Session 4: Global Education, Online Training & the Age of the Internet
Chair: Sonya Rahimi

Global Education using Global Information Infrastructure
Jolanta Chec
National Institute of Telecommunications, Poland

Education will play a very important role in Global Knowledge Society based on information and knowledge as key resources to be used by anyone, anytime and anywhere. In such society education should be a continuous process that lasts through the whole life (LLL; Life Long Learning Process) ensuring attainment of currently updated knowledge.
An appropriate Global Information Infrastructure (GII; according to ITU-T Recommendations of Y series) is a base for realization of education on global scale. The information infrastructure of global nature enables full access to all types of information, their processing and exchange by anyone, anytime and anywhere. Very quick development of new information and communication technologies (ICT) enables to create such information infrastructure. Nowadays, for achievements of these goals, GII should be based on interworking and interoperation of existing and future telecommunications networks. Asynchronous Learning Networks (ALN) has been created on the basis of Internet (a component of Global Information Infrastructure) services enabling realization of an information infrastructure services application: Distance Learning.
Development of new information and communication technologies (ICT) enabled the birth of new forms of education for LLL Process. They are realized by new educational institutions (Open University, Virtual University, ALN). Computer technologies, used in education, should be a set of cognitive tools, not only tools for gathering, storage and transfer of information.
Use of Global Information Infrastructure for education on global scale (ALN networks with intelligence), use of rich Artificial Intelligence tools and modern presentation technologies (including hypermedia) enabling individualization of learning process, results of research works concerning use of intelligent educational systems in networks will be discussed in the paper.
The paper will be based on the results of the study performed within international programme under name COPERNICUS/STEP. National Institute of Telecommunications in Poland was one of the participant in STEP project.

Download Conference Paper -

---

Online Training Course for Avicenna Course Developers
Mohamed Bettaz
Philadelphia University, Distance Learning Deanship, Avicenna Knowledge Center 19392, Amman, Jordan

The work reports on a case study of an experimental project. The project consists in designing an online training course for Avicenna virtual campus course developers.
Avicenna virtual campus is a EUMEDIS project coordinated by UNESCO and supported by European Union.
The aim of our online training course is to provide Avicenna course developers with necessary knowledge and skills required for the development of distance learning courses.
Our course is organized into sessions, where each session consists of a set of documents: diagnostic assessment, overview, learning outcomes, learning sequences, previous knowledge eventually. The learning sequences document consists of a sequence of twenty minutes learning sequences, where each learning sequence is followed by a formative self-assessment sequence.
The course is realized by a composition of media and tools including html, PowerPoint, Flash, audio and video records integrated via SMIL. The course was delivered to UNESCO on June 19 2005 and is available on Philadelphia university Plei@d server.
Acknowledgement: This work is supported by UNESCO under contracts number 4500022774 & 4500022774.

Download Conference Paper -

---

Architectural Education in the Age of Internet
Saziye Arslankelle
Faculty of Architecture, Department of Architecture, Eastern Mediterranean University, Turkey

Technologies/ improvements/innovations of communication systems are appealed by many disciplines. Emerging technologies create a challenging platform generally in all higher education fields, particularly in architectural education. Increase influence of communication systems becomes an inseparable part of our lives. The access and information sharing that Internet offers are immense that the future knowledge transferring mostly will be realized through Internet. The infrastructure in many institutions is tried to be formed out. The Distance Education programs have now started to take their place in the curriculums of universities or at least probability of such programs has started being discussed.
The traditional classroom environment in architectural education can be identified as; instructor focused more "passive" learning where mostly knowledge delivered by instructors, outgoing, verbal, high-achieving, students participate rate is at the most , technology may be used, but is not central to the role of being a learner; various media may be used, but mostly the delivery of information is in oral format with some written support. On the other hand, an online classroom environment can be identified as ; l earner focused more "active" learning , learners guided by instructors and constitute a "model" for good learning techniques, a much greater percent of students actively participate in discussions, technology helps students explore resources and construct their own meanings, and may help instructors use multiple forms of media, and reach a wider variety of learning styles.
This paper will be examine and discuss the influence of the Internet on architectural education considering the educational possibilities and applications in universities (virtual universities), student – instructor relationship and place-space free education process advantages and disadvantages both from students and instructors point of view.

Download Conference Paper -