CONTRIBUTION TO THE STUDY FOR A STRATEGY
OF e-TRAINING DEVELOPMENT
IN THE CONTEXT OF DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
by
THAI THANH TUNG |
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INTRODUCTION
The world is now at the beginning of a new era. The booming of Information Communication Technology (ICT) since the last decades of the past century has brought fundamental impacts on the socio-economic life in all around the world in transition to a New Economy. The main characteristic of the new economy is that presently information processing and transmission become the principal motivation of the society. To cope with the big changes in social economic life, people have to continuously update their knowledge, to be continuously re-trained.
The traditional division of life into 3 separate periods – childhood and youth devoted to schooling, adulthood and working life, and retirement – no longer corresponds to the present situation of the society. In the report of the International Commission on Education for the 21st century: “Learning the Treasure Within” Jacques Delors proposed the concept of Lifelong Learning based on the 4 pillars of education: “Learning to know – Learning to do – Learning to live together and Learning to be”.
Education and Training become an important need for the whole society. The time to learn is now the entire lifetime, and each field of knowledge spread into and enriches the others. Education and Training cannot be limited inside of school. Opportunities for learning out of school are occurring in all fields, while skills in the traditional sense of the term are giving way to the ideas of developing competence and adaptability.
The essential change in content and goal of learning implicated the realization of new training forms using new technologies: Open Learning (OL) with full support of ICT, e-Training (ET) is the only solution which can respond to the big challenge of education and training at present time.
Since the late decades of the last century, many achievements in the area of ICT application in education and training were put in use in all around the world.
The use of ICT support has brought a remarkable change to the traditional training technology, not only for open learning but also in the teaching – learning processes inside of traditional institutions in the last few decades.
This report is the summary research results of the author which have been carried out in the last 5 years in the field of applied ICT in supporting teaching and learning processes especially in Open Learning. Some results have been presented at the National Conferences and Workshops in 2001, 2003, 2004 and International Conferences 2002 in Canada, 2003 in Shanghai as well as being carried out at Center of Online Instructional Technology, Faculty of Information Technology, Hanoi Open University (FITHOU) as a pilot project of the scientific research of Ministry of Education and Training in 2004.
I.INFORMATION EXCHANGE IN TEACHING - LEARNING PROCESSES
1.1. Information and Knowledge
According to the point of view of Information Theory, Teaching and Learning is a complicated process of exchanging information. Learners receive input information (INformation), processing into knowledge (figure 1). Knowledge of learners is the product of Teaching and Learning processes, therefore knowledge can be seen as output information (EXformation) of Teaching and Learning processes.
The most basic aspect used to evaluate the efficiency and effectiveness of Teaching and Learning is the process of converting information into knowledge. Knowledge of learners is the product which can measure the successful of Teaching and Learning processes. If learners are provided with abundant information without proper organizing, supporting to the processing, that information cannot become knowledge of learners.
Because learners are the subject to receive knowledge, product of Teaching and Learning processes, thus many educational theory have come to agree that “Learners are central to the Teaching and Learning processes”. Teachers and educational organization play a very important role, however they only support for learners: providing accurate and sufficient information, support processing information into knowledge.
1.2. Interactive Triangle in Teaching and Learning
In exchanging information of Teaching and Learning processes, three entities, which have contact to learners, appear to have very important impact to the effectiveness of Teaching and Learning as shown in figure 2.
- Learners interact Teachers
- Learners interact Classmates
- Learners interact Environment
Teachers: play major role in traditional education. Previously, teachers are the main and only source of information. On the other hand, teachers help and support learners in processing information such as guiding, explaining, tutoring, decision making …
Classmates: in addition to teachers, supplement information as well as supporting in processing information: discussing, exercising… Especially, classmates are spiritually helpful: motivating, encouraging, competing and inspiring study of learners.
Environment: Interactive between learners and the environment is also important in learning process. Firstly, environment can be considered as “institution”, major roles of institutions are to arrange and to organize learners and learning process. To some extend, environment can be seen as the condition and situation of the society, physical location where learning process occurring. Environment can have impacts on input information, this has become obvious in modern society. For examples, beside of information come from Teachers and Classmates, learners can receive huge amount of information from society, community, public media, especially from real life information.
The contact between learners and other three entities is referred to as the interactive triangle of the learning process. The result of learning, effectively building knowledge for learners, heavily depends on this interactive triangle. Therefore, one can argue that the main target of Education Science - Pedagogy - is to continuously improve the interactive triangle in order to achieve the best criteria of Teachers, Classmates, and Environment for every specific context of Teaching and Learning.
1.3. Technical tools support learning
In lifelong learning society, study obviously cannot be done within institutions, learners mainly have to self-study somehow. Self learners, other term is isolated learners, lack of three interactions mentioned above which is a big disadvantage. They often have to read, to search information from books, newspapers and other media, to self exercise… Interactive is infrequent and only happen if someone shares the same interest in the fields of study. It often carries out by mails (in correspondence education).
At every period in history, people have continuously applied the newest results of science and technology of recent period to establish tools and systems supporting Teaching and Learning, trying to create virtual contact in order to supplement, replace the role of Teachers, Classmates, and Environment in the processes of Teaching and Learning, for instance, using post office (learning through mails), telephones, radio, TV, radio cassettes, video cassettes, video conferences and modern ICT.
The criteria of an ideal system supporting virtual contacts in Teaching and Learning (Virtual teachers, virtual friends, and virtual environment) are:
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Multimedia: information can be communicated in variety of forms such as text, voice and sound, picture and animation, video..
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Two way and multi-way synchronous and asynchronous communication: information can be stored and retrieved
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Equipment is small and flexible: easy to use, can be use anywhere at anytime
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Low cost
With the invention of ICT, those ideal systems have been built and more and more improved in the last few decades. Recently, thousands of “virtual institutions, virtual classes” have been developed and the concept of “Lifelong learning, learning anywhere, learning anytime” have become reality in many developed countries. The new method of training with ICT support is called E-Training. Many International and Regional Organizations in the field of E-training have been created and operated successfully. A great example in practicing E-Training is the Independent Council for Distance and Home Education (ICDHE) cooperating hundreds of Universities, Institutions, and Organizations which carry out E-Training around the world.
1.4 Condition to develop E-Training
To develop E-Training in a country, there are four significant aspects must be considered:
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Technology infrastructure: High speed, broadband Internet is popular to every areas with low cost compared to average people income.
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Economic infrastructure: Average living standard, people should be able to possess high technology ICT equipment.
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Intellectual capacity infrastructure: People are used to operating ICT equipment with basic comprehension of information technology.
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Law and regulation infrastructure: There should be a robust regulations and law to ensure the processes of online Teaching and Learning.
Those conditions is far too difficult to meet in developing countries with poor technology infrastructure, low income, most people are new to ICT equipments and services and laws and regulations on E-Training are not presented. Obviously, to develop E-Training in those countries, we cannot bring in the systems which have been popularly used across developed countries around the world. Researching for a general strategy to develop E-Training in developing countries, including Vietnam, is a very essential requirement. To develop E-Training in developing countries, we must take into account the two main solutions: Technology and Systematic Organization.
Technological solutions: Selecting appropriate technology suitable with the conditions and human skills of every country to start and gradually improve in order to meet standard of that in developed countries in the near future.
Systematic Organizational solutions: This is a very important aspect which can overcome the limitation of technology, economic and intellectual conditions as well as effectively facilitating the technical solutions.
II . TECHNICAL SOLUTIONS
Technology is one of the main important tools in Training and Learning processes, especially in E-Training. The technical solutions come into two main categories: “Virtual University” and “Electronic Materials”. These solutions have been accomplished in E-Training among developed countries and have been improving recently with ICT.
However, as it is mentioned previously in the report, due to limitations in technology, economic in the context of developing countries we must select and bring together appropriate technology to create a simple, convenient system for users as well as easily upgrading to integrate with the world technology in the future. The following sections will describe the above solutions.
2.1. Virtual University
Virtual University is the place where most of Teaching and Learning processes are taking place. The role of virtual university in E-Training is similar to that of market space in E-Commerce. In fact, virtual university is a Web Site (or collections of Web Sites) consisting of following sub-systems :
Introduction – Orientation:
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Introducing to students who want to know in details about university (fields, levels, types, methods of training, requirement of qualification, time condition, work condition, and finance … to enroll to courses). Introduction information can be presented using notice board, news, FAQ, email and/or auto-responder
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Consulting students to select suitable fields of study as well as levels and methods depending on theirs specific conditions and desires.
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Advertising and prevailing about institutions.
Student Gateway and Management:
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Guiding students register, enroll to courses using predefined application forms
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Organizing and managing students information
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Supervising learning processes and the results of students.
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Providing necessary papers: recommendations, results, certificates, qualifications
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Connecting with Accounting system for payment
Communication and Delivery: (main sub-system with important functions)
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Noticing contents, schedules of courses
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Displaying and supervising class schedules
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Delivering lecture notes, working exercises, exam papers, guide-line and tutorials
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Frequently making contact with students using chat room (synchronous) and forum (asynchronous)
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Carrying out evaluations and exams.
Accounting and Finance: Following students payment and other fees
Once students access fully functional Virtual University, they feel as if they are directly studying and socializing in the traditional University. Students can meet teachers, friends, and administrators. They can communicate, discuss one another, listen to lectures and explanations of exercises and most of all they are related to the University.
Virtual University is an ideal environment which helps to reduce the lonely feeling of isolated learners, especially for those who enroll in distance education far from teachers, friends, and institutions.
2.2. Electronic Materials
Printed books and materials are indispensable for self learning or distance learning, even with the help of recent tools and technology. However, printed materials, as well as others tools and technology except ICT, can only deliver information in one way and with limited media such as text and static pictures or graphics.
New tools and technology has brought big changes in electronics materials (e-books) overcoming the limitations of printed materials. E-books are able to create two-way communication (human-computer). Additionally, information can be exchanged in variety of forms such as voice, sound, animation, and video. Other advantages of e-books are small - they can be stored on handheld devices to carry around - and cheaper than printed materials.
A fully functional electronic material consist of: Introduction to subject, lecture notes, revises questions, exercises, self checking exercises. Information is presented in the forms of text, pictures, and graphics as well as appropriately combining lecture voice and using video to lively illustrate exercises.
However, multimedia contents using in online materials on Web Sites must be considered due to bandwidth and speed of internet connection. For application running on stand alone computer or local network, we can use high capacity multimedia contents.
For user convenience, except main contents of materials on CD or VCD, programmers and producers should provide adequate programs to run application if necessary. Users can set up programs on their computer in case they are not ready provided.
2.3. Internet Tools and Technology
Virtual university and electronic materials are the two main solutions to E-Training and they are built based on computer networking and Internet. Network applications can be developed by using many different tools and technologies. The right choices will have great affects on specific application in terms of effectiveness and efficiency.
Presently, there are two major technologies from Microsoft and Sun dominated the networking market. Sun provided a specification on Java 2 Platform, Enterprise Edition (J2EE) aiming on high end UNIX computers and mainframes whereas Microsoft has developed a package products and tools on Windows NT platform targeting PC.
In the context of developing countries, fully package products from Microsoft is suitable and easy to deploy such as Windows 2003 Server (Advanced Server, Data Center Server), SQL Server, Site Server, Exchange Server, Biztalk Server, Application Center, Internet Information Services and Active Server Pages.
Microsoft continuously updates and produces new products and technology which facilitate the development of E-Training such as Mobile Information Server, .NET framework. This makes use of programmers from wide range of languages.
However, in specific situations of developing countries, another option is to apply similar products from other third vendors. Using other products avoid heavy packages as well as reducing the cost. Programmers must consider applying components from other providers. Before final deployment, they should be test and evaluate to ensure the compatibility with overall general solutions.
Robust networking deployments are not easy to build. Many issues arise such as scalability, maintainability, reliability, security, cost and more. Therefore, successful deployment heavily depends upon technology and people building systems.
2.4. Skilled Human Resources
In general, the levels of technology and economics in developing countries are still low. However, it is not the most challenge factor, the biggest barrier, which cannot be overcome in a short period, is skilled labor.
In order to create a Virtual University, there is a need of skillful programmers and administrators who can carry out important tasks as follow:
- Web Site designers: design structure, content, and style
- Webmaster: manage overall functions
- Sub system administrators
- Forum administrators, moderators, online tutors
Constructing electronic materials also cannot be done by a professional teacher or a programmer. It requires specific skilled workers including:
- Redactor: in charge of contents and information of every single subject
- Scenario designers
- Programmers
- Material Producers
Recently, people involved in E-Training in developing countries are not well professionally and systematically trained. Most of them are working and learning from experiences. Therefore, the author has recommended establishing complete training fields on Electronic Education and Online Instructional to cope with the great demands on human resources.
III. SYSTEMATIC ORGANIZATIONAL SOLUTIONS
Together with the underdeveloped technical infrastructure, there are also other big disadvantages which obstructed the possibility of developing E-Training in developing countries. First, the problem of low people’s cultural standard: People - Learners - have not enough know - how and the habits of getting in touch and of using ICT equipments and services. Second, the financial problem: The average income of the population is too low compared with the cost for using these equipments and services.
Besides, with the technical solutions mentioned in Part II, the author proposed a group of feasible systematic - organizational solutions in order to overcome previously mentioned disadvantages in developing countries.
3.1. Socialization of the dissemination of fundamental knowledge on IT
Many countries, every year on summer holidays, is organizing the movement of student-volunteers contributing to the development progress of the society. Many organizations of youth and students mobilized their members for moving in remote countryside and mountainous regions - some international organizations even send their member-volunteers to other undeveloped countries in order to participate to “campaigns” of teaching to illiterate population or of knowledge dissemination in general knowledge of hygiene and medicine, of environment protection etc.
To create a “ E-learning Learner environment ” the government will be able to rely on the contributions of social organizations: These non governmental organizations can motivate their members for running many campaigns of IT knowledge dissemination for people in remote countryside and undeveloped mountainous region. Through these campaigns the population will have opportunity to step by step make acquaintance with ICT equipments and services. Having had such elementary knowledge, many people will be not at fault in contact with ICT service and later with E-learning.
3.2. The Local Tutorial Center Network
Formerly (and also presently) in Distance Education, to enhance the interactive between Institution, Teacher with Learner, Institutions running DE always organized many tutorial centers in different regions. From time to time, every month or every term, institutions send teachers - tutors (or recruiting local tutors)to the centers then grouped all learners in the region for attending face-to-face session animated by tutors. In E-Training, we can supplement necessary equipment to these centers to upgrade into a Local Tutorial Center Network which will be an effective complement to the Virtual Institution.
The Center will be equipped with some LANs, each with some 20-30 users and a powerful server, linked with Internet by ADSL or high speed cable. Learners who have no personal computer or who cannot connect to Internet at home will be able to arrange their own timetable coming to work at the Center.
At the user PC, learner can work by online high speed contact with the Virtual Institution and will have to pay lower fee compared with the use of dial-up connection at home. The Center can also download the sub-systems of Virtual Institution and learner can work offline with the server of the Center. All interactive will be proceeded in the LAN with high speed and high reliability and without Internet fees.
In the server of LAN the Center can also post many E-materials provided from the Institution for the choice for use of Learners (of course, these materials are much richer in contents than those posted on Website). The creation of such Network of Local Tutorial Centers can have many advantages as follow:
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Providing free equipment for poor learners
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Providing Interactive services with low cost for learners
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Providing to Learners opportunity not only contacting with the Virtual Institution but also using easily the rich system of E-materials.
If the regional authority could create such Local Tutorial Center -LTC- provide equipment to LTC, supply to their staff with ET experts.., a LTC would be able to take in charge of a common Center for many different Virtual Institutions in a region: The management fees will be shared among many institutions and the geographical distance from learner to institution will be considerably shorter.
In some previously published papers, the author has proposed a system of regulations for the co-operation and the co-ordination between the managers of Institutions which are running DE and the managers of LTC in ET.
3.3. Examination and Evaluation in ET
The last problem we have to examine is the system of evaluation and examination for learner at the end of each course trained by ET.
We can distinguish two target groups attending evaluation.
For a group of many learners, the goal of their study is only to gather knowledge and skills. They do not require any kind of certification or degree, for them the examinations are done only for verifying their real fruits of the learning process. With these learners, beside of the exercises, auto-evaluation tests already available in each E-material, the Virtual Institution can organize regular online exams. The candidates log in the website of Virtual Institution for attending exam (anywhere they can get Internet connect) and the exam result will be informed to candidate online or through E-mail if necessary.
Similar exams can be also organized at LTC, using the exam subject bank available in the Database of Virtual Institution (and of the server at LTC). Candidates make their tasks on PC and send directly to Virtual Institution and/or prepare hardcopies, then the LTC will collect and send to the Institution (by mail) for evaluation.
With another group of learners, Certificates, Diplomas and Degree are indispensable for them after finishing a course. In these cases the exams have to be organized in gathering the candidates in each region at LTCs. The role of LTCs in these exams is only for checking the identity of candidate and controlling examination regulations.
The subjects of each exam are sent directly from Virtual Institution to the PC of each candidate, exam tasks will be sent back to Virtual Institution (softcopies) or the LTCs will collect exam papers (hardcopies) and send them to the Institution.
This form of organization assure all demands of accurate exams and at the same time cut down fees and time for transportation to candidates.
CONCLUSION
E-Training is an inevitable change in Education and Training in this century, the century of Information Technology. Not only applying for OL and DE, it is increasingly taking place in all Teaching and Learning process with its effectiveness.
Deployment of E-Training requires technical infrastructure and professional trained human resources in terms of management and operation. On the other hand, different from traditional education, learners must understand and frequently use ICT equipments and services. These conditions are the main barriers which hinder the deployment of E-Training in developing countries.
In this report, author has recommended a system of general solutions, technical and systematic organization, in order to the overcome the basic obstacles. This contribution, with the purpose, is to facilitate the deployment of E-Training quickly among developing countries, including Vietnam.
Some of ideas discussed in this paper have been deployed in a pilot project building Virtual University, FITHOU CYBERSCHOOL, at the Faculty of Information Technology, Hanoi Open University since 2002 – 2003. After two years trial, practical results are encouraging. In 2004-2005, those results have been extended to contribute in a Scientific Research Project: “Research on applied ICT in Distance Education”, organized by the Ministry of Education and Training of Vietnam.
To be able to practice E-Training, the most important factor is to draw attentions from Governments, especially the awareness of Education and Training Management Organizations in term of the role and capability of E-Training. It must be thoroughly consider applying to the country’s system of Education and Training.
Hoping that with the awareness and sufficient concerns of Governments and with the cooperation of experienced educational specialists, scientists around the world, E-Training will be quickly grown contributing to the socio-economic development in developing countries on the way moving toward integration with the world community.
References
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posted by Huudung[6/17/2005]
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