ITU BDT — Arab Regional Office 11

ITU / BDT - Arab Regional Office 11 th Meeting of HRM/D Arab Network Khartoum – Sudan 16 -18/12/2003 How is promoting Knowledge Building through ICTs Khalil ABURIZIK ITU Regional Officer for Human Resources Development for the Arab Region aburizik@itu. in www. ituarabic. org 1

ITU / BDT - Arab Regional Office ¨ The International Telecommunication Union found in 1865 is the specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for the regulation, standardization and development of telecommunications worldwide, including international management of the radio frequency spectrum and satellite orbits. ¨ The ITU’s membership includes 189 Member States and near 600 Sector Members representing a wide range of entities with an interest in telecommunications, including all the major players in service provision, equipment manufacturing, network and radiocommunication infrastructure design and development. ¨ ITU comprises of a General Secretariat and three specialized Sectors dealing with radio communication (ITU R) RB, standardization (ITU T) TSB and development (ITU D) BDT. ¨ ITU Arab Regional Office in Cairo belongs to BDT and represents ITU in the Arab Region since 1991 2

ITU / BDT - Arab Regional Office ICT changes the way information and training can be delivered THE RE-ENGINEERING OF TRAINING SYSTEMS AND KNOWLEDGE SHARING 3

ITU / BDT - Arab Regional Office ICT brings people together – enables new concept of team work ¨ Bridges distances and time ¨ Integrates customs & cultures ¨ Affects interpersonal relations ¨ Makes local events international ¨ Networks interest groups globally 4

ITU / BDT - Arab Regional Office Transforming traditional methods of training Learner-Centered Environment • Learning on-demand – as and when needed, users choose to develop new skills just-in-time • Increased learning options -individuals, through the Internet, now have a broader array of courses to choose from • Personal learning plan – progress at own pace with individualized assessment • Collaborative learning opportunities - e-communities, knowledge sharing, learn from a variety of external resources and global best practices 5

ITU / BDT - Arab Regional Office Reasons for Change * Telecommunications are under accelerated change * Need of immediate Continuous Education programs * Courses Cost in the Training Centres * Training in the required moment * Knowledge is outdated in very short period of time. * Traditional form of training is not the answer, since it cannot keep up with the pace of demand. * Cost of traditional courses is constantly increasing. as well as the cost of the students in the classrooms (their time and productivity lost in their units) * Courses scheduled in the time-program do not reach students on time. NEED NEW WAYS OF DESIGNING AND IMPLEMENTING TRAINING 6

ITU / BDT - Arab Regional Office The cost/benefit ratio • Upfront IT infrastructure costs • Achieve economies of scale through delivering online courses • Reach a larger target population at a lower cost • Contribute to the self-sustainability of e-Learning Face-to-Face training has considerable costs each time 7

ITU / BDT - Arab Regional Office Challenges • Need to define key learning strategies ensuring users achieve individual learning goals • New roles for teachers or trainers – as mentors, moderating discussions, case studies • Changes the learning culture 8

ITU / BDT - Arab Regional Office Re-engineering training DOES NOT SIGNIFY that classrooms will be eliminated. The electronic media may be used in the classroom, creating as authentic “learning situation” as possible Training at distance will require TUTORS, experts in the field who are able to answer any question which the students may have. The tutor can assist the student in using the technologies, can monitor the progress of the students and provide the necessary feedback 9

ITU / BDT - Arab Regional Office How may ICT assist? Using IT in education and training is an essential tool in facing some of the previously mentioned challenges, as a key factor to: • Facilitate the participation of high level staff (asynchronous training) • Deliver training at the actual work place • Provide the best available training quality • Promote a self-development attitude among the staff • Provide practical schemes for continuous learning and re-learning 10

e-Learning Bringing together major players, activities and training resources Location Dedicated class-room Players Instructor Dedicated Working position Facilitator Working position Tutor Participant ITU e-Learning Centre Support Facilities and Services Model systems +data bases Support (E-mail, etc) Training materials Administration and follow-up Reference materials 11

ITU e-Learning Model e- learning Centre Participants Participants through the Internet Tutor Coordinator Participants Guided self-study, carry out tasks and assignments, debates, etc. Tutor Assignment of tasks, answers to questions, elaboration on topics, guidance, evaluation, etc. Coordinator Organization, administration, weekly distribution of training materials, participation control, etc. 12

ITU / BDT - Arab Regional Office ITU e-Learning Centre/ Example http: //elearningcentre. itu. int Login : “Guest” Password: “welcome” 13

ITU / BDT - Arab Regional Office Online Course Example: Introduction 14

ITU / BDT - Arab Regional Office Examples of e-Learning Activities: • Management Development: Leadership, Business Management, Quality Management, Marketing of Telecom Services, Couching • Regulatory training: Interconnection, Telecommunication Regulation, On-line Regulatory Training Programme • Technical training: Frequency Management, Public Network Security, Voice over IP, Fix Wireless Access • Training of trainers: Technology in DL, Design of DL Materials, Using Internet for DL • First Academic Program: Master in Communications Regulation, Master in Communications Management 15

ITU / BDT - Arab Regional Office Detailed Example: Web-based Course Development Guidelines Aims and objectives: after working through the Course, the participants should be able to: (1) List the key differences between distance training and conventional, face to face training; (2) Identify the main features of effective self instructional courses and materials; (3) Identify the main options for provision of support to trainees learning at a distance; (4) Transform conventional, classroom based course materials into self instructional format; (5) Produce a design for a distance training module in a topic of their choice, write some draft self study material for it, specify appropriate support staff roles and communications methods and media, and prepare appropriate user guidelines for trainees and support staff. 16

ITU / BDT - Arab Regional Office e Learning: Balancing Technology, Content and Delivery Lessons Learned: • Orientating first-time participants: before being able to follow online content, participants first need to learn how to access content through technology tools. So, keep technology simple. Participants need to be active learners instead of passive learners. • Adapting to changing needs: it is important to keep track of usage patterns and assessment results to adapt to the changing needs of the learner. • Creating an e-community: participants may feel a sense of isolation or loneliness when learning online. Therefore, ice-breaker activities need to be organized to create a sense of connection. Each course begins with a welcoming message from the tutor, and participants are requested to post a self-introduction, comment on each other’s work and discuss various topics either asynchronously or through a scheduled online chat session. 17

ITU / BDT - Arab Regional Office e Learning: Balancing Technology, Content and Delivery Lessons Learned (II) • Mentoring instead of teaching: the tutor plays the role of an animator to facilitate learning and needs to be proactive in assisting the learner overcome the distance barrier. • Course development costs: using sophisticated multimedia learning tools increases exponentially the course development costs and does not guarantee a greater audience or success rate in developing countries, due mainly to infrastructure limitations. • Course delivery costs: obvious savings in travel/subsistence costs, no need to abandon the work place, suitable tutor always available (part time job) 18

ITU / BDT - Arab Regional Office Bridging the Digital Divide It exists between: • Countries and within countries Lack of access to ICTs is what we call the “Digital Divide”. • Those highly educated and those that are not • The rich and the poor • Young and old • Urban and rural populations • Men and women Providing Internet access and e-learning opportunities to communities, regardless of socio-economic status, geographic location, gender, etc. becomes key to assist in building human capacities and narrowing the gap between the information “have’s” and the information “have-not’s” 19

ITU / BDT - Arab Regional Office Towards the World Summit on the Information Society To reduce the Digital Divide, it becomes necessary to establish principles of equality and universality, as well as to adopt universal service policies that would promote: • The participation of all in the Information Society • Coherent national policies encompassing cultural and economic aspects • Equal access for all segments of the population • The elimination of differences in access capabilities between urban and rural areas 20

ITU / BDT - Arab Regional Office Explore smart partnerships • Collaborate with IT providers, negotiate for reduced rates or in-kind contribution of Internet, hardware and software • Productive public-private partnerships to leverage best content and technology option Examples are ITU/ ARO cooperation programs with NTI and AAST. WE ARE OPEN TO EXTEND SAME COOPERATION WITH OTHER TRAINING CENTERS IN THE REGION 21

ITU / BDT - Arab Regional Office Conclusions ¨ In the developing countries, the need to change the traditional way of doing things in training has already become obvious. ¨ Actual technologies make possible to carry out the required changes, improving the quality and reducing the cost of the training (to internal and external customers) ¨ Similar situations already exist or are about to emerge in other regions of developing world ¨ The ITU may provide assistance. How can you take advantage of it ? 22

ITU / BDT - Arab Regional Office Thank you For more information aburizik@ituarabic. org www. ituarabic. org or www. itu. int 23