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Contributions from
the Column
InWEnt News
'renewables 2004': renewable energy and poverty reduction
Virtual advanced training on 'Global Campus 21'
Romania on the way into the EU
8-9/2003
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[ Input to the global knowledge society ]
Virtual advanced training on 'Global Campus 21'
By Günter Podlacha
The so-called digital revolution has resulted in an enormous growth of information flows which have great impacts on both the business world and politics. Not all countries are affected by this development to the same degree; most of the world population has no access to the global information flows. With its 'Global Campus 21' portal InWEnt has created a wide offer of learning on the Internet and 'virtual cooperation', and by this means is participating in the building of a global knowledge society.
The term 'knowledge society' is understood to mean a society that is marked by its members' lifelong ability to learn and lifelong learning. But the opportunities to use information and communication technologies (ICT) and take part in the global flows of knowledge are extremely unequal around the world; depending on region, gender and social position, there are considerable differences. The figures of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), a UN organisation, gave for 2002 the following picture: of every 1,000 inhabitants in Africa about six had an Internet access, in Asia it was 32, in Germany almost 300, and in the USA 350. There is a 'digital divide between industrialised and developing countries. Moreover, whoever wants to use the Internet must be able to read – and that, too, is not a matter of course. Still, in the last 100 years the proportion of illiterates in the world population has almost halved from 45 per cent to 23 per cent.
An InWEnt input to building the global knowledge society is the learning platform 'Global Campus 21' (www.gc21.de). This presents three types of offers: the generally accessible section 'Information & Service' with basic information on subjects such as e-learning, e-business and e-governing; the 'Public Campus' with open information forums and training courses; for registered users, the non-public 'My Campus' with virtual shared workspaces; and tutorial-accompanied online courses (Web-based training). Currently, more than 5,000 Internet users around the world are exchanging information with each other on 'Global Campus 21' in more than 250 forums. The subjects touch upon all InWEnt areas of activity, such as education, health care, economic and social development, environmental management, conservation of resources, information technologies, good governance, crisis prevention and general management training.
For participants in InWEnt advanced training courses, the 'Virtual Follow-up Contact' section offers the opportunity to compare notes on long-term practical experiences. The lecturers can also be spoken to in the Campus follow-up section, which facilitates the transfer of knowledge from a course to practical work. Other Internet working groups are served by the internal networking of InWEnt staff around the world, who exchange notes on certain subjects in their shared workspaces. Much used at InWEnt are online conferences which function just like 'presence' ones, except that all the participants sit at their workplaces at their own PC screens and communicate by 'chat', so do not meet personally.
Every Internet user can register for an online course at 'Global Campus 21' regardless of whether or not he or she is participating in an InWEnt advanced training programme. A great number of courses on various subjects are on offer. There has been a big response so far to courses which cover management and training in the broadest sense, such as 'Change Management', 'Knowledge Management' and 'Consultancy as Professional Option'. Courses on Environmental Management are also in great demand. These programmes, some of which have more than 50 participants, are implemented in purely virtual form. The participants are free to arrange their own learning times. Course fees are based on whether a participant lives in an industrialised or a developing country. At the end of a course all participants receive a certificate from InWEnt or the implementing higher education institution.
InWEnt has had good experiences with linking traditional 'presence' forms of learning and online learning, the so-called 'blended learning'. Specialist programmes such as 'E-Learning Training', 'Management of Virtual Groups' and 'Business Journalism' use this method. Behind it is the experience that learning success is greater if the participants in a course meet at least once personally with the lecturers. That is why in the case of 'blended learning' at least one 'presence' seminar is organised. If a course has only a few participants the users from around the world meet at one location, and regional meetings are organised for those studying subjects in greater demand, such as for Southern Africa, South Asia and Central America.
'Global Campus 21' was launched in 2000, and to date has more than 10,000 registered users (active and passive). The learning platform is available in German, English, French and Spanish; Russian and Chinese versions are being prepared. Course participants must arrange their Internet access themselves. Even in developing countries this appears to be no problem, at least not for the experts and managers who account for most of the participants because usually they work in big cities with sufficient infrastructure. Some 80 per cent of the course participants so far have said they could use an Internet connection at work. Taking account of the level of technology in the developing countries, 'Global Campus 21' is programmed so that all offers can be dialled up without problems with a modem of average speed. Big data packages such as audio and video files were deliberately excluded so that 'Global Campus 21' is also truly globally reachable and can contribute to overcoming the digital divide and building the worldwide knowledge society.
The latest planning for 'Global Campus 21' foresees regional learning platforms which will be networked with the central Campus but run independently through InWEnt partner organisations. That will enable an offer of decentral courses whose content will be designed locally. The virtual cooperation can thus develop wider general impact and be better adjusted to the needs of the participants.
Dr Günter Podlacha is Project Manager in the InWEnt 'E-Learning, Global Campus, Lifelong Learning' Division.
guenter.podlacha@inwent.org
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