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December 2006 Volume 2, Number 4 |
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IN
THIS ISSUE CREAD CARIBE TAKES OFF THE IMPORTANT TRAINING MISSION OF INDES
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CREAD CARIBE TAKES OFF Left to right: Lic. Patricia Ávila Muñoz, President of CREAD; Dr. Miguel J. Escala, Chancellor, Technological Institute of Santo Domingo; Dr. Ligia Amada Melo, Secretary of State for Higher Education, Science and Technology. With a focus on The role of distance education in the information society, CREAD Caribe IV, the Fourth International Congress on Information, Communication and Education Technologies, was held from September 26th to 29th, 2006, in Santo Domingo – “the oldest city in the Americas” – in the Dominican Republic. This conference, which was supported by many higher education institutions, governmental organizations and companies, and was coordinated by the Secretariat for Education, Science and Technology (SEESCYT) and the Technical Institute of Santo Domingo (INTEC), attracted more than three hundred local and international delegates. At this fourth meeting in the series, important steps were taken to strengthen CREAD CARIBE institutionally through the addition of some new institutions and the creation of a permanent Board and Secretariat which will see the congress through the next few years. At the inaugural event, the Secretary of State for Higher Education, Science and Technology, Ligia Amada Melo reaffirmed her commitment to the implementation and institutionalization of the Congress, and stressed the ties that have developed between higher education institutions in the Dominican Republic and the Region, as well as the public and private sectors, around the important themes discussed in this forum. From his perspective, Dr. Miguel J. Escala, the President of CITICED 2006 - IV CREAD CARIBE and Chancellor of INTEC, one of the host institutions, underlined the growth achieved by the Congress since its inauguration in Puerto Plata in 2003, when it was hosted by the Open University for Adults (UAPA). The following representatives of CREAD were also present: the President, Dr. Patricia Ávila, the Executive Director, Dr. Armando Villarroel, and Prof. María de Lourdes López, of Puerto Rico, Vice President for the Caribbean Region. Among the international delegates were participants from the Spanish Ministry of Education and Science, the Organization of American States (OAS), the National Distance Education University (UNED) of Madrid; Nova Southeastern University (NSU), USA; the Ana G. Méndez University System, the University of Puerto Rico (UPR), and the Pontifical Catholic University, all of Puerto Rico; the Virtual Educational Resources Network (VERNET) and Media Integration Group (MIG) from the world of publishing; and the Hispanic Educational Telecommunications Systems (HETS), a Puerto Rican organization. We also benefited from the participation of the National Distance Education University of Costa Rica (UNED); CARIBNET, Jamaica; the Venezuelan association of Distance Education (AVED); the Clavijero Consortium (Mexico); the National Open and Distance University of Colombia (UNAD); the Universidad Técnica Particular de Loja of Ecuador (UTPL); the Metropolitan Technological University of Chile (UTEM-Virtual), plus many other prestigious international institutions. In the Dominican Republic the event was supported by the organizing institutions, headed by the Secretary of State for Higher Education, Science and Technology (SEESCYT). The event also received support from other public sector institutions, including: the Dominican Telecommunications Institute (INDOTEL), the Technology Institute of the Americas (ITLA), the Presidential Office of Information and Communications Technologies (OPTIC), and the municipal government of the capital (ADN). There were a variety of participating institutions from the Dominican Republic including: The Global Foundation for Democracy and Development (FUNGLODE); the Brugal Foundation; Aide and Action; the Foundation for Community Development (FUDECO); the Networks and Development Foundation (FUNREDES); the Dominican Free Code Foundation; the Poveda Center; and the Institute for the Promotion of Education, Democracy and Development (IFEDD), amongst others. By the decision of the Secretariat, the next congress, CITICED 2007-V CREAD CARIBE, has been awarded to the Autonomous University of Santo Domingo (UASD): www.uasd.edu.do. THE IMPORTANT TRAINING MISSION OF INDES
The Inter-American Institute for Social Development, (INDES), is a center for training, discussion and dialog within the Inter-American Development Bank, (IBD). The IBD launched INDES in 1994 so as to be able to offer training programs in social administration for the public sector. Gradually its target audience has been extended to include other professionals, such as journalists, congressmen, academics, leaders of civil society and NGOs as well as other non-profit professionals who are working in social development in their respective countries. The main objectives of the Bank are to reduce poverty, promote social equity and attain sustainable economic growth. In accordance with these objectives and priority areas, INDES focuses its efforts on creating public value for its beneficiaries through training, in order to generate:
INDES offers two types of face-to-face training courses:
In the course of its history as a training center for Latin America and the Caribbean, INDES has discovered how very important it is to provide focus, best practices and tools that contribute to improving the efficacy, the efficiency, the equity and the sustainability of social projects. In view of this, INDES made a decision, from 2004 onwards, to incorporate virtual teaching in its training program. The aim to is respond to the growing demand for its courses and the need to serve a larger number of participants so as to broaden its academic offering and range to reach populations and sectors with training needs in the field of Social Administration. Since its inception we have successfully trained 1,300 people from all over Latin America and the Caribbean who work in government (local, state and national), NGOs, universities and training and research centers. The majority of INDES courses are offered in Spanish, but there are also courses in English for the English-speaking Caribbean countries. Currently the courses offered by the institute are directed to different sectors, and their objectives emphasize the strengthening of the role of social administrator in Latin America and the Caribbean. Topics covered by such courses include Leadership, Implementation of Social Programs, Effective Development, Development Indicators, Youth in Latin America, Monitoring and Evaluation, etc. For more information, please go to: http://www.indes.org
The Next Breakthroughs in Distance Education The tremendous progress we have experienced in distance education in the past few decades has been fueled by impressive technological progress, but is constrained by outdated models, traditions, and habits. A variety of technological breakthroughs have extended access to students previously not served through smaller, more portable, and less expensive devices, and have made it quite feasible to employ more compelling forms of audio, video, and text communication to enhance interaction among students and between students their instructors. Although these innovations are potentially important and are likely to continue, I can't help but think that the major impacts on the QUALITY of distance education will come through personal and institutional, rather than technological changes. In my opinion, the largest of the next decade's breakthroughs will involve a more "granular" approach in which individual learning objectives serve as the basis for making all of the important decisions during the design of a distance learning course, including decisions about media selection, the selection of instructional strategies, the formation of cooperative teams, the use of synchronous and asynchronous learning activities, and more. The results of such a process will be courses incorporating many different approaches – more like a salad in which one sees several distinct ingredients rather than a soup, in which there may be a singletaste and texture. During course design, we generally think first about delivery systems (or accept one as a given), then about content, and finally about students. We generally employ content management systems (Web CT, Blackboard, Angel, etc) so we approach the design of a new course knowing quite well what it will look like when it's done. It's usually a rather predictable series of "read or watch this, talk about it online, then write a short paper about it." In developing the instructional message for students to read or watch, we often have a preferred method of conveying the content that we recreate for online delivery, and we think about students rarely, if at all. We do have quality standards but most of the standards that are employed look at the design only, rarely monitoring the delivery and even less often examining the learning that actually takes place. I predict that the next generation of distance learning experiences will be much different, offering a much less predictable combination of learning events and activities, each carefully designed, crafted, and delivered based on the characteristics of individual the learning objectives the course is designed to achieve, and based on an increasing need to demonstrate that students leave the course with the capabilities that a good grade implies. I predict that the next generation of instructional design model will ask questions like these, on an objective-by-objective basis:
These are just some of the questions I believe the next wave of designers will be asking, and I believe they will be asking similar questions about evaluation options as well. (For example, "Is it important for the student to be able to answer these questions spontaneously, rather than as a developed written response", and "Is it important for me to see the students while they respond?") So, in my opinion, we are headed for a renaissance in distance education, in which the courses we produce look less like one another. The dozens of instructional decisions required will be based more on the learning challenges an individual course presents rather than on our existing content delivery preferences and institutional traditions. Our courses will be more like chameleons than dinosaurs; our designers will be more like craftspeople than factory workers; and our students and faculty members will be more like traveling companions than audiences. I believe these things because the increasing competition present in an increasingly global distance education market place will force us to produce better, more compelling products. I believe this because our customers and their employers are increasingly demanding that we demonstrate that our graduates have skills and common sense, not just knowledge. And I believe this because designing this way will be more rewarding and more effective. I know that institutional inertia is very powerful (like a glacier), and that old habits die hard. But I believe that people like you, the CREAD members who will read these opinions, are very likely to demonstrate the potential of new hybrid designs that base design decisions on individual objectives and I know that the resulting products will be both popular and effective. Alan Kay said, "The best way to predict the future is to invent it." I look forward to exciting new technologies and the opportunities they represent, but these are only worthwhile to the extent that we employ them well. Remember, technologies don't teach people, people do. Dr. Kyle Peck INSTITUTIONAL MEMBER PROFILES INSTITUTO TECNOLÓGICO Y DE ESTUDIOS SUPERIORES DE MONTERREY (ITESM) The Virtual Technological University of Monterrey The Virtual University was founded in 1989 by the Tech of Monterrey in order to offer quality education in new learning environments and hard-to-reach geographical locations. For the first few years we focused on course delivery via satellite technology and the use of the Internet for interaction with the students. In 1999, the Virtual University increased the number of its on-line courses. The mission of the Virtual University is to offer quality education through innovative educational models, collaborative learning networks and advanced information technologies, in order to contribute to the integration and development of the Spanish- speaking world. Currently the Virtual University’s educational offerings comprise professional courses and graduate, doctoral and continuing education programs. It has around 95,000 students in 26 countries. It is important to note that the programs promote the internationalization of the students through alliances and joint degree programs with recognized universities and institutions, for which purpose there are 12 support offices based in strategic cities around the world. Educational Model
Graduate School of Education: technology for educational development of Spanish speaking countries The Graduate School of Education (EGE), integrated in the year 2000, was the culmination in a history of graduate programs directed towards the training of instructors at the Tech which later broadened its scope to include the national community and Latin America. . The EGE offers its programs through the Virtual Technological University, an institutional leader in distance education which uses innovative educational models, learning networks and advanced information technologies to contribute to educational development. THE IBERO-AMERICAN UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION (FUNIBER)
FUNIBER is an academic, scientific and research institution that links universities and professional institutions to give Global Training that respects local identities, whose 3 fundamental activity directions are:
HISPANIC EDUCATIONAL TELECOMMUNICATIONS SYSTEM (HETS) Members can participate in collaborative ventures with other distance education partners; promote the latest news, events and e-learning initiatives; position themselves as leaders in delivering distance education/training through technology; provide access to bilingual online learning tools and student support services to students/employees; receive discount fees for training and support events; get free access to training modules, learning objects and resources; reach more than 8,000 educational and organizational contacts; and benefit from on-demand consulting in online education and technology, as well as online research and videoconferencing services. The Consortium’s role continues to move beyond networking, online course creation and promoting distance education. It is looking into a future of innovation, effective relations, knowledge building, and both inter-institutional and inter-sectoral collaboration for the success of Hispanic post-secondary education, while it expands beyond its own frontiers as a consortium of colleges and universities. For more information on the HETS events and affiliation possibilities, call 787-766-2600, extension 8911, or visit the organization’s portal at http://www.hets.org Venezuelan Distance Education Association (AVED)
AVED is a non-profit organization that was created to publicize the advantages of technology supported distance education. The initiative that led to the founding of this organization began with the instructors of the Central University of Venezuela, the National Open University of Venezuela, UCLA, UNER, UCAB, USB and UNET, who planned to build relationships between themselves and all distance education associations, nationally and internationally, with a view to promoting discussion and study of distance education. We have been working towards these objectives since February 2004. The Association’s goals are: promotion, exchange, dissemination, administration, research, production, consultation, innovation, fomentation, development and advising in the field of distance courses and instructional materials; to promote and develop training activities; to advise on the implementation of policies, promotion and development of human potential in productive initiatives (micro-businesses), to design all kinds of courses and workshops for formal and informal education, to create projects to organize and develop communities, and the whole area of information and communication technologies applied to education. In its charter AVED also declared that research would inform and strengthen its other activities. It is therefore of the greatest importance to us to have the support of higher education institutions, and especially those that have endorsed the development of the human talent of their academic personnel. CREAD CONFERENCES 2007
The FIRST CREAD MEXICO CONFERENCE seeks to promote the creation and increase the competitive capacity of our small businesses in the global market, thus building new pathways towards economic growth. EIGHTH INTERNATIONAL VIRTUAL EDUCA CONFERENCE
EIGHTH INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON EDUCATION, PROFESSIONAL TRAINING, INNOVATION , COOPERATION & DEVELOPMENT BUENOS AIRES , AUGUST 22-24, 2007 This year’s theme is “Distance Education, Health and the Environment”, and the conference will examine the following topics:
The conference will be hosted by the University Institute of Health Sciences – Héctor Barceló Foundation, together with the Brazilian Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, and Nova Southeastern University, of the USA, as co-organizers. The conference will offer an excellent opportunity for learning and networking for professionals, academics, instructors, institutions, officials, administrators, consultants and experts in health, distance education and telecommunications. The conference has been planned around keynote speakers and panels of invited experts, workshops, round tables and poster presentations. The intensive academic program will be complemented by cultural activities (including tango and Argentine grill) and a tour beautiful Buenos Aires. PRESIDENT EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR REPRESENTATIVE OF NOVA SOUTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY ANDEAN REGION (Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru) BRAZIL ANGLOPHONE CANADA CARIBBEAN (Antilles, Belice, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Puerto Rico, Guyana, Surinam, Venezuela) CENTRAL AMERICA (Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama) MEXICO SOUTHERN CONE (Argentina, Chile, Paraguay, Uruguay) UNITED STATES OF AMERICA LIFETIME HONORARY MEMBER CREAD REGIONAL OFFICES ARGENTINA CANADA The CREAD Electronic Newsletter will be published four times a year, in Spanish, English and Portuguese, in order to provide information about Consortium activities and to pass on professional information of interest. |
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Dra. Nohra Rey de Marulanda
Professor Kyle Peck
The Technological University of Monterrey
