded by a strategic agenda, which can result in more
rational and efficient use of any technology. Such a process
would probably deter the early implementation of a virtual
university in a poor country until there had been much more
careful migration up the technology curve.

The Power of the Internet for Learning:
Moving from Promise to Practice
Highlights from the Report of the Web-based Education Commission
By Kathleen Fulton∗
“There is no going back. The traditional classroom has been transformed.”

(E-testimony to the Web-based Education Commission)
Background on the Commission and Its Process Summary of Report Findings
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.

address the needs of all types of learners in all types of
Converging Technical and Social Forces environments.
Driving Change
• New types of learning communities provide continuing
• Broadband access will soon be possible through a vari- support and improve communication between school
ety of sources—some of which will be untethered, small, and home, educators and learners, experts and novices,
special purpose appliances, linked to powerful net- as well as between learners.
works—offering the possibility of affordable computing
power to learners anytime, anyplace. These services and such communities are not a matter of
science fiction. As described in the testimony before the
• This broadband experience will not be just a faster Inter- Web Commission, they are the emerging realities of educa-
net. It will replace the sequential communications of e- tion in early 21st Century America, and their implications are
mail with the concurrent dialogue of instant messaging. global.
It will have a vivid, immediate, interactive quality that
will make the Internet look and feel like a whole new We found that:
media.
The need for a new learning model is there. Today’s edu-
• New learning tools and content will make it possible to cation is built on an agrarian model that worked for the
build skills and increase understanding in ways that we founding years of a nation of farmers, foresters, and fisher-
are just beginning to plumb. Tools for literacy, compu- men. It took on elements of the industrial revolution—fac-
tation, analysis, visualization, design, and collaboration, tory line classes, assembly line curriculum, and teacher
when combined with rich content, can impart knowledge foremen—that worked for the needs of the 1900’s. But we
in new ways. New sources of content and expertise must use new designs to create the knowledge workers of our
make original sources, specialized databases, compre- 21st century.
hensive libraries, and experts accessible in formats
matched to a learner’s cognitive level, learning style, The market is there. Business is poised to support education
interests, and culture. with powerful Internet solutions. Education presents a strong
market that drives the innovation of continuing products,
• New players are entering the educational arena, ex- tools, and applications that can benefit learners across the
panding the system in ways that will bring about vastly spectrum. And e-education represents a major area of busi-
enhanced or entirely new educational services. We fore- ness opportunity.
see a highly differentiated educational system that will
E-Learning is Big Business

• Education and training is the second largest sector of the U.S. economy. At approximately
$815 billion, it represents the nation’s second largest expenditure, behind healthcare. The
education market currently represents approximately 9% of the gross domestic product. 1
• The K-12 e-learning market is estimated at $1.3 billion and is expected to grow to $6.9 bil-
lion in 2003.2 The post-secondary online market is estimated at $1.2 billion and it is ex-
pected to grow to $7 billion by 2003.3
• The U.S. corporate e-learning market is estimated at $1.1 billion and it is expected to grow
to $11.4 billion by 2003. The global market for e-learning is estimated at $300 billion and is
expected to grow to $365 billion by 2003.4
• Venture capital funding in knowledge enterprises amounted to over $3 billion since January
1999 or about triple the total invested in the previous nine years.5

The global economy is there.A growing world economy can skilled workers. At the same time, the demands for con-
create a strong and lasting demand over the Internet for tinuing training in this economy are huge.
Workforce Development in an Information Economy
• 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;

• New research on how people learn in the Internet age; Endnotes
• High quality online educational content that is widely
∗
available and meets the highest standards of educational Kathleen Fulton served as the Project Director for the Web-
excellence; based Education Commission. She spent ten years with the
• Relief from outdated regulations that impede instruc- Congressional Office of Technology Assessment, conducting
tional innovation in favor of approaches that embrace assessments of technology and education. Prior to coming to
anytime, anywhere, any pace learning; the Web Commission, she was Associate Director for the
• Safeguards to protect online learners and ensure their Center for Learning and Educational Technology in the Col-
privacy, especially that of young children; and lege of Education at the University of Maryland. She can be
• And sustained funding—via traditional and new reached at Kathleen_fulton@lycos.com
sources—that is adequate to the challenges at hand. 1
Capelli, Gregory, Scott Wilson, and Michael Husman.
Commission Recommendations Endnote 31, p. 8. E-Learning: Power for the Knowledge
Economy. Credit Suisse. First Boston Corporation. 2000.
The web-based Education Commission urges the new Con- Endnote 31, p. 8
2
gress and Administration to embrace an “e-learning” agenda Moe, Michael and Henry Blodgett. The Knowledge Web.
as a centerpiece of the nation’s federal education policy. p. 70. Merrill Lynch & Co., Global Securities Research &
Specifically, the Commission calls on: Economics Group, Global Fundamental Equity Research
Department. 2000.
3
• Federal and state governments to make the extension of Ibid. p. 171.
4
broadband access for all learners a central goal of tele- Ibid, p. 229.
5
communications policy; Ibid, p. 4.
6
• Policymakers at all levels to work with educational in- Meister, Jeanne, Corporate University Xchange, Inc. Tes-
stitutions and the private sector to support the continu- timony to the Web-based Education Commission, September
ous growth of educators through the use of technology; 15, 2000. http://www.webcommission.org/directory.
7
United States. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Sta-
• The Federal government to create a comprehensive re-
tistics. “BLS projections to 2008: A Summary”. Bowman,
search, development, and innovation framework for
learning technology; Charles. Monthly Labor Review. November 1999, vol. 122,
No. 11. http://www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/1999/11/contents.htm
• The public and private sectors to join forces in develop- 8
United States. Department of Commerce (1999). The
ing high quality content and applications for online
Emerging Digital Economy II, Henry, David, Patricia Buck-
learning;
ley, Gurmukh Gill, Sandra Cooke, Jess Dumagan, Dennis
• Congress, the U.S. Department of Education, and state
Pastore, and Susan LaPorte. Washington, D.C. 1999.
and regional education funding and regulatory barriers
http://www.ecommerce.gov/ede/ede2.pdf
that block full learner access to online learning re- 9
Moe and Blodgett, op. cit., endnote 2, p. 4.
sources, courses, and programs while ensuring account- 10
Joint Venture: Silicon Valley Network, Inc. Workforce
ability of taxpayer dollars;
Study: An Analysis of the Workforce Gap in Silicon Valley.
• The education community and parents, working with the 1999.
private sector, to develop and adopt appropriate privacy http://www.jointventure.org/initiatives/edt/work_gap/workga
and protection safeguards to assure that learners of all p.html.
ages are not exploited while participating in learning ac- 11
tivities; and 12
Capelli, Wilson, and Husman op. cit, endnote 1, p. 127.
• The federal government, states, localities, and the pri- 13
Meister, Jeanne. op. cit., endnote 6.
vate sector to adequately fund web-based learning op- 14
portunity. 15
Meister, Jeanne, op. cit., endnote 6.
16
We all have a role to play. It is time we collectively move 17
Meister, Jeanne, op. cit., endnote 6.
the power of the Internet for learning from promise to prac- 18
Moe and Blodgett, endnote 2, p. 172.
tice. 19
United States. Department of Education, National Center
for Education Statistics (2000). The Condition of Education
2000, NCES 2000-602. Washington, DC. 2000.

Business, Corporate Universities and E-Learning
By John Y. Jones*
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

employees about the company’s values and mission, and
by fostering a sense of responsibility for the future of the A company can collaborate with other local or national busi-
company. nesses, collaborate with public or private institutions of
• The second “C,” the Contextual framework, provides higher education, or outsource some of the educational func-
employees with the basic knowledge of their company’s tions to e-learning training companies. These solutions,
work, products, competition, and “how to learn from the however, are not without potential problems. Collaborating
best practices of world-class companies that determine with other businesses can put a company in the position of
standards of excellence within an industry.” having to share its business plans and trade secrets with
• The third “C,” Core competencies, comprises the skills competitors and risk losing the uniqueness of its corporate
necessary to compete in the company’s marketplace. culture when forming classes with other firms. Government
These skills include learning to communicate well with regulations and red tape can complicate working with a pub-
others, thinking creatively, and developing technological lic institution of higher education, while a private university
and global business literacy. may charge high fees. Outsourcing work to an e-learning
provider requires careful shopping to assure that high quality
Technology Enhancement education is provided. As in any field, some commercial e-
While the traditional means for learning is of low quality and there has been some fraud in
delivering a corporate education has this field. See the article, “E-Learning Buyer’s Guide” in
been in the classroom, many this issue for more advice on searching for good e-learning
companies are now embracing the providers.
Internet as a medium of instruction
because it offers many advantages over face-to-face teaching. Some of the costs can also be recouped by charging a nomi-
A web-based system of instruction allows centralized coor- nal fee to employees or by offering classes to the public or to
dination but dispersed learning, can be adapted to each indi- other businesses on a fee-for-service basis. An Australian
vidual’s learning needs, can provide numerous resources report notes that anywhere from 19-28% of corporate univer-
without taking space on a computer’s hard drive, and is more sities in the United States reported receiving external revenue
convenient to incorporate into the workday than traditional from students who were not direct company employees.14
classroom instruction.11 It also usually cuts costs, often dra- Jeff Titchenal of TrainingWORKS writes that a company can
matically, when personnel otherwise would have to travel to market its corporate university, as another revenue-
another city for the instruction. generating product that can even be profitable.
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.

provide consultation on the establishment and operation of tions and their URL’s, please consult the “Worthwhile-
corporate universities. Webs” article in this issue.
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/

E-Learning Collaborative EnvEnviironments
The Role of the In
I n structor in
Lucio Teles, Stacy Ashton, Tracy Roberts, Irina Tzoneva

Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, Canada
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.

Characteristics of Collaborative Online Environments Technical: The technical role involves choosing appropriate
software to meet specific learning goals, and assisting stu-
dents to become competent and comfortable users of the cho-
A variety of characteristics have been identified in the lit-
sen software.
erature concerning collaborative online classrooms. Harasim
et al. (1995) and Warschauer (1997) argue that online class-
rooms hold great potential for collaborative educational ap- Research Questions and Methodology
proaches because they feature many-to-many communica-
tion, place and time independence, and computer-mediated The present research study was designed to explore the ap-
communication (CMC). These characteristics point to several plication of Berge’s (1995, 1996) four role dimensions to
critical focus areas in the investigation of the role of the in- actual online collaborative classroom environments. We
structor in the online environment: changes in the balance of were interested in the specific behaviors that occurred in
student-instructor participation; a move towards active col- each of the four role dimensions, as well as the distribution
laborative learning; changes in the teaching role towards of the roles across members of the online classroom and over
increasing facilitation versus direct instruction. time. The specific questions posed in this research are:
1. What are the subcategories for each of the four roles of
Instructor Roles in E-Learning Environments the online instructor: pedagogical, managerial, social,
and technical?
2. How does the relative proportion of student-instructor
In the present research, Berge’s instructors roles - pedagogi-
participation rate change during the course, both in over-
cal, managerial, social, and technical - have been used as a
all number of instructor postings, and types of roles en-
starting point to analyze instructor postings in online settings,
acted in the postings?
and to help organize the literature on the role of the online
3. How does the relative proportion of instructional roles
teacher (Berge 1995, 1996).
change from one course offering to the next, both in
overall number and types of roles enacted in postings?
Pedagogical: The pedagogical role encompasses everything
done to support the learning process of individual students or
working groups. Based on the application of Vygotsky’s so- Transcript Analysis Methodology
ciocultural theory to an online course for pre-service teach-
ers, Bonk, Daytner, Daytner, Dennen, and Malikowski The primary methodology chosen for this study was tran-
(1999) provide a breakdown of ways instructors can use in- script analysis of instructor postings to online conferences in
struction and facilitation during online discussions. The fol- classes where a significant portion of class time and grade
lowing role behaviors fall clearly into the dimension of was rooted in collaborative activity. Analysis of postings was
pedagogical functions: direct instruction; direct questioning; limited to the instructors, tutor markers, and technical sup-
providing modeling or examples; giving advice or sugges- port staff. Because we did not have permission to view stu-
tions; fostering student reflection or self-awareness; pushing dent postings, these postings were not included as part of our
students to explore other sources of information; prompting body of data, and all references to students that came up in
students to explain or elaborate on their ideas; providing the analyzed postings were replaced with numbers before
feedback or praise; cognitive task structuring; 'weaving' stu- analysis began.
dents’ contributions into a single summary in order to cap-
ture and re-focus students on the essence of ongoing or com- Consensual Qualitative Research
pleted discussions (Harasim et al., 1995).
Since a large part of our analysis involved developing a
Managerial. The managerial role refers to activities designed
framework of instructional behaviors in each of Berge’s four
to make the course run smoothly at an administrative level.
role areas, we adopted a modified version of the Consensual
Management roles fall into three categories: managing indi-
Qualitative Research (CQR) methodology (Hill, Thompson,
vidual students; managing discussion and working groups;
Williams, 1997). The CQR process involved developing
managing course functions.
categories for broad domains derived from a review of the
literature in order to provide a loose conceptual framework
Social: The lack of nonverbal signals and social context
or “start list” that allowed us to cluster data relevant to the
cues means that in online classrooms, an education-ready
research issue into topic areas. Our start list was developed to
atmosphere is built entirely from virtual tools and interac-
ensure that we attended to support functions in the online
tions. Walther (1996) developed a three-level model of the
classroom, as well as to direct teaching. Based on a frame-
social effects of computer-mediated communication (CMC)
work developed by Berge (1995), two researchers independ-
focusing on impersonal, interpersonal and hyperpersonal
ently coded instructor postings from one of the Dancing
effects.
courses into the four general instructional roles: Pedagogical,

Managerial, Social, and Technical. We used NUDIST4 In this course, students were introduced to the virtual body
(Non-numerical Unstructured Data by Indexing, Searching and its vast creative potential in cyberspace. Students learned
and Theorizing, Version 4), a qualitative research software Life Forms, a software for 3-D human figure animation, to
program, to assist us in organizing the transcript data into analyze and create simulations of human dance sequences.
subcategories, so that we can develop a taxonomy of the spe- Two offerings of this course were analyzed. In the first of-
cific instructional actions within each of the four instruc- fering, there were 28 students and in the second there were
tional roles. 19. Collaboration and online discussion among students were
major features of both offerings of this course. Students car-
In order to get feedback on our framework of instructional ried out weekly topic discussions based on the course read-
roles and behaviors, we organized an online conference to ings in an online “Topics” conference, which were summa-
present preliminary findings to a group of experienced online rized and posted by the tutor marker at the end of each topic.
instructors. Fifty-three participants joined the discussion. Of Life Forms animation issues were discussed in an “Anima-
these, 41 were “readers” only and did not contribute to the tion” conference. A busy “Café” conference provided a vir-
discussion and 12 were active participants and generated 141 tual place for casual, social chat. In addition, students worked
messages in a highly interactive online seminar. in assigned pairs to create, perform and critique animated
dance sequences, which also promoted high levels of online
The two research assistants working in data analysis inde- interaction. Seventy percent of the course grade required
pendently developed a coding scheme that categorized the some form of online discussion or peer collaboration.
abstracted postings into a set of the core instructional actions
within each instructional role. The final framework of in- Course 2: Introduction to Statistics (referred to as STAT)
structional behavior, presented below, was developed Statistics was a first year undergraduate course designed to
through a reflexive and reiterative process of coming to con- introduce students to statistical tools and concepts used to
sensus on how the posting abstracts best fit together into core collect and analyze data. Three offerings of this course were
ideas that represented the data. analyzed, all of which were taught by the same instructor and
tutor marker. The first offering of the course enrolled 64 stu-
Inter-rater reliability between the two coders ranged from dents, the second, 30 students, and the third, 24 students.
66.5% to 96.2%, depending on the course. Since over 950 Collaboration consisted of topic discussions in small groups
postings were coded, a significant proportion of the inter- of four to five students, as well as group assignments that
rater variance was thought to be rooted in simple coding fa- were submitted to the tutor marker every two weeks. The
tigue. As the coders were re-visiting the data, the dominant students themselves, on a rotating basis moderated group
reason for a disagreement was that one or the other of the discussion. Group submissions and participation made up
coders had overlooked a clear example of one of the roles in 25% of the students' final grade.
action. Only 10% of the codes that were disagreed upon
sparked serious discussion in our consensus meetings. All Course 3: Community Concepts for Psychiatric Nursing
coding was discussed to consensus. (Nursing also referred to as PNUR)
This course was offered to students enrolled in an advanced
Courses Selected for Data Collection diploma program in psychiatric nursing. Students analyzed
the context of psychiatric nursing in the community from a
systems theory perspective. Collaboration was built into the
We chose to study multiple offerings of three courses, so that
course in the ongoing discussions about course topics, and
we could track changes in role distribution as the instructor
through peer feedback on the major project required for the
gained more experience with their online classroom. Many of
course. Two offerings of this course were analyzed, both of
the case studies reported in the literature are based on first-
which were taught by the same instructor, who worked with-
time online instructors piloting a new course (e.g., Garland,
out a teaching assistant. There were five students enrolled in
Wang & Teles, 1999; Latting, 1994; Slatin, 1992). We
the first course, and nine in the second. Most of the students
wanted to examine the changes that occur as instructors be-
in this course were already working as psychiatric nurses,
come more comfortable with the technology and course
and thus brought a great deal of experience to the course.
content.
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)

1. Subcategories of the four roles of the online instructor • Technical: user issues; system issue; technical issue is
The following subcategories were identified for each of the unclear (symptoms of problems are reported without a
four roles of the online instructor: clear idea of the cause (i.e., user or system).
• Pedagogical: offering feedback; giving instructions; 2. Participation: student vs. instructor

giving information; opinions/preferences/advice; ques- The relative student-instructor participation rate followed the
tioning; summarizing student comment; referring to out- same trend identified by earlier researchers: instructor post-
side sources. ings accounted for as little as 3% of postings to conferences
• Managerial: coordinating assignments; coordinating in one of the Statistics courses, to as high as 28% in the
discussion; coordinating course. smaller graduate Nursing course.
• Social: empathy; interpersonal outreach; metacommuni-
cation; humor. These correlations show that although the number of student
postings rises as the number of students in the course rises,
the number of instructor postings does not.
Number and percentage of student and instructor postings by course

Class Student postings Instructor postings Total postings % student postings % instructor postings
Course size
FPA 97 28 783 202 985 79% 21%
FPA 98 19 754 99 853 88% 12%
PNUR 97 5 243 61 304 80% 20%
PNUR 99 9 483 189 672 72% 28%
STATS 97-3 64 1,885 188 2,073 91% 9%
STATS 98-1 30 463 64 527 88% 12%
STATS 98-2 24 922 32 954 97% 3%
Total 5533 835 6368
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-
Percentage distribution of codes by course offering
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

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conferencing in higher education. Journal of Information
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Berge, Z.L. (1996). Example case studies in post- Moore, M.G. & Kearsley, G. (1995). Distance educa-
secondary, online teaching. In G. Hart & J. Mason (Eds.), tion: A systems view. Belmont, Wadsworth Publishing.
Proceedings of ‘The Virtual University’ Symposium (pp. 99– Slatin, J.M. (1992). Is there a class in this text? Creating
105). Melbourne, Australia, November 21–22. knowledge in the electronic classroom. In E. Barrett (Ed.)
Berge, Z.L. (1995). Facilitating computer conferencing: Sociomedia: Multimedia, hypermedia, and the social con-
Recommendations from the field. Educational Technology, struction of knowledge (pp. 27–52). Cambridge, MA: MIT
35, 22–30. Press.
Bonk, C.J., Daytner, K., Daytner, G., Dennen, V., & Walther, J.B. (1996). Computer-mediated communica-
Malikowski, S. (1999). Online mentoring of preservice tion: Impersonal, interpersonal, and hyperpersonal interac-
teachers with web-based cases, conversations, and collaboration. Communication Research, 23(1), 3–43.
tion: Two years in review. Paper presented at the American Warschauer, M. (1997). Computer-mediated collabora-
Educational Research Association annual meeting, Montreal, tive learning: Theory and practice. The Modern Language
Canada, April. Journal, 81(4), 470–481.

E-Learning Buyer’s Guide
By Gregg Jackson*
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

others may have considerable interaction with and feedback tional Education” and is encouraging education providers
from an instructor. Expert feedback is essential for master- that operate across national boundaries to ascribe to, and
ing complex generative skills such as design work, develop- uphold, these principles. To date, apparently few have been
ment of plans, or crafting of policies. willing to do so. At the “International Organizations” link
from the GATE Web site, there is a list of regional, hemi-
The quality of instruction may vary considerably from spheric, and international organizations concerned about the
course to course. That has always been the case within col- quality of higher education.
leges and universities where the faculty operate with consid-
erable autonomy. It will also be the case with some com- Some providers have a demo course that anyone can go
mercial vendors, due to updating of the courses most in de- through, but there is no way of knowing how similar it is to
mand, the acquisition of other firms and their courseware, the instruction that is to be purchased. Some will allow a
and strategic partnerships in which a firm essentially retails serious buyer to access a specific course of interest for a
training from several different providers. Examples of the short period of time. Finally, some students decide to try
latter include www.headlight.com and one course, and if dissatisfied with it, do not take more from
www.learning.thinq.com. that provider. Similarly, corporate training offices some-
times try out a course or provider with one or two people,
Diploma mills provide college and university degrees within before making a major commitment to the provider.
a few weeks or months, with little or no study, and without
ascertaining the student’s competencies. They have operated E-learning is often priced by the course, but sometimes
for a century, mostly by mail, and are now moving to the there are hidden costs. Colleges and universities are notori-
Web. They have impressive names, sometimes including the ous for adding application fees, “student fees,” and gradua-
name of an esteemed institution, such as the “Oxford Global tion fees. Certain certifications require independently ad-
University” (not the same as the Oxford University) and ministered examinations for which there are additional
sometimes including “State University” and “National Uni- charges. Corporate training institutions may add additional
versity” within their name, suggesting government sponsor- charges for certificates of completion.
ship. Their Web sites are slick. They have an URL that
ends with .edu . The diploma mill sites usually include “of- Protecting the Purchase
ficial” Seals, messages from the president, on-line catalogues
After carefully deciding on an e-learning provider, there are
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-

Development of a Skilled IT Workforce:
Strategies,
Standards
and Resources
By Joanne Capper
World Links for Development Program, The World Bank
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-

omy (e.g., France, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom). tion Age (SFIA), which describes information systems skills
for IS professionals and users. The Framework allows or-
Standards and Skills Frameworks ganizations to:
A number of organizations, some at national, governmental • assess their own IS skills;
levels, and others by the industry itself, attempt to bring or- • benchmark their IS skills against competitors and ‘best
der to the IT training sector by establishing standards and of breed’ organizations worldwide; and
developing frameworks of IT skills. For example, the Infor- • compare IS suppliers with a common measurement of
mation Technology National Training Organization (ITNTO) capability.
sets standards for the IT sector in the United Kingdom,
which in turn guides the development of training courses by SFIA is in the process of developing an accreditation scheme
providers. The ITNTO then accredits the and links with existing IS skills frame-
works, national and international qualifica-
providers, who award qualifications. The The Internet
tions, training & development opportunities,
qualifications are at five levels, with each and the growth and job-classification systems. With the
industry sector using this same structure.
of information sponsorship of Microsoft, a new report
http://www.itnto.org.uk/html/itnto.htm
technologies (IT) compares SFIA with the influential ‘IT Skill
The ITNTO and the IT industry have devel- are causing a Standards’ created by Seattle-based North
oped the IT Occupational Standards and radical re- West Center for Emerging Technologies.
Statement of Competence, which represent structuring of http://www.sfia.org.uk/News/news.html#N
WCET (All of the above can be accessed
best practice in the IT community and cover governments, through http://www.itnto.org.uk/)
the full spectrum of activities carried out by
businesses and
those who create IT solutions, through to A number of countries are developing skill
those who use IT in the course of their day-to- education pro-
standards and frameworks across a range of
day work. The IT Standards represent best viders, with an sectors, and often include telecommunica-
practice in: increasing tions, computers and information technol-
• using IT; trend toward ogy. Such efforts often involve coalitions
• installing and supporting IT systems; and e-commerce and of leaders from business, labor, employees,
• developing IT systems. e-learning. education, and community and civil rights
organizations and aim to produce a system
The ITNTO is responsible for the develop- of skill standards, assessment and certifica-
ment and continuous review of the Standards in consultation tion systems appropriate for the global economy. For exam-
with industry. This ensures that the Standards reflect what ple, the National Skill Standards Board’s (NSSB) site con-
industry needs, and that they are kept up to date. tains an extensive collection of skills-related information on
the Internet, and hosts an electronic version of the NSSB
The ITNTO Standards underpin the National Vocational
Clearinghouse, which houses nearly 1,600 skills-related
Qualifications (NVQs) in England and Wales and the Scot-
documents, a categorized system of nearly 200 links to do-
tish Vocational Qualifications (SVQs) in Scotland. These
mestic and international skills certification programs, and
qualifications go beyond competence demonstrated by ex-
detailed information on all industry coalitions. There are also
amination to demonstration of an individual's ability to actu-
brief descriptions of efforts of a number of countries to es-
ally perform the work. There are currently 14 qualifications
tablish skills frameworks, including Malaysia, Japan, Aus-
for IT. Each qualification framework is a logical grouping of
tralia, Denmark and Chile. http://www.nssb.org/
activities (units of competence) likely to be carried out by an
individual working in that area. The S/NVQ framework is
Certification
important because it:
Several organizations provide certification of IT trainers and
• rationalizes and cross references the system of qualifica-
training in order to help consumers avoid investing in poor-
tions within IT, and to all other sectors;
quality training. For example, the International Association
• enables industry to set the standards for the qualifica- of Information Technology Trainers (ITrain) has established
tions it needs; a three-tier certification program for IT trainers and training
• outlines levels of achievement; organizations. Certification criteria offer a concrete standard
• provides clear paths for progression from one qualifica- for professional trainers, and every trainer or training com-
tion to another; and pany is re-evaluated annually to ensure standards are con-
• opens access to qualifications and promotes education tinually upheld. Individual trainers may pursue certification
and training. of their skills as a trainer. Applicants who are full members
in good standing and have successfully completed the Ad-
With regard to information systems (IS) skills, the UK gov- vanced Train-the-Trainer seminar may apply to be certified
ernment has developed a Skills Framework for the Informa-

as a Professional Technical Trainer (PTT) for a period of one puter education, trade, and research among members, inter-
year and may apply for re-certification. ested parties, and the public; acts as an advisory, consultative
and coordinating body for the industry; encourages and pro-
Each applicant must submit a 30-minute, non-professional, motes cooperation between associations and computer ven-
self-videotape of a training program presentation. The topic dors whose objectives are in line with ATCI's; provides and
must be relevant to their profession and must demonstrate disseminates pertinent information and views related to the
questioning techniques, individual and group interaction, and computer industry to the public, policy makers and govern-
facility at explaining a technical subject using common lan- ment officials. The organization also convenes training pro-
guage. Also required are, references by at least ten students grams, seminars and conferences.” http://www.atci.or.th/
who have attended training presented by the applicant, and
post-class evaluations from ten classes must be included with The Information Technology Training Association (ITTA)
the application. is an international trade association for professionals and
companies involved in the IT Training Industry and is in-
Training organizations, including non-profit, academic and volved in professional development and setting of industry
for-profit training centers may pursue certification as a Pro- standards. http://www.itta.org/about_us/index.html
fessional Training Center (PTC). This certification evaluates
the management of training procedures as well as the skills The International Association of Information Technology
of the individual trainers associated with the training center. Trainers (ITrain) is a non-profit international association of
The PTC certification is awarded for one year and re- 5,629 information technology professionals located in 158
certification is authorized. Each trainer employed by the countries and provides members with access to resources and
organization must meet the requirements of individual trainer support services related to IT training. http://www.itrain.org/
certification. The Association of Internet Professionals (AIP) represents
more than 8,500 individual Internet professionals and over
Training materials may be certified under the Professional 125 leading Internet industry companies and educational
Training Materials (PTM) program. Authors and publishers institutions (www.association.org). The AIP Certification
of training guides and instructional materials may submit Accreditation Council, an arm of AIP (www.accredit.net),
their products for independent review and certification. The sets standards and accredits various Internet training and
PTM certification is granted to a training product indefinitely certification programs. While it does not create curricula or
or until the product is modified. The PTM certification is tests, it does study the curricula and tests of training compa-
valid only for full members in good standing. Most major nies and educational institutions for adherence to a common
software and networking companies, including Microsoft, set of standards. The decision-making board includes leaders
Cisco and Oracle, also offer their own certification of train- in academia, IT staffing, and the software and hardware in-
ers, training programs and IT skills. dustries.
Professional IT Associations Tax Credits

A number of professional associations provide various types IT training tax credits are viewed as a prudent, cost-effective
of training, certification, guidance and/or support regarding way to help large segments of the workforce acquire IT
development of an IT workforce. An international index of training and jobs. Tax credits also are an efficient way to
IT associations is at: deliver incentives to small businesses, which typically are
http://www.esi.es/Information/ITAssociations/Keywords/IN unable to afford the high costs of IT training and lack the
FORMATION_TECHNOLOGY.html. This site also has an manpower to keep up with paperwork required to qualify for
international calendar of IT-related conferences and meet- other support programs. Tax credits are perceived to benefit
ings, news, papers and links. Below are some examples: a country in the long term, since those receiving training are
likely to find jobs waiting for them when they finish their
The Association of Thai Computer Industry (ATCI) “pro- training and will then contribute to the economy through the
vides and assists in the development of relevant resources additional personal and corporate income taxes that would
and manpower skills necessary to the growth of the computer otherwise not be generated. Information on tax credits can
industry in Thailand; promotes and stimulates the inter- be found at: http://www.techcoalition.org/
change of knowledge, experience and information on com-
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.

Digital Divide
OR
Exploring Threats and Opportunities to Participation in Telecenter Initiatives

Raul Roman & Royal D. Colle1
Development Communication Research Group, Cornell University
(Richardson, 1997: 53). The challenge is to make telecenters

INTRODUCTION understood, valued and used by the community.
Knowledge is considered the key to economic and social
development, while the new information and communication In this context, the term ‘digital divide’ might appear as a
technologies are contemplated as the consummate vehicle for hazy notion that confuses the real underlying problems,
the transmission of that knowledge. This knowledge-oriented above all when dealing with developing countries. The main
and technology-focused development paradigm is based on issue is not the so-called digital divide, but social, economic,
the belief that access to telecommunication services, particu- and educational divides (and these divides are not new!) that
larly the Internet, will help bring social and economic pros- digital technologies might help to bridge. In this sense, we
perity to the most disadvantaged sectors of society. In that can start talking about the digital bridge. Telecenters are one
framework, community-based communication centers, com- of the most visible tools in that widespread effort to try to
monly called telecenters, are mushrooming both in industri- bridge the other divides. And it is important to realize that
alized and developing countries with the support of national these gaps — whether educational, economic or social — are
and international governmental and non-governmental or- precisely at the core of the obstacles to participation in tele-
ganizations. [TechKnowLogia published many articles on center activities. That is why telecenter projects that only
telecenters, which may be accessed in the Journal's archives focus on the access to digital hardware as the magic bullet
on line.] solution to social and economic development problems,
stubbornly ignoring other deficiencies that hinder community
Basically, telecenters are shared public facilities that provide
participation, are condemned to helpless failure. Telecenters
telecommunication services to persons who, for various rea-
are bricks in the digital bridge if they adopt a participatory
sons, do not have them available individually. Telecenters
approach that systematically encourages community in-
have significantly different features and researchers have
volvement in the design of solutions to development prob-
proposed telecenter typologies and classifications based on
lems through the use of information technology.
multiple variables. But beyond the precariousness of the con-
cept, all telecenters, be they in a village in Sub-Saharan Af- With that framework in mind, going beyond the simplistic
rica or in South India, or in a remote town in Mexico, Can- definition of access as mere hardware availability, it is es-
ada or Australia, have an unmistakable characteristic in sential to start identifying the main obstacles to community
common: they offer shared access to information and com- participation in telecenter initiatives and the strategies to
munication technologies (ICT). overcome them. We address these issues taking examples
from fieldwork we have conducted recently, principally in
While in some cases the introduction of ICT services such as
South Africa, India, and Hungary.
telephones in rural areas have been met with eager users
(such as the Grameen Phone in Bangladesh), it is generally
acknowledged that would-be clientele’s patronage of tele- IDENTIFYING OBSTACLES TO PARTICIPATION
centers is not always spontaneous. Frequently, observers Participation is a multi-dimensional concept. It is important
have suggested that physical access is not enough. As Don that every layer of the concept is considered and analyzed
Richardson states, “it is relatively easy to install the technol- when dealing with telecenter development.
ogy for electronic information and communication networks.
It is much more difficult to create systems that people actu- Individual Participation
ally use and from which they receive tangible benefits” We need to think about the uses of the telecenter by a spe-
cific community and involvement of community members in

telecenter activities. We can call this individual participation. • Social obstacles to participation. Are there any social (in-
What are the obstacles to this kind of participation? cluding gender and age) or ethnic reasons that impede the
participation of some community members in telecenter ac-
• Economic obstacles to participation. Can the community tivities? In a community in Québec, separate locations had to
pay for the services? If we are considering a business model be set up for young people and adults, because each intimi-
for a telecenter, for projects targeted at the most disadvan- dated the other, thereby impeding both groups’ participation.
taged areas it is important that the planners have in mind There is a story we were told in South Africa by Paula Mid-
poverty demographics: are the villagers able to pay for the dleton, a British Council official who is actively working on
services offered? Research and planning will reveal what telecenters in that country. It is a story about computers. As
services are feasible and affordable. But in this case, should she explains, “the British Council demonstrated a telecenter
we talk about participants or just clientele?2 We can also ask at the Commonwealth Summit exhibition in Durban last
another question: even if community members are able to year. It was very interesting to see the reaction from the pub-
afford the services, is the community willing to pay? lic to visiting the telecenter stand. Indian visitors to the stand
were confident with using the computers, whereas Black
In an experimental telecenter project in South India, organ- visitors needed encouragement to try out the computers and
ized and planned by the Swaminathan Foundation and to navigate the Internet, not sure how the technology could
funded by the IDRC, the community is not ready to pay for be applied to their own experience. This experience seemed
information services. Telecenters provide a kind of informa- clearly to point to the heritage of previous disadvantage in
tion they think should be public and free. This perception is this country and the challenges faced for the use of technol-
connected with the fact that many villagers are used to re- ogy to enable equitable development. On the other hand,
ceiving government subsidies and they see the telecenter as a Black children felt very comfortable in front of a computer.
service that should be also supported by state funds. So the And this fact clearly shows that entering the digital age is an
services are free. This removes the economic obstacle to par- educative process.”4
ticipation, but what about the sustainability of the project?
The villagers are being very creative in yielding solutions. How can we identify these differences and how can we deal
They are trying to sustain the project financially through with them? It is probably a question of training and aware-
community banking practices and the support of self-help ness raising. However, it is also an issue that should be con-
groups. The telecenter, as an information and training center sidered at the planning stages of the project. For example, as
which is at the root of self-help group activities and is the part of a strategy to attract women to participate in telecenter
promoter of community banking opportunities, is seen by activities, the Swaminathan Foundation requires that at least
different community groups as essential for their activities. one woman is engaged in the management of each center (for
They keep most services free. A share of the money kept in instance, the telecenter in the village of Embalam is ruled by
the bank (probably in the form of interest) would serve to four female volunteers).
pay a salary to telecenter volunteers and to maintain the
equipment. • Political obstacles to participation. Are there political rea-
sons that restrain the participation of some people? If a tele-
• Physical obstacles to participation. Do community mem- center is politicized, it can create power struggles. We can
bers have problems in accessing the center? We have to ask see the example of the first telecenter established by USA,
ourselves: where is the telecenter located? It is clear that if the Gasaleka telecenter, in South Africa’s Northern Province.
the telecenter is away from the usual community meeting This telecenter has very good community networks. It is run
points, it might hinder participation. But let us go beyond by the local South Africa National Civic Organization. Every
that. We have an example from a Universal Service Agency single organization in the area supports and works with the
(USA) telecenter in South Africa. The telecenter in the town- telecenter. According to the telecenter manager, Masilo
ship of Mamelodi, in Pretoria, was originally located in the Mokobane, “the telecenter is well-known, although we need
local library. Two years ago they decided to move to an in- to engage the tribal authorities more. However, we don’t
dependent location. And Esme Modisane, the telecenter have problems with any organization. We do have problems
manager, explains the reason why: “the library location was with some individuals within those organizations, though,
not appropriate because it appeared to the community as an because they feel jealous of the resources we have here. But
official or government site. People were intimidated by the when those reticent individuals are informed, and know the
library and what it means; they think it is for ‘intellectual telecenter is here to support the community, they help us.
people’. They do not feel it as their own community center if The telecenter cannot be politically driven, because it is for
it is located within the library.”3 In Hungary, the very rural the community.”
nature of the movement usually means that there are few
locations in a community where a telecottage can be placed, There are also more subtle aspects of political power. For
so it’s the community that decides. example, those people in power may discourage or obstruct
the community’s use of information technology because of

potential challenge to their authority. In Mexico recently that will package information for their constituents. Four of
(June 2000), we asked a schoolgirl in a telecenter if her these are presently organized.
teacher encouraged her to use a computer for her school-
work. “No,” said the girl, “the teacher is afraid of the com- • Finally, is the community aware of the potential of ICT?
puter because we might learn something she doesn’t know.” As Richard Fuchs states, “people need to be encouraged to
become involved in ‘information-seeking behavior.’ Simply
• Educational obstacles to participation. Are we going to put, people need to come to learn that it is worth their while
deal with technophobia and with literacy problems? Techno- to take the time and trouble to find information to help solve
phobia is one of the obstacles that prevent the community their problems” (Fuchs, 1998).
from getting involved in the activities offered by telecenters.
This is again partly a problem of training. However, beyond How can we overcome these obstacles? Here we are dealing
technology (because technology is just a tool) and fear of with marketing and awareness raising, with creation of value
technology, what strategies do we use to reach illiterate peo- addition products (and this might be related to training is-
ple and non-users? Do we attempt technology-focused solu- sues), and with research and analysis related to the socioeco-
tions or do we add value to the potential services provided by nomic dynamics of a community.
these technologies (particularly the Internet) to help those
who, for educational or other reasons, cannot directly benefit Collective Participation
from those technologies? Another way of asking this ques- We need to think about who is going to be involved in tele-
tion is: how much do we try to change the user and how center planning and management. We can call it collective
much do we change the service. To overcome educational participation. We are generally talking about community
obstacles, the concept of value addition, as we address be- ownership, and so there are community steering committees
low, is of paramount importance. that set the direction of the telecenters and supervise the
work of the telecenter manager. This happens in countries
• Does the community know about the telecenter? The ob- like Canada and South Africa. We have to ask ourselves:
stacle to participation here is very straightforward: simple
ignorance of the existence of the telecenter. This question is • How well is the community represented in the steering
seemingly superfluous because it is often taken for granted as committee? This question is difficult to answer, and it really
a basic prerequisite that the community knows what a tele- depends on the community structure to decide what
center is, where it is, and what it offers. But we need to ask stakeholders should be represented in the committee.
ourselves this question too. Active marketing and awareness-
creation are possible responses to this threat. In a Canadian • What are the problems that this kind of management en-
tails? We can see the example of the USA telecenters in
community, just changing the name from a somewhat for-
South Africa. The system permits not only joint decision
bidding “Community Access Program Site” to “cybercafe”
making and evaluation, but also higher financial transpar-
increased the visibility and use of the facility.
ency. However, “the added layers of ownership mean that
• In any case, given they know the telecenter is there, does decision-making is subject to bureaucratic layers. The effect
the community feel what the telecenter offers is relevant to of this is a less proactive style of management. Decisions
them? In India, the Swaminathan Foundation is making a big cannot be made immediately, as and when they are needed”
effort in this direction: trying to make the telecenter relevant (Stavrou et al., 2000). Besides that, in South Africa, telecen-
to the served communities. As part of their telecenter project, ter applications submitted by community organizations are
they have established a value addition telecenter. This center evaluated by an USA team. It is worth noting that “applica-
collects and repackages information (thus making the infor- tion-based systems are more accessible to the better-
mation locally relevant) on a daily basis, and makes it avail- endowed, well-organized communities and groups, but are
able to a network of telecenters through a wireless communi- less effective in reaching marginalized groups, sectors and
cation system. For example, they placed a telecenter in the regions” (Stavrou et al., 2000).
fishing village of Verampatinam where they found that many
local fishermen, most of them illiterate, expressed the need to EXPLORING STRATEGIES TO ENHANCE
have timely information on weather forecast and wave
height. To meet this need, the value addition center down-
PARTICIPATION
It is important to put participation in perspective. Experience
loads every day the weather information from the US Navy
in the field teaches one quickly that in many social struc-
web site, translates it to Tamil, the local language, and then
tures, participation does not happen spontaneously; and,
sends it to the local telecenter as an audio file. These files are
when participation becomes a part of the creed of an inter-
then played through several loudspeakers located in front of
vention, its lack of specificity can cause confusion if not
the center and near the seashore. In Hungary, the leaders
frustration. For example, in Canada, leaders in community
have planned for seven regional telecottage support centers
access centers reported that participation was one of their

goals but they had not been able to get to it yet. Here are community information needs, including the felt needs of the
three ways to approach participation in a telecenter project people and normative needs (those seen, for example, by
where the sociopolitical climate is supportive: professionals). A continuous research program needs also to
monitor on-going telecenter services to the community (and
1. Develop an explicit participation strategy in the planning its perceptions about them), and try to measure impact. We
stages. The strategy should address at least the following have approached a variety of organizations — including e-
questions: commerce ones, whose success depends on meeting needs in
• Why is participation important to this project? Among the the marketplace — about developing practical tools for these
answers might be: because it conveys a sense of commu- kinds of research without finding much enthusiasm and even
nity ownership; it provides indigenous wisdom; it helps re- less funding. Clearly, the extent to which there will be enthu-
flect community values and needs; it provides important siastic and continual participation depends on how telecen-
resources, such as volunteers or technical expertise, at a ters are meeting community needs.
favorable cost.
• Who should participate? It is not enough to say “the com-
munity.” Who should receive attention because of the pos-
REFERENCES
1.Fuchs, Richard (1998). Little Engines That Did. [Online] Avail-
sibility they will be marginalized — like women, poor able: http://www.idrc.ca/acacia
people, minorities, and the elderly? 2.Richardson, Don (1997). The Internet and Rural and Agricultural
• How might people participate? The easy answer is to say Development. FAO: Rome.
that all can participate through use of the ICT facilities. 3.Stavrou, A., Benjamin, P., Burton, P., McCarthy, C. (2000). Tele-
But there are other potential dimensions of community centres 2000. The Way Forward. DRA Development-Link 4.Centre:
participation in a telecenter: volunteers who oversee daily South Africa. [Online] Available:
operations, tutors who give lessons, advisory groups for http://www.sn.apc.org/community
different aspects of the operations, people who provide 1
Raul Roman is a Ph.D. candidate at the Communication Depart-
links to other community organizations, and people who
ment of Cornell University; Dr. Royal D. Colle is professor of
manage particular data bases and add value to information Communication and director of the Development Communication
resources. Research Group at Cornell University. Both have been doing exten-
• How much participation should be sought? Is maximum sive research on telecenters, and are now developing a training
participation the goal, or should there be a target called manual for telecenter management with support from ITU and
optimal participation? It is not hard to imagine, that there FAO.
can be a situation where there is too much participation. The authors wish to acknowledge the financial support of the
• When should participation take place? It probably should International Telecommunication Union and the Food and Agricul-
ture Organization of the United Nations that made the research on
begin no later than the time in the planning when partici-
which this article is based possible. The authors also want to thank
pation itself is being considered. Being specific about the Peter Benjamin, University of Wits, Johannesburg, and the Swami-
timing avoids the “we haven’t got to that yet” explanation. nathan Foundation for their support in the field.
• What incentives can be offered? Money and public recog- 2
It is important to realize that, in broad terms, there is a telecenter
nition are important, but so too are special privileges re- model that mostly focuses on cost-effective connectivity (and the
garding use of telecenter facilities or discounts from shops champions of this model are mainly concerned about infrastructure
in the community (which is a way that merchants can par- problems and business opportunities). And there is another more
ticipate). comprehensive option that concentrates on a multidimensional con-
cept of access (and this group is principally concerned about content
2. Make a commitment to training and have a comprehen- development strategies and formulation of context specific ideas for
sive training program regarding the role of information and community development through ICTs). When we deal with the
concept of participation in telecenter development it is essential that
accessing it through ICTs. This starts with training the com- we clarify what kind of telecenter model are we considering. This
munity about the significance of participation and the pub- common confusion about the objectives and function of telecenters
lic’s role in it. It extends to potential partners in community might explain the difficulties of some projects to actively trigger
health, educational, agricultural, and governmental institu- community participation. In South Africa, for example, a telecenter
tions, as well as local “civil society organizations.” Obvi- is “seen as both a resource that is to be used to benefit the commu-
ously a significant effort needs to go into training telecenter nity, and as a business that must retain itself financially” (Stavrou,
managers and staff, an effort that encompasses a range of 2000). Also, if we are dealing with mere small business initiatives,
skills from basic information needs assessment and informa- how can we speak of the feeling of community ownership that is at
the core of participation?
tion management to facilitating participation — all of which 3
Esme Modisane, personal communication. Pretoria, South Africa,
are intricately interconnected in a system of skills. February 2000.
4
Paula Middleton, personal communication. Johannesburg, South
3. Build research into startup and on-going operations. In Africa, February 2000.
their efforts to get the Internet hooked up and computers op-
erational, often relatively little attention is given to assessing

Editorial Staff
E-learning. Web-based training. Educommerce. Online learning. Call

it what you will, but it hasn’t taken long for people to realize that
education definitely has a place on the Internet. The diversified
nature of the Internet allows for unprecedented individualized
control over the learning process and can be accessed by anyone,
anywhere, anytime with a computer and an online connection.
With the convergence of video and audio into one multimedia
source, fora such as chat rooms, webcasts, email and
videoconferences are being used as e-learning tools in a wide
variety of educational and corporate settings.
Education Applications of The advent of e-learning has also forced educational

institutions and businesses to become increasingly
Technological Devices interdependent. Because many parents and students seek out
school districts based on technological capacity, universities,
K-12 schools and private businesses are partnering to
Innovative application of e-learning solutions can be found in
manage the complex equipment required for an attractive
some unassuming places. The quiet campus of the University
level of connectivity. In the U.S., for example, Palm is
of Minnesota-Crookston (UMC) seems an unlikely location
supplying handheld devices to serve as mobile computing
to find the most cutting-edge e-learning solutions in action,
units that can double as scientific instruments for measuring
but UMC has gained international notoriety as one of the
the pH in a chemical solution or a water sample from a pond.
first universities to implement ubiquitous connectivity on
The information can then be recorded, downloaded and sent
campus. Before class, students at UMC can access the latest
to a central computer for further analysis. Chat rooms are
lecture notes on a professor’s website to prepare for an online
being used by high school students to access and discuss
quiz, which is then instantly graded and recorded using
assignments from home, work, band rehearsal or anyplace
special software. Other students may engage in topical chat
else they might have access to a connected computer. And
room discussions, view a PowerPoint presentation, work
just like the business world, students are demanding lighter,
together on a Word document, view webcasted courses from
more mobile options for their learning tools. Companies like
another university or critique the marketing techniques of a
Palm and Handspring are marketing their mobile devices as
major company by examining its website content in class.
cheaper alternatives to cumbersome PCs. Palm even offers
These capabilities are standard on the UMC-issued laptops
teachers training courses in educational applications of Palm
so no student is denied e-learning opportunities due to
devices.
financial, social or technical reasons. Many other
universities such as Columbia, Michigan State and Berkeley
Smelling savings and increased efficiency, businesses have
are following UMC’s lead by developing customized e-
naturally been quick to incorporate e-learning applications to
learning portals, encouraging student chat rooms, bringing
reduce costs, train employees, increase motivation and
“virtual” speakers to classrooms and engaging in multi-
conduct virtual meetings with clients or employees around
school partnerships through videoconferencing and
the globe without the logistics and expense of travel.
interactive online discussions.
Currently, U.S. companies are spending an estimated $66
billion annually on employee training, but only about $3

billion of that amount goes to e-learning products. However,
the National Institute for Standards and Technology recently
projected that the e-learning market will reach a sizeable $46
Not Without Controversy
billion by 2005. For many companies, the savings can be
significant. IBM saved an estimated $175 million from its Even though it has the potential to maximize the best aspects
whopping $1billion training budget using e-learning services. of the Internet and multimedia, e-learning is not without
Other companies like Cisco Systems have moved controversy, critics or drawbacks. According to Forrester
administrative functions online so employees from London Research, the three most common barriers to successful e-
to Lima can receive standardized information and training. learning include lack of human interaction, cultural
resistance and lack of bandwidth. No matter how realistic the
video image or how natural the sound, the subtleties of
The Shortest Distance Between Two Cities human communication can be lost in the whoosh of a
keystroke. The social disconnection can also make sustained
An example of a typical e-learning interaction would be a participation in online courses less compelling, and is often
videoconference session between training specialists in Hong cited as a primary cause of higher dropout rates observed in
Kong and employees in Mexico City. Participants could be many virtual classrooms.
connected by landline, a closed LAN network, broadband
satellite, ISDN or any high speed line (however, differences Another concern is that everyone who wishes to participate
in connectivity rates and camera frame speeds can make in an online course or videoconference must have reasonably
audio and video choppy). A video camera mounted on a compatible equipment and software, which can be costly to
computer sends a series of still picture frames that are then purchase and maintain. This can also pose a problem for
compressed by the sender’s software and decompressed by people in countries or regions with low bandwidth, expensive
the receiver’s software to form (ideally) a smooth stream of Internet connectivity fees or poor infrastructure. In addition
video and audio. With specialized videoconferencing to logistical issues, many educators question the efficacy of
software, participants can also use a collaborative e-learning versus traditional teaching methods. The jury is
“whiteboard” to do real-time brainstorming, remote desktop still out as to whether or not e-learning really maximizes
sharing or instantaneous file transfers. The trainer in Hong critical thinking, writing, spelling and quantitative skills, or
Kong might go over a PowerPoint presentation or teach a just wows students with sensory bombardment and flashy
new production technique without ever meeting the graphics.
employees in Mexico City.
Despite the controversy surrounding some e-learning
Those same employees in Mexico City might watch a live- techniques, most forecasts predict only growth in the e-
streaming webcast by the company chairman in France on learning industry over the next five years. There are strong
the purpose of the new training, the status of company sales differences among technology analysts and educators on how
and the business strategy for the months to come. The e-learning is best applied, but most agree on one thing: Call
webcast event might also combine chat room technology and it what you will, but e-learning is here to stay.
supplemental documents with live audio and video. Using
programs like QuickTime, Real Audio or Windows Media to
digitize and display images, the chairman’s speech can be
Reference
accessed live by thousands of employees around the world. Ramstad, Evan. “A campus connected,” The Wall Street
Journal, March 12, 2001.
Tam, Pui-Wing. “Tools of the future,” The Wall Street
Journal, March 12, 2001.
http://www.learningcircuits.org/
www.business2.com/content/magazine/ebusiness/2000/11/20
/23486?page=2
http://chronicle.com/free/2001/03/2001032001u.htm

There are multitudes of resources found
on the web related to
e-learning in the workplace.
Below 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.
Selected by John Yoshito Jones*
America’s Learning eXchange

http://www.alx.org
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.
American Society for Training and Development (ASTD)

http://www.astd.org
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 Association of MBAs Special Interest Group

http://www.mba.org.uk/
http://www.corporateuniversity.org.uk/
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

http://www.corporate-u.com
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
http://www.corpu.com
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.
The Corporate University Review

http://www.traininguniversity.com/
This is the first online journal devoted to corporate universities. Subscribers can access past issues as well as the
current one.
The Distance Education Clearinghouse

http://www.uwex.edu/disted/home.html
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.
The European Consortium for the Learning Organisation

http://www.eclo.org
ECLO is a European network of business and academic professionals seeking to improve the relationship between
businesses and educational organizations through research and collaboration.
Petersons.Com Distance Learning

http://www.petersons.com/dlearn/dlsector.html
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.

Bringing 3-D Animation to the Classroom
Tressa Steffen Gipe
Despite the shaky economy and gloomy industry forecasts,

telecommunications and information technology chatter still
focuses predominantly on tangible technological advance-
ments such as building better fiber optic networks, creating
greater bandwidth and rolling out new mobile devices. Far
fewer headlines are made, however, by equally significant,
albeit less dazzling applications of the latest technologies for
the physically and learning impaired. In particular, remark-
able 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, vo-
cabulary, language fluency or other linguistic skills. Profoundly and partially deaf children at Tucker-Maxon ap-
ply this same principle by watching Baldi form words, which
Three-D animation has become common in amusement they mimic with the assistance of Baldi’s real-time feedback.
parks, cartoons, video games and TV commercials, but until Baldi is also capable of showing internal teeth, tongue and
recently, expensive production costs kept the broader use of jaw movements to bring the most natural approximation to
interactive 3-D animation to a minimum. Through research human speech possible. When using Baldi, many children
and development in both the private sector and academia, are assisted by headphones connected to an acoustic nerve
costs for 3-D animation programs have diminished with the implant that converts sounds into electrical stimuli, which are
introduction of PC-based programs that mimic the complex then relayed to parts of the brain responsible for decoding
oral dynamics and subtle facial expressions of a human be- sound and language. Baldi can also be adapted to each stu-
ing. Many of these programs can be run on most 95/98/00 dent’s needs depending on the level of development or se-
Windows and Linux operating systems, and are accessible to verity of disability. Coupled with supplemental language
anyone with 64 MB RAM and over. training, Baldi is yielding impressive improvements in lip-
reading, pronunciation and fluency skills for children at
Bringing a New Dimension to the Classroom Tucker-Maxon and elsewhere.
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

dyslexia, stroke-related aphasia and common speech im- ideally, the word is recognized or synthesized by the system.
pediments to improve language skills. The 3-D animation component is created using a set of static
pictures that can be combined in unlimited combinations to
form the appropriate facial expressions, lip movements and
sounds to accompany a replicated or generated stream of
words.
Of course, many analysts foresee possibilities that extend far

beyond the rather small market that currently exists for 3-D
animated language technologies. Many predict that interac-
tive 3-D animated speech recognition/synthesis technologies
will become commonplace in personal computers, bank ma-
chines and drive-throughs.
As the technology develops, it will certainly have broader

applications in educational and business settings where
teaching and training are conducted. For instance, a business
could use a 3-D tutor to train employees in basic business
Japanese before they go abroad to present products. A school
could train students to expand vocabulary through interactive
drills with a 3-D image that gives feedback with synonyms,
The Future is Now antonyms or examples of the word in a sentence. All the pos-
sibilities sound exciting, but it remains to be seen if people
will be comfortable with non-human entities interacting with
The private sector originally generated most of the 3-D tech-
them on such a sophisticated level.
nology that is used in learning settings like Tucker-Maxon.
There continues to be significant innovation in the 3-D ani-
Predictions aside, the fact that complex technologies like
mation world that will likely lead to more sophisticated edu-
interactive 3-D animation are being used to make people’s
cational applications in the future. Most notably, companies
lives quantitatively and qualitatively better speaks to the im-
are beginning to market programs that blend speech recogni-
portance of continued innovation in even the most fledgling
tion and synthesis with 3-D animation to create a highly in-
technological markets. Beyond the headlines, video games
teractive computer learning environment. Some speech syn-
and theme parks, 3-D animation demonstrates that creative
thesis and recognition programs are so sophisticated, in fact,
application of commercial technologies for people with (or
that they can possess anywhere from 5,000 to 50,000 vo-
without) disabilities can open up an entirely new dimension
cabulary word repertoires that do not require training for
in computer-assisted learning: the human one.
different human voices.*
*The large-vocabulary models are not necessarily available
A company called Sensory has developed a Fluent Animated
with 3-D animation, however.
Speech program that uses text and spoken words to elicit a
response or simulation through 3-D animated characters.
http://more.abcnews.go.com/sections/primetime/2020/primet
With a speech recognition and synthesis component, sound is
ime_010315_baldi_feature.html#2
usually transferred via microphone to the sound card, which
http://www.tmos.org
then is processed into sonic frequencies using mathematical
http://mambo.ucsc.edu/
and statistical methods. The frequencies are checked at
http://www.indiatimes.com/infotech/help/software/voicereq.
regular increments (say, every 1/100th of a second) and then
html
analyzed by the speech recognizer for patterns that fit the
http://www.idg.net/english/crd_recognition_173310.html
smallest block of human speech called a phoneme. The pho-
nemic components are compared with a word database and,

African Global Information Infrastructure Gateway Project:
The Leland Initiative*
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

these changes in Africa. The survey was conducted in four a problem. Overall, though, almost everyone (98 percent)
countries – Ethiopia, Benin, Madagascar, and Mali. agreed that the Internet has a role in helping their organi-
zations accomplish their goals by providing better access
to information and making communication easier.
Partners for Internet in Education, Ghana
As a result of Internet training for teachers as a
Africa After Leland and Lessons Learned
By November 2000, all 54 African nations had been con-
part of the Leland Initiative’s School-to-School
nected. The number of users has climbed to 150,000 (in all
Partnership program, a core group of Ghanaian
of Sub-Saharan Africa, except South Africa). Lessons
teachers formed an association entitled Partners
from the survey include the following:
for Internet in Education (PIE). PIE has since
brought together teachers and administrators from • People are using Internet for development, and are
over 40 schools in three cities to harness the po- sharing information and skills. Many barriers at the
tential of the Internet for education. PIE members national and institutional levels have been overcome,
have not only been active advocates and lobbyists and those that still exist are sometimes overcome
for the need of the Internet in Ghanaian schools, through other means, such as using cybercafés.
but have established a public access center in the • Users can gain a great deal from the Internet, even if
national library, with the help of USAID and AED. access is not consistent and reliable. The training’s
emphasis on understanding what the Internet can offer
and how it can best be used went a long way in in-
spiring participants to use the Internet in spite of tech-
Two hundred seventy-eight (278) former training partici-
nical problems.
pants were interviewed; a quarter of them were from non-
governmental organizations, another quarter belonged to • The Internet can change the way institutions operate,
government institutions and universities, 10 percent were especially if it affects the bottom line.
from the private sector, and a third were USAID staff. • Training needs to be followed-up by other assistance
Those that did not fall into these categories were teachers, if people have to change the way the organization op-
doctors, and other non-development technical specialists. erates.
• Champions are an essential element of the technology
The vast majority of the survey respondents (92 percent) advocacy and adoption process.
indicated that they had used the Internet since the training. • Training executives and managers to understand the
Almost as many (90 percent), had Internet connections in implications of Internet use for their organizations is
their organizations, about half of whom had only one com- essential to the adoption process.
puter connected. Most of those working for host country
organizations use it in their offices (82 percent). Some, The Leland Initiative, and AED’s role in developing a sig-
however, still visit cyber-centers to get access (16 percent). nificant user base, has contributed greatly to the ability of
More than half (51 percent) of the respondents have Africans to understand, access, and use the Internet, open-
trained others to use the Internet. ing up untold opportunities for obtaining and sharing in-
formation worldwide. Such information exchange has the
Though people and organizations have been gaining access potential to bring data and knowledge to a host of subject
to the Internet and using it to improve their communication areas like never before, significantly enhancing develop-
and outreach, the process has not necessarily been an easy ment policy and practice.
one. Of those USAID partner organizations connecting
through the host-country infrastructure, many (36 percent)
sited a lack of physical resources (funds, computers, phone Education Center for Women in Democracy, Kenya
line, funds for online time) as a barrier to their Internet use. As a result of support from USAID/Kenya and the
In addition, almost a third said that a lack of training posed Leland Initiative training, the Education Centre for
Women in Democracy (ECWD) created a Web site
* for the organization (www.arcc.or.ke/ecwd). The
Summarized by AED staff from a Report on the Leland ECWD “hopes to assist women not only to become
Project. The full report is available at: more active in politics but also to secure leadership
http://www.dec.org/pdf_docs/PDABT218.pdf position in political parties, parliament and govern-
ment.” Their Web site includes information about
For further information, contact David Wolfe, Deputy relevant international conferences, membership to
Project Director for Research & Reference Services, ECWD, and their newsletter and publications.
dwolfe@aed.org

COUNTRY PROFILE
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
INTRODUCTION 1. Distance Education Center at Technical

University of Gdansk (DECTUG)
Distance education in Poland has existed for over 200 years.
In 1776, Jagiellonian University was the first organization Distance Education Center at Technical University of
that tried to lead correspondence vocational courses for Pol- Gdansk (TUG) was established on 30th April, 1997 [3].
ish craftsmen. In the 19th and 20th centuries some Polish DECTUG is responsible for:
educational associations (Towarzystwo Kursow • Creating access for students and staff of TUG to study-
Akademickich dla Kobiet, Powszechne Wyklady Uniwer- materials, corresponding lessons, scripts and a communi-
syteckie) had been engaged in open learning. Between 1966 – cation environment using LAN (Local Area Network),
1971, many Polish graduate students after secondary schools MAN (Metropolitan Area Network) and WAN (Wide
could take part in television courses (physics and mathemat- Area Network) facilities.
ics) to prepare for universities and technical universities [1]. • Developing distance education course modules and ad-
The last decade was a period of rapid development in the aptation of existing European Union distance education
telecommunication area. It created a possibility for teaching course modules in subject areas of importance for eco-
at a distance via the Internet. nomic and social development in Poland.
• Improving access to education and training by establish-
At the present, there are four institutions that offer distance ing a flexible teaching environment concerning space,
education [2] (Table 1): time, choice of course providers and teaching resources.
• Distance Education Center at Technical University of
Gdansk - DECTUG (Centrum Edukacji Niestacjonarnej DECTUG offers a range of alternative methods of access to
Politechniki Gdanskiej); the course materials:
• Kielce University of Technology, Center for Continuing • Distribution of the course modules via e-mail, CD-
Education - Distance Education Center (Centrum Ksztal- ROM’s, and World Wide Web.
cenia Ustawicznego - Osrodek Edukacji Niestacjonarnej • Accessing the course modules from DECTUG.
w Kielcach); • Accessing the course modules from co-operating distance
• The Distance Education Certificate Program at the Uni- education centers in PHARE (Poland and Hungary - As-
versity of Lodz, (Studia Podyplomowe Podstawy Nauc- sistance to the Reconstruction of the Economy) countries
zania na Odleglosc przy Uniwersytecie Lodzkim); and or countries in Western Europe.
• Virtual University at the Institute for Vocational Training • Using printed material on special demand.
in Warsaw (Uniwersytet Wirtualny przy Instytucie
Ksztalcenia Zawodowego w Warszawie).

2. Kielce University of Technology, Center for framework of the Virtual University. The Institute is the first
Continuing Education - Distance Education institution in Poland that has undertaken, on such a wide
scale, the task of determining the place and possibilities of
Center incorporating modern computer technologies into the educa-
tion and information processes [6].
The Center for Continuing Education (CCE) has participated
in the PHARE Multi-country Program for Distance Educa- The project started in 1995 and at present the instructional
tion since April 1998 [4]. The Program made possible the offerings at the Virtual University consist of such useful fac-
opening of 40 Distance Education Study Centers (DESC) in ulties as:
Central-Eastern European countries, including 8 Centers in • computer science,
Poland. The CCE created DESC, which is focused on im- • public administration,
plementation and development of Distance Education • environmental protection,
Courses. Within its framework, the CCE is preparing three • European integration.
courses in distance education: Computer Architecture, Auto-
CAD (via Internet) and an English Course in dual mode. The The basic training unit is an Internet session that covers a
CCE is a member of European Distance Education Network part of the material for a given subject (each subject is di-
(EDEN). vided into a few thematic parts). Each Internet session con-
sists of:
• a lecture presenting the subject;
3. The Distance Education Certificate Pro- • a set of tasks or exercises with answers; the exercises are
gram at the University of Lodz to illustrate the lecture;
• topics to be studied and prepared by the student; and
This program came into existence at the University of Lodz • a set of exercises to be done by the student.
in October 1997. It is a unique program in Poland for teach-
ers and administrators, who want to use distance education During the course of study in a given subject, a student opens
methods in their work [5]. The post-graduate one year pro- Internet sessions progressively. The student has to study the
gram was established by the Polish - American Management material, solve the exercises attached to each session and
Center and the Faculty of Education at the University of send the solutions (via electronic mail) to the Institute for
Lodz. Its program has been based on the experience of the Vocational Training. Then the answers are checked and the
University of Maryland and Prince George’s Community results, with corrections, are sent back to the student, also via
College (USA), where a large number of students use long electronic mail (each student gets an individual Internet ad-
distance learning methods. dress after registering as a student of the Virtual University).
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 inform 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

Television University, which will give many students an op- • too expensive technology;
portunity to take part in diploma programs at a distance. • too low transmission speed for multimedia;
• not all of the students have access to Internet; and
Although there are many people interested in distance edu- • distance education via Internet is still expensive in com-
cation, it is still not very popular in Poland. The main barri- parison with traditional education.
ers are:
• lack of proper regulations;
Table 1. Distance Educational Institutions In Poland

Name of edu-Distance Education Centre at Kielce University of Technol- The Distance Education Cer- Virtual University at the
Technical University of
cational insti- ogy, Centre for Continuing tificate Program at the Uni- Institute for Vocational
tution Gdansk - DECTUG Education - Distance Educa- versity of Lodz Training in Warsaw
tion Centre
WWW address http://www.pg.gda.pl/dec/ http://www.cku.tu.kielce.pl http://pamctr.uni.lodz.pl http://www.uniwersytet-
wirtu-
alny.edu.pl/index1.htm
Educational Experimental didactic unit Distance Education Study Post-graduate Certificate pro- Project of Virtual Univer-
status Centre since April 1998 gram for teachers and admin- sity (VU) works at two
istrators, who want to use levels: as didactic and as
distance education methods in scientific research unit.
their work. VU has 4 regional centres.
Education Distance education courses Distance education courses One year post-graduate cer- • secondary vocational
offer tificate program training
• post-secondary training
• higher vocational school
training
Enrolments About 200 students ? About 30 students About 60 students
Program • AutoCAD • Computer Architecture The Postgraduate Distance The didactic offer at the
• English for Work, English Basics Education Program covers: Virtual University consists
for Environmental • AutoCAD 13 - I Level • teacher's role in distance of such faculties as:
Awareness • English Language Course learning, • computer science
• Programming in Pascal • Business Organization In- • distance learning technol- • public administration
• ENVIMAN - Environ- dustrial Organization ogy, • environmental protec-
mental Management • Business Economics and • distance education methods, tion
• WAWAMAN - Water and Finance. • organisation of distance • European integration
Waste Water Management. education centres,
• communicating at a dis-
tance.
Media • e-mail • Internet (e-mail, WWW) • printed material • Internet (e-mail, WWW)
• World Wide Web • Printed material • video tapes • Printed material
• CD - ROM • CD - ROM
• Printed material on special • voice mail,
demand. • Internet
• Teleconferences
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 .

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Volume 3, Issue 3 May/June 2001

This issue is co-sponsored by:

Thematic Focus: Technology for E-Learning in the Workplace

5 E-Learning Beyond the Workplace

7 E-Learning Growth and Promise for the Developing World

11What Isn’t E-Learning

13 The Role of E-Learning in Training and Development

15 How Information Technology Can Help Development: Opportunities and Obstacles

! 1 ! TechKnowLogia, May/June, 2001 © Knowledge Enterprise, Inc. www.TechKnowLogia.org

25 India: How NIIT Brings People and Computers Together…Successfully!

29 Corporate E-Training: Three Examples from Across the World

33 Honduras: Solar Energy Bridges the Digital Divide

! 2 ! TechKnowLogia, May/June, 2001 © Knowledge Enterprise, Inc. www.TechKnowLogia.org

43 Business, Corporate Universities and E-Learning

A corporate university today is in a favorable position in relation to traditional universities. Some

46 The Role of the Instructor in E-Learning Collaborative Environments

51 E-Learning Buyer’s Guide

53 Development of a Skilled I.T. Workforce: Strategies, Standards and Resources

56 Digital Divide or Digital Bridge? Exploring Threats and Opportunities to Participation in

! 3 ! TechKnowLogia, May/June, 2001 © Knowledge Enterprise, Inc. www.TechKnowLogia.org

64 Hearing the Sights: Seeing the Sounds!

66 African Global Information Infrastructure Gateway Project: The Leland Initiative

68 Country Profile: Distance Education in Poland

EDITORIAL CALENDAR YEAR 2001

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! 5 ! TechKnowLogia, May/June, 2001 © Knowledge Enterprise, Inc. www.TechKnowLogia.org

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The Status of E-Learning • A complete package. Some e-learning companies are

! 7 ! TechKnowLogia, May/June, 2001 © Knowledge Enterprise, Inc. www.TechKnowLogia.org

GRAPH 1: Number of Questions Asked and Answered in

! 8 ! TechKnowLogia, May/June, 2001 © Knowledge Enterprise, Inc. www.TechKnowLogia.org

Table 1: Effect Sizes Achieved with CAI and Knowledge-Based Tutors

Table 2: Reduction in Time Needed to Reach Instructional Objectives

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! 10 ! TechKnowLogia, May/June, 2001 © Knowledge Enterprise, Inc. www.TechKnowLogia.org

! 11 ! TechKnowLogia, May/June, 2001 © Knowledge Enterprise, Inc. www.TechKnowLogia.org

In this article, I have dismissed four myths about e-

1. E-learning is all about technology;

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! 13 ! TechKnowLogia, May/June, 2001 © Knowledge Enterprise, Inc. www.TechKnowLogia.org

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Opportunities and Obstacles

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! 16 ! TechKnowLogia, May/June, 2001 © Knowledge Enterprise, Inc. www.TechKnowLogia.org

Second, telecommunications policies must be liberalized.

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! 18 ! TechKnowLogia, May/June, 2001 © Knowledge Enterprise, Inc. www.TechKnowLogia.org

! 19 ! TechKnowLogia, May/June, 2001 © Knowledge Enterprise, Inc. www.TechKnowLogia.org

! 20 ! TechKnowLogia, May/June, 2001 © Knowledge Enterprise, Inc. www.TechKnowLogia.org

The Advantages of E-Learning

The advantages of e-learning become clear when you con-

This increase in lifelong learners is problematic in terms of

! 21 ! TechKnowLogia, May/June, 2001 © Knowledge Enterprise, Inc. www.TechKnowLogia.org

One of the outstanding features of distance learning at Rio

To make sure every new distance learning student transitions

But there is more. In 1996, the entire college was placed

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! 23 ! TechKnowLogia, May/June, 2001 © Knowledge Enterprise, Inc. www.TechKnowLogia.org

! 24 ! TechKnowLogia, May/June, 2001 © Knowledge Enterprise, Inc. www.TechKnowLogia.org

The Initial Years

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! 26 ! TechKnowLogia, May/June, 2001 © Knowledge Enterprise, Inc. www.TechKnowLogia.org