techknowlogia journal 2000 jan feb

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!!!!1 !!!!TechKnowLogia, January/February, 2000 Knowledge Enterprise, Inc. www.TechKnowLogia.org

Volume 2, Issue 1 January/February 2000

5555 Higher Education: The Ivory Tower and the Satellite DishWadi D. Haddad, Editor

Institutions of higher education have to make some hard educational, managerial, financial and strategicpolicy choices. Information technology will help make some of these choices work better.

7777 Higher Education: Facing the Challenges of the 21st CenturyJamil Salmi, Education Sector Manager, Latin America and the Caribbean Region, The World Bank

This article analyzes the new challenges characterizing the environment in which higher education institutionsoperate and compete, and examines some concrete implications of these challenges, looking at promisingtrends and experiences in countries and institutions.

1 11 11 11 1 Technologies: A Window for Transforming Higher EducationG. Dhanarajan, President, Commonwealth of Learning

There are three very good reasons to support a re-engineering of the higher education process in todays

environment: demand and diversity, technology and capacity and finally quality and transformation.

1 41 41 41 4 Technology and Institutional Change: Why Some Educational Institutions UseTechnology And Others Don'tClaudio de Moura Castro, Chief Education Adviser, Inter-American Development Bank

Information technology is sold aggressively around the world, and its price keeps falling. Yet, the use ofinformation technology in education is particularly skewed, regardless of level. Why?

1 61 61 61 6 Is Virtual Education for Real? Issues of Quality and AccreditationJody K. Olsen, Sr. Vice President, Academy for Educational Development

Technology and what it opens for learning force reassessment but also gives opportunities for better

systems of assuring the quality education that students, faculty, and the community expect.

1 91 91 91 9 TechKnowNewsThe Stockholm Challenge Award Now Open for Entries Internet2, Where to? Corporate Universities

Reinvent Training 'Open Archives' Project as an Alternative to Costly Journals Cisco's E-Learning

Initiative, Dramatically Shifts Learning Model HungryMinds.com Adds Thousands of University Courses to

Online Learning Marketplace FORWARD Towards the Information Society Low-Cost PCs For Indian

Education Sector


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2 12 12 12 1 The African Virtual University: Bridging the Knowledge Gap for DevelopmentMactar Diagne

This article describes the African Virtual University, its objectives, functions, programs and future.

2 32 32 32 3 University of the Highlands and the Islands: New Paradigm or Exceptional Case?Richard Hopper and William Saint, World Bank

The University of the Highlands and Islands of Scotland could represent a new paradigm in higher educationdelivery for developing countries where community isolation, program availability, and academicinfrastructure remain problematic.

2 62 62 62 6 The Open University of Hong Kong: Quality Assurance in Distance LearningSonia Jurich

To gain public confidence and academic respect is a major challenge to the viability and survival of OpenUniversities. The Open University of Hong Kong has taken this challenge seriously.

2 92 92 92 9 Korea: Virtual University Trial ProjectInsung Jung, Ph.D., Korean National Open University

This trial Project permits the Korean private sector and the conventional higher education institutions tocompete with foreign universities by establishing degree-granting virtual universities.

3 23 23 23 2 Mexico: The Virtual University of the Technological Institute of MonterreyLaurence Wolff, Inter-American Development Bank

This article describes the main features of the Monterrey Institute: technologies, instructional design and

linkages with the industry.

3 43 43 43 4 University of Phoenix: A New Model for Tertiary Education in Developing CountriesGregg B. Jackson, Ph.D., Associate Professor and Coordinator, George Washington University

This article examines how the University of Phoenix operates, assesses the quality of education that itprovides, and discusses whether it is a model that developing countries should consider for the expansion oftertiary education at little or no cost to the public sector.

3 83 83 83 8 The End of the Campus University? What the Literature Says About Distance LearningSonia Jurich

Some view new forms of delivery of higher education as no more than fads, soon to pass. For others, thedays of the traditional university are counted. This article brings some light to this discussion with the help ofthree recent documents.


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4 24 24 24 2 The Effectiveness Debate: What We Know About the Quality of Distance Learning in theUSJamie P. Merisotis, President, The Institute for Higher Education Policy, and Jody K. Olsen, Sr. VicePresident, Academy for Educational Development

The polar views expressed in many policy discussionsthat there is no significant difference on the oneextreme, and that distance learning is inherently inferior on the otherdefy reason. The real debate needs to

focus on identifying what approaches work best for teaching students, period.

4 54 54 54 5 Implementation of Tertiary Distance Education: Choices and DecisionsWilliam Saint, Sr. Education Specialist, World Bank

Countries and institutions interested in developing tertiary distance education will need to formulatecomprehensive strategic policies, choose an institutional model and make management choices. This articleprovides an analysis of policies to select from and institutional models to choose from.

4 94 94 94 9 Costs of ICT Use in Higher EducationMarianne Bakia, Education Specialist, World Bank

This article focuses on the costs of different models of teaching with technology in higher education, bearingin mind that these technologies also support a wide range of other core activities.

5 35 35 35 3 Tertiary Education: Institutional Challenges and Management ResponsesKurt Moses, Sr. Vice President, Academy for Educational Development

Alternative organizations to the university will take over many of its roles if it does not adapt. The institutionalchallenge is to simultaneously become dramatically better at current operations, and innovate. This articlepresents some concrete management responses to this challenge.

5 55 55 55 5 Argentina: Management Information System for Higher EducationLujn Gurmandi, Ministry of Education, Argentina, and Jamil Salmi, Education Sector Manager, LatinAmerica and the Caribbean Region, The World Bank

This article describes the process of development of a University Information System with the dual purposeof serving the oversight and monitoring needs of the national authorities and meeting the managementneeds of the universities.

5 75 75 75 7 Video ProjectorsThis article describes the advantages of using video projectors in the classroom, how they differ fromoverhead projectors, and the practical questions you should ask before you buy one.

5 95 95 95 9 Higher Education Software Sampler

This article presents examples of software that may be relevant to some of the major players in highereducation: students, parents, teachers and university administrators.


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6 16 16 16 1 WorthWhileWebsFrank Method, Director, Washington Unesco Office

This article offers a selection of websites illustrating possibilities for using information technology to improvehigher education.

6 46 46 46 4 Biometrics: We Know Who You Are!

What is biometrics, how it works, and why use it?

6 56 56 56 5 The Wearable PC: Mobile Computing Like Never Before

The world's first wearable PC: what it is, what its features are, and how to get it.

6 66 66 66 6 Speech Recognition: When People Talk, Computers Listen!Sandra Semaan

This article describes the latest in speech recognition software and how they work. It also poses thequestions you should ask before considering any purchase.

6 86 86 86 8 CODECS Brings the Open University to RomaniaAdrian Catalin Ionescu, Chairman/CEO, CODECS

The CEO of CODECS tells the story of how the Center has brought to Romania the most flexible and

accessible management education, by using The Open University (OU) distance learning system.

7 07 07 07 0 Half a Millennium: Landmarks of Higher Education in the AmericasSonia Jurich

This "profile" highlights three moments in the history of Universities on the American continent: thecommencement ceremony for a new doctor at the University of San Marcos in Lima, Peru, during the 1600's,the Chautauqua society in the late 1800's and early 1900's in the United States, and the use of informationtechnology in Mexico.

Next Issue: March/ April 2000

Thematic Focus: Access to Information and Knowledge

Guest Editorial Adviser: Kerry McNamara, Global Knowledge Partnership


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!!!!5 !!!!TechKnowLogia,January/February, 2000 Knowledge Enterprise, Inc. www.TechKnowLogia.org

Wadi D. Haddad, Editor

Higher Educat ion:The Ivory Tower and the Sat el l i t e Di sh

Person of the centuryWe are no more on the "threshold of the 21st century" - or thethird millennium. We are in. As we look back at theachievements of the last century, we marvel at theextraordinary advancements in the fields of science andtechnology - space explorations, the unraveling of the atom,genetics, organ transplant, the car, radio, television, the faxmachine, the chip, the Internet - to name only a few. We alsomarvel at the progress made in the areas of social andeconomic development, the humanities, and the arts. This

was all made possible because of a set of unique humanfeatures: the capacity to acquire knowledge generated byothers and build on it, the ability to record one's knowledgeand disseminate it to others in understandable terms, thedesire to search, explore and make sense of the universe, theurge to apply knowledge to solve day-to-day problems, andthe faith that nothing is impossible or beyond the reach of thehuman mind. Such human is the Person of the Century andevery century.

Institutions of higher education and advanced studies are theembodiment of these human features and have been at thecenter of human achievement in the different fields of

science, technology, social studies and the humanities. Theyhave been the arenas for the generation, advancement anddissemination of knowledge, the training of human capital atthe highest levels, and the engines of social and economicdevelopment. They have excited many minds, opened newdoors into the mysteries of the universe and dared manyspirits to delve into the unknown. Many have served asstrongholds for the pursuit of truth and values againstprevailing beliefs, prejudices and intellectual and politicaltyrannies. But, unfortunately, this cannot be said of alluniversities. Many have copied the body but failed to capturethe spirit, and many campuses ended up being no more thanglorified high schools.

Into the 21stcenturyTertiary education institutions will be even more critical ascountries face the challenges of the 21st century in terms ofhaving a significant and dignified role in the globaleconomy, assimilating escalating knowledge andcontributing to it, and attending to sustainable socialdevelopment. While it is important to strengthen generaleducation and basic skill training, providing opportunitiesfor acquiring advanced knowledge and skills must be

pursued concurrently in order to advance development ofthe economy and harness new technologies. Technologicalcapacity the ability to assess, select, adapt, use and developnew technologies will be a critical determinant of acountrys competitiveness prospects. Institutions of highereducation and training must be first-class to equipindividuals with the advanced knowledge and skills requiredfor positions in government, business, industry, and theprofessions. These institutions are expected to produce newknowledge through research and to serve as channels for the

acquisition, transfer, adaptation and dissemination ofknowledge generated elsewhere in the world.

I change therefore I amThe crucial contributions of institutions of higher learning tothe great achievements of the 20th century and theexpectations from them in the 21st century, should not shieldthem from scrutiny and re-examination. However, a reviewof their role and modalities should not be perceived as a judgement of failure or poor record. With or without theinflux of information technology, higher educationinstitutions are facing changing dynamics, expectations anddemands:

! From small, selective student bodies to large morecomprehensive ones;

! From campus-based residential to open, at a distance;! From "ivory tower" to "market place";! From sole source of knowledge to multiple sources;! From specific times to anytime.

Add to that issues of accountability, autonomy, cost-effectiveness, finance, relevance of curricula and methods ofteaching.

These demands and concerns were not created byinformation technology and they will not be resolved by

information technology either. Institutions of highereducation have to make some hard educational, managerial,financial and strategic policy choices. Information technology will help make some of these choices workbetter. Appropriate utilization of technologies will assist inthe areas of expanding access, improving the quality ofinstructional materials and delivery, lowering of costs andbetter running of the institution as a viable and efficiententerprise. Perhaps the most significant contribution is in the


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expansion of the time and space dimensions of highereducation. There is a real and growing shift from clearlydifferentiated phases of learning and work to the concept thatlearning is life-long and everywhere. When tertiary educationis seen as a continuum - with no marked beginning and end -and as an activity and not a place, information technology

becomes central to the architecture and modalities ofeducation services.

Vive la difference!Can distance education replace campus-based institutions?Certainly not the ones that are vibrant with research,exploration, and intellectual discourse; not the ones whereteachers are interested in teaching, available for students andeffective in facilitating learning and thinking; not the onesthat are well equipped with data bases, informationresources, research labs and technological tools. But not allcampus-based institutions are like that, or even close to that.How many campus universities exist whereby students donot have to attend classes and teachers lecture to students

they never talk to; where there is no research, no interaction,and no libraries; and where there is no academic freedom andno academic values? In such situations, even the baredistance education programs are hardly taking anything awayfrom these institutions. They are probably offering more at amuch lower capital and recurrent cost.

To "tech" or not to "tech"To "tech" or not to "tech" higher education is NOT thequestion. There is a whole spectrum of possibilities inbetween, ranging from the full virtual university, to the open,low-tech distance education programs to the dual model ofcombining classroom instruction with distance education.

Then there is the spectrum of technologies, ranging frommail correspondence to audio to video to the Internet. Mostimportantly, technology is not necessarily an alternative tothe campus or the instructor. Perhaps one of the best uses oftechnology is to strengthen the campus setting with betterresources, empower the professor to become an effectivefacilitator of learning, and enhance the role of the student asa learner, thinker, investigator and problem-solver. Thisobjective can be achieved by integrating into the coursestructure on-line technologies, video technologies, andcomputer technologies (including text, graphics, digitizedaudio and video and interactive media.) If these technologiesare packaged into a network, it allows participating

institutions to share the best instructors, materials, software,strategies and experiences and realize economies of scale interms of cost, resources and expertise.

TTeecchhKKnnoowwLL ooggiiaaPublished by

Knowledge Enterprise, Inc.

In collaboration withUnited Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural

Organization (UNESCO)Organization for Economic Co-operation

and Development (OECD )Global Information Infrastructure Commission (GIIC)

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF:Wadi D. Haddad, President, Knowledge Enterprise, Inc.

INTERNATIONAL ADVISORY BOARD:Thomas Alexander,Director, Employment, Labour and

Social Affairs Directorate, OECDGajaraj Dhanarajan, President & CEO,

The Commonwealth of LearningDee Dickenson, CEO, New Horizons for LearningAlexandra Draxler,Director, Task force on Education for

the Twenty-first Century (UNESCO)

Jacques Hallak,Director, Int'l Bureau of EducationPedro Paulo Poppovic, Secretary of Distance Education,Federal Ministry of Education, Brazil

Nicholas Veliotes, President Emeritus,Association of American Publishers

ADVISORY EDITORIAL COMMITTEE:Joanne Capper, Sr. Education Specialist, World BankClaudio Castro, Chief Education Adviser, IDBDennis Foote,Director, LearnLinks, AEDGregg Jackson,Assoc. Prof., George Washington Univ.James Johnson,Deputy Director, GIICFrank Method,Dir., Washington Office, UNESCOLaurence Wolff, Sr. Consultant, IDB

GUEST EDITORIAL ADVISERS:Jamil Salmi,Ed. Sector Mgr, World Bank

Jody Olsen, Sr. V.P., AED

CONTRIBUTING EDITORS:Jarl Bengtsson,Head, CERI, OEDCSonia Jurich, ConsultantGlenn Kleiman, VP, Education Development CenterDan Wagner,Director, International Literacy Institute

MANAGING EDITOR:Sandra Semaan

GENERAL QUESTIONS OR [email protected]

FEEDBACK ON [email protected] MATTERS:[email protected] AND [email protected]

MAILING ADDRESS AND FAXKnowledge Enterprise, Inc.P.O. Box 3027Oakton, VA 22124U.S.A.Fax: 703-242-2279

This issue is co-sponsored by: AED
http://[email protected]/http://[email protected]/http://[email protected]/http://[email protected]/http://[email protected]/http://[email protected]/http://[email protected]/http://[email protected]/http://[email protected]/http://[email protected]/http://[email protected]/http://[email protected]/


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Higher Educat ionH igher Educat ionH igher Educat ionH igher Educat ionFacing the Challenges of the 21st Century

Jamil Salmi

Education Sector Manager

Latin America and the Caribbean Region, The World Bank1

IntroductionImagine a university without buildings or classrooms or even alibrary. Imagine a university ten thousand miles away from itsstudents, delivering on-line programs or offering its coursesthrough franchise institutions overseas. Imagine a universitywithout academic departments, without required courses ormajors or grades. Imagine a college proposing a bachelorsdegree in Individualized Studies or in Interdisciplinary Studies.Imagine a degree valid only for five years after graduation.Imagine a higher education system where institutions areranked not by the quality of their teachers, but by the intensityof electronic wiring and the degree of Internet connectivity.Imagine a country whose main export earnings come from thesale of higher education services. Imagine a socialist countrywhich charges tuition fees to obtain full cost recovery in publichigher education. Are we entering the realm of science fiction?Or are these evocations real-life stories of revolution in theworld of higher education on the eve of the 21st century?

In the past few years, many countries have witnessedsignificant transformations and reforms in their highereducation systems, including the emergence of new types ofinstitutions, changes in patterns of financing and governance,

the establishment of evaluation and accreditation mechanisms,curriculum reforms, and technological innovations. But thetertiary education landscape is not changing as fast everywhere.At Oxford University, New College is a venerable sixteenthcentury institution. The oldest university of the Americancontinent, the Autonomous University of Santo Domingo in theDominican Republic, is about to collapse under the pressure ofits 80,000 students that are crowding facilities originallydesigned to accommodate only 6,000 students. The largestuniversity in the world, the National Autonomous University ofMexico, has been paralyzed since April 1999 by a strike overthe Rectors decision to increase tuition fees by the equivalentof US$140. In this rapidly evolving world, what is likely to

happen to those higher education institutions, which are notwilling or able to change?

To answer this question, this article is divided into two parts. Itlooks first at the new challenges characterizing the environmentin which higher education institutions operate and compete onthe eve of the 21st century. Second, it examines some concreteimplications of these challenges for higher education leaders,looking at promising trends and experiences in countries andinstitutions which have taken the lead in introducing reformsand innovations.

The New ChallengesThere are three major, intertwined new challenges whichbear heavily on the role and functions of higher education:(a) economic globalization, (b) the growing importance ofknowledge, and (c) the information and communicationrevolution. Globalization is the process of growingintegration of capital, technology, and information acrossnational boundaries in such a way as to create an increasinglyintegrated world market, with the direct consequence thatmore and more countries and firms have no choice but tocompete in the global economy. This is not to mean thatglobalization is necessarily a good thing or a badphenomenon. Many people see it as a major source ofopportunities, while critics decry the dangers of inter-

dependency, such as the risk of transferring financial crisesfrom one country to the other. But globalization ishappening, whether one likes it or not, and every country inthe world, every firm, and every working person has to livewith it.

The second dimension of change is the growing role ofknowledge. Economic development is increasingly linked toa nations ability to acquire and apply technical and socio-economic knowledge, and the process of globalization isaccelerating this trend. Comparative advantages come lessand less from abundant natural resources or cheaper labor,and more and more from technical innovations and the com-

petitive use of knowledge. The proportion of goods with amedium-high and high level of technology content in inter-national trade has gone from 33 percent in 1976 to 54 percentin 1996.2 Today, economic growth is more a process ofknowledge accumulation than of capital accumulation.

In this context, economies of scope, derived from the abilityto design and offer different products and services with thesame technology, are becoming a more powerful driving

It is not the strongest species that survive, nor themost intelligent, but the ones most responsive tochange.

- Charles Darwin


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force than traditional economies of scale. At the same time,there is a rapid acceleration in the rhythm of creation anddissemination of knowledge, which means that the life spanof technologies and products gets shorter every time and thatobsolescence comes quickly. The best illustration comesperhaps from the computer industry, where the monopoly ofthe Intel chip has decreased in duration with each new ver-sion. With the 386 microprocessor, Intel dominated the mar-ket for more than 3 years in the late 1980s, ten years later itscompetitive edge lasted only 3 months with Pentium II, andPentium III has just been supplanted by AMDs Athlon mi-croprocessor after being on the market for only a few weeks.Also, in many fields, the distance between basic science andtechnological application is narrowing or, in some cases,disappearing. Molecular biology and computer science aretwo typical examples of this evolution.

The third dimension of change is the information andcommunication revolution, which has radically transformedthe capacity to store, transmit and use information. Innova-

tions in electronics and telecommunications, such as the de-velopment of high capacity data transmission technology,along with parallel cost reductions, have resulted, for allpractical purposes, in the abolition of physical distance withregard to information access and communication amongpeople, institutions and countries. For instance, sixty yearsago a phone call from New York to London cost the equiva-lent of US$300 per minute, and today that same call costsonly five cents per minute.

Implications for Higher Education1.Radical Changes In Training NeedsAs for training needs, a trend towards higher and differentskills has been observed in OECD countries and in the mostadvanced developing economies. In knowledge-driveneconomies, workers and employees need higher level skills.This is illustrated by recent data on rates of return in a fewLatin American countries (Chile, Brazil and Mexico) whichshow a rising rate of return for tertiary education, a reversalof earlier trends in the 1970s and the 1980s.3

The second dimension of change in education and trainingneeds is the growing importance of continuing educationbecause of the necessity to update knowledge and skills on aregular basis. The traditional approach of studying once andfor all to get a first degree or to finish with a graduate educa-

tion before moving on to ones professional life is being pro-gressively replaced by practices of lifelong education.Training is becoming an integral part of ones working life,happening in different contexts: on the job, in specializedhigher education institutions, or even at home. This meansthat, in the medium term, the primary clientele of universitieswill no more be young high school graduates. Universitieshave to organize themselves to accommodate the learningand training needs of a very diverse clientele: working stu-

dents, mature students, part-time students, day students, nightstudents, weekend students, etc. One can expect a significantchange in the demographic shape of higher education institu-tions, whereby the traditional structure of a pyramid with amajority of first degree students, a smaller group of post-graduate students, and finally an even smaller share of par-ticipants in continuing education programs will be replacedby an inverted pyramid with a minority of first time students,more students pursuing a second or third degree, and themajority of students enrolled in short term continuing educa-tion activities. In 1999, for the first time in the US, a numberof colleges have decided to stagger the arrival of new stu-dents throughout the academic year, instead of restrictingthem to the fall semester.

Another important consequence of the acceleration of scien-tific and technological progress is the diminished emphasis,in tertiary education programs, on the acquisition of knowl-edge of facts and basic data per se and the growing impor-tance of what could be called methodological knowledge and

skills, i.e., the ability to learn in an autonomous manner. Inmany disciplines, factual knowledge taught in the first yearmay become obsolete before graduation, so that the learningprocess needs to be increasingly based on the capacity tofind, access and apply knowledge. In this new paradigm,where learning to learn is more important than memorizingspecific information, primacy is given to information searchand analytical skills and to reasoning and problem-solvingskills. Competencies such as learning to work in teams, peerteaching, creativity, resourcefulness and the ability to adjustto change are also among the new skills to which employersseem to put worth in the knowledge economy.

The third dimension of new training needs is the growingattractiveness of university degrees with an international ap-plication. In a global economy where firms produce foroverseas markets and compete with foreign firms in theirown domestic markets, there is a rising demand for interna-tionally recognized qualifications, especially in management-related fields. Many entrepreneurial university leaders havebeen quick to seize this opportunity. In the US, a rapidlygrowing number of online universities are reaching out tostudents in foreign countries. Jones International University,for instance, which already serves students in 38 countries, isthe first online university in the world that has been formallyaccredited by the same agency that accredits traditional uni-

versities like the University of Michigan or the University ofChicago. The Mexican equivalent of MIT, the TechnologyInstitute of Monterey, has established a Virtual Universitywith 26 campuses throughout Mexico and 20 branches allover Latin America. In Asia and Eastern Europe, there hasbeen a proliferation of so-called overseas-validated coursesoffered by franchise institutions on behalf of British andAustralian universities. Also, hundreds of thousands of stu-dents in Commonwealth countries each year take exams or-


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ganized by UK Examination Boards such as the Institute ofCommerce and Management or the London Chamber ofCommerce and Institute.4

2. New Forms of CompetitionMore generally, the decreased importance of physical dis-tance means that the best universities of any country can de-cide to open a branch anywhere in the world or to reach outacross borders using the Internet or transmitting coursesthrough satellites, effectively competing with any nationaluniversity on its own territory. The President of the Univer-sity of Maryland wrote an article of complaint in the Wash-ington Post a few months ago, vehemently protesting theopening of a branch of the University of Phoenix in Mary-land. The California-based University of Phoenix, one of themost dynamic new distance universities in the US, uses anincentive system to reward professors on the basis of thelabor market outcomes of graduates and already boasts anenrollment of 60,000 students. It is estimated that, in the USalone, there are already more than 3,000 institutions offering

online training. Corporate universities are another form ofcompetition with which traditional universities will increas-ingly have to contend. Motorola University, for example,operates with a yearly budget of 120 million dollars. Thereare about 1,000 institutions operating as corporate universi-ties. This years recipients of the Corporate UniversityAwards sponsored by the Financial Times were TVA Uni-versity, IDX Institute of Technology, Dell Learning, IBMCorporate University and ST University.5

The emergence of these new forms of competition is likely tochange the nature of quality assurance mechanisms and crite-ria. At the level of individual institutions, for example, it is

doubtful that the principles and standards routinely applied toevaluate or accredit campus-based programs can be used toassess the quality and effectiveness of online courses withoutsignificant adjustments. At the national level, countries needto develop information systems and participate in interna-tional networks to be able to evaluate the quality of the for-eign programs offered to their students through franchiseinstitutions or online.

3. New Configurations and Modes of OperationFaced with the new training needs and the new competitivechallenges, many universities need to undertake drastic trans-formations in terms of governance, organizational structure

and modes of operation. A key aspect is the ability to or-ganize traditional disciplines differently, taking into consid-eration the emergence of new scientific and technologicalfields. Among the most significant ones, it is worth men-tioning molecular biology and biotechnology, advanced ma-terials science, microelectronics, information systems, ro-botics, intelligent systems and neuroscience, and environ-mental science and technology. Training for these fieldsrequires the integration of a number of disciplines which

have not necessarily been in close contact previously, whichentails the multiplication of inter- and multidisciplinary pro-grams, cutting across traditional institutional barriers. Forexample, the study of molecular devices and sensors, withinthe wider framework of molecular biology and biotechnol-ogy, brings together specialists in electronics, materials sci-ence, chemistry and biology. In Denmark, environmentalscience programs are taught by a group of specialists whoinclude not only scientists and engineers but also theologiansand political scientists responsible for teaching the relevantethical and political economy dimensions. George MasonUniversity in Virginia started what is called the New CenturyCollege with its main academic program being a bachelorsdegree in Interdisciplinary Studies. In Canada, WaterlooUniversity earned the high reputation of its engineering de-grees--considered among the best in the country--through thesuccessful integration of cooperative programs, integratingin-school and on-the-job training. Such innovations havehelped this institution achieve what the Cambridge mathe-matician Alfred North Whitehead described, many decades

ago, as the noble mission of the university:

The tragedy of the world is that those who areimaginative have but slight experience, and those who areexperienced have feeble imaginations. Fools act onimagination without experience. Pedants act onknowledge without imagination. The task of the universityis to weld together imagination and experience.

Increasingly, tertiary education institutions will need the ca-pacity to react swiftly by establishing new programs, recon-figuring existing ones, and eliminating outdated programswithout being hampered by bureaucratic regulations and ob-

stacles. Effective feedback mechanisms, such as tracer sur-veys and regular consultations with employers and alumni,are indispensable for this purpose.

The use of modern technology has just begun to revolution-ize the way teaching and learning occurs. The concurrentuse of multimedia and computers permits the development ofnew pedagogical approaches involving active and interactivelearning. Frontal teaching can be replaced by asynchronousteaching in the form of online classes which can be eitherscheduled or self-paced. In Brazil, a few schools of medicineand engineering in federal universities have been experi-menting with the use of computer-based programs to teach

mathematics in the first and second year, rather than havingstudents attend regular classes. This change in pedagogicalapproach has resulted in a decrease in dropout rates from 70to 30 percent. In Australia, the University of Newcastle hasbeen a pioneer in the use of a problem-learning approach inmedical school.

The information and communication revolution will havefar-reaching implications for how universities are organized.


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We live in an era where everything is possible andnothing is certain.

Vaclav HavelFormer playwright and President of the Czech Republic

Already in the United States one new university has beenbuilt without a library because all students are expected touse computers to access online libraries and databases.Wiring is becoming an important determinant of the attrac-tiveness of a higher education institution. This is reflectedby the recent publication, for the second consecutive year, ofthe results of a ranking survey which assesses US universi-ties on the basis of their computer and communication infra-structure and their level of Internet use for pedagogical andadministrative purposes. Case Western Reserve University,MIT and Wake Forest University are the 1999 leaders inapplying online services on campus.6 But university leadersmust keep in mind the high cost of information technologyand infrastructure including not only the initial capital out-lays required to begin following the advanced informationand communication technology path, but also the recurrentbudget outlays needed for future expenditures on infrastruc-ture maintenance.

To be able to adapt to the changing environment, flexibility

is very important. But in many countries, universities arevery rigid when it comes to making changes in their struc-ture, programs or mode of operation. Recently in Uruguay, itwas only when confronted with competition from new pri-vate universities that the venerable University of the Repub-lic - which had a monopoly over higher education in thatcountry for 150 years - started a strategic planning exerciseand considered establishing post-graduate programs for thefirst time. Another example of institutional inflexibility oc-curred in Venezuela, where a very dynamic private businessadministration institute called IESA had to wait several yearsto receive the official seal of approval of the Council ofRectors for a new MBA program designed jointly with the

Harvard Business School.

An interesting example of willingness to change and adapton a regular basis is provided by the University of SouthFlorida in Tampa, one of the relatively young public univer-sities in the US. The Engineering Department offers itsgraduates a five-year warranty just like a traditional warrantyagainst manufacturing defects, which comes with any con-sumer good. If at any time during the five years immediatelyfollowing graduation an alumnus/a is required to apply skillsin his/her work but had not received the requisite trainingduring university studies, he or she can re-enroll at the uni-versity to acquire these skills free of charge. Along the same

lines, a university could well envisage selling a training forlife package - to achieve the dual objective of consolidatingits financial base and keeping its programs up-to-date. Undersuch a scheme new students would sign up and pay for notonly their initial professional education, but also for all theretraining periods which they would require throughout theirprofessional career.

Conclusion

Higher education is facing unprecedented challenges on theeve of the 21st century, under the impact of globalization,knowledge-based economic growth, and the information andcommunication revolution. These challenges can be seenequally as terrible threats or tremendous opportunities.Countries and higher education institutions willing to takeadvantage of these new opportunities cannot afford to remainpassive, but must be proactive in launching meaningful re-forms and innovations. While there is no rigid blueprint for allcountries and institutions, a common prerequisite may be theneed to formulate a clear vision of how the higher educationsystem can effectively contribute to the development of each

country and how each institution elects to evolve within thatsystem.

A final word of caution is warranted to signal the danger offocusing exclusively on the implacable logic of technicalchange and globalization. Adapting to the changingenvironment is not only a matter of reshaping tertiaryinstitutions and applying new technologies. It is equally vital toensure that students are equipped with the core valuesnecessary to live in complex democratic societies. As USSupreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia reaffirmed in a recentspeech at the graduating ceremony of William and MaryCollege in Maryland,

1 The findings, interpretations, and conclusions expressed in thispaper are entirely those of the author and should not be attributed inany manner to the World Bank, its affiliated organization membersof its Board of Executive Directors or the countries they represent.2 World Bank (1998). World Development Report: Knowledge for

Development. New York: Oxford University Press, p. 28.

3 Lchler, U. (1997). Education and Earnings Inequality in Mex-ico, The World Bank, unpublished paper.4 Bennell, P. and T. Pearce (1998). The Internationalization of

Higher Education: Exporting Education to Developing and Tran-sitional Economies. Brighton: Institute of Development Studies.5 Authers, J. (1999). Keeping Company with the Campus, inFinancial Times. Monday, 26 April, 1999, p. 11.6 Bernstein, R. (1999). "Americas 100 Most Wired Colleges," inYahoo! Internet Life. May 1999, pp. 86-119.

Brains and learning, like muscle and physical skill, arearticles of commerce. They are bought and sold. You canhire them by the year or by the hour. The only thing in theworld not for sale is character. And if that does notgovern and direct your brains and learning, they will doyou and the world more harm than good.


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!11 !TechKnowLogia, January/February, 2000 Knowledge Enterprise, Inc. www.TechKnowLogia.org

A WINDOW FOR

TRA N SFO RM IN G H I GHER EDUCA TIO N

By G. Dhanarajan, President, Commonwealth of Learning

Introduction

Some 10 years ago John Gardner a one time secretary ofstate for health and education, under the Reaganadministration and, current professor at Stanford Universitywas reported as saying that I am entirely certain that 20 years from now we will look back at education as it is practiced in most schools today and wonder that we couldhave tolerated anything so primitive. By and large ourtraditions of teaching and learning [in that order] has

undergone very little change from the days of Aristotle.Notwithstanding, there is a strong lobby that is emergingwhich argues for the exceptions to become the norm. Atthe forefront of this lobby is not academia but political forcesand perhaps commercial interests. They believe that thetechnologies of today and those that are emerging willtransform the teaching landscape to that extent where it willbe neither economical nor socially acceptable to cling on toancient traditions.

There are at least three very good reasons to support a re-engineering of the educational process in todaysenvironment: demand and diversity, technology and

capacity and finally quality and transformation.

Demand and Diversity

Notwithstanding certain levels of scepticism, the provisionfor learning is becoming more open and accessible. Manyfactors contribute to this changing educational culture.Important among these are the forces of economics, socialand technological. These forces are worldwide in their scopeand, in terms of their power, seem to have a profound impacton business practises, manufacturing processes, financialservices, government policies and, more recently, in ourteaching practises and learning behaviours. It would not be

an exaggeration to say that as we enter this century, we arealso moving irrevocably in the direction of changing the waywe think about information, knowledge and learning.

In addition, there is also a change in the nature of thoserequiring education and training. Communities are no longercontented (nor should they be) to limit access to educationand training to the fortunate few who live in urbancommunities, have access to communications, infrastructure

and classrooms, know when, how and what to learn and havethe resources to pay for them. The arrival of the newertechnologies certainly seems to have stimulated a resurgenceof interest in diversifying methods of knowledge delivery.

Admittedly any transformation of educational systemscannot ignore a role for technology in the delivery of thateducation. There are several reasons why this is so, but afew stand out as immensely important. These are:

The short supply of talent: On one hand, the planet is filledwith highly skilled and talented people in all fields of humanendeavour. On the other, critics of global educationalsystems have constantly bemoaned the fact that, by andlarge, the academic talent found in our schools, colleges anduniversities need to enhance the quality of the learningenvironment beyond levels of mediocrity. We needexcellence in our teaching and we need to source ourteachers from the best in the community and distribute themto the whole learning community. The Western GovernorsVirtual University initiative among the North Western Statesof the USA is, in fact, attempting to do the same thing. Thisattempt envisages going beyond campus walls to source

academic teaching talent. Contributors to courses willcome from business, commerce, industry and government,and users of the courses will include ordinary people alongwith thousands of college and university students.

An unmet demand: Since the end of the last World War, theplanet has expanded its educational provision at all levels.While in proportionate terms we congratulate ourselves forhaving achieved near universal basic, primary and moresecondary and post-secondary education, the absolutenumber of people still needing education at all levels isastronomical. To be a globally competitive economy, therenewal of peoples knowledge, especially those in theworkforce, is vital. If we also include our desire to build

nations of informed and knowledgeable citizenry for thefunctioning of a healthy democracy, then this planetsdemand for educational opportunities is truly staggering. Noconventional system of educational delivery can meet thisdemand. Using technology may provide some relief, andusing technology in partnership with others may provide lotsof relief.


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Changing patterns of learning: Full-time study withintime-tabled constraints of the classrooms is only accessibleto a few; for many who wish to study, learning will have tooccur at a time and place of their choice. The growth of openschools, polytechnics and universities as well as thenumerous suppliers of correspondence and on-line educationare all manifestations of peoples desire to learn at theirconvenience rather than at an institutions call.

Just in time training: The rapid changes that are takingplace in the workplace will require training to be deliveredquickly. Such training needs to be high speed, low cost andshould reach small and large groups. Traditional ways ofdelivering training is time consuming, labour intensive,socially disruptive and entails high cost.

Information explosion: It is said that the total amount ofinformation that becomes available doubles every four to fiveyears. Stating it another way, the total of all humanknowledge that was available to an undergraduate in 1997

will be less than 1% of what will be available to a student inthe year 2050. Teachers have to become expert in helpinglearners navigate through this sea of information rather thanpretending to be effective transformers of that informationinto knowledge for the learners. Students must be trained tobring about this transformation. Those who survive thisinformation explosion will be able to deal with it effectively,and more importantly, turn it into knowledge.

Technology and Capacity

One is informed, on a daily basis, of yet another technologyproduct that will make the technologies friendlier, faster,cheaper, more accessible and of greater capacity. Already wehave DRAM CHIPS WITH A CAPACITY OF 256,000,000bits with speeds going up to about 500 + megahertz. I amtold that, with these chips in place, the other things that canalso happen are:

high speed communication networks enabling teachersto work together to develop courses jointly. Videoconferencing and computer conferencing is alreadyserving some learners in rural and remote areas;

digital satellite radio services, incorporating highquality radio channels and texts - even photographs -envisaged to reach more than 4.6 billion people in the

developing world; hybrid products combining digital TV, personal

computers, and internet services envisaged to succeedinteractive television, providing users with onecomprehensive set of on- and off-line sources ofinformation; and

willing teachers, supportive administration andmotivated learners, getting together to create a learningenvironment that is open, interactive and challenging.

There is perhaps one snag in achieving all of this greatpotential. In a 1994 report by CERI of the OECD, authorsexamined a whole range of technologies from electronicpublishing, narrow and broad casting by radio and television,audio and video conferencing as well as the digital networks.The report concluded that while the older technologies wereused for limited instructional purposes, the newertechnologies like the electronic and digital networks weremostly used for the transmission of information through e-mail, bulletin board systems, computer conferencing andelectronic data base retrieval. The report concluded bystating that the essence of the educational culture is notseen to be changing; at best instructors and institutions areusing technology to replicate their practice, their content andtheir control. . The influence of technology on schooling,learning, teaching and the educational organization has notbeen significant across the range of post secondaryeducation1.

Though there has been even greater changes in thetechnology environment since 1994, in as far as theeducational environment is concerned, the situation does notseem to have changed significantly. In a more recent reportcoming out of Australia, authors Craig Cunnigham et almention that The use of new technology and new media isin many cases still in its experimental stagesThis may wellchange in the future, as programs become more establishedand appropriate technological infrastructure becomes morewidely available.2

Quality and Transformation

Advocating the use of technology, especially one thatpropounds remote learning, will require some fundamentalchanges in the current system. These changes will challengeinstitutions that provide the educational service; they will testuser capability for such services and question governmentspolicies and regulations. The following challenges may beimportant for serious consideration:

Re-orientation of our teachers and the pedagogy theyapply to their vocation. The fraternity still has to come toterms with a new type of learner and a learning environmentthat encourages the learner to be independent. Whether it is

a radio or television program, print or web-based instruction,it is recognised that individuals are capable of self-learning ifprovided with cleverly and sensitively designed instruction,but are poorly equipped to utilise the technology,imaginatively and non-mechanically.

Changing the nature and structure of our teachingorganisations. The traditions of teaching and the views onlearning have resulted in organisational structures that are


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almost and completely centred on faculty: from the design ofthe curriculum to its transformation into learning experience;from decisions relating to assessment of prior learning toelements of exit standards; from administrative arrangementsto academic governance; and from delivery systems tolearning schedules.

Removing the time driven element from todays schools,colleges and universities. These are ruled by time,prescribing when, in his/her life, a student can or is ready tolearn and the length of time required for learning. A reportof a task force to the International Council for DistanceEducation3 recorded: The instructional paradigm,therefore, holds learning prisoner to time constraints appliedby an arbitrary force or by the preferred work schedule of a faculty member. In the desired [new] learning paradigm,learning becomes the primary driving force and, sincelearning can occur at any time and at any place 24 hoursevery day, the constraints of time are removed." Thetechnologies allow those who provide education to break the

rule of time.

Overcoming the perceptions and the fear of faculty to thechanging nature of their roles and values as well as therewards of the new learning environment. There is a real,though unfounded, fear on the part of faculty of losing totalcontrol of the teaching and learning environment. This fearmanifests itself in many forms. Some teachers express angerat the perceived loss of academic freedom and others expressdisdain at the commoditisation of knowledge; some expressdismay at the loss of employment and others worry about theloss of quality. Learner centrality in the educationalenvironment does pose enormous challenges to the teacher.

It requires pedagogical skills, especially in a technology-mediated environment which many of todays teachers areeither inadequate in or totally lacking.

Access to technology (telephone, television, radio, Internet)by learners. Even as we near the end of the century, some500 million people may not have made their first telephonecall let alone use the Internet. Most of the non-users arefound in Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia and Latin America.While in the short-term, this seems to be a big impediment,the longer-term view, by all accounts, appears to bepromising

Appropriateness of methodologies. Technology, whether itis print or multimedia, does not teach; the techniques weadopt simply enable the delivery of teaching from narrow tomass catchments, and simultaneously shift the responsibilityof learning away from the teacher to the learner. In theprocess, it transforms the relationship between teachers andlearners. While we are entering the era where multimediaand hypermedia are bringing together, under one umbrella,the essence of print, audio and video signals, computer-

assisted instruction, conference and group learning, at theheart of the teaching and learning transaction will beinstitutions and teachers. Our challenge is to createpedagogies of learning within which modes of delivery willcontribute to effective learning.

Conclusion

The high level of scepticism that is being encountered amongacademic circles around the world is not promising. There isa certain fear that the use of technology and the promotion ofnetworked learning will lower the value of the educationalexperience, erode quality irreparably, diminish jobs and jobopportunities, eliminate academic freedom and inquiry anddemean scholarship. This atmosphere has led, in some cases,to campus unrest and, in others, outright hostility toexperimentation, innovation and application. Change hasnever been achieved without discomfort. Those vested withthe leadership of our academic communities can only attempt

to reduce the level of acrimony, encourage open debate anddiscussion and provide as many training and retrainingopportunities as possible to facilitate this major culturalchange.

On the other hand, the multimedia bandwagon is an attractiveone. More than any other technologies before, it promises tochange the ways in which we can impart skills andknowledge. But for it to be of sustainable value in theeducational provisions of nations, a whole new way of doingbusiness must be developed. As Kenichi Ohamae once saidin another context: "It is hard to let old beliefs go. They arefamiliar. We are comfortable with them and have spent yearsbuilding systems and developing habits that depend on them.

Like a man who has worn eyeglasses so long that he forgetshe has them on, we forget that the world looks to us the wayit does because we have become used to seeing it that waythrough a particular set of lenses. Today, however we neednew lenses. And we need to throw the old ones away."

1Report on an International conference on Learning BeyondSchooling New Forms of Supply and New Demands.OECD, Paris, 1994.2New Media and Borderless Education: A Review of theConvergence between Global and Media Networks and

Higher Education Provision.Department of Employment,Education, Training and Youth Affairs. Canberra, ACT.1998.3 Hall, James W. (1996). The educational paradigm shift:Implications for ICDE and the distance learning community.Report of the Task Force of the International Council forDistance Education Standing Committee of Presidents.Open Praxis. Vol. 2, 1996. p. 32.


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Technology and Insti tutional Change:Why Som e Educ at iona l Inst i t u t ion s Use Technology and Others Dont

By Claudio de Moura Castro, Chief Education Adviser, Inter-American Development Bank

Information technology is sold aggressively around the

world. Its price keeps falling at the now famous yearly

rate of 20%. Yet, the use of information technology in

education is particularly skewed, regardless of level.

Some insti tut ions use it abundantly, others, not at al l .

Some use it well , others do not . Why? This arti cle puts

together some thoughts on this matter.

The Power of Nati onal Organizat ional CultureCountries differ in the way their education institutions work,reflecting national organizational cultures and traditions. Forinstance, in the United States, what happens in one school

district may not take place in another - and even individualinstitutions within the same district differ. One institutionmight be chock-full of computers and the next has close tonone. One may use creatively the computers; another letsthem sit idly. By contrast, European schools are synchro-nized to the tune of powerful ministries of education. IfFrance decides to have 100,000 computers, they will be pur-chased from the same vendor and equipped with the offi-cial software. Japan did close to nothing until recently, butit seems to have changed its mind and we should expect amassive and obedient introduction of computers in the nearfuture. Of course, if the programs are poorly designed, allschools will suffer. The same holds true for good programs.In those countries, individual initiatives that go against the

grain of the Plan have difficulty flying.

Related to this are the relative merits of incremental versuscritical mass styles of use. The US style has been mostlyincremental (with many exceptions). The implicit rationale isto bring more and more computers and hope that more andmore teachers will find ways to use them. The risk is that as discussed below supply does not generate demand andthe computers remain idle, under-utilized or poorly utilized.The alternative is to concentrate a critical mass in some in-stitutions and ensure that they will use competently the ma-chines and establish some good models (as Israel and Singa-pore are doing). The good examples will then be replicated.

The risk is that replication may not take place. The judge-ment is still out on the relative merits of either alternative.

Technophobes and TechnophilesPerhaps even more important to explaining the use of com-puters, is to consider the attitude of different types or catego-ries of educational institutions towards computers, dependingon their ethos. Some institutions are technophobes while oth-ers are technophiles.

Institutions that teach about technology tend to use technol-

ogy in the process of teaching. Vocational and technicalschools are the first and most eager adopters of technology.Technology begets technology. These institutions are thetechnophiles. Policies to introduce technology in theseschools are mere policies to buy equipment. This is all that isneeded. Once the equipment arrives it is quickly installed andarmies of teachers and students start immediately playingwith it. When it breaks, they rejoice at the chance of tinker-ing with it. This is true for modest vocational schools up tothe prestigious MIT (where some engineering courses aremoving to browsers).

Enterprises, particularly those that produce services and mer-chandise with high technological content, tend to use tech-nology in their training programs. Perhaps they are the mostavid and systematic customers for new teaching technolo-gies. Firms like IBM spend gigantic budgets on training andhave little reluctance to have their conventional training mi-grate to computers, satellites, browsers and teleconferencing.By contrast, academic institutions are far more likely to betechnophobes. Teachers fear computers and all the miscon-ceptions associated with them. The task of bringing technol-ogy to them is arduous and results are slow to come.

However, there are no hard and fast rules here. Schools thathave had to use technology to deliver their courses tend toget used to the idea of using technology as a learning tool. A

good example is the Monterrey Technological Institute(Mexico) that had to use technology to deliver its coursesthroughout its multiple campuses. This imposed familiarityled the institution to increasingly use computers and othertechnologies in its teaching.

Computers in Schools and Computers in Education: The

Nouveau TechnophobesThe discussion above misses one critical issue: there is adifference between computers in schools and computers ineducation. The traditional technophobes hated and fearedcomputers, whether they admit it or not. They demurred, theydid nothing to help and if computers came and were in-

stalled, they found one thousand solutions for not usingthem.

But the old technophobes are becoming a relic of the past;being replaced by the nouveau technophobes. This new breedloves computers, buys them, brings them to schools and usesthem. But it does not use computers in education. Computersbecome better typewriters, better calculators, better tools tocommunicate irrelevancies, better ways of keeping grades


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and managing the school. They may be a convenient way tofind references (through the Internet) or to exchange noteswith colleagues. But computers remain at the periphery ofthe education process. Even word processing that has a greateducation potential becomes merely a more convenienttypewriter. This is essentially what is happening to a vastproportion of US schools, stuffed with computers and at-tended by students who have computers at home.

Another powerful and understandable tendency is to teachhow to use computers and productivity tools. These are use-ful and needed skills for future jobs. However, this is still notusing computers in education but rather using education tolearn about computers.

Indeed, most schools decided that they like computers; theyare fashionable, bring status and help in administration. Thechallenge is no longer bringing computers to schools butbringing them to education. They remain at the margin of theteaching and learning process. Teachers type the exams on

computers. Students type their papers on computers. This isabout all that computers do in education even in some of themost prestigious schools, and in the most over-equippedschools of the United States.

The nouveau technophobes forego the fascinating possibili-ties of using computers in education. From the maligned butuseful drill and practice of teaching mathematics or lan-guages, to the new generation of intelligent tutorials, to theas if exercises, to the intriguing and entertaining simula-tions, to the experiments and explorations of nature, there isan endless range of possibilities and not less ample supply ofinnovative software. But by and large, these are the leastexplored uses of computers in technophobe institutions.Ironically, they were the first uses conceived for computersin education.

Status and TechnologyOne would imagine that high status educational institutionsbeing closer to the technological leading edge would tend touse it for their teaching. This seems not to be the case. Pres-tigious teachers are too involved in their research, too ob-sessed with the publish-or-perish pressures to devote muchtime to teaching. The temptation is to keep using the sameclass notes scribbled in worn out yellow pads. It is not somuch that they reject technology but that they are not willingto devote much time or attention to the teaching end of their

careers.

By contrast, institutions where the faculty is not under pres-sure to publish and where teaching is a more central en-deavor, tend to more easily move to the use of computers,starting with the ubiquitous PowerPoint. In the United States,community colleges that deal with academically weaker stu-dents - and where there is a commitment to bring teaching

content closer to students - are the leaders in the creative useof computers, videos, browsers and all the panoply of avail-able technologies. Some of them sport classrooms connectedby fiber optics to other schools, where students can attendcourses offered in different campuses. Surely, the argumentis not that all or most community colleges are particularlycreative but that they tend to be more creative than the regu-lar universities.

The traditional universities are reluctant to transform theirclassrooms. They do not see much to be gained. Their in-creasing offer of distance education courses does not seem toaffect mainstream teaching. It remains an enclave, perhapsmanaged by extension departments. By contrast, Open Uni-versities are progressively moving to the use of browsers, theInternet, video technology and whatever else is available. Onthe other extreme, new institutions such as the University ofPhoenix and Jones University, lacking tradition and evendisdaining traditional means, are more than willing to ex-periment with whatever technology is around. They see in

technology a means to bring something better to studentswho do not have access to conventional high quality educa-tion.

Lessons?What do we want? Quick results? More bang for the buck inthe short run? Then we should invest in the technophiles.They will put technology to its fullest use. They will becomeshowpieces of what technology can do for education.

Do we want to invest in the long run? Do we have the time,patience and money to insist and insist? Do we want to bringnew instructional technology to the mainstream of educa-

tion? If that is the case, we may want to invest in the techno-phobes.

But the strategies and the people needed to do one or theother are different. Engineers and techno-prophets do well indealing with the technophiles. For the technophobes, theproblem is not at all dissimilar to the well-known problemsof introducing innovations in organizations. Technology isthe least important worry.

Perhaps starting with the technophobes is not a good idea.The sequence of failures and false starts is demoralizing andexpensive. Actually, it may backfire, by creating a bad imageand frustration. With the technophobes, perhaps the best

strategy is to concentrate resources in a few experiments andlearn from them as much as possible. The bottom line is thatintroducing technology into educational institutions is not atechnical issue but a sociological experiment. The hurdles arenot technical but have to do with the internal logic of theinstitution, with built-in incentive systems, with values, withexpectations, and with prejudices. It is not a chapter in thescience of technology but in the art of institutional change.


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Issues of Quality and Accreditation

By Jody K. Olsen

Sr. Vice President, Academy for Educational Development

Predicting change in higher education: Nicholas Negro-ponte predicted that higher education will have been signifi-cantly changed by the new technologies. Harvard presidentNeil Rudenstine noted the critical interlock between thestructures and processes of the Internet, and the main struc-tures and processes of university teaching and learning isone of the reasons the Internet is fundamentally different

from earlier electronic inventions. Peter Drucker insists thatthe university as we now know it will pass into oblivion.Thirty years from now the big university campuses will berelics.1 Significant change is upon us.

Information proliferates but communication becomesmore personal:Because the entry and distribution costs arenegligible, sources of information will continue to prolifer-ate. However, while mass audiences will not disappear, theywill become smaller, more diffuse, and more specialized.The media and related communication will become morepersonalized. This impacts the process of teaching andlearning in higher education even as it affects television, ra-dio, Internet, and our workplaces. Although informationtechnology will not change human nature, it will changenearly everything else. 2

Building trust in information:This explosion in communi-cation, connectivity, and networking requires trust for ourparticipation. Most information is free and the sources areinfinite. Anyone and everyone can participate. We need tofind measures to ensure quality of the information we get.

Accreditation as a means toward trust: A core tool forbuilding that trust in higher education, for assuring a level ofquality for those choosing to participate, is accreditation. Itis the process, the sanction, the outcome that gives assurance

to those selecting a course, a program, a degree, a profes-sional enhancement, that once the work is completed, theoutcome will be valued in the larger community.

Accreditation is already changing: Even as technologyinvades the teaching and learning world of higher education,the process of accreditation is already different, buffeted bythese and other environmental pressures.3 The pressures willonly increase the speed with which quality assurance mecha-

nisms, such as accreditation, will be reassessed, both in proc-ess and outcome to maintain student trust. Without thechanges, the core of higher education institutions will wither.

Distance learning influences changes in accreditation:Technology driven programs are influencing accreditation.Their requirements for effective review are different enough

that basic questions of quality assurance are being turned ontheir head. And yet, the need to assure quality in these pro-grams cannot be ignored. Sir John Daniel, President of theOpen University of the United States said, Distance learningis a world of extremes, when you look at the best universityeducation around the world, some of it is now distancelearning, when you look for the worst, all of it is distancelearning. Bad distance learning may now be given a newlease on life by the brave new world of on-line teaching.44

However, distance education methods and their importanceare growing.

Distance education grows: Sukhothai Thammathirat OpenUniversity now has the highest number of university gradu-ates in Thailand. Very conservative estimates show that over2.2 million U.S. college students will be enrolled in distanceeducation in the next two years, a fourfold increase in justfour years. In this same time frame, 85 percent of the com-munity colleges will be offering distance education courses.Thirty-three states in the U.S. have created a statewide vir-tual university or are participating in a regional virtual uni-versity.5

Building quality assurance in distance education: Build-ing quality control into this decentralized, rapidly growingform of education is challenging the more traditional as-sumptions about how quality is measured. However,

building distance learning into the academy will renovate,refurbish and transform the whole structure for the better.The integration of distance learning, if done well, will driveall higher education to better levels of quality.6

Structure of distance education forces new accreditationmethods:Distance education requires technologies differentfrom that of the classroom, setting up challenges of theworking process, the form of organization, and the ap-


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proaches to problems. Like the individualization of the in-formation revolution itself, Daniel notes that distance learn-ing requires operating on a large scale while focusing downon the individual learner. This shifts from a teaching to alearning system where the learner has materials that areinteresting and engage the mind in an inner discourse. Thelearner should also have communication with others whohave mastered the course and methods for assessing workdone, not only as part of the course, but work done else-where. The division of labor is often different, rather thanone faculty member managing all aspects of the course in atraditional situation, materials development, interfacing withthe student, writing exams, and evaluating exams can all bedone by different people. Teamwork, in effect, is turnedaround, such that rather than one instructor and a group ofstudents, a team of faculty works with students as individu-als. It is the university, rather than the faculty member, thatis teaching. This approach is the basis for quality assurancein distance learning, the mechanisms of which should focuson faculty teams that work together and the training, moni-

toring, and assessing of students. 7

Accreditation methods in distance education based onlearning outcomes: A report on Assuring Quality in Dis-tance Learning for the Council for Higher Education Ac-creditation (CHEA) emphasizes as the core for quality assur-ance, four areas quite familiar in traditional quality assur-ance processes: faculty credentials, selection and training,time on the task, student support services and consumer in-formation, and the goals and outcomes of the course. Thereport then identifies eight areas for measurement, focusedmore squarely on student learning outcomes. These are:

- establish reliable and valid performance measurementsfor distance learning;

- require providers to substantiate evidence of contactbetween faculty and students;

- require evidence of effective instructional techniques;- promote systematic efforts for electing and training fac-

ulty;- assure the availability of learning resources;- promote ongoing monitoring and enhancement of the

technology infrastructure of institutions;- focus attention on the development of courseware and

the availability of information; and- examine alternatives to the traditional accreditation pro-

cess.

8

Shift in accreditation from teaching to learning: Distancelearning is only one small aspect of overall institution ac-creditation, but its influence is much more broadly felt. PeterEwell of the National Center for Higher Education Manage-ment Systems (NCHEMS) notes that there is a significantand broad change in the higher education environment bothin the U.S. and many other countries, particularly Europe. A

growing cry is shifting the axis from delivering content toproviding students with multiple and diverse opportunities toactively engage in knowledge-construction and skills build-ing on their own. This is a basic shift from teaching tolearning, a shift that those in distance learning have had tocome to understand from the inception of their programs. Aswith distance learning itself, there is a growing shift towardstudents mastering particular groups of material on their ownand at their own pace. Australia has named it resource-based learning. Technology, other than that obvious in dis-tance learning, is often a core of other methods being usedfor learner-based education, be it laboratories, teams, or stu-dio classes.9

Shift in accreditation toward outcomes:This broader shiftforces accreditation towards outcomes as alternatives tosome current assurance evaluation systems, such as curricu-lum review activities. Distance learning, being embraced bymany more traditional institutions, must be seen as being asgood as, if not better than, the traditional methods. But, dis-

tance learning being outcome driven, cannot come to tradi-tional means, so traditional programs are moving toward thenew accreditation methods.

Shift in accreditation toward organization alignment andlearning:Ewell notes that accreditation in higher educationmust shift towards how an institution is organizationallyaligned with the purposes of learning; how the units actuallyfit together for the learning goals. It is the relationships thatare important, less so the independent functions. Imbeddedin this larger view of the type in accreditation is the core ofevaluating distance learning institutions, particularly TheOpen University. The role of technology is not revolution-

ary in itself. Rather it renders the use of alternative instruc-tional approaches far more feasible and efficient than in thepast and makes their consequences for institutions unavoid-able.10

Shift in accreditation toward recognizing student mobil-ity: In another significant change that affects accreditation,students are moving through more than one institution asthey complete a degree program and are extending their timeframe for that degree. In the U.S., over one half of the stu-dents attend more than one institution and a fifth attend morethan two institutions.11 The growth of distance learning op-portunities will contribute to this phenomenon. Students are

designing and defining their own paths to a degree, both intime and space, and accreditation must effectively recognizethis. Questions include what is credit, how is it transferred,and how can institutional experiences that might be so differ-ent be evaluated together toward one persons educationalprogress?

Shift in accreditation toward greater public participa-tion:Trust comes in public accountability; we demand it in


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most aspects of our lives. This is no different in higher edu-cation. Accreditation methods should be more open to thebroader public. What counts as quality? How are the pa-rameters defined? What are the criteria? A broader dialogueof the parameters of assessing quality will broaden the par-ticipation in accreditation. European systems, particularlythe European Union, have taken a lead in broadening ac-creditation participation.12

Long term simple questions to help rethink accreditation:The review of the accreditation process itself includes ques-tions of what is reviewed, how a review is done, and whodoes it? Programs in Australia, Hong Kong, and Europe(particularly the UK) offer some models, particularly for theintegrity of the degree.13 Behind these deceptively simplequestions is an opportunity for rethinking outside traditionalpatterns of assessment, and the discussions in conferences,forums, associations and on traditional or virtual campusesthroughout the world must move quickly.

With new opportunities comes potential for fraud:As thegrowth in distance learning and related alternate structuresbrings education opportunities to a growing student groupworldwide, the pressure for defined and understood accredi-tation standards is tremendous. As noted earlier, the newprograms not only open opportunities for more and bettereducation, but also act as vehicles for sub-standard or evenfraudulent programs. Many examples are well documented,

but the legal lines are gray, given the relative ambiguity ofaccreditation systems. Columbia State University offered adegree for $2,000 and the summation of a $25 textbook. TheAmerican State University gave the degree for $1,890 and a2,000-word thesis. When asked how they thought this real-istic, they answered we hope you did not miss the pointhere. The degrees granted to American State University areNOT based on the completion of a writing project. The de-grees are based on extensive life and work experience whichoccurs over a long period of time.14 Many of these types ofinstitutions or programs cite non-existent accrediting bodies,self accrediting systems, or twist their affiliation with reputa-ble groups. Public awareness and openness of accreditationwill help minimize these behaviors, particularly as they con-cern potential students outside the U.S. that are not familiarwith U.S. accreditation standards.

Technology helps force change but brings opportunity:Universities are facing extraordinary challenges in reassess-ing how to measure and then communicate the quality assur-

ance dimensions that students want to see. Technology andwhat it opens for learning forces reassessment but also givesopportunities for better systems of assuring the quality edu-cation that students, faculty, and the community expect.

If this is the only institution left in the world whichdoesnt change while everything else is changingradically, then you are in real trouble.15

1 Richard Burt and Olin Robinson, Reinventing Diplomacy in the Information Age, Center for Strategic and International

Studies (December 1998) at 26-27.2

Barry Fulton, Publics Count: Mass Media, Public Opinion, and the New Technologies in ForeignPolicy, (speech at Public Diplomacy Foundation, Washington, D.C., Nov. 17, 1999).

3 Peter T. Ewell, Examining a Brave New World: How Accreditation Might Be Different (speech at CHEA annual confer-ence, May, 1998) at 1.

4 Sir John Daniel, "Building in quality: The Transforming Power of Distance Learning", (Speech at CHEA Annual Conference,January 1999):1.

5 IHEP Distance Learning in Higher Education, (Special publication for the CHEA 1999 Annual Conference, Jan. 1999) at 1-2.

6 Daniel, Quality, at 2.7 Ibid. at 4.8 Ronald A. Phipps, Jane V. Wellman, Jamie P., Merisotis, Assuring Quality in Distance Learning (Washington, D.C.

CHEA, April, 1998) IX-XII.9 Ewell,Examining, at 3-5.10

Ibid. at 6-8.11 Department of Education, 1997.12 Ewell,Examining, at 9-11.13 Ibid. at 12.14 Lisa Guernsey, Is the Internet Becoming a Bonanza for Diploma Mills? The Chronicle for Higher Education, Dec.

19, 1997.15 Burt,Reinventing, at 49.


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The Stockholm Challenge Award NowOpen for Entries.

The City of Stockholm is happy to announce the opening ofthe Stockholm Challenge Award, the unique networkingcompetition of the best applications in the world of informa-tion technology. Previously known as the Global BangemannChallenge, the Challenge invites and collects a range ofsmart projects that illustrate how technology can be used to

improve the living conditions for people, strengthen econo-mies and support the environment. Projects are invited inseven different categories and can enter via the on-line formon the Challenge web site at http//:www.challenge.stockholm.seEntries are accepted until February 29th, 2000. Then the juryof 27 international experts will judge the projects and choosethe winners and finalist in each category. All competingprojects in the Challenge will be invited to participate in theChallenge Awards Ceremony in June 2000.

The winners in the forerunner, the Global Bangemann Chal-lenge were awarded on June 29th, 1999, with the Challengetrophies in the Nobel Hall in Stockholm. The King of Swe-den handed out the awards. More than one hundred of theChallenge projects exhibited their projects in Stockholm lastJune.

For more information visit the Challenge web site athttp//:www.challenge.stockholm.se

Internet2, Where to?

The Internet2 project, which began in 1996, as ahigh-speed private network to connect universi-

ties, now has 163 member institutions and 20 corporate part-ners. Internet2 provides an environment that fosters experi-

mentation in areas such as advanced videoconferencing, vir-tual reality, and telemedicine. An example of a futuristicapplication being created on Internet2 is tele-immersion, asophisticated type of virtual reality that allows users in sepa-rate locations to interact in a common, simulated environ-ment in real time. Technological progress that stems fromInternet2 research will quickly be made available on thepublic Internet so that it will benefit everyone, proponentssay. (New York Times 10/07/99)

Corporate Universities Reinvent Training

Corporate universities, company-wide instruc-tion sites that teach employees a wide range of

information, have increased in the past decade from 400 to1,600 throughout North America. Although a predominantnumber of these universities have classroom facilities, manyare beginning to offer classes via the Internet and satellite-based systems. Most corporations establish learning facili-ties to ensure employees can keep up with advances in tech-nology and global competition. Corporations are expected to

find the traditional university will become more of a partnerand consultant in the future, as it is more practical for com-panies than beginning their own educational programs.Critics of corporate universities note that companies tend toinvest a lot of money in their programs, but fail to track howthe knowledge helps their employees.(CBS MarketWatch.com 10/06/99)

"Open Archives" Project as an Alterna-tive to Costly Journals.

The Chronicle reports about a recent plan, pre-sented by 25 scholars from academia and the government, toharness the Internet to improve communication amongscholars. The plan calls for universities and scholarly socie-ties around the world to create electronic repositories of re-search papers that would be connected through the Net sothat they could be used as a single collection. Scholars woulddeposit their papers in the system, called the Open Archives,and retrieve papers written by others -- all for free. Universi-ties and scholarly societies would bear the cost of operatingindividual repositories that would form the global archive.Because each repository in the Open Archives would use thesame standards for indexing papers, a scholar could searchall the repositories with a single command. Researchers atOld Dominion University already have demonstrated the

feasibility of the Open Archives, linking six existing archivesthat contain 200,000 articles through one interface that al-lows a user to search all six with a single command. Thecentral virtue of the project, in the eyes of many of its sup-porters, is that it could offer an alternative to conventionaljournals, allowing universities to cancel at least some of theirhigh-priced subscriptions. While observers say they don'texpect the project to threaten the most prominent scholarlypublications, the smaller and more expensiv

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