by Steve Wheeler
This quarterly column
reviews world wide distance learning developments. It provides reports of international
conferences and workshops, news of innovations in technology, and reviews of
events, people and institutions connected with open and distance learning
practice and theory. The
world is a big place, and the success of this column will depend upon your
input, wherever in the world you may be reading this journal. Your news, conference reports and
reviews of international events will be considered for inclusion in future
issues of this journal. Please
e-mail your contributions to:
swheeler@plymouth.ac.uk
.
Conference Report: The
11th Annual E-Learning Conference and Expo, Washington D.C., USA,
April 17-20.
My first visit to the
capital city of the USA was to attend and speak at the event formerly known as
'Telecon East'. I have to report
that the 8 hour flight from London Heathrow was well worth the effort. Supported by the United States Distance
Learning Association (USDLA) this year's event was held at the Washington
Convention Center. Situated just a few blocks to the north west of the White
House, the conference attracted over 1200 conference delegates, whilst according
to the conference organizers a further 3500 visited the vendor's demonstration
hall. With over 100 papers from the
academic, government and corporate sectors on offer, together with several
specialised tutorials and workshops, this year's e-learning event was a feast of
new ideas, familiar debate, lessons learned and theory applied for all those who
were fortunate to attend. Perhaps
the only criticism of the event was one I overheard at lunch on the first
day. The organizers provided no
delegate list, but this was a minor blemish on an otherwise excellent occasion.
In the space available to me, I offer a brief synopsis in an attempt to capture
some of its essence.
The first, and for many
delegates, the brightest of e-learning's highlights was the inspirational
opening keynote speech given by the Governor of South Dakota, William
Jankelow. Those of you who read the
Dakota Digital Network papers in a recent Quarterly Review of
Distance Education
(Volume 1, Number 3) will appreciate the scale and magnitude of South Dakota's
achievements in wiring every public and private school and university in the
state. This included the provision
of a network point for every student dorm in every university in the state.
Through a mix of humor and incisive
commentary Governor Jankelow outlined exactly how this immense logistical feat
has been achieved. Teams of inmates from local jails were drafted in to run
cables and install hardware, working as itinerant journeymen, learning their
trade as electricians, whilst repaying some of their debt to society. Using this courageous if somewhat risky
approach, South Dakota was able to complete the mammoth task in record time, and
in an entirely cost effective manner.
The youth of South Dakota are now poised on the threshold of a true
learning revolution, said Governor Jankelow. He parted with this statement: 'We
must not rob the youth of America. We must provide them with the means to
learn.' The Governor received a
standing ovation at the end of his speech and was later awarded the USDLA's
Eagle award for outstanding achievement in the field of distance education. More
of the USDLA award ceremony later in this column.
The second keynote speech
was presented by Tom Kelly, currently the chief learning officer for CISCO
systems. Mr Kelly gave those
assembled a corporate perspective on the evolving nature of the e-learning
market. He dealt with a number of
burning questions including 'How do I get my course online?' and gave his
audience insight into how institutions can keep pace with the break-neck speed
of the worldwide growth of e-learning.
Other keynote speakers were Andrew Sadler (IBM Mindspan Solutions), Steve
Thomas (CEO, Pathlore), Michael Parmentier (Office of the Secretary of Defense),
and Dennis Bonilla (Vice President of Oracle University). Each in turn built on the conference's
theme for this year - 'Discovering the Power of
E-Learning'.
Papers presented in the
parallel sessions included (but were not limited to) the following themes:
transforming traditional courses into e-learning; cost and benefits analysis;
instructional design; technical issues (such as bandwidth and technology
choice); health hazards of wireless technologies; developing global
partnerships; new e-learning methods and applications; developing and
encouraging interactivity in e-learning.
Generally, these papers were presented by enthusiastic and able speakers,
many of whom used eye-catching graphics, supported by case studies, theory and
practice, including demonstrations and electronic dialogue. The question and answer sessions were
generally very lively, although several speakers were observed to overrun their
allotted presentation time, thereby forfeiting the opportunity to receive direct
feedback from their peers. This was
unfortunate, but a common and perennial problem for all conference
organizers.
The United States Distance
Learning Association, as previously mentioned holds its annual award ceremony
every year at the event. This year
saw a host of awards, including the USDLA Hall of Fame awards for significant
contributions in leadership, research, technical co-ordination and teaching in
the field of distance education.
Three educators were inducted into the Hall of Fame by executive director
Dr John Flores. These were Dr Jolly Holden, senior project manager at Starband
Communications Incorporated; Don Foshee, president and CEO of Innovative
Interactions Incorporated; and Dr Frank Withrow, director of development with
ABLE Company. An award for
excellence in distance learning and teaching was awarded awarded in four
categories, including Dr Paul Resta from the University of Texas (Austin) in the
higher education section. The University of Texas (Telecampus) also picked up a
second award in the area of excellence in distance learning programming, for its
ground breaking MBA online program.
Also receiving awards in this category were the Defense Acquisition
University, NASA Connect (at the Langley Research Center) and Basic Education
Surgical Training (BeST) INTUMed, who train surgeons and medics using a mix of
online case studies, surgical simulations and personal feedback.
Receiving awards in the
'most outstanding achievement by an individual through distance learning were:
Steve Lyle (University of Central Florida); Steve Larkin (Internal Revenue
Service); Dr Julius Edlavitch; and Bryan Poliska (Caliber Learning
Network). On a sadder note, a
special award in memory of the late Bruce Byrne was presented. Bruce, the former president if the
Connecticut Distance Learning Association died on October 22nd, last
year. The inaugural Bruce Byrne
Memorial Award appropriately went to his own Connecticut Distance Learning
Association.
Distance Education -
Something old and something new…
The theme of this year's
conference was 'Discover the power of e-learning'. Well, Washington D.C in the springtime
is a powerful place to discover.
There is plenty to see, do and experience in this most cosmopolitan of
cities. It is a city of contrasts,
and like many western capital cities, a melting pot for people of every creed
and culture. The colors of the
blossoming trees contrast vividly against the grey stone backdrop of the huge
federal triangle buildings. The old Smithsonian 'Castle' and the brand new
Reagan Trade Center stand gazing across the Mall at each other as mute exemplars
of this easy blend. The stark and
angular Hoover FBI building juts imposingly no more than a few yards from Ford's
Theatre, where President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated. This seemingly incongruous mix of old
and new exemplifies not only the city that aspires to be the heart of democracy,
but also the very essence of distance education. As an Englishman I am acutely aware of a
sense of history, and as a distance educator I believe I should strive to mix
the best of the old and the new - creating learning opportunities for
individuals who previously would not have had the chance to study traditionally.
One of the conference papers featured the dichotomy between 'bricks' and
'clicks' - comparing traditional teaching and learning with online
delivery. We almost certainly need
to keep both. I took this same message away with me: In order to discover the
true power of e-learning, we need to remind ourselves of where we have been,
whilst at the same time looking forward to where we are heading - with both
enthusiasm and expectation. New
technologies and applications that were demonstrated at the conference will
transport us some of the way towards achieving our respective goals - but it
will be our own enthusiasm, knowledge, skills and positive attitudes that will
ultimately carry us there.
Steve
Wheeler