2005 Annual Report of Activities International Council for Open and Distance Education 1 .............3 ....................................................................................................................4 1. ICDE CONFERENCES IN 2005: ........................................................................................4 1.1. 2005 19-21 ...............................................................................................4 1.2. UERTO ICO 4-6 2005 ................................................................................................5 1.3. ELHI 19-23 2005 2. PLANNING FOR UPCOMING ICDE CONFERENCES .............................................................................5 ................................................................................5 2.1. ICDE NTERNATIONAL ONFERENCE IANJIN HINA .........................................................................................6 2.2. 2006 MEETING ILLEHAMMER ORWAY ...................................6 2.3. ICDE ONFERENCE IO DE ANEIRO EPTEMBER 2006 ........7 2.4. 2007 AND BEYOND .................................................................................................................7 2.5. ICDE ONFERENCE UIDELINES ..........8 3. ICDE AND THE UN ................................................................8 3.1 UNESCO GLOBAL PARTNERSHIP FOR DUCATION ..........................................8 ......................8 3.1.2. Phase one: Geneva 10-12 December 2003; Phase two: Tunis: 16-18 November 2005 ............9 3.1.3. Conclusion .....................................................................................................................9 3.2. ICDE AND THE .....................................................................................................9 4. ICDE GLOBAL CAPACITY PROJECTS ..............9 4.1. .................................................10 4.2. APACITY UILDING IN COOPERATION WITH THE ANK ..........................................................................................................10 ............................................................................................................12 4.2.2. Capacity Building in Rwanda .............................................................................................................14 4.2.3. Capacity Building in Nigeria .......................................................................14 4.2.4. Capacity Building in Democratic Republic of Congo ...............................16 4.3. APACITY UILDING IN OUTH AST FINAL STAGES ................................................................17 4.4. SEAMEO AND THE SUNAMI EHABILITATION PROJECT ..............................................................................17 5. ICDE INTERNATIONAL QUALITY EVALUATION ...............18 6. NEW WEBSITE .........................................18 7. ICDE’S YNOTE SPEECHES THE FOLLOWING CONFERENCES: ................................18 7.1. SIAN SSOCIATION OF NIVERSITIES (AAOU) CONFERENCE ............................................................................19 UNESCO LUB OF OME ONFERENCE ...............................................................................................19 7.3. NTERNATIONAL ONFERENCE IN KRAINE ........................................................20 8. ACCOUNTS AND SOME KEY FINANCIAL FIGURES FOR 2005 2 A-Introduction ICDE is recognized by the United Nations (UNESCO), and serves as the Glob al Umbrella Membership Organization in Distance, e-learning and Flexible and Blended Learning. In addition to ICDE’s status within UNESCO, we derive our position from the unique knowledge and experience of our members throughout th An important aim of ICDE is to promote intercultural c ooperation and understanding through flexible learning and teaching throughout the world. During the year 2005, ICDE was involved Planning and organisation of several ICDE conferences, some were held in 2005 ( International Conference in India , International Conference in Puerto Rico, SCOP 2005 in Germany ), while others were Tianjin International Conference SCOP 2006 in Norway ). We also spent some time analysing a number of conference proposals and negotiating with the interested institutions. Besides, ICDE continue working closely with UNESCO in a number of fields, such as the organisation and planning of the World Summit on the Informat ICDE was dealing with a number of Capacity Building Pr ojects in different regions: in Africa, working as consultant for the World Bank; in South East Asia, working in a project for the European Commission st-Tsunami rehabilitation in Educatio n in Indonesia in close cooperation with the South East Asia Minist ers of Education Organisation. Our representatives visited a number of countries purs uing ICDE business during 2005, and held several keynotes speeches at conferences in Asia, Lati n America and Europe organised by cooperating , and put great effort into it. New services were establis We decided to use our new web to launch our journal Open Praxis in a digital format and entered in an agreement with the Lillehammer Univer ing with us in that endeavour. In 2005, an ICDE Team travelled to Indonesia, to undertake a Qualit y Evaluation of the Universitas Terbuka (the Indonesian Open University), ICDE understood that there was a need to update an d revitalise the bylaws of our organisation which were designed to cope with the reality of distance education as it was many years ago. The educational field has changed dramatically so we wanted to adjust our constitution to the current times. A considerable amount of time was spent on this work, and the results will be presented to the membership in the autumn of 2006. Nina Bagley – Chief of Information and Membership Services 3 1. ICDE Conferences in 2005: 1.1. SCOP 2005 COLOGNE, Germany: 19-21 June The main theme was ntials and Challenges for Innovation” the FernUniversität in Hagen and the main sponsor was the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research SCOP 2005 Cologne was organized as a workshop. Repres entatives of universities from all over the world attended this global forum for exchange of experiences on the current situation as well as further developments and perspectives of open and distance teaching univers 1.2. San Juan, Puerto Rico: 4-6 August 2005 ICDE has been very active in Latin America for a good number of years. Since 1998, and with the objective to blished a forum for debate and sharing of expertise coordinated by Prof. Marta Mena. In 2005 these countries were represented: Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Ecuador, Mexico, Chile, Peru and Puerto Rico. Among other activities, this network organizes a regional conference every year and online workshops, it has developed containing a comprehensive database about Distance Education activities, courses and offerings in Latin America, and it has published two books on Distance Education and the status in the region. Besides, ICDE has signed a number of l organizations that are present in La number of activities. ICDE organized the International Conference on Distance Education, with the theme “The New Frontiers of Distance Education” n Juan, Puerto Rico on August 4-6, 2005 in the College of Education, and was hosted by the Center of Academic Excellence of the University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras Campus The UNESCO Institute for Higher Education in Latin America and the Caribbean (IES ALC) sponsored the event, along with local and international organi zations from the public and private se ctors, such as: the Organization of American States (OEA), Association for Business Comm Rican Distance Learning Association (APAD), Universia of Puerto Rico, Hispanic Educational Over 400 persons from 23 countries registered for the event, either for the face-to-face or the virtual component 4 1.3. New Delhi, India: 19-23 November 2005 The ICDE International Conference Indira Gandhi National Open University The Conference was structured into core events (plena ry, parallel and poster sessions) and extension events The conference had many well-known international keynote speakers such as: Mr. Shri Arjun Singh, Minister for Human Resource Development of Government of India; Professor Abdul W. Khan, Assistant Director General of UNESCO; Professor H.P. Dikshit, Vice Chancellor of 2. Planning for upcoming ICDE Conferences During the course of the year 2005, ICDE has been working to plan and organize the schedule of conferences 2.1. ICDE International Conference, Tianjin, China The ICDE International conference in Tianjin, China took place 20-22 April 2005. The conference was hosted by the Tianjin Municipal Educational Admissi on and Examinations Authority (TAEA) in cooperation with the Ministry 5 of Education of China and the Tianjin Education Commission. is one of the 4 municipalities directly under largest city in China only after Beijing and Shanghai. ent Area (TEDA) was established in 1984 with the approval of the State Council of the People's Republic of China. It is one of the first state-class econ omic-technological development areas in the country. The city is also the hub of comm unications of North China and the gateway of the capital The theme of the conference was: " . This conference aimed at raising discussion s about the quality of distance and ICT-based education, exchanges and collaboration among TV & radio universit ICDE Standing Conference of Presidents, Rector s, and Chief Executive Officers (SCOP) in 2006 place in the Olympic city of , Norway, 11-13 June 2006. Lillehammer University College of the conference. The Minister of Education, Mr. Øystein Djupedal, . The Norwegian Ministry of Education was the main patron and sp The Conference theme was: “Borderless University Te 2.3. 22nd ICDE World Conference, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, September 3-6 2006 The ICDE World Conference is established as one of the leading educational events worldwide. The event aims at r Distance Education 22nd ICDE World Conference in the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil from 3-6 September 2006. 6 The Conference Theme is: “Promoting Quality in Online, Flexible and Distance Learning” . Approximately 500 papers, from 60 different countries, have been re ceived and evaluated by the International Program Committee. The proposals have been categorized under 4 different main themes based on different research studies within distance– and ICT-based education: The ssues and Research and New Developments. By August 2006, around 900 participants had already regi The Conference Organizing Committee is in charge of th time preparing for this conference. 2.4. 2007 and beyond Universiteit Nederland Shanghai Radio and TV University will host the 2008 ICDE SCOP in Summer Olympic Games in August 2008. - The 23 ICDE World Conference will be held Universiteit Nederland 2.5. ICDE Conference Guidelines ICDE holds a number of conferences every year in diffe rent world regions, working with different types of institutions and cultures. We felt that there was a need 7 3.1 UNESCO and ICDE: A global partnership for Education 3.1.1 ICDE at the World Su UNESCO , and was very active in the organisation of UNESCO’s World (WSIS, Geneva 2003, and Tunis 2005). ICDE works close and daily with UNESCO’s staff through its permanent delegate, Dr. Bernar d Loing in Paris on UNESCO’s agenda within education and the use of ICTs in education. Wanting to ensure a strong presence for the Education se engaged in the preparation of the first phase, which took place in Geneva in December 2003, especially by During the Geneva summit, a position paper was presente d by ICDE on the theme “Teachers’ Training, Central Three times a year, ICDE chairs and moderates the acti under the general heading of ICT and Communication, this committee works on the various issues discussed at WSIS. Thus the active preparation of the Tunis summit provided opportunities for ICDE to strengthen its action and leadership among the NGO community at UNESCO. 3.1.2. Phase one: Geneva 10-12 December 2003; Phase two: Tunis: 16-18 November 2005 The original feature of Tunis WSIS , like the one from Geneva, was prepared in 3 su Tunis Phase: 16-18 November 2005 The objective of the second phase was to put Geneva's Plan of Action into motion as we ll as to find solutions and Nearly 50 Heads of state/government and Vice-Presidents and 197 Ministers, Vice Ministers and Deputy Ministers s, private sector, and civil Tunis Commitment and Tunis Agenda that were adopted on 18 November 2005. More than 19,000 participants from 174 countries attended the Summit and related events . Dr. Loing represented ICDE at the Summit. More on the second phase of WSIS 8 3.1.3. Conclusion Thus, in the various fields mentioned above, ICDE is comforting its position as a major partner of UNESCO, and one can say that its position as a major NGO is privileged and central. Our approach is built on a combination of active engagement and expertise in the combined fields of Education and ICT. To stre ngthen this fact, ICDE was “UN Millennium Goals” Through its engagement in the UNESCO community, ICDE pl ays an important part in fo stering the transition, now in the making, from a global Informat 3.2. ICDE and the World Bank The World Bank , through an open call, selected ICDE to carry out a number of projects on distance education and capacity building in a number of co , ICDE dealt with issues such as capacity building, mapping out of resources and status reports about distance educat ion systems in Sub Saharan “DE and ICT for Teacher Development in Nigeria” (Phase 1 and Phase 2) Democratic Republic of Congo (Phase 1 and Phase 2) – “Options for applic ation to achieve EFA goals in Sub-Saharan Africa” DE status and ICT for Teacher Development in Rwanda 4.1. Introduction recast to increase fourfold Distance education has been able to make inroads into though the scale of some ICDE has been asked by a number of its members to take a lead in the design of an overall structure which might education and training. ICDE’s membership embraces the major experience and expertise in this area across the worl d. In pursuance of the directive given to it by UNESCO has developed a new project activity called the Projects In 2004 and 2005, ICDE was engaged in a series of projec 9 4.2. Capacity Building in Africa: cooperation with the World Bank ICDE has over the last couple of years developed very cl ose relationships with different departments of the World Bank. The negotiations resulted in comprehensive projects on: “DE and ICT for Teacher Development in Nigeria” (Phase 1 and 2) and in Democratic Republic of Congo (P hase 1 and 2) – “Options fo r application to achieve EFA goals in Sub-Saharan Africa”. The mentioned projects were carried on in 2005, but prev iously, projects were undertaken by ICDE in Rwanda The World Bank published an open tender in March 2004 and ICDE won all the projects that were offered since ICDE could offer the most comprehensive experience in Distance Education in Africa in relation to what was Projects Background: In the face of huge and mounting pressures on education in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), distance education (DE) and Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) are in creasingly seen as a necessary part of the solution for improved quality and access in educational provision in the region. The launch of Education for All (EFA) initiatives and the devastating impact of the HIV/AIDS pandemic on the teaching profession have brought a new urgency to the need for distance education and other innova Specifically, ICDE consultancy work dealt with the situation of Distance Educ ation and ICT for teacher chosen to undertake this project. WORK PLAN OBJECTIVES Policy Provision Structure of qualifications Structure of workforce Knowledge-base of existing teachers Needs Identify and evaluate current teacher education 10 Pre-service initial training In-service initial training Continuing education and development of teachers General education Subject knowledge Knowledge of school curriculum Knowledge of pedagogy Practical classroom management Skill development Identify and evaluate current nature of, and develop po tential for use of DE/ICT in support of teachers: Enhancing quality of classroom delivery through deli very of resources to support classroom teaching Enhancing quality of teachers work through professional training and development Identify nature of schools in Ethiopia including ex isting staff development programmes at schools level, and potential for use of ICT for teacher education and continuing professional development within the school environment Identify through wide consultation the potential for using DE/ICT for teacher education/training in Identify on the basis of consultation th e learning outcomes that are intended of DE/ICT based teacher education programmes to affordable and accessible in schools, having regard not only to initial start-up but to on-going viabil ity given maintenance capabilities. Draw on work of Alfonso Oporto in relation to ICTs Identify strategies for development and delivery of learning resources Identify strategies for learner support, face-to-face interaction, classroom monitoring, and on-going learner support and development through follow-up visi ts, support through the existing ‘social system’ of the school Identify potential resources (people, material Identify means of establishing the legitimacy an d quality of teacher education at a distance Recognition/validation of training Quality assurance and external validation Use of advisory panels Involvement in programme development Assessment strategies Recognition of DE/ICT obtained qualifications Research on performance of teachers trained through DE/ICT 11 4.2.2. Capacity Building in Rwanda DE and ICT for Teacher Development in Rwanda - Options for application to achieve EFA goals in Sub- Saharan Africa, Undertake an assessment of the DE and ICT situation in Rwanda: national policy framew ork and initiatives on the subject, main issues and difficulties, teacher development at a distance, te chnologies that have been used to enhance open and distance learning and conventional education, viable technologi WORK PLAN OBJECTIVES National policy framework and initiatives and identify policy gaps and impediments as these might relate to distance education/online learning recognition of qualifications, accreditation, employment bearing on the use of technologies and ICTs in education and identify policy gaps/impediments Identify policy changes/initiatives needed to implem ent DE/use of ICT in education, and in particular quality of teacher education at a distance which DE might be employed Main issues and difficulties Identify main opportunities and barriers to use of te chnologies/ICT to support teacher education/school Understand the current structure of teacher education in Rwanda Policy Provision Structure of qualifications Structure of workforce Knowledge-base of existing teachers Needs Identify and evaluate current teacher education providers in Rwanda including programmes using Pre-service initial training In-service initial training Continuing education and development of teachers 12 General education Subject knowledge Knowledge of school curriculum Knowledge of pedagogy Practical classroom management Skill development Identify and evaluate current use of DE/ICT in support of teachers: Enhancing quality of classroom delivery through delivery of resources to support classroom teaching Enhancing quality of teachers work through professional training and development Identify nature of schools in Rwan da including existing staff development programmes at schools level, and potential for use of ICT for teacher education and continuing professional development within the school environment Identify through wide consultation the potential for using DE/ICT for teacher education/training in ance learning and conventional learning Ts to enhance classroom activities, deliver DE, and support online learning Evaluate potential for the use of technologies/ICTs ha ving regard to the robustness of the infrastructure and socio-economic context of use Evaluate the viability of on-line and distance learning systems for greater outreach and enhanced Identify options for creation/expansion of on-line li Viable technological solutions for the near future Identify immediate/short-term viable technical stra Identify appropriate media – relating this to what is affordable and accessible in schools, having t-up but to on-going viability given maintenance capabilities. Identify strategies for development and delivery of learning resources Identify strategies for learner support, face-to- face interaction, classroom monitoring, and on- going learner support and development through fo llow-up visits, support through the existing ‘social system’ of the school Professor Rumble with the assistance of ICDE staff developed the Rwanda project and went to Rwanda in a mission of three weeks. The outcome of this job is a re 13 4.2.3. Capacity Building in Nigeria The Nigeria project was developed by Kjell Atle Halvorsen from Scope of work: 4.2.4. Capacity Buildi ng in Democratic Republic of Congo Projects: Phases I and II The nature of the work to be done in DRC required consul tants with high level of proficiency in French, since this was the working language. ICDE hired a group of consultant s to implement this project : the team leader for this work was ICDE Permanent Delegate at UNESCO, Dr. Bern ard Loing, with Stephan and Christopher Klepsland fra The projects are part of an Education sector programme DRC with a focus on basic education. Components to include: school reconstruc tion, teacher training, and provision of textbooks for primary and secondary levels. An additional component su of higher education. In 14 An exploratory missions to Kisangani, Lubumbashi and Ki nshasa was undertaken in the context of the identified The assessment considered the full range of possible distan ce education and technology options, including radio, television, as well as state-of-the-art ICTs and identify the various ways in which they the country’s education strategy to help in catalyzing reform and attaining the re continued growth of the system. The assessment identified opportunities for cross-sect ored approaches to allow for synergies and integration of educational ICTs and distance education within community and poverty reduction At the requirement of the World Bank, all reports were written in French. Reseau de Communication au Service de l’Education a Distance: Mission d’identification en République 15 4.3. Capacity Building in South East Asia: CA E eLEARN Project, final stages "Connecting Southeast Asia & Europe E-Learning Models" – CAE e-LEARN Programme Component: Liaise with Eu ropean IT&C Initiatives and Programmes Project duration: 24 months, extended to May 2005 Participating countries Southeast Asia Region: Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand and Brunei. The partners on the project were four higher education inst itutions in Europe and three institutions of SEAMEO in Southeast Asia (SEA): • International Council for Open and Distance Education (ICDE), Spain • Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Orga • SEAMEO SEAMOLEC (Indonesia), SEAMEO VOCTECH, Brunei Darrusalam • Pôle Universitaire Européen de Montpe CAE e-Learn was a two years project funded by the Europe-Aid Cooperation Office under the Asia Information Technology and Communication Programme and SEAMEO. It was an international cooperation project and it focused on the key areas of acti The proposal was based on the principles of the “Memorandum on Lifelong Learning” adopted for the European Commission in October 2000. The main objective of CAE As a pre-requisite, the partners analyzed in depth the Southeast Asian and European cultures and systems in open and distance learning, their values and peda gogical models, as well as their IT&C systems. The virtual pedagogical model was defined based on th ing to certain criteria, from 3 institutions: SEAMOLEC, Bunda Mulia University and State University of Lampung. In addition, two workshops were conducted for 16 4.4. SEAMEO and the Post- Tsunami Rehabilitation project During the last These projects are still under evaluation, having received 5. ICDE International Quality Evaluation For many years ICDE has received requests to validate th where there exist no legislation or standards concerning quality. These requests have been received from institutions themselves, from prospective students and also from agencies and departments of government. Recent developments in communications technology, which allow institutions engaged in education and training to operate globally, have considerably increased the n eed for an international assessment of quality standards and ICDE is now responding to this need, through the cr eation of the ICDE Standards Agency (ISA) to promote public confidence that the quality of provision and standards of awards in op en, distance and e-learning are being safeguarded and enhanced. The ISA team provides the following services: Institutional evaluation audit. If successful this may lead to the award of an ICDE Quality Certificate. Institutional planning from strategy development through implementation. Managing the design, development, production and delivery of learning materials to international Establishment, development and management of new approaches to teaching and learning including an Guidance on setting up student support services. ISA can provide the services as a three-step process: 1- Investigation and analysis; 2-Advice, recommendations and provision of expensive alternatives; 3- Implementation of new processes, procedures and systems including evaluation and assessment. In 2004, ICDE started with the assessment of some universit ies, which were interested in obtained the ICDE “seal of quality” to guarantee their students they are prov iding services of world quality standard. In 2005, ICDE undertook a Quality Evaluation of one of the world’s pu blic mega universities in South East Asia: Universitas Terbuka online, flexible and blended learning. 17 6. New Website was completely re-structured in a process that started at the end of 2004 and during the first To present ICDE teraction and dissemination of knowledge To be the platform for ICDE’s journal Open Praxis ICDE has developed a section called “members-only” that aims at providing a useful tool for interaction to its members and others with interest in the field of e-learning: To learn about the field of open and distance learning To compare opinions and experiences To ask for help, advice and opinions To ask for help, advice and opinions To deliberate To do research and find research partners To share and to hold discussions Open Praxis Digital ICDE’s journal Open Praxis has been published for severa l years in a printed format, with the assistance of the digital format only, for both members and non-members of the Lillehammer University College held a number of meetings regarding the possibility in charge of it. The negotiations were successful and in June 2005 was launched in the ICDE 7. ICDE’s keynote speeches in the following conferences: 7.1. 19th Annual Asian Association of Open Universities (AAOU) conference (AAOU) is a non-profit organization of higher learning institutions that are primarily concerned with education at a distance. The AAOU Annual Conference, hosted in turn by different in open and distance learning in Asia, particularly students, and information, communication technology developers and providers. The participants come mainly from Asia but other regions are represented as well. The 19th Annual Conference of the AAOU was held in Ja karta, Indonesia on September 15 - 17, 2005. The theme "Quality and Capacity building in Open and Distance Learning" 18 7. 2. The UNESCO / Club of Rome World Conference UNESCO and the Club of Rome co-organized a three-day “World Conference on Harnessing the Potential of ICT for Capacity Building” from 11 to 13 May 2005 at the UNES CO Headquarters in Paris, France. The event was one The Conference discussed the use of information and comm unication technology (ICT), including satellites, for capacity-building, and its key st UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) Plenary speakers in the session on "Pol icy making and critical success factors: Mr Xinsheng Zhang, Deputy Minister of Education of China esident for Europe, the World Bank Ms Viviane Reding, EU Commissioner respon Mr Ferdinand Kayser, President and CEO, SES ASTRA 7.3. International Conference in Ukraine The conference’s main purpose was the Op ening of a Coordination Centre of the Central and Eastern European Virtual Universities (CEEVU) . The conference was held 10 – 11 November 2005, at the National Technical “Kyiv Polytechnic Institute” (NTUU “KPI”) , in Kyiv. Reidar Roll was invited to hold a keynote ty building in Central and Eastern Eu The CEEVU includes 16 universities from 8 countries of Central and Eastern Europe. This project was established by the decision of the 32nd session UNESCO’s General Conference, in October 2004. The aim was to create the Open Virtual Campus of E-learning Centres in the Tech ia, Moldova and Poland su The project is carried out under UNESCO and 19 8. Accounts and some key financial figures for 2005 The accounts for 2003, 2004 and 2005 have been audited by a publicly authorised auditing firm in Norway. The accounts were subsequently approved by the appropriate office of the Norwegian Government. Projections have also been made for the years 2006 and 2007. Some expenditure has already been committed, particularly for 2006, and some income is already guaranteed (e.g. funds from the Norwegian Government and In considering these financial statements, there is one very significant statement that must be borne in mind and this is the fluctuation of exchange rates and the fluc tuating income regarding projects, which explains the decrease in 2005. On the other hand, in 2004 we decide d to move to smaller premises to cutback on rental (amounts in USD) 20