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Global
Quilt Initiative for Africa
Louis
Fox, Executive Director, WCET
The revolution in broadband telecommunications networks and the
accelerated rate of this growth internationally, along with the global
explosion in knowledge and ready access to powerful research and
communications tools, are creating unprecedented changes in the
research and education community, along with profound changes in
business, commerce, government, and health care. New jobs, new industries, an
explosion in entrepreneurship, access to quality health care, new modes
of community building, increased access to timely information and
global markets, and the ability of an extended community to interact
closely across space and time:
all are dividends of this revolution in network and information
technology.
Throughout the Americas, Asia and the Pacific Rim, Europe, and
the Middle East a global fabric of interconnected and interoperable
broadband networks has created access to new forms of education and
research, good jobs, medical and health information and care, communication,
and the chance to participate in the affairs of the broader
society. This global fabric
brings to many the promise of inclusion, opportunity, wealth, and
better health; for others, particularly on the African Continent,
access to these opportunities has been, at best, limited, and more
often, non-existent. Until now.
Engaging Africa: The Global Quilt Initiative for Africa
The Global Quilt Initiative for Africa is a public-private initiative to accelerate
the development and use of advanced information and communications
technologies in Sub-Saharan Africa.
This initiative has two major goals: (1) to facilitate investments in and
expansion of communications infrastructure and world-class data
facilities in Sub-Saharan Africa and (2) to assist in the development
of advanced broadband national research and education networks (NRENs) connecting universities and research centers
(with an initial emphasis on medical research) to one another within
and among African nations and then interconnecting these national
universities and research centers to the international research and
education community, creating the “global quilt.” Over time, WCET institutions and
individuals will have many opportunities to engage their Africa colleagues and become a part of the Global Quilt Initiative.
The
Partners in the Global Quilt Initiative for Africa
The Internet Educational
Equal Access Foundation (IEEAF)
– is a non-profit organization that secures donations of key equipment,
co-location facilities, fiber optic cables, and capacity on existing
infrastructure to link together research and education networks across
the continents. The IEEAF has
secured donations that span 17 time zones—nearly completing a loop
around the northern hemisphere with next-generation Internet
infrastructure – and is now engaged in similar efforts in support of
the African Global Quilt Initiative.
Geographic Network Affiliates
International, Inc. (GEO) – is a private company,
headquartered in Norwalk, Connecticut, with the business objective of constructing
and operating telecommunications collocation facilities in key
locations internationally. The
chief executive officer of GEO, Edward Fantegrossi,
was the founder of IEEAF, which now includes board members from the
international research and education network community. Through IEEAF, GEO’s
senior executives have worked closely with the higher education
community to secure telecommunications assets and develop an advanced
global fiber-optic infrastructure for research and education.
Global Medical Research
Exchanges, LLC (GMRE) – is a private company,
headquartered in Norwalk Connecticut, with a business objective of constructing
and operating telemedicine technology exchange-point facilities around
the world. GMRE is working
closely with IEEAF, and with private partners,
to develop and advance telemedicine facilities throughout the world and
is currently working on facilities in fifteen African nations.
UbuntuNet Alliance – was established to capitalize on the emergence
of optical fiber and other terrestrial infrastructure opportunities and
thus become the research and education network backbone in Africa, connecting individual African NRENs now in development. The UbuntuNet
Alliance is driven by a vision of securing high bandwidth connections –
gigabits instead of the current kilobits per second – at affordable
prices, that connect African NRENs to each
other, and to other NRENs worldwide; the UbuntuNet Alliance in partnership with the IEEAF,
GEO, and GMRE is working toward this vision. Participation in the UbuntuNet Alliance is open to NRENs
throughout Africa.
The Plan: A Multi-layered Initiative
There are two separate projects currently being developed in
parallel: the IEEAF/GMRE
Submarine Cable Initiative for Africa, and the IEEAF/GMRE National Research and
Education Network Development Project.
Other projects will build upon the submarine and terrestrial
infrastructure being developed.
The Submarine Cable Initiative for Africa
- 10 Gigabit capacity donations to be added
to the 17 time zones of current IEEAF/GMRE Global Quilt donations,
facilitated by GEO. Done.
- GEO submarine cable landing facilities
created in Berbera, Somalia; Mombassa, Kenya; Dar es Salaam, Tanzania; Maputo, Mozambique; and Durban, South Africa.
In process.
- GMRE Technology Exchange Point
facilities, connected to submarine cable facilities, linking NREN
research, education, and medical facilities to each other and to
international partners. In
process.
The National Research and Education Network Development Plan
- Primary national fiber donations in Uganda, Ethiopia, and Tanzania – facilitated by IEEAF/GMRE and UbuntuNet Alliance members. In process.
- Secondary national fiber donation
Technology Exchange Point (TEP) facilities access or TEP access
and fiber pair donations in Mozambique, Kenya, Rwanda, Malawi, Burundi, South Africa, followed by other East Africa NRENs, facilitated by IEEAF/GMRE and UbuntuNet Alliance members. In process.
- Tertiary national fiber donations from
border and perimeter countries to create “hub and spoke”
interconnections among NRENs, facilitated by IEEAF/GMRE and UbuntuNet Alliance members. In process.
- A common architecture design: Phase One: African NREN teams work with
IEEAF member team to develop common infrastructure goals, October
2007; Phase Two: African
NREN teams work with broad international IEEAF member Teams (Asia
Pacific, European Union, Americas) to ensure integrated, interoperable,
and global architectural design.
The first workshop was held in Kampala, Uganda, in October, and my University of Washington team participated on behalf of the
IEEAF; my colleagues and I at the University of Washington hosted the second workshop in November,
and technology leaders from all over Africa participated, along with colleagues from
the U.S., Asia, and Europe.
Related Initiatives
- Subsequent initiatives (in process) will
include new science and technology parks adjoining medical and
research universities financed and developed by the GMRE partner
fund; multi-national corporate and NGO tenancy in science and
technology parks; wireless infrastructure at remote and field
sites for use by the research and education and medical
communities; and secondary science and technology parks.
The “Content”
IEEAF and GMRE are currently identifying and working with
African, U.S., European Union, and Asian higher education
and research partners to overlay programmatic initiatives in medicine
and healthcare with the emerging infrastructure described above.
IEEAF-GMRE has established a collaboration
with a global health initiative of the University of California, San Francisco, the University of Pennsylvania, Johns Hopkins University, and the University of Washington Medical
Schools – “The University Consortium for Global Health Residency
Training.” This collaboration
with IEEAF-GMRE was begun through the efforts of Johns Hopkins and University of Washington personnel.
The Consortium will create a database of research and clinical
projects in Africa, both in Consortium medical schools and in
other health sciences units.
This database will help define the new network phasing and
development in each participating country. The initial programmatic
emphasis of the Consortium will focus on global health residency training
and accreditation. IEEAF-GMRE will use its current international
broadband assets and infrastructure assets in development in support of
the Consortium and related health sciences initiatives of these
institutions.
These initial projects will pave the way for broad use of the
IEEAF infrastructure by African university and medical research
institutions and their partners, as well as US, EU, and Asian
university and medical research institutions, all of whom will have
access to and benefit by the IEEAF Global Quilt.
The coming decade will be the Decade of Africa and
forward-looking WCET institutions – their faculty, students, and staff
– will have profound opportunities to partner with their African
counterparts in education and research.
Together we will build social, intellectual, and economic
capital at home and abroad, and create a better world for future
generations.
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Pioneer
in Accessible Teaching Technologies Wins WCET’s Highest Award
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WCET announced at its
Annual Conference that Norman Coombs, a pioneer in the use of
technologies that make e-learning courses accessible to those with
disabilities, was named as the 2007 recipient of its Richard Jonsen
Award for Service to the Educational Telecommunications Community.
WCET, a cooperative that focuses on shaping e-learning’s future in
higher education, is one of the Western Interstate Commission for
Higher Education’s primary programs.
“I am honored to
receive this award and am heartened that WCET understands the
importance of accessibility issues,” says Coombs, who is himself blind.
The former professor learned the power of using educational
technologies while teaching history at Rochester Institute of
Technology. “Students with hearing or sight impairments often
felt liberated in the freedom that the technologies afforded them,” he
says.
Since 1993 Coombs has
led EASI (Equal Access to Software
and Information), a nonprofit organization devoted to teaching
educators about accessibility techniques for educational technologies.
He is an outspoken advocate for adaptive technologies and the use of
universal web design principles to meet the needs of disabled students,
as well as a mentor to those coming up in the field. Though officially
retired, Coombs continues to teach online seminars on adaptive
technologies and policies.
“Norm inspires
everyone to do what is necessary to ensure that all students have equal
access to education,” says Pat Shea, who directs WCET’s efforts to help colleges
improve their online student services. “Throughout his career, he has
created tools to help people learn how to do so.”
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WCET
Joins Consortium to Promote Web Accessibility and
Seeks Institutions to Serve as Field Testers
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By
Will Christensen, WebAIM
Over the last several
years the use of the web in all facets of education has exploded,
bringing vast increases in the number of online learning students. Because
no student should be left behind in this digital age, the need to
promote web accessibility for users with disabilities is greater than
ever.
Education entities
have long had the technical information necessary to create accessible
web content, however, unacceptable levels of
access continue to exist. It is
possible that assisting educational entities in a process of
self-study, or helping accreditation communities understand how
accessibility fits into their standards could energize a systems-level
solution to the problem.
However, materials to assist institutions in their accessibility
efforts are not readily available.
To meet this need,
WCET has joined in a national consortium to promote system change for
web accessibility in education. Leading this consortium are WebAIM and the National Center on Disability and Access to Education
(NCDAE). Other members include Kentucky’s Council on Postsecondary Education (KCP), AdvancED, and Western Heights School District in Oklahoma City. “We are so pleased to have WCET as a member
of the national consortium for this project. The work is important, and
timely, as institutions across the country focus on creating systems
that support accessible digital content in sustainable ways,” said
Cyndi Rowland, WebAIM director.
The project, funded by the U.S. Department of
Education’s Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education
(FIPSE), centers on the development, evaluation, and dissemination of a
body of materials and web accessibility processes useful to education.
Educational institutions and accrediting bodies would then have
materials they could use in their efforts to accomplish web
accessibility at a system level.
“WCET’s member institutions will benefit greatly from these new
informative materials as they continue to seek, practice, and promote
best practices in all phases of e-learning including teaching and
learning, student services, and policy development for ALL students,”
said Pat Shea, WCET assistant director.
The six project
materials to be developed include a whitepaper detailing the rationale,
research and support for accessibility in the accreditation process, a
document detailing accessibility benchmarks or indicators for an
institution, an institutional self-study packet for assessment, a
process to aid institutions in measuring continuous improvement, a
compendium of accessibility support materials and resources suitable
for interested accrediting entities, and a document to help site-teams
measure and report on institutional accessibility findings. These
materials will assist institutions as they improve online access for
students with disabilities in a cost effective manner.
WCET is soliciting
interested members to field test project materials. Feedback for any single material is
desired, however institutions to field test the entire process with
materials is critical.
Institutions who are willing to act as a field-test site will
receive a set of complementary materials at the conclusion of the
project. If you would like to participate, please contact Pat Shea at pshea@wcet.info.
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Student
Verification Requirement for Distance Education Providers:
An Update on Pending Federal Legislation
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By Mollie McGill, WCET, and Rhonda Epper, Colorado Community Colleges Online
Are Your Distance Students Really the Ones
Registered for the Course?
Much attention has been focused on the accountability, student learning
outcomes, transfer of credit, and illegal file sharing provisions of
the two related bills that have moved through the U.S. Senate and the
House of Representatives to amend and extend the provisions of the 1965
Higher Education Act. One of the
provisions that appears in both versions
should be of particular interest to institutions and programs that
offer distance education. The
proposed legislation requires:
“an
institution that offers distance education to have processes through
which the institution establishes that the student who registers in a
distance education course or program is the same student who participates
in and completes the program and receives the academic credit.”
Members
of WCET’s Steering Committee are producing an “issues brief” to inform
the WCET membership about some of the complexities, concerns, and costs
that institutions would face in order to comply with this requirement,
such as:
- What is the
“problem” being addressed?
Is the problem of student verification limited to online
delivery? What about high
enrollment lecture classes?
- Would the requirement
apply to the growing number of hybrid classes on college
campuses? When is a class a
“distance education” class?
- The use of multiple assessment strategies, such as
threaded discussions, rather than single high stakes exams, are
the norm in many accredited distance education programs. In fact, student cheating may be
more difficult in online learning environments than in traditional
classes because of the use of very sound pedagogical practices.
- A commitment
to access is a major driver for many distance education
providers. What would be
the impact (on students and the programs) to implement expensive
student identity technologies?
Look
for WCET’s issues brief on this topic to be released by the end of the
year. WCET members are
encouraged to share this information with your government relations
personnel.
Information on H.R.
4137, “College Opportunity and Affordability Act of 2007” and S. 1642,
“Higher Education Amendments of 2007” is available from the Library of
Congress THOMAS website: http://thomas.loc.gov/
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WCET
Piloting “Common Interest Groups”
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By
Russ Poulin and Mollie McGill, WCET
WCET is piloting
“Common Interest Groups” (CIG) to promote groups of WCET members coming
together to share information and work cooperatively on projects that
will benefit them. CIGs will be
formed around a “unifying issue” such as organization types (statewide
consortia, two-year caucuses), profession (distance education
directors, instructional designers), or issue (eportfolio use,
intellectual property, faculty development). Each CIG will be provided space on
WCET’s updated website and will have the ability to easily communicate
with other members of that CIG.
“Academic
Collaboration” CIG Looks at Funding
Academic
Collaborations are those interinstitutional partnerships that share
resources to increase institutional capacity for, sharing of, and
access to technology-mediated courses and programs. Examples
include system-wide services like Texas's UT Telecampus, state/province-wide services
like eCampusAlberta, or a multi-state collaboration like Great
Plains IDEA.
The initial project
to be undertaken by the Academic Collaboration CIG will be on funding
mechanisms used to create and run collaborations between higher
education institutions, agencies, and entities. After receiving
planning input at the WCET Annual Conference in Atlanta, CIG leaders Myk Garn (Kentucky Virtual
Campus) and Kate Carey (Ohio Learning Network) announced that the CIG
will work in partnership with WICHE Senior Policy Analyst Demaree Michelau to develop a survey and white paper on
funding academic collaborations. The members of the Academic
Collaboration CIG will participate in the review and analysis process
over the next three months with the final paper planned for release in
April 2008. The CIG will also be developing additional topics to
address in future rounds of discussion. Final result of the
AC/CIG explorations will be archived at a website being developed by
the Institute for Academic Alliances at Kansas State University.
Two-Year
College CIG
Plans for the
establishment of a Two-Year Colleges CIG are just getting
underway. The Two-Year College
CIG will focus on the unique needs and interests of community and
technical colleges and will identify one or two specific topics to
frame some email discussions, webinars, and
sessions for the annual conference planning committee to consider. Paul Marquard
(Casper
College, WY) will lead the Two-Year CIG planning.
What’s
Next?
WCET is learning from
piloting these two CIGs to develop models for how they will operate
within the WCET framework.
Members of the WCET Steering Committee will assist in creating
the rules for future CIGs.
In 2008, there will be
opportunities for members to propose and to organize additional
CIGs. If you have questions or
suggestions, contact Russ Poulin (rpoulin@wcet@info) or Mollie McGill (mmcgill@wcet.info).
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After
Successful Conference in Atlanta, WCET
Looks Forward to 20th Anniversary in Arizona
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By Megan Raymond, WCET
Over 430 people from
48 states, Puerto
Rico, Canada, Bermuda, Mexico and New Zealand attended WCET’s 2007 Annual Conference in Atlanta, GA
– the first held east of the Mississippi. Attendees
represented a cross section of today’s campus: deans, instructional
designers, administrators and program coordinators. Diversity was
reflected not only in the attendees and what they brought to the
conference, but also in the sessions presented. Sessions ranged from exploring new
tools for web based learning, including Web 2.0, to analysis and
discussion about cooperative learning initiatives. Several speakers
have made their presentations available online.
Many found the
content and the overall conference relevant and important to their
campuses and programs. Echoing the sentiment of other attendees, John
Howard, director of distance education at South Dakota State University, commented “This is always the highlight
conference of the year for me; always on target with the latest issues
that should concern everyone in e-learning.”
The conference also
yielded opportunities for improvement for an even stronger event in
2008. The enthusiasm of the
Planning Committee Chairs and feedback from 2007 Conference attendees
has re-energized the conference committee. We are already working to craft not
only a remarkable conference, but also a celebration to commemorate
WCET’s 20th Annual Conference! Stay tuned for opportunities to
present, participate in or attend, but mark your calendars for the 2008
Annual Conference and Celebration at the Phoenix Tapatio
Resort in Phoenix, AZ,
November 5-8th. We
look forward to what the next 20 years of e-learning will bring!
See Pictures
from the 2007 Conference
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Welcome
New Members
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Campus Saskatchewan
Canada
Georgia Institute of
Technology
Georgia
North Seattle Community Colleges
Washington
University of Nebraska at Omaha
Nebraska
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