UNESCO Chairs Conference The Role of Educational Information

UNESCO Chairs Conference “The Role of Educational Information Technologies in Formation and Sustainable Development of the Information Society” St Petersburg, 6 -11 June 2010 From Local to Global - The Role of ICTs in Building Knowledge Societies: A UNESCO Perspective Mariana Patru, Programme Specialist, UNESCO Evgueni Khvilon, Senior Programme Specialist (1979 -2002), UNESCO

Outline • Global trends and challenges • Changing landscape of and new demands on higher education • UNESCO’s priorities in higher education, with a focus on the role of UNESCO Chairs • International good practice and quality resources • Importance of strengthening international cooperation 2

UNESCO: Its Five Functions Ø Laboratory of ideas Ø Standard-setter Ø Clearing house Ø Capacity builder Ø Catalyst for international co-operation

ICT and ODL Resources for Policy Makers and Teachers 4

ODL: A Viable Alternative to Conventional Education Many countries are looking at ODL as a major strategy for expanding access, raising quality and ensuring costeffectiveness Ø For governments - the main potential is to increase the capacity and costeffectiveness of education and training systems, to reach target groups with limited access to conventional education and training, to support and enhance the quality and relevance of existing • . educational structures Ø 5

ODL: A Viable Alternative (cont’d) Ø For the student/learner - ODL means increased access and flexibility as well as the combination of work and education. It may also mean a more learner-centred approach, enrichment, higher quality and new ways of interaction Ø For employers - ODL offers high quality and usually costeffective professional development in the workplace; allows upgrading of skills, increased productivity and development of a new learning culture (in addition, it means sharing of costs, of training time, and increased portability of training)

Global Higher Education Landscape: The New Globalization Ø Maturing era for mass higher education systems Ø Ø Ø Ø in most developed nations Growing international adoption and convergence of higher education practices/ models Growing international and supranational market for undergraduate students Growing international market for faculty/research talent Eroding institutional autonomy - growing accountability Changing pedagogy - growing technological adoption Declining government subsidization Global knowledge sharing and communications

Towards digital literacy and knowledge societies UNESCO World Report, 2005: ü Offers an intellectual, strategic and ethical vision on KS ü Education and access to knowledge ü Quality education for all – one of the 4 key principles for the building of equitable, inclusive and participatory KS ü Knowledge sharing as a development imperative ü Innovative approaches to e-learning 8

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“Trends in Global Higher Education: Tracking an Academic Revolution” Ø New technologies will continue to affect all aspects of higher education Communication of knowledge through e-mail, blogs, wikis, and pod casts Ø Next stage of the ICT revolution: transform our approach to teaching and learning through distance -education programs and within walls of traditional universities Ø 10

Key Trends in the Next Five Years Within the next twelve months Ø Mobile computing Ø Open content Two to three years Ø Electronic books Ø Simple augmented reality Four to five years Ø Gesture-based computing Ø Visual data analysis

Из выступления Главы российской делегации А. В. Яковенко Ø Ø Высшее образование имеет стратегическое значение для выполнения целей развития тысячелетия и Образования для всех. Обеспечение эффективной ориентации высшего образования на цели устойчивого развития. Использование ИКТ, дистанционное обучение, развитие трансграничных услуг, создание и распространение в сети Интернет открытых многоязычных современных электронных образовательных ресурсов приобретают особое значение для повышения гибкости образовательных программ, существенного расширения мобильности как российских, так и иностранных студентов. 12

Из выступления Главы российской делегации А. В. Яковенко (продолж. ) Россия выступает за последовательное продвижение к сопоставимости квалификаций и взаимному признанию результатов профессионального обучения. Ø Ø В вопросе качества образования мы должны в полной мере использовать мандат ЮНЕСКО Всемирная конференция – повод подумать над необходимостью разработки и принятия на межгосударственном уровне индикаторов качества высшего образования, которые призваны закрепить приоритеты его дальнейшего развития. . . создание в Росси ‘инновационного пояса’ – технопарков и малых предприятий при вузах, позволяющих быстро разрабатывать и внедрять востребованные наукоемкие технологии, которые содействуют экономическому и социальному развитию. Принято решение об увеличении за счет российского бюджета в 1, 5 раза приема иностранных граждан в российские вузы. 13

21 st Century: The Emergence of New Learning Environments 14

“One laptop per child”: harnessing the power of ICTs for inclusion and development An MIT Media Lab project • ultra-low-cost, fullfeatured computer • designed to dramatically enhance children’s primary and secondary education worldwide • full-scale production to start in mid-2007 15

Powering ICT Devices in Remote Areas Solar Laptop Pedal Power for OLPC 16

The ICT Revolution A revolution which has triggered: Ø a redefinition of the roles for academics (such as coaches and mentors rather than content experts) Ø a new business model for universities faced with competitive forces (e. g. partnerships with other content providers - publishers and media companies - in the textbook market) Ø the convergence of various communication devices at an affordable cost (m-learning) Ø openness, sharing, participation and collaboration at an unprecedented scale (open source, open content, open educational resources) 17

2009 World Conference on Higher Education: What Role for ICTs? Ø A few key messages in this regard: o o o Member States should support the fuller integration of ICTs and promote ODL to meet increasing demands for quality higher education in a lifelong learning perspective the application of ICTs to teaching and learning has great potential to increase access, quality and success the accelerated velocity of technology change has created pressing challenges that higher education, governments and industry must address together increasing attention to teacher training: empowering teachers (“digital immigrants”) to harness the potential of ICTs in spite of the progress made, ICTs are still unfairly distributed worldwide - need for more international solidarity to close the digital and knowledge divides 18

ICTs for Higher Education: Key Trends and New Dynamics Ø The integration of ICTs in higher education is inevitable. The very high demand for higher education has stimulated significant growth in both private and public provision Ø Open universities are expanding and multiplying and many conventional institutions are adopting dual-mode or blended program delivery systems, creating a new dynamic in flexible and lifelong learning 19

ICTs for Higher Education (cont’d) Ø Ø In the absence of policies and programmes defining the generative and developmental roles of higher education institutions, many ICT activities are Ø simply ad-hoc projects with limited potential to be self-sustaining and selfgenerative ICTs can add value to the role of institutions in economic growth and social development if appropriate perspectives and roadmaps are integrated in mainstream policies Institutional and sector-wide higher education ICT policy and planning should identify the specific role of ICTs in enhancing research 20

Higher Education at a Time of Transformation. New Dynamics for Social Responsibility The technological revolution has led to a dramatic transformation in distance education as a mode of delivery Ø Growth and changes in cross-border programmes and provider mobility Ø In cross-border education, recognition/registration is critical to ensuring quality assurance, the legitimacy of the institution of the qualifications provided Ø 21

Higher Education, Research and Innovation: Changing Dynamics Ø Throughout the current decade, the world has witnessed the advance of the Knowledge Society and its principal engine, the Knowledge Economy Ø Due to new technologies, all countries have been obliged to review/reorganize their capacities for accessing and benefiting from high-level knowledge Ø The systems of knowledge production (universities; public laboratories; research centres; industry and the private sector) have emerged as the main motors of development in a globalized world 22

The ODL Triangle: Access, Cost and Quality Ø Ø Globalization is pressuring developing countries to expand access and improve quality as international league tables compare age participation rates and institutional quality Yet the three fundamental vectors that define education - access, cost and quality - pull in different directions, creating an iron triangle of forces to constrain traditional methods of higher education Fortunately technology-mediated distance learning does allow access to be extended, quality improved and costs cut all at the same time In a new manifestation of internationalisation, the open universities have more in common with each other than with traditional universities in their home countries 23

Action for the Next Ten Years: An Institutional View: The Open University, UK Ø Ø The emerging technological changes require a fundamental shift in the way institutions conduct their affairs Vast digital assets created, combined with extraordinary computer power, make it possible to ask and research questions not capable of being researched before Students can and do study e-learning offerings from universities all over the world as more and more universities are adding e-learning options Digital age requires new abilities: from instruction to discovery; from individual to collaborative learning; from broadcast to interactive learning; from teacher-centric to student-centric learning 24

Maastricht Message From the M-2009 World Conference (ICDE and EADTU) Ø Innovative, flexible ways of learning, and creating and sharing knowledge are required if every one of the world’s people is to have the opportunity to maximize his or her potential and to contribute to the development of their communities Ø Governments, NGOs, not-for-profit interests and the corporate sector must individually and collectively mobilize their imagination and resources to create flexible, accessible, and quality learning at scale 25

Maastricht Message (cont’d) Ø Over the last four decades open, flexible and distance learning has developed so that it now offers the first real means of delivering quality learning at scale Ø In some countries open and distance education now serves more than one third of the student population and this is growing rapidly Ø The open and distance university movement is removing barriers of geography, time and cost while maintaining quality of education Ø All of this contributes to the growth of local and national communities and economies. In the current global economic crisis ODL provides cost efficient and flexible solutions 26

Will ICTs Make the Traditional University Obsolete? The conventional system alone cannot meet the challenges. We must ask the question: will presentday universities become the dinosaurs of tomorrow? Ø Will there be profound changes in learning content? What is the role of students and staff and how will we ensure quality and sustainability on the Internet? Ø The future offers exciting opportunities: innovations, such as open educational resources, mobile devices, social software and virtual mobility will radically change the landscape of global learning and expand the global learning community Ø 27

Collaboration with the Private Sector: UNESCO/Microsoft Education Leaders Forum 2009 A one-day Forum, entitled Higher Education: Re-Visioning for Recovery. The Path to Sustainable Development Ø Discussed how governments and universities should take full advantage of e-technology’s potential to address the current knowledge and skills challenges Ø The announcement of a Joint UNESCO/Microsoft Task Force on ICTs and Higher Education Ø Microsoft's $50 million commitment to support the mission of the new task force and to enable the implementation of critical UNESCO and Microsoft educational resources Ø 28

What is Quality in E-learning? Ø Quality = Fitness of Purpose Ø Quality in e-learning refers to learning: providing the right content at the right time enable learners to acquire knowledge and skills enable learners apply their learning to improve their performance o o o 29

E-xcellence: A European wide Standard for Quality Assurance for E -learning in Higher Education The manual provides a set of benchmarks, quality criteria, performance indicators and notes for guidance Ø A reference tool for the assessment or review of e-learning programmes and the systems supporting them Ø Six sections (strategic management, curriculum design, course design, course delivery, staff support and student support) Ø 30

Assessing E-learning Quality in Europe Ø Presents a model for quality assessment of e-learning Ø What constitutes quality in e-learning and how such quality may be assessed? Ø In many organizations, quality in elearning appears to be a non-issue 31

Ten Quality Aspects Ø Ø Ø Ø Ø Material/content Structure/virtual environment Communication, cooperation and interactivity Student assessment Flexibility and adaptability Support (faculty and students) Staff qualifications and experience Vision and institutional leadership Resource allocation The holistic and process aspect

Need for 21 st Century Skills 33

A 21 st Century Model of Learning Powered by Technology Goals and recommendations in 5 essential areas: Ø Learning Ø Assessment Ø Teaching Ø Infrastructure Ø Productivity

What 21 st Century Learning Should Look Like

OECD: Education for the Future - Promoting Changes in Policies A tough new world and a challenging future, characterized by: Ø Ø Ø high unemployment growing inequalities stronger competition fewer jobs enhanced interdependence economic growth driven by innovation 36

The Virtual University E-learning and the virtual university - two issues associated with cross-border education Ø Explores ICT-related policy, planning and management implications of new (UNITAR, Malaysia) or reorganized HEIs (USQOnline Australia, Kenyatta University Kenya) Ø VUs must develop policies and planning, management and financial procedures that are appropriate to their organization, resources and operation Ø 37

Sharing Learning Resources over the Internet: Open Educational Resources (OER) = digitized materials offered freely and openly for educators, students, selflearners to use and reuse for teaching, learning and research Ø Expand access to learning; an efficient way to promote lifelong learning; and bridge the gap between non-formal, informal and formal learning Ø Quality can be improved and content development reduced by sharing and reusing Ø 38

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UNESCO ICT Competency Standards for Teachers Ø To improve teachers’ practice through ICTs Ø Developed in partnership with Intel, Cisco, Microsoft, International Society for Technology in Education, and Virginia Tech Ø Three booklets: policy framework; competency standards modules; implementation guidelines (translated into all 6 UNESCO official languages)

Curriculum Framework

Important: Ensuring ODL Quality Throughout Education! quality of distance education: 37, 4/74, 9 = 0, 5 42

UNITWIN / UNESCO Chairs Programme I. Definition and Background Ø UNITWIN is the abbreviation for the University Twinning and Networking. Ø The UNITWIN/UNESCO Chairs Programme, established in 1992, is conceived as a way to advance research, training and programme development in higher education by building university networks and encouraging inter-university cooperation through transfer of knowledge across borders.

Disciplinary and Geographic Breakdown II. UNITWIN in figures (as of 21. 04. 2010) 659 UNESCO Chairs 65 UNITWIN Networks 770 Higher Education institutions 127 Member States

New Strategic Orientations of the UNITWIN Programme (2007) Ø Creation of a new generation of UNESCO Chairs /UNITWIN Networks, to be acting as “think-tanks” and as “bridge-builders”, between research outcomes and decision-making, as well as between academia and local communities Ø Realignment with UNESCO’s priorities Ø Creation of regional or sub-regional poles of excellence and innovation Ø Stimulation of triangular North-South cooperation

Reinforcing the knowledge, research and innovation triangle Poles of excellence and innovation Ø A pole of excellence is a combination, in a given geographic space, of universities, institutes of higher learning, training centres, foundations and public or private research units involved in a synergy around innovating common projects. Ø This partnership, built around a specific theme or field, must seek out for a critical mass to enable a certain quality and international transparency.

Scaling Up International Best Practice in and with ICTs UNESCO King Hamad Bin Isa Al Khalifa Prize for the Use of ICTs (set up in 2005; donation made by the Kingdom of Bahrain) Ø US$50, 000 divided equally to 2 prizewinners; rewards innovative and creative use of ICTs to enhance teaching, learning and overall educational performance Prizewinners: 2006 KERIS (Korea); Kemi-Tornio Polytechnic (Finland) 2007: Claroline Consortium (Belgium); Curriki (USA) 2008: Shanghai TV University (China); Dr Hoda Baraka (Egypt) 2009: Prof. Alexei Semenov (Russia); The Jordan Education Initiative (Jordan) Ø 47

Готовность к информационному обществу Мировые рейтинги 2009

Исследовательское подразделение британского журнала «Экономист» – «Экономист Интеллидженс Юнит» (Economist Intelligence Unit) • 650 аналитиков по всему миру • С 2000 г. – анализ готовности к информационному обществу (ereadiness) • Более 100 критериев, количественных и качественных.

Место России в мировом рейтинге Год Обследовано стран Место России 2001 60 42 2002 60 45 2005 68 52 2006 68 52 2007 69 57 2008 70 59 2009 70 59

The World Bank: Rise of New Economic Powerhouses (January 2010) 51

Чтобы сохранить свое место в рейтинге, надо бежать изо всех сил

Из выступления главы государства Дмитрия Медведева 31 августа 2009 на совещании по модернизации и технологическому развитию экономики касательно вопроса приоритетных ИТ-проектов: «Оптимистичные картины спрячьте подальше – реальных подвижек нет… По части интеграции ИТ в экономику страны принята «Стратегия развития информационного общества» , однако ее реализация находится на неудовлетворительном уровне» .

«В международном рейтинге готовности к информационному обществу Россия по ряду показателей занимает места в шестом-седьмом десятке, продолжая скатываться вниз. И это при десятке том, что государственные расходы на информатизацию в настоящий момент абсолютно сопоставимы с расходами развитых европейских стран. » Д. А. Медведев

«Еще один приоритет - развитие культурнопознавательных и образовательных сервисов на базе интернет-ресурсов нового поколения. При этом особое внимание президент призвал уделить системе дистанционного общего и профессионального обучения, которая поможет получить образование людям с ограниченными возможностями и невысоким уровнем доходов. Также, президент отмечает роль переноса знаний из развитых стран. » Д. А. Медведев

Россия, вперёд! Статья Дмитрия Медведева «Иностранным компаниям и научным организациям будут предоставляться самые благоприятные условия для строительства в России исследовательских и конструкторских центров. Мы пригласим на работу лучших учёных и инженеров из разных стран мира. И, главное, мы будем объяснять нашей молодёжи, что важнейшим конкурентным преимуществом являются знания, которых нет у других, интеллектуальное превосходство, умение создавать вещи, нужные людям» . 10 сентября 2009 года

Более низкие показатели, чем у России 2009 г. 2008 г. Страна 60 63 Эквадор 61 62 Нигерия 62 61 Украина 63 60 Шри-Ланка 64 65 Вьетнам 65 68 Индонезия 66 64 Пакистан 67 67 Алжир 68 70 Иран 69 66 Казахстан 70 69 Азербайджан

Towards u-learning? 58

Thank You! Спасибо за внимание! m. patru@unesco. org eakhvilon@gmail. com 59