Information and communication technology for social development an international symposium jakarta 22 24 may 2006

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Informationand
CommunicationTechnology
forSocialDevelopment
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AnInternationalSymposium
Jakarta,22‐24/May2006
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EditedbyJonBaggaley
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Acollaborationbetweenthe
ICT4D/ASEANCollaboratoryand
thePANAsiaNetworkinginitiativeon
DistanceLearningTechnologies
(PANdora)
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TheICT4D/ASEANand
PANdoraprojects

aresupportedbyCanada’s
InternationalDevelopment
ResearchCentre(IDRC)
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Jakarta:ASEANFoundation(June2006)
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______________________________________________________
Foreword
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THEMINISTRYOFRESEARCHANDTECHNOLOGY
REPUBLICOFINDONESIA

OpeningspeechbyHEKusmayantoKadiman
MinisterofResearchandTechnology
attheInternationalSymposiumon
ICTforSocialDevelopment
Jakarta,23
rd
May2006
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DistinguishedLadiesandGentlemen,
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Firstofall,letmeexpressmyhighestappreciationtotheASEAN
Foundation(AF)andtheInternationalDevelopmentResearch
Center(IDRC)ofCanadafortheirinitiativeandeffortsin
implementingtheICT4Dcollaborationprojectthatiscurrently
resumingits3
rd

yearprogram.Ibelievethatalloftheoutcomeswill
helptheregioninunderstandingbetterandfindingmorenew
waystosolveissuesrelatedtothedevelopmentofinformationand
communicationtechnology(ICT)intheSoutheastAsiaregion.
ThereforeIwouldliketoaskthatallofthematerials,
experience
and“lessonslearned”canbesharedwidelyamongtheinstitutions
oftheparticipatingcountriesandalsootherregionsthatneedour
helpinsolvingtheirICTissues.
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Asweareallaware,thedigitaldivideisnotonlyaworld‐wide
issue,butisalsoanissuethatcannot
besolvedinonedayand
needsalong‐term,consistentandsystematiceffortthroughmany
stages.Thatiswhythedigitaldivideissueisaddressedinmany
regionsasacommonworldproblem,tomakesurethatno‐oneis
leftbehindinthetransformationtowardsthedigitalculture.
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iii
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Thisdigitalgapisnotasimplegap,however.Itcanresultfroma
lackofawarenessorapplication,infrastructureoraccess,education
andwealth,orsimplyfromadifferentlifestyleorculture.Itisour
responsibilitytoreallyunderstandthenatureofthisgapinthe
region,and
tofindwaystonarrowit.Inthiscontext,itisvery
importantthatwedistinguishbetweentwodifferenttypeof
promotingICT,firstlytheefforttoincreaseournational

competitivenessbyusingICTsin,forexample,e‐government
initiativestoincreaseefficiency;andsecondlyintheefforttohelp
communities
inruralareas(theothersideofthegap)tomakesure
theywillnotbeleftbehind.
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Asaruleofthumb,tonarrowthedigitalgap,weneedtofindways
forthedevelopmentofthesecondgrouptohavefasteracceleration
thanthatofthefirstgroup.
Communitiesinruralareasnormally
haveaminimalknowledgeofICTandfacedifferentlifeproblems.
Indevelopingcountries,theycommonlyfaceverybasichuman
problemssuchaslackoffood,andeducation.Itistherefore
importantforustointroduceICTsinruralareasthatfittotheir
common
lifepriorities,sothattheyreallycancatchupand
systematicallybuildtheirregiontowardsafuturedigitallifestyle.
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Permitmetohighlightsomeexamples.Inseekingtoeradicate
povertyandhunger,wecanuseICTtoincreaseaccesstomarket
informationandreducetransactioncostsforpoorfarmersand
traders.InimprovinguniversalprimaryeducationwecanuseICT
toincreasethesupplyofmaterialsandlecturesthroughdistance
learningprograms.Theseexamplesshowusthatthedigitaldivide
issue,especiallyinrelationtosocialproblems,needstobe
formulatedcarefullysothatitwillreallyfittheneedof
thelocal
community.Iwouldliketosuggestthatthiscollaborationcanbe
extendedtoamorelong‐termbasiswithanobjectivetounderstand
infullthenatureofsocialdevelopmentintheregion,andtoassist

thepeoplefromstagetostage,innarrowingthegapbetweenthem
andthefuturedigitallifestyle.Ibelievethatlong‐term
collaborationswillenableustofindoptimalapproachesthatcanbe
sharedwiththerestoftheworld.
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Anotherexampleisthenationaldisasterissue.DuringtheTsunami
disasterinAceh,Indonesiaexperiencedthelossofallpublic
informationin
theregion,aswellasthetelecommunication
infrastructure.Anewemergencywirelessnetworkhassincebeen

iv
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implementedtorebuildAceh’sinfrastructure,especiallyinsupport
ofpublicserviceactivities.Thisexpensivelessonhastriggeredusto
givemoreattentiontoourgeographicalparameters,andtomake
useofICTnetworks
tosupportdisasterearlywarningsystems.
Indonesia’scurrentfocusinthefieldofICTistodevelopthe
infrastructure,includingtelecommunications,internetand
computersaccessibletoIndonesia’swidespreadcommunities.The
useofICTisexpectedtobecomethe‘enabler’ofeconomicgrowth
andthetriggerof‘GoodCorporateGovernance”’as
wellasan
importanttooltodevelopdemocracyinIndonesia.

OneofourcurrentprogramsistheIndonesia,GoOpenSource(IGOS)
initiative,initiatedbyfiveMinistries:ResearchandTechnology,
CommunicationandInformation,LawandHumanRights,
EmpowermentofHumanResources,andNationalEducation.This

initiativeiswidelypromotedby
thegovernmentasatoolto
minimisethe“quitehigh”softwarepiracyrate,byintroducingan
opensoftwareapproachasanalternativeforthecommunity.This
initiativeisalsobeingdiscussedintheASEANregion,inorderto
createawiderregionalsupportaswellastostrengthenthelocal
and
regionalsoftwareindustries.

TheconvergenceofICTnetworksisalsoanimportantissuethat
needstobeaddressedthroughouttheregion.Ibelievethatthe
convergencetowardsIP‐basedwirelessnetworkswillgiveusthe
opportunitytonarrowthedigitalgapbybuildingtheICT
infrastructureinruralareasat
amuchcheaperandfasterrate.The
MinistryofResearchandTechnologyiscurrentlyinitiatinga
numberofstudiesandresearchactivitiesonICTconvergence,to
identifyallofthenear‐futureoptionsfornarrowingthedigitalgap,
especiallyforsmallandmediumenterprises(SMEs)and
communitiesinruralareas.

Again,letmeexpressmyhighestappreciationtotheASEAN
FoundationandtheInternationalDevelopmentResearchCentre,
andtoallpartiesfortheirinitiativeandcontribution,includingthe
organisingcommitteeofthissymposium.Ihopethatallofthe
knowledge,experienceandlessonslearnedcanbewidelyshared,
andI
hopethatthiscollaborationcanbestrengthenedinthefuture
forthebenefitofthecommunitiesintheregion.Thankyou.


KusmayantoKadiman,StateMinisterofResearchandTechnology,
Jakarta,May23,2006.
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TableofContents

Page
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iii Foreword(HEKusmayantoKadiman,StateMinisterof
Research&Technology,RepublicofIndonesia)
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1 Introduction(ApichaiSunchindah,ExecutiveDirector,
ASEANFoundation)
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5 1)ResearchingandEvaluatingICTforSocial
Development(ColinLatchem) 
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21 2)BuildingCollaborativeOpen&DistanceLearning

Research
(JonBaggaley,TianBelawati&
NaveedMalik)
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29 3)BestPracticesforCapacity‐BuildinginCambodian
DistanceEducation(DoungVuth,CheaSokHuor&
ChhuonChanThan)
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39 4)EvaluationNeedsofMedicalDistanceEducationin
 Mongolia(D.Amarsaikhan&S.Oyun)
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45 5)UsingOpen‐SourceSoftwareforOpenand
DistanceLearning(BatpurevBatchuluun)
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55 6)InnovativeICTsintheASEANRegion
(FelixLibrero)
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69 7)ViabilityofSMSTechnologiesforNon‐Formal
DistanceEducation(AngeloRamos)
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81 8)UsingSMSMethodstoCombatAvian‘Flu
(BambangWijayanto)
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93 9)InstructionalDesignTrainingforICT‐Based
DistanceLearning
inAsia(FelixLibrero)
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9910)Summary:EstablishingaCollaboratoryasan
InfrastructureforInternationalICTResearch
(JonBaggaley&EddyBahfen)

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111 ListofSymposiumDelegates
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Introduction



IntroductionbyApichaiSunchindah
ExecutiveDirectoroftheASEANFoundation

attheInternationalSymposiumon
ICTforSocialDevelopment
Jakarta,23
rd
May2006

Dr.Ir.RichardMengko,Minister’sAdvisorforInformation
TechnologyAffairsoftheStateMinisterofResearchand
TechnologyoftheRepublicofIndonesia;Excellencies;
DistinguishedGuests;LadiesandGentlemen,

Averygoodmorningtoeverybody,andawarmwelcometo
Jakartaforthoseofyoucomingfrom
abroad.Onbehalfofthe
ASEANFoundation,itismygreatpleasuretowelcomethe
distinguishedguests,speakersandparticipantstothisOpening
CeremonyofanInternationalSymposiumonInformationand
CommunicationTechnology(ICT)forSocialDevelopment.

Firstofall,Iwouldliketoexpressmysinceregratitudeto
Minister’sAdvisorfortakingthetimetobewithusthismorning,
reflectinghiskeeninterestandfirmsupportforresearchand
developmentinscienceandtechnologyactivitiesintheregion.I
wouldalsoliketoconveymygratefulappreciationtothe
InternationalDevelopmentResearchCentreofCanada(IDRC)for
its
financialsupporttotheFoundationthroughtheICT4D
Collaboratoryprojectoverthepastthreeyears,andinthe
organisationofthissymposium.


TheAssociationofSoutheastAsianNations(ASEAN)wasfounded
in1967topromotecooperationineconomic,scientific,socialand
culturalfields,aswellasothertransnationalissuesof
common
concern.Amongitsmainpurposesistohasteneconomicgrowth,
socialprogressandculturaldevelopmentinSoutheastAsia,sothat
theregionwillbemoredeveloped,prosperousandpeaceful.By
2

workingtogether,ASEANcountrieshopetoimprovetheliving
standardsofthepeoplesoftheregion,andtoincreaseawarenessof
theircommonhistory,legacyanddestiny.Toallintentsand
purposes,ASEANasawholeattachesgreatimportancetohuman
resourcesandsocialdevelopment.AllsectorsofASEAN
have
recognisedthesignificanceofthedevelopmentoftheregion’s
humanresourcesforitsfuturegrowthandsuccessinan
increasinglycompetitiveworld.

ItisforthisparticularreasonthattheASEANFoundationwas
establishedbytheASEANHeadsofGovernmentson15December
1997,duringtheAssociation’s30
th
anniversaryCommemorative
SummitinKualaLumpur,Malaysia.TheFoundationaimstohelp
bringaboutsharedprosperityandasustainablefutureforthe
peoplesofalltenASEANcountries.ThesenowincludeBrunei
Darussalam,Cambodia,Indonesia,Laos,Malaysia,Myanmar,the
Philippines,Singapore,ThailandandVietNam.Iamgladtosee
thattheparticipantsatthisSymposiumarefromthroughoutthe

ASEANregion

TheASEANFoundationhasbeenmandatedtopromotegreater
awarenessofASEAN,andgreaterinteractionamongitspeoples
andtheirincreasedparticipationinASEANactivities,aswellasto
undertakedevelopmentcooperationactivitiesthatenhancemutual
assistance,address
equitableeconomicdevelopment,andreduce
poverty.Overtheyears,theASEANFoundationhascontributedto
developingtheASEANsocio‐culturalcommunitythroughvarious
humanresourcesdevelopmentprojects,informationdissemination
campaigns,networkbuilding,andcommunityresource
mobilisationactivities,cuttingacrossfourmajorsectoralareas:

1. Socialdevelopment(withspecialfocusonchildrenandyouth,
women,ruraldevelopment,agriculture,disastermanagement,
education,healthandnutrition);
2. ScienceandTechnology;
3. Environment;and
4. Cultureandinformation.

Inthepastsevenyears,theFoundationhasfundednearly100
projectsintheseareas,tothetuneofapproximately15million
USdollars.Ithasbeenquiteapparentthatoneofthegrowing
concernsfortheSoutheastAsiaregionistonarrowthedigital
dividewithinandamongASEANcountries.
Onewayof
overcomingthisproblemistoincreasedigitalopportunitiesfor
3


ASEANpeople.Wearealsoawarethatmanyofthedevelopments
intheapplicationofICTforsocialpurposesaretakingplacein
Asia.Inthisregard,oneofthepriorityareasoftheASEAN
Foundationis
onpromotingaccesstoICTresourcesfordifferently
advantagedgroupsincludingyouth,women,personswith
disabilities,andruralcommunities.

OvertheyearstherehavebeenanumberofICT‐relatedprojectsin
ASEANcountries,fundedbytheFoundationwiththesupport
fromvariousdonors.Inparticular,theInternationalDevelopment
Research
CentreofCanada(IDRC)hasfundedaprojectknownas
theICTforDevelopmentCollaboratory(ICT4D),whichhas
providedawiderangeofICTservicestothecitizensofASEAN
sinceitsestablishmentherein2003.Thissymposiumisintendedto
marktheculminationofthe3‐yearphaseoftheCollaboratory’s
service,andtoshowcasetheactivitiesundertakenandthe
achievementsmade.TheSymposiumisalsointendedtoserveasa
forumforreviewingtheCollaboratory’sexistingprojectsandthe
developmentoffutureinitiatives.TheFoundationwouldnothave
beenabletoorganisetheSymposiumwithoutthegeneroussupport
of
theIDRC,forwhichIwouldliketoonceagainexpressmy
sincereappreciation.Iwouldliketoparticularlythankallthe
speakers,aswellastheparticipantswhohavecomeandsupported
thiseventandwhowillsurelyprovidesignificantcontributionsto
thesuccessoftheSymposiuminthenexttwodays.

ItrustthattheresultsoftheSymposiumwillserveasavaluable

contributiontothedevelopmentandprogressofICTinASEAN
countriesandbeyond,throughthebuildingofvariousnetworks
andpartnershipsforfuturecollaboration.Itisagreatpleasurefor
metoaddressyouthis
morningasweembarkontheSymposium,
whichwillhopefullystrengthenthecapacityofpeoplesinthis
regionandincreasetheirawarenessofeachother.Withthis,Iwish
eachandeveryoneofyouaproductivetwo‐daysession,andI
hopeyourstayherewillbeanenjoyableone.


Thankyouforyourkindattention.


ApichaiSunchindah,
ExecutiveDirector,ASEANFoundation,
Jakarta,May23,2006.






Chapter1


ResearchingandEvaluatingInformation&
CommunicationTechnologyforSocialDevelopment

ColinLatchem



Introduction

Projectsapplyinginformationandcommunicationtechnology
(ICT)tosocialdevelopmentarerarelyresearched,evaluatedor
reported,andevenwhentheyare,theconceptualisation,design,
conductandreportingofthisworkoftenlacksquality.Thereisa
needforfarmorerigorousresearchintoICTprojectsatthe
national,organisational

andpractitionerlevels,toachieveabodyof
researchthatcanguidefutureplanningandpractice.Policy‐
makers,plannersandpractitionersalikeneedtobeinvolvedin
undertakingformativeandsummativeevaluation,andquantitative
and/orqualitativeresearch,notonlytoimprovetheirown
knowledgeandskillsinICTforsocial
development,buttoprovide
robustandstrategicallysignificantfindingsthatcaninfluenceand
guidegovernments,donors,andotherkeystakeholders.

ResearchandevaluationofICTforsocialdevelopmentareneeded
atthe:

1) Nationallevel:

• toenablegovernments,nationalagenciesandotherkey
decision‐makerstoassessthequality,cost,relevance,
effectivenessandpotentialofICTprojects;and
• toinformpolicy‐making,managementandimplementation
insuchprojects.



_______________________

ProfessorColinLatchemisanopenanddistancelearningconsultant,
formerlyofCurtin
University,Perth,Australia.

6


2) Organisationallevel
:

• toensurethatsocialdevelopmentneedsareunderstoodand
providedfor;

• tosatisfytheinternalandexternalreportingrequirements
andassurequalityinprocessesandoutcomes;and
• toensurethatthoseengagedintheprojectsaregrantedthe
status,trainingandresourcestheyneed.

3) Practitionerlevel
:

• toimprovetheunderstandingandpracticeofthemanagers,
courseandmaterialsdevelopers,teachers,trainersand
technologists;and
• topersuadeotherstosupportsuchprojects.

ICTforsocialdevelopmentneedstobeinformedby:

• empiricalinquiry,throughwhichprojectsareanalysedtoguidefuture
practice;
• theoreticalinquiry,inwhichhypothesesandconceptualframeworks
aredevelopedtoguidefuturethinkingandaction;
• formativeresearch,whichisconductedthroughoutprojectstomonitor
whatisoccurringsothatcorrectionsandrevisionscanbemadebefore

itistoolate;

• summativeresearch,whichiscarriedoutattheconclusionofprojects
tomeasuretheoutcomesagainstthemissions,goalsandkey
performanceindi cators,andtoreportonwhatsucceededandwhat
failed,andwhy;
• quantitativeresearch,whichinvolvescollectingnumericaldata
throughsurveysand
questionnairestoinformtheplanning,
implementationandreviewofprojects;and
• qualitativeresearch,whichinvolvesobserving,questioningand
documentingprocesses,actions,behaviours,opinions,andvalues,to
informtheplanning,implementationandreviewofprojects.

Orbyanycombinationofthese.

LetusconsiderthekindsofresearchneededinICTforsocial
development.LetussupposewearedevisingaprojectusingICTto
helpfarmersinremote/ruralareasimprovetheirfarmingmethods.

Beforeembarkingonthisproject,weneedtoknowwhothese

farmersare,wheretheyare,whattheirneedsare,theirlevelsof
literacy,theircircumstancesandculture,thetechnologiestheycan
access,affordanduse,andthetrainingmethodsthataremost
7

likelytoworkwellforthem.Thisworkisformative.Aswedevelop
anddeliverthe
ICTapplications,weneedconstantlymonitoringof
theprocessesandoutcomes,toseewhethertheyareworkingor
needchanging.Thisresearchisalsoformative.Attheconclusionof

thisproject,weneedtoknowandreportontheoutcomes,the
numbersoffarmerswhotookpart,thedropoutrateanditscauses,
thecosts,costbenefitsandcostsavings,theeffectivenessofthe
technology,anyproblemsthatarose,andanyfurtherworkthatis
needed.Thisissummativeresearch.

Someofourresearchwillbequantitative.Weneedtofindoutwhat
percentageofthetargetedgroupoffarmers
signedupforthe
project,whatpercentagestayedthecourse,whatpercentagecould
accessthetechnology,whatpercentagecouldoperatethe
technology,whatpercentagefoundtheICTinformationand
traininguseful,andsoon.Someofourresearchwillbequalitative.
Forexample,weneedtoknowwhatthefarmers
thoughtofthe
project,whattheylikedanddislikedaboutit,whattheyfound
mostuseful,whethertheyputthenewideasintopracticeand
whethertheyworkedwell,andwhethertheywouldtakepartin
furtherprojects.

Alloftheaboveisempiricalinquiry.Ifweengagedintheoretical

inquiry,wewouldtrytoworkoutwhattheoryormodelcouldbe
appliedtotrainingfarmersviaICT,orwhatcultural,psychological
andotherfactorsneededtobeembeddedinthisframework.Some
ofthisworkcouldbeintheformofindependentor‘third‐party
research’,carried
outbyoutsideexpertswhohavenothingtogain
orlosefromtheirstudies.Suchresearchisstrictlyobjective,usually
‘once‐off’,andprimarilyconcernedwithprovidingfeedbackto

governments,donorsandotherprovidersonprojects’quality,
impactandvalueformoney.

Someofthisworkmaybeinthe
formof‘practitionerresearch’
undertakenbymanagers,teachersortrainers,instructional
designers,ICTexperts,andothersinvolvedintheproject,inorder
toassessandimprovetheirprofessionalpractice,testnewideas,
methodsandmaterials,sharefeedbackwithcolleaguesanddecide
whichnewapproachestocarryforward.Byitsvery
nature,
practitionerresearchiscyclical.AsWoodley(2004)pointsout,the
meaningof‘research’is“tosearchandsearchagain”.Situationsare
continuallychanging,therearealwaysnewdepthsand
complexitiestofathom,andnewknowledgeisforeverthrowing
8

newlightonourassumptionsandpractices.Sothereisalways
needforfurtherresearchtosupport,extend,challengeordisprove
ourthinkingandpractices.


AcriticalreviewofODLandICTresearchandevaluation

Muchoftheresearchintoopenanddistancelearning(ODL)and
ICTcomes
inforcriticism.TheformerVice‐ChancelloroftheUK
OpenUniversityandPresidentoftheCommonwealthofLearning,
SirJohnDanielrefers(2002)tothemassoftrivialandbadly
conceivedresearchthathasspawned,asODLhasbecome

fashionableinconventionalinstitutions.ProfessorDianna
Laurillard,headoftheUK
government’se‐learningstrategyunit,
observed(1994)thatmanyevaluativestudiesofICTare
persistentlyandpredictablyinconclusivebecausetheyignorethe
manycomplexfactorsthatcansupportorunderminetheiruse.
Phipps&Merisotis(1999)referredtothepaucityoforiginal
researchdedicatedtoexplainingorpredictingphenomenarelated
toODL,andobservedthatlittleofthisworkallowsforextraneous
variablesorevidencescauseandeffect.Forexample,manystudies
suggestthatODLcoursescomparefavourablywithclassroom
learning,butthequalityofmuchoftheresearchisquestionable,so
thefindingsareinconclusive.Naidu(2003),Passi&Mishra
(2003)
andRobinson&Creed(2004)havesuggestedthatmuchODL/ICT
researchisreiterative,usesinvalidandunreliableinstruments,and
yieldslittleinthewayofnewinformation.

Reviewingthe374editorials,articlesandcolloquiapublishedinthe
31issuesoftheBritishJournalofEducationalTechnology(BJET)
betweenJanuary
2000andNovember2005,Latchem(2006)found
thatover50%ofthemaddressedissuesintheuniversitysector,
thatveryfewexaminedODL/ICTinopenschoolingortechnical
andvocationaleducationandtraining(TVET),thatnoneexamined
ICTforsocialdevelopmentornon‐formaladultandcommunity
education,andthat
thedevelopingcountrieswerebarely
represented.Galbraith(1967)definedtechnologyas“thesystematic
applicationofscientificandotherorganisedknowledgetopractical

tasks”.Thisdefinitionisprobablythebestorganisingconceptfor
thedevelopmentofeducationaltechnologyanditsevolutionintoa
discipline.


9

Educationaltechnologyisdefinedby
theUSAssociationfor
EducationalCommunications&Technology(AECT)as“thetheory
andpracticeofthedesign,development,utilisation,management,
andevaluationofprocessesandresourcesforlearning”.
1
Despite
having‘educationaltechnology’initstitle,however,themajorityof
articlesappearinginBJETweremorenarrowlyfocusedthanthe
definitionsuggests,dealingonlywithhardware,software,course
designandteachingmethods.Veryfewofthearticlesdealtwith
theall‐importantplanning,managerial,organisational,resource,
costingorstudent
supportissues.

ThemomentumofODL/ICTresearchiscertainlygrowinginthe
Asianregion,in,forexample,theOpenUniversityofHongKong’s
CentreforResearchinDistanceandAdultLearning(CRIDAL),
2

theIndiraGandhiNationalOpenUniversity’sStaffTrainingand
ResearchInstitute(STRIDE),
3

andattheCommonwealth
EducationalMediaCo‐operative/CentreforAsia(CEMCA).
4

Researchcarriedoutintheregionisdisseminatedthroughnational
journalssuchastheIndianJournalofOpenLearning,
5
theTurkish
OnlineJournalofDistanceEducation,
6
andininternationaljournals
suchastheAsia‐PacificEducationalResearchAssociation’s
EducationalResearchforPolicyandPractice,
7
andtheAsianSocietyof
OpenandDistanceEducation’sAsianJournalofDistanceEducation.
8

ConferencesorganisedbytheAsianAssociationofOpen
Universities(AAOU)andotherorganisationsalsohelptoadvance
theresearchagenda,asdoeventsorganisedbyinternational
agenciessuchastheASEANFoundation,theAsianDevelopment
Bank,UNESCO,theCommonwealthofLearning(COL),andthe
InternationalDevelopmentResearchCentre(IDRC)of
Canada.

Asianresearchalsocomesinforafairdegreeofcriticism.
Reviewingresearchatthenationallevel,theUNESCOForumon
HigherEducation,ResearchandKnowledge(UNESCO,2003)
concludedthatittendstobetop‐down,thatgovernment‐funded

researchonnationalreformsoftenlackassessment,relevance

1
t‐
1
members.org/standards/knowledgebase.html
2
http:www.ouhk.edu.hk/cridal/
3
see />4
www.cemca.org/
5
 />6
 />7
 />8
 />10

andquality,andthatratherthanbeingundertakenpriortopolicy‐
making,theresearchisoftenusedtojustifyoramendpoliciesthat
arealreadyinplace.ReviewingresearchandevaluationinIndia,
Sahoo(2001)identifiedgapsbetweentheresearchthatwasneeded
andthatactuallyundertaken;Sesharatnam(1996)
concludedthat
mostoftheresearchwaspiecemealandlackinginatheoretical
basis;andPowar(2001)judgedthatitlackedquantitativeand
qualitativerigour.

ReviewingtheproceedingsoftheAsianAssociationofOpen
Universities(AAOU)Conferencesheldbetween1995and1998,
Latchem,Abdullah&Ding(1999)foundthatonly

38%ofthe178
paperswerebaseduponempiricalresearch.Themajorityofpapers
theorisedaboutODL/ICT,weredescriptive,werere‐workingsof
familiarground,andreliedheavilyonwesterntheories,models
andfindings.AswiththeBJETarticlesdiscussedabove,the
majorityoftheAAOUpapersfocusedoninstructional
technology
anddesign,andwerefromtheuniversitysector.Fewofthewriters
reportedonstudentneeds,characteristicsandperformance.Fewer
stillinvestigatedstudentsupportandqualityassurance,andonlya
smallnumberdealtwithnon‐completionandfailurerates,staff
development,courseevaluation,policy‐making,management,
admissions,credit,costs,
cost‐benefits,culturalandsocialfactors,
genderissues,libraryandinformationservices,orplagiarism.
TherewerenopapersonODL/ICTforsocialdevelopment.

Theabovefindingsclearlyshowthatmanysignificantaspectsof
ODL/ICTarenotbeingresearchedorreported.Fromthe
performanceimprovementperspective,itisalsonoteworthythat
manyofthestudiesreportedattheAAOUconferenceswereby
managersorresearchersratherthanbythosedirectlyinvolvedin
developinganddeliveringtheprogrammesorservices.Thismay
wellleadtoafailuretofeedfindingsbackintotheworkplace.If
researchistoinformpractice,itisfarbetterifthoseimplementing
theprojectsalsodotheresearchandevaluation.Daniel(1996)and
Ramanujam(1997)notedthelackofreliabledataonsuccessand
completionratesinAsianODL.Itisequallydifficulttofindany
cost‐efficiency,cost‐utility,cost‐effectivenessandcost‐benefit
studiesthatwould

convincepoliticians,donors,administratorsand
providersofthevaluesofODL/ICT,asadvocatedbyRumble
(1999).


11

Asintheinternationalarena,mostAsianresearchpapersabout
ODL/ICTderivefromtheuniversitysector.Veryfewdealwith
open‐schooling,collegesandnon‐formaladultandcommunity
education,andICT
forsocialdevelopmentbarelyreceivesamention.
ThisisextremelydisappointinginaregionwhereODL/ICTare
bringingeducation,trainingandinformationtomillionsof
previouslydisadvantagedpeople,andareenablingwomen’s
groups,ethnicminoritiesandotherpreviouslyunheardvoicesto
buildcoalitions,shareinformation,andfindsolutionstotheir
problemsinwaysneverpossiblepreviously.

Itisalsodisappointingtofindsolittleresearchintoanydifferences
thatmayexistbetween‘Asian’and‘Western’stylesoflearningand
theirimplicationsforODL/ICT.Mostresearchofthiskindis
carriedoutbyWesternresearchers.Howmuchbetteritwouldbe
if
Asianresearcherswereresearchingandreportingontheseissues.
InternationalorganisationssuchastheASEAN
9
Foundation,World
Bank,
10

JapanInternationalCooperationAgency,
11
the
CommonwealthofLearning,
12
privatesectorproviderssuchas
Microsoft,
13
non‐profitorganisationssuchasGrameenBank,
14
and
nationalagencies,areencouragingandsupportingICTprojectsfor
socialdevelopment.Itisimportanttodevelopastrongbaseof
evidencetojustifyandinformtheestablishmentandoperationof
theseinitiativesandtogenerateevidenceaboujthekindsof
interventionsthatworkbest.However,whenBaggaley(2004)and

Kobayashiet.al(2005)carriedoutmeta‐surveysonbehalfof
internationaldonoragenciesinterestedinthequalityandoutcomes
oftheirAsianICTforsocialdevelopmentprojects,theydiscovered
thatmanyoftheprojectslackedkeyperformanceindicatorsby
whichtheycouldbejudged,thatfewoftheteam
membershad
traininginresearchandevaluation,andthattherewasageneral
reluctancetoadmittowhathadbeenoccurringorgoingwrong.
Thismadeitdifficultfortheresearcherstoprovideusefulfeedback
tothedonorswhohadcommissionedthesemeta‐surveys.



9

10

11
 />12

13
 />14
 />12

Ramanujam(1997)suggeststhatODLinAsiaismostsuccessful
whensystemsaredevelopedthatareappropriatetolocalneeds
andcircumstances.Whilstacceptingthat thecurrentlackof
indigenoustheoryandexpertisewillmaketheevolutionofAsian
modelsslowanddifficulttoachieve,hearguesthatas
productsof
Asianconditions,theywillhavegreaterstrengthandrelevance.
Suchanevolutionaryprocesschallengesmanagersand
practitionerstomovebeyondtheirtime‐honouredthinkingand
practices.Thismaynotbeeasywhereorganisationsare
hierarchical,rolesandfunctionsareboundbytradition,consensus
andharmonyarevaluedoverindividualism
andcandour,criticism
isdeemedunseemly,andself‐criticismleadsto‘lossofface’.
However,ifgovernments,donorsandotherimportant
stakeholdersaretobeconvincedofthevalueofICTforsocial
development,alloftheirprocessesandoutcomesmustbeopento
publicscrutinyandtheirqualityassured
–andthiscanonlybe

donethroughrigorous,honestandfrankresearchandreporting.

Failureisasteppingstone,notastumblingblock.

InICTforsocialdevelopment,itissometimesthecasethatcosts
spinoutofcontrol,technologiesfail,teachingmethodsturnoutto
beinappropriate,learners
dropout,managementsystemsfalter,
andterritorialdisputesarisebetweenproviders.Thesefailuresare
rarelyadmittedinjournalarticlesandconferencepresentations,
however.Theymayonlybecomeapparenttothosewhohavefirst‐
handexperienceoftheprojectsorwhocantalkwiththe
participants.Onlythenmayitemergethat
theprojectmanagement
waspoor,thatthelearnersdidnotreally‘buyin’totheproject,that
thetechnologywasinappropriate,orthatconflictsaroseassoonas
keypersonneldepartedorthedonorswithdrewtheirfunding.
Suchomissionsandcover‐upsareparticularlyworrisomebecause,
asKoul(1998)observes,
politicians,managersandpractitioners
newtoODL/ICTareeasilymisledbyover‐optimisticaccountsof
whatoccurs,andfailtoappreciatethecomplexitiesinvolved.

Rerup(2003)andDenrell(2003)pointtothedangersoffocusingon
successalone.Theysuggestthatorganisationscanlearnasmuch
fromtheirfailuresas
fromtheirsuccesses,andthatfailureneedsto
beseenasasteppingstonetoimprovement,notasastumbling
blocktobeignoredorcoveredup.Researchingandreportingon
failurerequiresimagination,diligence,courageandawillingness


13

toaskawkwardquestions.Thismaybedifficulttoachieve
insome
contexts,butitisimportanttodevelopanorganisationalculturein
whichpeopleareencouragedtoadmitwhatwentwrong,andtodo
somethingaboutit.


AresearchandevaluationagendaforICTforsocialdevelopment

ICTforsocialdevelopmentcallsforresearchintotheneedsand
circumstancesoftheend‐users,theservicesprovided,themethods
andtechnologiesemployed,theoutcomesandthebenefits.
Researchisalsoneededintothepoliciesandproceduresthatare
neededtoachievesuccessfuloutcomes.Thefollowingresearchand
evaluationagendaisproposedforthoseconcernedwithICTfor
socialdevelopment.

Nationallevel

Governments,donorsandothernationalagenciesneedtobeable
todrawuponthefollowinginordertodevelopwell‐informed
plans,policiesandprocedures:

a) Meta‐surveys(surveysofarangeofinitiatives)andmeta‐analyses
(findingsderivedfromanumberofresearchstudies)thatprovide
robustevidenceofsystem‐widegainsinaccess,economy,efficiency,
effectivenessandimpact,thefactorsthatsupportorpreventthe

achievementoftheseoutcomes,andwaystoovercomeany
barriersto
changethatmayariseintheprocess.

b) Environmentalscanningtoestablish:

• TheneedsandopportunitiesforusingICTtoachieve,for
example,theUN’sMillenniumDevelopmentGoalsof
eradicatingextremepovertyandhunger,achievinguniversal
primaryeducation,promotinggenderequalityandempowering
women,reducingchildmortality,
improvingmaternalhealth,
combatingHIV/Aids,malariaandotherdiseases,ensuring
environmentalsustainability,anddevelopingaglobal
partnershipfordevelopment;and

• waystobridgethedigitaldivide.




14

c) Researchfindingson:

• thepoliticalactions,policiesandsystemsneededtoachieve
projectsustainability;
• thetechnology,infrastructureandlogisticsneededforsuch
projects;
• thefundingandresourcerequirements;

• thestafftrainingrequirements;
• thepotentialforcollaborationandpartnership;
• leadershipandmanagementissues;and
• keyperformanceindicatorsneededtomeasuretheshort‐term
andlonger‐termbenefitsofprojects.

d) Formativeandsummativeevaluationtoproviderobustinformation
on:

• theappropriatenessofprojects;and
• theimpact,efficiency,costandcost‐effectivenessofprojects.

Organisationallevel


ICT‐basedsocialdevelopmentprojectstakemanyforms,from
improvingadultliteracyandhelpingpoorfarmerstoadoptnew
practices,toprovidingdisadvantagedcommunitieswithICT
throughcommunitytelecentres.Manyoftheseinitiativesare
experimentalandnewtotheprovidersaswellastheend‐users.A
numberofstakeholders
‐individualsorgroups(includingtheend‐
users)‐areinterestedininfluencingtheprojects,achievingthe
outcomes,andensuringtheprojects’viability.Organisations
supportingsuchprojectsneedtobeaccountabletothesestake‐
holdersandtoundertakeorcommissionresearchensuringthat:

• theend‐users’needsandcircumstanceshavebeencorrectlydefined;
• theprojectshavebeenappropriatelyresourced,managed,
implemented,providedandevaluatedanddelivered;

• thegoals,targetsandperformanceindicatorshavebeenmet;
• 0roblemshavebeenresolved;andthat
• disseminationanddiffusionmethodshaveinformedallstakeholders

oftheprojects’outcomesandbenefits.

Practitionerlevel


Managersandstaffengagedinsuchprojectsneedtoundertake:



15

a) Personalinquirytoinformtheirunderstandingsof:

• thetheoreticalbasisofODL/ICT,lifelonglearningandnon‐formal
adultandcommunityeducation;
• globaldevelopmentsandtrendsinODL/ICT;
• adultanddistancelearnersandtheirlearning;
• constructivist,independent,collaborativeandproblem‐and
work‐basedlearning;
• cultural,
genderandindividualdifferencesinlearning;
• curriculum,courseandinstructionaldesign;
• materialsdevelopment;
• learnersupport;
• qualityassurance;and
• leadershipandmanagement.


b) Actionresearch(work‐basedresearchbyindividualsorgroupsthat
proceedsthroughacycleofplanning,action,observationand
reflectionandprovidesevidence
thatinformspractice)regarding:

• equityandaccess;
• end‐users’needs,circumstances,behavioursandachievements;
• curriculum,courseandmaterialsdevelopmentanddelivery;
• instructionaldesignandtechnology;
• learnersupport;and
• assessmentandevaluation.

c) Formativeandsummativeresearchinto:

• theeffectivenessofthepolicies,
planningandproject
management;
• theeffectivenessandcost‐effectivenessoftheprojects;
• theeffectivenessandcost‐effectivenessofthetechnology;
• theeffectivenessoftheteaching/trainingandlearnersupport
systems;
• theend‐users’viewsonthemethodsandtechnologiesemployed;
• thebenefitstotheend‐users;and

• thesocialdevelopmentbenefitsforthewidercommunity.


Performanceindicatorsandresearch


Keyperformanceindicators(KPIs),sometimesknownas
PerformanceIndicatorsorKeySuccessIndicators,areessentialin
definingandmeasuringprogresstowardaproject’sgoals.KPIsare
observable,quantifiableandagreed‐toprocessesandoutcomesthat
reflectthecriticalsuccessfactorsinprojects.Theyvaryaccordingto

theprojects’missionsandgoals.
16

Letusconsider,forexample,aprojectwhosemissionis“to
improvehealthawarenessinruralcommunities”,andwhosegoals
are“touseICTtomotivateandeducatevillagecommunitiesin
healthcare”,and“toachievemoreeffectiveandcosteffectiveways
ofimprovingcommunityhealthcare”.Toevaluate
theprogress
andoutcomesofthisproject,weneedsomethingmorespecificthan
itsoverallmissionandgoals.Weneedtospecifythenumberof
villagecommunitiestobetargeted,whoistobeinvolved(e.g.,the
villageheads,themothers,theyoungergeneration,ortheentire
community),themethodsand
technologiestobeused,the
intendedcostsavingsandcostbenefits,theintendedshort‐term
outcomesandlonger‐termbenefits,andhowtheprojectcompares
withother,moretraditionalapproaches.

Wethenneedtosettargetsforeachperformanceindicator.For
example“Involveallvillages”,or“Involveallmothersin

improvinghealthcare”,or“Reducethecostsofdeliverybyatleast
fiftypercent”arecleartargetsthateveryonewillunderstandandbe

abletoacton.Nextweneedtomandateapersonorpersonstobe
accountableforqualitativelyand/orquantitativelyevaluatingand
reportingonthestepstaken
toachievethesetargets,andonwhat
hasbeenachieved.Wealsoneedtoestablishcausallinks.For
example,ifthevillagemothersfailtostaythecourseordonot
adopttherecommendedapproaches,weneedtofindoutwhy.
Suchanapproachprovidesasoundbasisandframeworkfor
researchandevaluationofICTforsocialdevelopment.


Disseminatingresearch

Unfortunately,researchfindingsdonotalwaysresultingreater
understandingorimprovedpractice.Theresearchersmaylack
credibility,thedisseminationmethodsmaybeinappropriate,the
findingsmaybeignored,theremaybedisagreementonthe
problemsorproposedsolutions,
therecommendationsmaybetoo
costly,ortheymayhavepoliticalramificationsthatthreatenthe
statusquo.Itisthereforeimportanttoconsiderwhotheresearch
findingsareintendedfor,andhowtodisseminatetheresearch
findingsinwaysthatwillattracttheattentionandsupportofthe
key‐decision
makersandwillresultinthenecessaryactions(Stuart
&Latchem,2004).


17


Traininginresearchandevaluation

Untilrecently,knowledgeandskillsinresearchandevaluation
havebeenlimitedtoacademicsandkeypractitionersinother
sectors.RelativelyfewpeoplehavebeentrainedinresearchingICT
forsocial
development,particularlyinthedevelopingworld.
Researchersandwould‐beresearcherscannowreceiveexcellent
onlinetrainingthroughthePractitionerResearchandEvaluation
SkillsTrainingProgramme(PREST)developedbythe
CommonwealthofLearning(COL)andtheInternational
FoundationforOpenLearning(IRFOL).
15
WrittenforODL
practitionersbyODLpractitioners,thePRESTtrainingresources
provideconvenientaccesstotraininginresearchandevaluation
thatcanbeofimmediaterelevancetothoseworkinginthefield,
andcanalsobearesourceforformalstudy.


Conclusions

Thispaperhasarguedtheneedfor:

•
astrongerresearchandevaluationcultureinICTforsocial
development;
• providersandpractitionersinthisfieldtoengageinresearch
andevaluation,tobeself‐critical,andtobecommittedto
qualityassurance;

• researcherstocollaboratewithpolicy‐makersineducational,
traininganddonororganisations,andtohelpcreateabodyof
researchtoguidefutureplanningandpractice;
• environmentalscanning,meta‐surveys,meta‐analysesand
overviewsofcurrentthinking,needsanddevelopments;and
• formativeandsummativeevaluation,withrobuststrategically
significantfindingstoinformandinfluencedecision‐makers.

AprimereasonforthecurrentSymposium
isthedesireofthe
ASEANFoundationanditsCanadiandonorsformoreand
betterresearchandevaluationinICTforsocialdevelopment.
ItishopedthattheSymposi umdelegateswillnowseizethe
manyopportunitiesthatpresentthemselvesforresearch
activitiesthatcanhelptoimprovethequalityand
extentof
ICTforsocialdevelopmentinAsia.

15
 />18

References
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Latchem,C.,AbdullahZ.&DingX.(1999)Openanddual‐mode
universitiesinEastandSouth
Asia’.PerformanceImprovement
Quarterly12(2),pp.3‐28.
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Latchem,C.,Lockwood,F.&Baggaley,J.(inpress)Leading
distancelearningandICT‐provideddevelopmentprojectsin
lowincomenations.ChapterinEvans,T.,Haughey,M.&
Murphy,D.(eds.)WorldHandbookofDistanceEducation,
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(1994)Howcanlearningtechnologiesimprove
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Passi,B.K&Mishra,S(2004)Selectingresearchareasandresearch
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Retrieved13June2006from:
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EducationPolicy.
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Powar,K.B.(2001).ResearchinIndianUniversities.Chapterin
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Ramanujam,P.R.(1997)DistanceEducationinthe21stCentury:
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Robinson,B.&Creed,C.(2004)Moderators’reportandsummaryof
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etal.(eds.)InformationandCommunicationTechnologyfor
ProfessionalDevelopmentofPrimaryEducationPersonnel.New
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tml

Chapter2


BuildingcollaborativeODLresearch:thePANdora
projects

JonBaggaley,TianBelawati&NaveedMalik



Introduction

From2005to2008,theInternationalDevelopmentResearchCentre
(IDRC)isfundingaseriesofopenanddistancelearning(ODL)

studiesinitsPanAsiaNetworking(PAN)region.Ninecollaborative
projectsareunderwayin12countries,inaninitiativedesignedto
generatesharedaccesstoAsianODLmethodsandresources.The
projectsemphasiseinformationandcommunicationtechnologies
(ICT)appropriatetoAsiandistanceeducation,andcoverawide
rangeofpracticalandpolicytopics,includingtheuseofopen‐
sourcesoftware(OSS),mobiletechnologies,learningobject
materials(LOM),andonlineassessmentmethods.ThePAN
projects’networkingapproachisdesigned
tobuildonthestrengths
ofindividualAsianresearchteams,andtoavoidoverlapand
duplicationbetweenprojectsandnations.

AnaptmetaphorforonlineeducationisthatofPandora’sBox.In
Greeklegend,theboxwasamixedbagofproblemsaccompanied
byhope.Today’sonlineeducationisasimilarragbagofmethods
andtools,somewellconceivedbutotherscreatingmoreproblems
thantheysolve.Throughouttheworld,forexample,onlineODL
technologiesareemergingwithlittleornoapparentrespectforthe

_______________________

Dr.JonBaggaleyisProfessorofEducationalTechnologyatAthabasca
University,Canada.ProfessorTianBelawatiisVice‐Rector(Academic
Affairs)atUniversitasTerbuka,Indonesia.ProfessorNaveedMalikis
RectoroftheVirtualUniversityofPakistan,Lahore.Theresearchdiscussed
intheirchapterissupportedbythePANAsiaNetworkingprogramme
of
Canada’sInternationalDevelopmentResearchCentre(IDRC):www.idrc.ca.
ThechapterisadaptedfromapaperatthebiennialconferenceoftheOpen

&DistanceLearningAssociationofAustralia(November2005).

22

accessibilityproblemstheycreate,andareleadingtoless
efficienteducationaldeliverythanwaspossiblewithtraditional
mediaandwithearlierInternet‐basedmethods.Meanwhile,in
specificregions,differenttechnologicalemphaseshaveemergedto
theexclusionofothers.NorthAmericanODLinstitutions,for
example,tendnottoexploitthe
Internet’svastpotentialfor
synchronousinteraction,inviewofthetime‐zonedifferences
betweenonlinestudentsandfaculty;whileothernations(e.g.
Japan)haveemphasisedlive,satellite‐basedbroadcastmethodsof
educationtoagreaterextentthanonlinemethods.Meanwhile,
nationswithwidespreadInternetconnectivitytendnottobeusing
it
foreducationalpurposesatall.TheSouthPacificislandofNiueis
apparentlytheonlynationintheworldwithcompletelyfree
Internetservicethoughlittleeducationalusageofit(Veramu,2005,
personalcommunication).

AsLatchemhasstressed(Chapter1),comparativeresearchand
evaluationeffortsareessentialtoadjust
thesedisparities,andto
identifythemosteffectivepoliciesandpracticesforODL
technologyusage.Researchintoonlinemethodologytendstobe
conceivedwithinfinitegeographicalboundaries,however,leading
towidespreadduplicationofeffortbetweeninstitutionsand
nations.Inanattempttoovercometheseproblems,theIDRC

supportsaseries
ofcomplementaryODLprojectsinvolvingclose
collaborationbetweenR&Dteamsin12Asiancountries:
Bhutan,Cambodia,HongKong,India,Indonesia,Laos,Mongolia,
Pakistan,thePhilippines,SriLanka,Thailand,andVietNam.The
initiativerunsfrom2005‐2008,andhasbeennamedPANdora,
representing‘PANAsiaNetworkingDistanceandOpenResource
Access’.
ThePANdoranetworkisadministeredbytheVirtual
UniversityofPakistanandUniversitasTerbuka,Indonesia,andis
fundedbytheIDRC’sPANAsiaofficeinSingapore.

TheIDRChasfundednumerousDLtechnologyprojectsinthe
past,eachcontainingdiverseelements.Forexample,aPANAsia
projectnearingcompletionatthe
NationalInstituteofEducation,
Bhutan,isdevelopingawiderangeofODLprovisionsandskills,
includingtraditionalandonlinecoursematerials,trainingand
evaluationmethods,andthedevelopmentofkeyperformance
indicators.ThePANdorainitiativetakesadifferentapproach,
wherebysimultaneousprojectsexaminespecificissues,and
minimaloverlapoccursbetweenthe
projects(Baggaley&Ng,

23

2005).TheninePANdoraprojectsaretherebycomplementaryin
scope,and,itishoped,willleadtothedevelopmentofaODL
approachappropriatetoSouthandSEAsiagenerally.TheIDRC
createditsPANdoramodelfollowinga2004overviewtourofthe

countries
involvedbythefirstauthorofthisChapter.A
comprehensiveframeworkfortheinitiativehasbeenpresentedby
Malik,Belawati&Baggaley(2005).



ThePANdoraProjects(2005‐08)

Project#1(India,PakistanSriLanka):

Accessibility,Acceptance,andEffectsofDLTechnologiesinSouthAsia

ThisprojectinvestigatesdifferentICT‐basedlearningmodels
(independentandblended),intermsofaccess,acceptability,impact
onlearningandcosteffectiveness,andlearningstyles.Itoffers
implicationsforfutureDLinitiativesinAsiaandinothercountries
wherethe
benefitsofDLhavenotyetbecomegenerallyknown.
Expectedoutputsincluderesearchpublicationsonaccessto
learningtechnologiesinthethreecountries;andrecommendations
forICT‐basedlearningmodelsandbestpracticesthatare
appropriatetothethreecountriesandothersintheregion.

Project#2(Mongolia,Philippines)
:
TheViabilityofMobileSMSTechnologiesforNon‐formalDLinAsia

Thefeasibilityandacceptabilityofusingshortmessagesystem
(SMS)technologiesarebeinginvestigatedfornon‐formalDL

deliverytodifferentsocio‐economic,culturalandgendergroups.
ExpectedoutputsincludecoursewareinSMSandotherformats
(booklets,
cassettes,CD‐ROMs,online);anSMSserverinthetwo
participantcountriestohandlestudentregistration,storage,and
deploymentoftheeducationalmaterials;trainedpersonnelon
SMS‐enabledtechnologies;researchtools/methodologiesforuseby
projectpartners;publications;andasetofsuggestionsforpolicy
guidelinesandstandardsfortheuse
ofSMSinDL.[Aprogress
reportonthisprojectisgiveninChapter7.]




24

Project#3(Indonesia,Mongolia,SriLanka,VietNam):
EvaluationandadaptationofOpenSourceSoftwareforDLinAsia

ThisprojectisevaluatingexistingDLsoftware,bothcommercial
andopen‐source,inordertoidentifypackagesthatcanbe
customisedtotheneedsofspecificeducationalinstitutions.The
expectedoutputsincludeanOSDLsoftwaretobe
disseminated
undertheGNU/GPLlicensethroughthePAN/ASEAN
FoundationʹsCollaboratoryserverinJakarta;mirrorsitesacrossthe
PANdoranetwork;andasetoftechnicalandusermanualsfor
futurecustomisationoftheOSS.Theprojectaimstoenablea
consistentcoursemanagementapproachacrosstheregion.[A

progress
reportonthisprojectisgiveninChapter5.]

Project#4(India,Mongolia,Philippines):
APlatformforVirtualResearchandResearchTraininginAsia

Thisprojectiscomplementarytothepreviousproject,andis
developinganonlineresearchplatformforAsianDLresearchers,
containingtrainingresourcesinselectedareasofDLresearch,links
toresearchrepositoriesandinformationnetworkscontainingdata
onresearch
experts,advicebyactivespecialists,policyguidelines
forinstitutionalresearch,andbenchmarksandstandardsfor
collaborativevirtualresearchandresearchtraining.Theprojectwill
haveimplicationsforthedevelopmentandadministrationof
effectiveonlineresearchmethods,currentlyasignificantissuein
theevolutionofonlinegraduateresearchapproaches.

Project#5
(India,Philippines):
InstructionalDesignTrainingforICT‐basedDLinAsia

Thisprojectistakingstockoftheinstructionaldesignapproaches
usedinDLinternationally,andisexaminingtheextenttowhich
theyareappropriateinAsianDL.Itaimstodevelopappropriate
designapproaches,prototypes,trainingresources,andblended
training
strategiesforinstructionaldesignacrossdomain/discipline
areasandlevels,andvariousmedia.Itwillpayspecificattentionto
gender,age,andculturalfactorsininstructionaldesign,andwill

makeculture‐specificrecommendationsforPANprojectsinother
partsoftheregion.[Aprogressreportonthisprojectisgivenin
Chapter
9.]


25

Project#6(Cambodia,HongKong,Indonesia,Pakistan,Thailand)
:
ARepositoryofReusableLearningObjectsforDLinAsia

Theaimsofthisprojectaretoenhancecollaborationandcourse
materialssharingbetweenitspartners,toevaluatetheeffectiveness
ofsharablelearningobjectmaterials(LOM)incontent
development,andtoavoiddeviationfrominternationally
recognisedstandards.Expectedoutputs
includealistofLOM
criteriaanddefinitions,asharableLOMrepository,aworking
granularityschemeforusingLOMscollaboratively,prototypesof
reusableLOMsforflexible,extensibleuseincurriculum
developmentamongthepartners,andanevaluationreportofthe
usabilityofLOMsbytheparticipatinginstitutions.

Project#7(Indonesia,
Pakistan,SriLanka):
E‐assessmentMethodsandModelsforStudentEvaluationinAsia

Theprojectisexaminingexistingpolicies,practices,andmethods
ofe‐assessmentinrelationtoinstitutional,technological,

operational,andhumanissues(includinggenderdifferences).A
generalisede‐assessmentmodelwillbedeveloped,andits
applicabilityandacceptabilitytestedin
thepartnerinstitutions.The
model,trainingmaterials,andinstructionaldesignprototypeswill
begender‐andculture‐sensitiveforAsianstudentsandfaculty.
Theprojectwillplacespecialemphasisontheincreasingproblems
ofsecurityinonlineassessment.

Project#8(Cambodia,LaoPDR,VietNam):
BestPracticesinDLTechnologyforCapacityBuilding

Theobjectivesofthisprojectareto:(1)surveyandtakestockofthe
existingeducationalscenariosandproblemsinthethreecountries;
(2)initiatestrategiesfornetworkingcollaborationwithotherDL
institutionsintheregion;(3)recordthebestpractices
ofDLpolicy,
research,andpracticesinotherAsiancountries;(4)discussthese
documentswiththecoregroups,policy‐anddecision‐makersin
thosecountries;(5)buildfurthercapacitythroughatraining‐of‐
trainersprogramsinthosecountries;and(6)formulate
recommendationsforfurtherdevelopmentofdetailedDL
initiatives.



26

Project#9(HongKong,Mongolia,VietNam):
EvaluationofDLPracticesforPolicyRecommendations


NationalrecognitionofDLiscurrentlylowinMongoliaandViet
Nam,andtheprojectpartnersfromthesetwocountriesare
developingdetailedsocialprogrammestoaddresstheproblem.
AdvisedbytheOpenUniversityofHongKong,theprojectis
examinesthe
factorsaffectingDLadoptionviaconsultationswitha
widerangeofsocialgroupsandpolicy‐makers.Theprojectwill
provideanimportantunderpinningfortheworkofthePAN
networkasawhole,andaimstocombinewiththepreviousproject
inincreasingsocialacceptanceandimplementationofDL,and
cross
‐culturalvariationsofit.

ProjectPartnerInstitutions

TheninePANdoraprojectsareconductedinteamscombining
threeormoreofthefollowinginstitutions:

• AllamaIqbalOpenUniversity,Pakistan
• ASEANFoundation,Jakarta,Indonesia
• ESPFoundation,Ulaanbaatar
• FisheriesCollege#4,BacNinh,VietNam
• HealthSciencesUniversityofMongolia,Ulaanbaatar
• HoChiMinhCityOpenUniversity,VietNam
• IndiraGandhiNationalOpenUniversity,India
• InfoConLtd.,Ulaanbaatar,Mongolia

• InstituteofInformationTechnology,VietNam
• InstituteofTechnology,Cambodia

• InternationalInstituteofCambodia
• MinistryofEducation,YouthandSports,Cambodia
• MinistryofPostandTelecommunications,Cambodia
• MolaveDevelopmentFoundation,Philippines
• NationalBusinessInstitute,Cambodia
• NationalICTforDevelopmentAuthority,Cambodia
•
NationalInstituteofEducation,Bhutan
• NationalScienceCouncil,Laos
• OpenForum
• OpenUniversityofHongKong
• RoyalAcademyofCambodia
• ScienceTechnologyandEnvironmentAgency(STEA),Laos
• SukothaiThammathiratOpenUniversity,Thailand
• UniversityofColomboSchoolofComputing,SriLanka
• Universityofthe
PhilippinesOpenUniversity
• UniversitasTerbuka,Indonesia
• VigyanPrasar,DepartmentofScience&Technology,India
27

ThePANdoraWebsite

Collaborationbetweentheinstitutionsconductingeachproject,and
betweenprojects,isfacilitatedbytheinitiative’sinteractivewebsite
atdora‐asia.org/,designedanddevelopedbythe
ICT4DCollaboratory.Thesiteincludesaudio‐conferencing
softwareforinternationalseminarsanddiscussionsamongthe
projectteams,project‐planningandfile‐sharingsoftware, trial
versionsofcoursemanagementsoftware,andcopiesofproject

reports,publications,conferencepresentationsandevaluation
tools.EmphasisisplacedonOSSandfreewareapproaches.A‘blog’
facilityallowsrapidcommunicationofprojectannouncements.

Conclusions

ItishopedthatthePANdorainitiativewillultimatelysucceedin

generatingausefulcommonmodelforAsianonlineeducation.The
obstaclestothisgoalareclear.Culturalandtechnicalissuesmay
preventthebenefitsofindividualprojectsfrombeingsuccessfully
sharedacrosstheregion,andspecificprojectsmaygenerate
conclusionsofvaluetoisolatedprojectteamsonly.Thealternative
approach,
however,wouldbetoassumethatdifferentAsian
nationshavedifferentODLneedsandsituations,andtoassume
thattheycannotworktogetherinthecommoninterest.Neitherof
theseassumptionsislikelytobevalid.Thenon‐collaborative
approachwouldleadustoallocatefundingtooverlappingand
evenidentical
projectsconductedseparatelyindifferent
institutions.Researchanddevelopmentconductedbythis
approachwouldleadtoconstantODL“reinventionsofthewheel”
ratherthantothedissolutionofbordersthathavenobearingon
educationalmatters.Inasense,theIDRC’sPANdorainitiativeis
takingtheInternetatitsword,
asamassivefacilityfortheeffective
sharingofneedsandcoordinationofeffort.PANdora’snine
complementaryprojectsarecreatingameansforresearchteamsin
differentnationstousetheonlinemediaasameanstodevelop

researchandpracticalapproachesofrelevancetothemall.In
concentratingonspecific
ODLissues,andinultimatelycombining
theconclusionswithinaflexibletransnationalsystem,this
collaborativeinitiativemayhavewidespreadimplicationsforODL
methodsinternationally.PursuingthemetaphorofPandora’sBoxto
anotherlevel,thecollaborativeresearchprocessisseenasonein
whichnumerousproblemsarerevealedintheattempt
tofindthe
hopethatliesbeneaththem.
28

References

Baggaley,J.P.&Ng,M.(2005).PANdora’sBox:distancelearning
technologiesinAsia.LearningMedia&Technology30(1),pp.7‐
16.

Malik,N.,Belawati,T.,&Baggaley,J.(2005).Frameworkof
CollaborativeResearchandDevelopmentonDistanceLearning
TechnologyforAsia.19
th
AnnualConferenceoftheAssociation
ofAsianOpenUniversities,Jakarta,September.Retrieved13
June2006,from
dora‐asia.org/geninfo_publications.php

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

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Chapter3


BestPracticesforCapacity‐BuildinginCambodian
DistanceEducation

DoungVuth,CheaSokHuor&ChhuonChanThan


ForewordbyMr.DoungVuth(GovernmentofCambodia)


Mr.Chairman,DistinguishedDelegates,LadiesandGentlemen:

Today,itisagreathonourandpleasureformeandmycolleagues
fromCambodiatoattendtheInternationalSymposiumon
InformationandCommunicationTechnology(ICT)forSocial

Development.Cambodiavaluestheopportunityto
shareits
experiencesinthisareaandtolearnfromthepracticesadoptedin
partnernations.IwouldliketooffermythankstotheASEAN
Foundationfororganisingthismeeting,andinvitingusfrom
Cambodiatoparticipateinthisimportantmeeting.

Themeetingprovidesaforumforthepromotion
ofe‐learning
measuresandstrengtheningofregionalcooperationinsupportof
thesocioeconomicandeducationdevelopmentofourcountries.
Werecognisetherearemanychallengesassociatedwiththe
developmentofe‐learningandICTinfrastructuresinCambodia,
butthepotentialbenefitsaremany.Atthismeetingwewilllearn
important
lessonsfromourregionalneighboursonhowbesttouse
ICTforscience,mathsandlanguagecurriculumdevelopmentand
teachertraining.
_______________________

DoungVuthisDeputyDirectorofInformationandASEANAffairsinthe
MinistryofEducation,YouthandSport(MOEYS).Governmentof
Cambodia.CheaSokHuorisDirectoroftheNationalCommitteefor
StandardizationofKhmerScriptinComputers,PrimeMinister’sOffice,
GovernmentofCambodia.ChhuonChanThanisExecutiveDirectorof
the
InternationalInstituteofCambodia.PhnomPenh.Theresearchdiscussedin
theirchapterissupportedbythePANAsiaNetworkingprogrammeof
Canada’sInternationalDevelopmentResearchCentre(IDRC):www.idrc.ca.


30

InCambodia,werecognisethatweareattheearlystagesofusing
ICTtobroadenaccessandtoimprovethequalityofeducation.We
anticipatethatICTwillbecomeanincreasingpartofdistance
education,especiallyforexpandingsecondaryandhigher
educationopportunities.ThereforetheRoyalGovernmentof
CambodiahassetuptheNationalInformationCommunication
TechnologyDevelopmentAuthority(NiDA)todevelopand
promotethenationalapproachtoe‐learningstandards.Inthis
context,Iwouldliketofocusonthepoliciesandstrategies
Cambodiaisadoptingtobroadene‐learningopportunities,
especiallywithrespecttotheRoyalGovernment’s
National
EducationForAll(EFA)Plan,andtospecificreformmeasuresin
theeducationsector.In2003,theEFAplanprovided,forthefirst
timeinCambodia,specificpoliciesandstrategiesfortheuseofICT
ineducation.Theseweredevelopedinconsultationwithnational
andinternationalpartnersthrougha
seriesofworkshopsand
meetingsinCambodiaandtheregion.ThePlanwasofficially
launchedinMarch2005.

IntheMinistry’sEducationSectorSupportProgram(ESSP)and
EFAPlan,twooverarchingpolicyobjectiveshavebeenidentified
thatwillcontributetonationalICThumanresourcedevelopment.
Firstly,theMinistrywillcontribute
todevelopingCambodia’s
internationalcompetitivenessbyreducingthetechnologygapwith
moredevelopedcountries.Secondly,theMinistrywillenhance

learningopportunitieswithinschoolsandotherinstitutions
throughtheutilisationofICT,multimediaande‐learning
technologies.Atpresentthenumberofcomputersineducation
remainscomparativelylow.Weestimatethatthere
arearound
2,000computersinschoolsandeducationofficesacrossthe
country.However,itshouldberememberedthatuntil1994,
computersineducationinCambodiawerevirtuallynon‐existent.

AkeystrandoftheMinistry’sICTprogramistostrengthen
networkingopportunities,inanumberofways.Firstly,weare

extendingtheMinistry’sowninternalnetworkbetweenthecentral
officesoftheMinistryofEducation,Youth&Sport(MoEYS)and24
provincialdepartments,asameanstoimproveinformation
exchangeforbetterplanningandmanagement,andtosupport
decentralisation.Thisprograminvolvesapproximately3,000
managersandseniortechnicalstaff.We
anticipateextendingthe
networkto183districtsandafurther2000staffinthenexttwoto
threeyears.
31

ThetraineesatteachertrainingcollegesinCambodiaarerequired
tospendatleasttwohoursperweekusingICTforteachingand
learning.Increasingly,weareusingICTto
improveaccesstoand
qualityofteachertrainingprogrammes.Forexample,wehave
createdmobileICTtrainingresourceswhichtravelaroundthe
moredisadvantagedprovinces.Thishasenabledapproximately

5,000teacherstolearnhowICTcanenrichmoretraditionalforms
ofteachingandlearning.Inaddition,traineeprimaryand
secondaryschoolteachersarereceivingICTinstructionrelatedto
improvingteachingofthemaths,scienceandlanguagecurriculum.

Wearelearninganumberoflessonsfromtheseprogrammes.
Firstly,ICTshouldnotbeseenasreplacingtraditionalteaching,but
ratherasacollectionofsupplementaryandcomplementarytools.
Secondly,wehaveseen
thatinremoteareastheuseofICTisa
morecost‐effectivewayofprovidingtrainingthanbringing
teachersinforworkshopsandseminars.Inconjunctionwithsome
donors,weintendtoconductacomprehensiveevaluationofthis
programmeasabasisforseekingsupportforitsexpansion.We
are
alsopilotingtheuseofICTsupportmaterialsintherevisionofthe
schoolandteacher‐trainingcurriculum.Forexample,wearetesting
theuseofspreadsheetmethodsinenrichingthemathsandscience
curriculum.Wearealsousingotherreadilyavailablesoftwareto
enrichtheteachingoftheKhmer
language.TheMinistryfacesa
numberofconstraintsinexpandingICTineducation.Whilean
InternetserviceproviderofferspreferentialratestoMoEYS,for
example,therecurrentcostsremainhigh.Anotherproblemisthat
notallofficesorschoolshaveelectricity,andtheMinistryis
investigatinginnovativewaysofdealing
withthis.Inparticular,we
seeopportunitiesforincreasingpublic/privatepartnershipinICT.

Inconclusion,wearecommittedtocontinuallysharingour

experiencesoftheeducationreformprogrammewithourAsia‐
Pacificfriends,andtheirstrongcommitmenttosupportingprojects
thatinvolveICTforsocialdevelopment,andenhanceteaching
and
learning.Ihopeourprojectswillrapidlymovetowardsbest
practices,intheinterestsoffulfillingtheUN’sMillennium
DevelopmentGoals(MDG).Thisisagoodtimeforustoevaluate
theactionsandresultsthatbenefitourregion.Thankyou.

DoungVuth
MinistryofEducation,YouthandSport,
GovernmentofCambodia
Jakarta,May23,2006
32

BestPracticesforCapacityBuildinginCambodianDistance
Education

1)BackgroundandObjectives


Since1998,highereducationinCambodiahaschangedfrompublic
universitytoprivateuniversity.Privateuniversitieshaveincreased
everyyearinthatperiod,untilnowCambodiahasmorethan30
universitiesincludingthepublicones.Alluniversitiesprovidethe
traditionaleducationsystem(classroom,facetofacestudy).In
early2005,eLearning
wascreatedforthefirsttimeinCambodia.
TheInternationalInstituteofCambodia(IIC)isaninstitutewitha
specialinterestinprovidingandpromotingtertiaryeducationin

CambodiawiththejointsupportoftheAsiaFoundation(TAF),the
UnitedStatesAgencyforInternationalDevelopment(USAID),the
InternewsNetwork,SDlearn,
andtheIDRC’sPANdoraprojects.
ThecurrentPANdoraproject(seeChapter2)aimstoprovideabasis
forICTdevelopmentsindistanceeducation,bystudying:

• thecomputerfacilitiesoflearnersandteachers;
• computer‐basedworkmethods;and
• attitudestodistanceeducation.

Tounderstandthecontextofe‐learninginCambodia,existing
studiesone‐learninginitiativesindevelopingcountrieswere
reviewed.CambodiandocumentssuchasthePolicyfor
CurriculumDevelopment(2005‐09),theCurrentLevelofICTin
EducationandPolicy,andStrategiesonICTinEducationin
Cambodiawereexamined,
toprovideguidanceonresearch
implementation.TheAsiaFoundationalsoassessedreactionsto
earlye‐learninginitiatives.Thisreviewphaseorientedtheteamto
theneedfornewdataintheproject.

2)SurveyMethodology


Thestudyhaspaidparticularattentiontothreeprovinces(Phnom
Penhcity,KampongCham,andBanteayMeanchey).Asampleof
100participantshasbeenstudiedbymeansofaquestionnaire.The
samplehasbeendrawnfrom:


• theprivatesectorandNGOs;
• universities(lecturersandstudents);and
• governmentofficers.

33

Thebreakdownofparticipationinthethreeprovincesis:Phnom
Penh(50%);KampongCham(30%),andBanteayMeanchey(20%).
Thesampleincludesindividualswhoarefamiliarwithe‐learning
coursesintwooftheprovinces,andotherswhoarenot(Phnom
Penh).

Beforethequestionnairescouldbeadministered,
trainingwas
providedtoallthoseinvolvedinconductingtheinterviews.The
questionnaireandtrainingwerepreparedbytheprojectcoregroup
inPhnomPenh,andcommunicatedtotheotherPANdoraproject
partnersinLaosandVietNam,fortranslationandadaptionif
necessary.Thetrainingaimsweretoimprovethe
knowledgeand
skillsoftheprojectassistantsinusingquestionnaires,interviews
techniquesandcommunications.

Thenewdatawerecollectedinone‐on‐oneinterviews,soasto
understandtheidentifiedtargetgroups’perceptionsand
experiencesofe‐learning.AMicrosoftAccessdatabasewas
developedfortabulationofthedataand
graphingofkeyfindings.
ThissurveytoolwasmadeavailabletotheotherPANdoraprojects
onthenetwork’swebsite(seeChapter2),sothattheywouldnot

havetoduplicatetheeffortinconductingsimilarstudies.

3)Results

Descriptivestatisticswereusedtoanalysethesample’seducational
level,ITknowledge,Internetconnectivity,andotherquestions
relatedtoe‐learninganddistanceeducation.

Thesample.The100intervieweescomprised68%malesand32%
females,ofwhom65%werelessthan25yearsold,and35%were
between25
and34years.Theyworkonthestaffofuniversities
(24%),NGOs(19%),asstudents(studyonly:18%),inbusiness/
industry(12%),government(10%),trainingcentres(6%),schools
(5%),orinotherwork(6%).TheiroccupationsareStudent(51%),
Lecturer/Teacher(17%),Administrator(15%),Staff(10%),Manager
(4%),Coordinator(2%)and
Other(3%).

TypeofEducation.Thesamplewastrainedincampus‐based
institutions(34%),OpenUniversity(34%),otheruniversity(11%),
businesstraining(9%),industrialtraining(6%),distanceeducation
(5%),NGOs(4%),andOther(10%).Thelanguagesusedintheir
educationwasKhmer(93%),English(70%),French(2%),and
34

Chinese(1%).AlthoughKhmeristhenationallanguage,English
hasbecomepopularinCambodiasincethenationchangedits
economysystemfromplanningtomarketeconomy.Most
Cambodiansincompanies,NGOs,andgovernmentspeakEnglish,

andnearlyallstudentsstudyEnglishastheirsecondlanguage.

The5respondentswho
hadstudiedpreviouslybydistance
educationwereallIICstudents,supportedbyTAFandUSAID.E‐
learningisnotyetwellknowninCambodia.SinceIIChas
introducedoffereditse‐learningprogramme,Cambodianshave
becomemoreawareofitsadva
ntages.

ComputerFacilities.Thecomputersusedbythesampleintheirworkare:PC
(91%),Mac(2%),andOther7%.ThecomputeroperatingsystemsareWin
XP(73%),Win2000(20%),Win98(18%),Linux(6%),WinMe(2%),Win
2003(1%),andOther(1%).WinXPisthemost
popularplatformin
Cambodiabecausethecolourisgood,anditsuseissimpleandfast.The
sample’scomputerRAMsizesare64mb(1%),128mb(33%),256mb(18%),
512mb(7%),and1gb(1%).Fortypercentofthesampledon’tknowabout
theirRAMsize.

ManyCambodianstudentsandworkersareseekingindependent
knowledgeofICTthroughself‐study,inordertoimprovetheirstudiesand
jobprospects.Most
computerusers,especiallyruralones,donot
havetheirowncomputers,butusetheminuniversities(52%),in
theworkplace(24%),inInternetcafés(24%),andathome(13%).
Thosewhohavetheirowncomputersusuallyboughtinthelast4‐5
years,with128mbRAMcapacity.Nowthatcomputersare
becominglessexpensive,peoplecanaffordtobuyRAMcapacity
from256mbto1gb.


TheInternetinCambodiaisveryexpensive,dependingonthe
speedofaccess.Internetcaféschargeverylowhourlyrates,but
provideveryslowconnections.Theusualinternetconnection
speedsofthesample
membersare:28.8kps(1%),56kps(14%),128
kps(13%),256kps(1%),ADSL(5%),andT1(1%).Onceagain,a
highproportionofthesample(65%)doesn’tknowtheanswerto
thisquestion.Thereliabilityoftheirinternetconnectionsis
describedas:veryreliable(3%),reliablemostofthetime(11%),not
veryreliable(12%),OK(32%),veryunreliable(6%),anddon’t
know(36%).



35

Usingothermediatolearn.Othermediausedbythesamplefortheir
learning/teachingare:thetelephone(16%),audiotape(17%),radio
(13%),TV/videotape(32%),film(2%),none(45%),andother(3%).

AlthoughmanytypesofeducationinCambodiahavemedia‐based
materials,relativelyfewpeopleseemtousethoseoptions,hence
thelowproportion(45%)statingthattheyusethemediatoteach/
learn.Peopleuseaudiomediawhentheystudyforeignlanguages.

Theexception,however,isthecell‐phone.Only14%ofthesample
neveruses“texting”(SMS)fortheirgeneralpurposes,and24%
usesiteverday.Thesample’sresponsesabouttheircomputerand
cell‐phoneusagearepresentedinTable1

.


Table1
.Computerandcell‐phoneusagefordifferentpurposes.

 Every
Day
Often Some
times
Never
Iusee‐mail
4 27
50
19
IusetheWorldWideWeb
34 8
49
9
Iuseonlinediscussionboards
4 6 30
60
IuseonlineText‐chatrooms
1 14 27
58
Iuseʺtextingʺ(mobileSMS)
24 29
33
14
IuseInternettelephone

2 4 17
77
Iuseonlineaudio‐
conferencing
1 2 15
82
Iuseonlinevideo‐
conferencing
1 3 11
85


Useofonlineapplications.InusingtheInternet,mostofthesample
usee‐mailwithfriends,family,orforbusiness(81%),and50%use
itsometimes.Only19%neverusee‐mail.AccordingtoTable1,85%
donotuseinternetforonlineaudio‐orvideo‐conferencing,and
mostofthemdon’tknowabouttheseconferencesystems.
KnowledgeoftheInternetinCambodiaisstillpoorandpeopledo
notyetgetfullbenefitfromit.

36

AttitudestoDistanceEducation(DE).DEplaysanimportantrolein
Cambodiainreducingtheeducationgapbetweenthecitiesandthe
remoteprovinces.Moreover,DEhelpsworkersinthecountryside
andbusypeoplewhohavenotimetoattendclasses,butstillwant
toupgradetheirknowledge.Materials
anddocumentssupporting
DEisstillpoor,however,andthecapacityofteachersneededfor
DEworkisgenerallypoor.Only46personshavetrainedintheDE

skillsofferedbySDlearn,forexample.Mostofthecurrentsample
wasunawareofDE,thoughstated(75%)thatitsoundsimportant
forCambodia,andthattheywouldlikeitsnationalroletobe
improved.OnalloftheattitudestatementsaboutDEinTable2
,the
samplewasverypositive.


Table2.Responsetoattitudestatementsaboutdistanceeducation.

Statements:
1)
DEplaysanimportantroleinmycountry?
2)TheroleofDEinmycountrycouldbeimproved
3)TeachersandtrainersinmycountrylackDEski lls
4)DEcanbringeducationtoremotecommunitiesinmycountry
5)ThepublicwillneveracceptDEinmycountry
6)PoliticianswillneveracceptDEinmycountry
7)DEcanplayapositiveroleinassistingwomenʹsgroupsinmy
country
8)DEcanneverbeasgoodasface‐to‐faceeducation
9)MoretraininginDEskillsisneedsinmycountry



 Agree Agree
slightly
Undecided Disagree
slightly
Disagree

1 75
14 8 2 1
2 72
22 3 1 2
3 73
17 5 2 3
4 57
21 12 2 8
5
18 18 17 11
36
6
18 14 25 6
37
7 64
21 8 4 3
8 38
31 9 4 18
9 86
5 7 1 1
37

Conclusions

InCambodia,relativelyfewpeoplehaveknowledgeofITorofhow
tousethecomputer.Onlyuniversitystudentsandtheyounger
generationknowhowtodoso.Internetfacilitiesinthecountryare
stillpoor,andmostpeopledon’tknowaboutitseducational
benefits,especiallyifthey
don’tunderstandEnglish.Thesample

chosenforinterviewinginthisstudytendstoknowmoreabout
computersandtheInternetthanthegeneralpublic,becauseitwas
composedofstudents,lecturers,NGOsstaffsandgovernment
officers.Eventhey,however,areunfamiliarwithmuchofthe
Internet’spotential.

Afewpeople
havetheirowncomputerathome,andmostaccessis
intheworkplace,computercentresorInternetcafés.Internetusage
inCambodiaisexpensivecomparedtoneighbouringcountries,and
isavailableinparticularareasonly.Itisthereforeinterestingto
notethehighproportionofcell‐phoneusersinthe
country,forthis
technologymayhavethepotentialtobecomeausefulDEmedium
inthefuture.Thegreatmajorityofthesample’smembersshow
verypositiveattitudestowardsthepotentialofDEinCambodia.It
isencouragingthattheyareeducatedpeoplewhoare,orwill
become,keydecisionmakers
inthecountry.Itisimportantfor
CambodiatouseDEmethodsinupgradingitseducationalsystem,
inreducingtheeducationalgapbetweencitiesandremoteareas,
andinprovidingincreasedstudyopportunitiesforruralworkers
andbusypeople.Cambodiansocietyingeneralisveryhungryfor
theeducationalapplication
ofICTtechnology,intheinterestsof
developingthenationaleconomyandeliminatingpoverty.


Chapter4



NeedsofMedicalDistanceEducationinMongolia

D.Amarsaikhan&S.Oyun



Introduction

Thepurposeofthisstudyistoidentifytheparticularneedsand
prioritiesofdistanceeducation(DE)inruralareas.Physiciansand
medicalworkersinruralareastendtoselectpostgraduate
continuingeducationratherthanformalacademictraining,and
therearemanyareasinwhichtheyneedupgrading.
Currently,
theirknowledgeofDEislow,thoughtheydobelievethatitcan
savethemtimeandmoney.Animportantpriority,therefore,isto
developDEcurriculabasedonresearchindicatingcurrentsocial
andmedicalneeds.

Forthispurpose,thePostgraduateTrainingInstituteoftheHealth
SciencesUniversityof
Mongolia(HSUM)has,since2003,
implementedanIDRC‐supportedprojectentitledICTsforHealth
ServicesinRuralMongolia.Ithaslaunchedadistancelearningcentre
atHSUM,andathospitalsin10ruralareas.Thephysicianswho
workatthesehospitalsallhaveInternetconnectionsandengagein
onlinedistance
educationanddiagnosticactivities.ThisChapter
indicatesthecurriculardecisionsbeingbasedonthisresearch,for

thebenefitofmedicalworkersinselectedruralareas.






_______________________

Dr.AmarsaikhanDashisDirectorofPostgraduateEducation,Health
SciencesUniversityofMongolia,Ulaanbataar.S.OyunisPANproject
administrator,HSUM.Theresearchdiscussedintheirchapterissupported
byCanada’sInternationalDevelopmentResearchCentre(IDRC):
www.idrc.ca

40

SurveyMethodandMaterials

Theresearchtooktheformofasurveytocollectdatafrommedical
trainees,infourcategories:1)thetrainee’shistory,2)attitudesto
DE,3)knowledgeofDE,and4)itsneedsandpriorities.The
questionnairecontentalsoincludedquestionsaboutthekindsof
coursethatareimportant,andonwhatneedstobeimproved.The
questionnairewasdistributedinselectedruralareas,during
existingtrainingandseminars.Inaddition,itwaspostedonthe
Web.Traineesweregiven15minutestorespondtoit.Theresearch
teamhadthefullparticipationoftrainees,andall
partsofthe
questionnaireweremadeclearthem.Notallquestionnaireswere

returnedontime,however.Datawerecollectedfromatotalof231
physiciansandmedicalworkers.


Results

Thefollowingstatisticsshowthedemographicandpsychographic
characteristicsofthe231surveyparticipants(75%female,and
25%male).


1)Occupationofparticipants
:

• physicianindepartment(46%);
• headofdepartment(20%);
• inspector(8%);
• headoffamilyphysicians(3%);
• familydoctor(8%);and
• other(15%).

Theparticipantsworkin:

• ruralhospitals(69%);
• localhealthcentres(physiciansandmedicalworkers:
25%);
• professionalinspectionauthority
(2%);
• private(2%);and
• other(2%).




41

Howlonghaveyoubeenworking?

• Atleast15years(46%);
• 11‐15years(18%);
• 6‐10years(17%);
• 3‐5years(10%);and
• 1‐2years(7%).

2)Continuedpostgraduatetraining
:

• doctoraldegree(0.4%);
• master’sdegree(5%);
• residency(66%);
• sub‐specialist(26%);
• advanced(39%);and
• combinedsub‐specialistandadvanced(63%).

Creditcoursesareamajorcomponentofpostgraduatetraining,
andweneedtoidentifytheirquality,processes,andthesatisfaction
oftraineesin
them.Inrecentyears,physiciansreceivedcredits
from:
• courses(24%);
• seminar(37%);

• training(47%);and
• other(22%).

Sixtypercentofthesamplereceivedcreditsfrombothcoursesand
trainingprogrammes.Theyregardcreditcoursestatusas:

• good(21%);
• bad(68%);and
• don’t
know(12%).

“Whatkindofstyleofcredittrainingisbest?”

• traditionaltraining(51%);
• distancelearning(24%);and
• attheirworkplacetraining(16%).

Manyparticipantsmayhavechosentraditionaltrainingowingto
thelowqualityofworkplacetraining,andtheirlackofawareness
ofDE.
