A. Investigator(s) and Institutional Affiliation

1. The researcher’s professional/academic training, past performance as revealed in the CV.

2. The researcher’s demonstrated awareness of previous alternative approaches to the proposed problem/research as demonstrated through publications.

3. Probable adequacy of available or obtainable infrastructural and /or technical support by the parent institution indicated/committed through official endorsement of the proposal.

B. Internal Structure of the Topic and Design

1. Possibility of the research leading to significant, valid and conceptual generalizations.

2. Possibility of the research leading to significant improvement in present practice and/or innovative approach to solve a present problem.

C. Relevance

1. Possibility that the research can serve as the basis for innovation and/or improved technology application in education.

2. Expected contribution of the research to technology assessment in education — showing effects of existing and/or proposed technolgies. Identification of possible immediate end users (beneficiaries) of the results.

The Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Open University has a new vice-chancellor.  Prof. V.S. Prasad, a veteran of open learning in India, joined Dr. BRAOU as its Vice Chancellor on 26th October 2001.

Prof. Prasad brings decades of experience to the position, including more than 30 years as a teacher in formal and distance education insitutions across India.  He was previously acting vice-chancellor of the Indira Gandhi National Open University, and director of IGNOU’s distance education council.

“I look forward to working together with you all to further the cause of distance education,” he wrote recently in an open letter to university staff and students.

We congratulate Prof. Prasad and wish him all the best in his new assignment.

The Lower House of the Indian Parliament unanimously passed a Constitution amendment Bill (93) making education for children in the age group of 6-14 years a fundamental right. The amendment was passed by 346 for and none against after a debate lasting almost four hours. The Bill was based entirely on the new education policy formulated in the mid-90s and on the recommendations of a Parliamentary committee. The funds for such a gigantic task would be channeled through committees approved by the state governments and local government bodies.
Source: timesofindia.com

If rural children
        can’t get to the 
        Internet, then bring the Net to them.

That’s the working principle of the Mobile Internet Unit, a United Nations Development Program (UNDP) initiative, that has put the Internet and its World Wide Web on wheels.  A specialized 40-foot bus, equipped with computers and a modem, is roaming the Malaysian countryside, ready to train up to 20 children at a time in the ways of information technology.

Before the specialized bus rolled into Tunjang, a small town deep in the country’s norther rice bowl, 12-year-old Nafizah Ismail had never used the Net.

“We realized that the Internet can connect us to the outside world,” said the 12-year-old, who has been able to prepare her homework on the computer, surf the Internet, send e-mail and even design Web pages since the bus arrived one day in April.

Thanks to the UNDP’s two-year experiment, Nafizah is one of more than 2,800 rural children whose education now includes information and communication technology.  In continued efforts to bridge the digital divide between developed and developing countries, the project has been expanded, supplementing the original bus with seven scaled-down versions.

The Malaysian government has plans to further boost the successful project by financing two buses in each of its 14 states by 2005.  The  United Nations agency has launched similar projects in Ghana, while other countries like Lebanon and Iran are considering their options in adopting this mobile approach to putting their poorest schools on-line.

The Malaysian leg of what some are calling “a bookmobile for the Internet age” has not been a seamless venture.  Besides the technical obstacle of not having phone lines in every village for the Internet connection, organizers also face resistance from the country’s social conservatives, ranging from Muslim clerics to village politicians, and even the parents themselves. 

Kang Wai Chin, the Mobile Internet Unit’s project manager, said she hoped to show critics that the Internet is valuable to their children’s education.

The bus program consists of an eight-hour course delivered in one-hour installments.  It covers basic computer training, such as how to use a mouse, and moves towards more complex activities like sending an e-mail or using word processing programs.

After staying up to two weeks in one area, the bus rolls on to the next stop, but not without leaving behind a PC for students to practise what they’ve learned, and for instructors to integrate into the curriculum.

-- edited from the New York Times

The Open University of Sri Lanka (OUSL) conducted their second Multimedia Courseware Development Workshop in October 2001. The first workshop organized by CEMCA in August aimed at developing multimedia for Distance Education.

The workshop aimed at training staff in the preparation of multimedia courseware in keeping with the OUSL decision to introduce new and appropriate technology in production and delivery of the material.

The first two days of the workshop were spent on Instructional Design, Content preparation and the development of flow chart and story board. The various feature of the software Director 8, i.e., still graphics, animation, audio, video, navigation and publishing were introduced during the next 5 days. Presentations by the resource persons were done in the morning sessions and participants were given the opportunity to

practice what they have learned during the afternoon sessions. The last 5 days were completely spent on project work. Four groups were formed and each group worked on a separate project.

The Vice Chancellor Prof. Uma Coomaraswamy was present as the chief guest on the final day. The projects were presented at this session and certificates of participation were distributed by the Vice Chancellor. Resource persons for the workshop were drawn from the internal faculty of OUSL, who were trained in the first multimedia workshop. Dr. Rupa Wijeratne, Dr. L Liyanage, Dr. Gaya Ranawake, Dr. Bundunee Liyanage, Dr. Shironica Karunanayake and Dr. R M J George acted as resource persons. In all 12 faculty members were trained in the workshop.  

Community radio reflects the community’s hopes and concerns generally ignored by the mainstream media.  People decide and articulate their communication needs and priorities themselves.  This participatory approach creates a spirit of experimentation in which the interest of the community reigns supreme.  It empowers the rural people, who develop a sense of ownership and self-confidence.  Since community radio is a people’s venture and does not take directives from authorities, it is truly a democratic mode of communication. The preface of this handbook defines community radio “as a medium that gives voice to voiceless that serves as the mouthpiece of the marginalized and is at the heart of communication and democratic processes within societies.”

The handbook under review is based on the experience and innovative thinking of communication experts and practitioners in community radio.  Spread over eight chapters, it takes an all-encompassing look at the various dimensions related to the essential features, legal aspects, technical aspects, programme policies, and code of conduct for community radio professionals.

The introduction sets the pace of the handbook and postulates that any community can start its own radio station provided it has the will in terms of internal cohesion and community consciousness.  It also stresses that producing programmes does not require magical skills and that the cost and technology are not prohibitive.  This premise flows through the entire handbook.

Chapter 1 places community radio in the broadcasting scene and explains the essential difference in its approach as compared to the conventional public service or commercial broadcasting.  It also traces the evolution of community radio since its inception some 50 years ago and covers broadcast media ownership patterns, technical developments, and the recent trends towards democratization and decentralization.

Chapter 2 describes the features and functions of community radio.  The special features and programming approach are discussed in terms of public access and participation, ownership, management, funding, editorial independence, credibility and representation and inclusion of the marginalized and minority groups. The functions cover the reflection of local identity and culture, providing a diversity of voices, opinions, promoting democratic process, social change, development and good governance among others.

Chapter 3 provides an overview of the uneven and haphazard legislation governing community radio in different countries.  Special focus has been given to South Africa where broadcasting legislation is in many ways exemplary and could be used as a model by other countries.  The complex issues of convergence and divergence in legislation of different countries and the typical requirements for obtaining a license have been presented in a simple and lucid manner.A brief description of the scientific principles underlying radio broadcasting has been given in Chapter 4. After making a distinction between AM and FM propagation, it describes the range of equipment required for FM broadcasting under four categories.  These are:  transmitters, antennas, studio programme production equipment and field programme production equipment.  A price list in U.S. dollars for the basic equipment of a UNESCO-supported community radio station provides useful information regarding cost of setting up a community radio station.

Chapter 5 sets out the various practical steps involved in setting up a community radio service.  These include clarifying the legal context, conducting a proper consultation and analysis process in the community.  A qualitative research method based on Focus Group Discussion (FGD) is outlined for this process.  The importance of drawing a mission statement, technical and social criteria for selecting the site, alternative models, programming, staff and sustainability have also been dealt with in the chapter.

Programme policies come for detailed discussion in Chapter 7, which highlights the role of community in establishing programming needs and preferences in programme production and evaluation.  It stresses the need for community news, balancing of views, and coverage of local events, elections and educational broadcasts.  The importance of feedback mechanism and how to conduct audience surveys also find place in the chapter.

Chapter 7 provides a prototypical code of conduct for community broadcasters.  It includes sections on programme production ethics, conduct and teamwork during operation and in studio, conduct related to financial matters and how these can be handled.  The selection and training of community broadcasters, categories and modalities of training have also been covered.

Five case studies of community radio stations in Asia, Africa and Latin America have been included in Chapter 8.  The authors intimately connected with the station provide insights into how they set up their operation, how they overcame problems and what the results were.  These case studies examine a gamut of issues, such as political and legal context, media environment, women’s participation, and audience.

The handbook initiates the reader in a step-by-step manner into different stages of setting up a community radio.  Each chapter gives a brief intro, states its objectives and its relationship with the following chapters.  The lucid prose, structured content and well illustrated pages engage the mind of the reader.  Quotations on a variety of issues not only make the reading lively and interesting, but also relate community radio with these issues.  References serve as useful indicators for those interested in a deeper probe of the subject and use of information boxes highlight a particular issue and focus on it.

True to its title, the handbook succeeds in providing a concise ready reference on community radio. The handbook serves as a practical guide not only to “community actors, technicians, operators and producers” as suggested in the introduction, but for managers, implementers, academics and researchers as well.

Dr. Kiron Bansal is a Senior Lecturer at the Electronic Media Production Centre, IGNOU, New Delhi.

MIT begins Open Courseware Project

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has begun the pilot phase of its closely watched plan to create detailed Web pages for nearly all of its courses and develop courseware tools that other institutions could use free. In the process, officials at MIT are finding that professor's skill levels vary dramatically when it comes to using the Web in their courses - which could make it difficult to create a system that is flexible enough to meet everyone's needs. 

MIT's plans for the project has sparked widespread interest at other institutions, and many see it as an important statement that course materials should be thought of not as commercial products but as scholarly publications, readily available for review and reuse by interested peers. 
Among the goals of the pilot phase of the project, which will last through March, are finding out what professors want from course Web pages and creating a process for supporting and maintaining the pages. So far, the project is focused on creating interactive features for the Web pages that will serve professors and students on the campus, rather than on designing the interface that will allow people outside the university to make use of course materials of the pilot project. 

The university has emphasized that its course Web sites are not distance-education offerings, but simply an educational resource. MIT plans to have Web pages for 100 courses available by next fall, and for 500 courses by September 2003.
Source: http://chronicle.com

Online university offers Indian language fluency courses

eWeb University, a platform and content provider for e-learning and corporate knowledge management, has recently introduced courses in Indian languages, including Hindi, Kannada, Telugu, Bengali, Tamil, and Malayalam. These self-paced language programs are priced from $50-$75 per course package and consist of 25-28 lessons that entail drills and skill-building exercises in reading, writing, and conversation. eWeb's demographic research has shown that the Indian languages offered represent the major population of Indians who have recently immigrated to the U.S. The university plans to expand its course offerings in Spring 2002 with the addition of online instruction programs for Spanish, French, and other languages.
Source: www.ewebuniversity.com

COL/UNHCR Course Wins Award

The training module Writing Effectively for UNHCR has won an ODLAA Award for Excellence in the Development and Delivery of Distance Education and Open Learning Programs issued by the Open and Distance Learning Association of Australia (ODLAA). Canberra-based course writer, Ms. Maree Bentley received the Award in the "Programs in response to an international or cross-cultural need" category. Other development team members also received mention in the certificate: Course designer, David Murphy (Monash University, Melbourne); editor, Bill Potter; graphics designer, Karen Tan; and Gajaraj Dhanarajan and Angela Kwan of The Commonwealth of Learning.

Like many organisations, UNHCR ran traditional courses in effective writing. Unable to access all staff, particularly those in remote field offices, in late 1999 the UNHCR's Staff Development Section took the initiative to see whether it could run an effective writing course through distance learning. UNHCR teamed up with the Commonwealth of Learning (COL), to develop the programme. "We could have bought an effective writing course off the shelf," says Julianne DiNenna who coordinated course development in UNHCR " but we felt that it was important to produce a course relevant to UNHCR staff which would also reflect our own cultural diversity as well as, writing style, standards and formatting."

This was achieved in the course that was launched at the beginning of this year. To date 300 UNHCR staff in over 70 countries have enrolled in the course, which can accommodate 100 new students every three months. Participants undertake a module on general writing skills and one of the optional modules on general office correspondence or report writing. Students submit assignments to tutors, managed by COL, by e-mail and receive feedback on their work. The secret to the success of this programme seems to be its accessibility to all staff, even in remote field locations, its UNHCR-specific content and the individualised guidance provided by the tutors. 

International Educational Broadcasting Roundtable in New Delhi

An International roundtable on educational broadcasting in the Commonwealth was held in New Delhi between November 26-30, 2001. The conference aimed at sharing experiences and expertise on the various models of using educational television to support the different sectors of education and training system. 

Participants from eleven countries bought to the table their experiences and problems and sought out ways of collaboration and co-operation. Some of the presentations talked about the state of educational television in different parts of the world, experiences of using radio and television for educational purposes and understanding the concept of convergence of computing technologies and broadcasting. Case studies from national broadcasting corporations like the South African Broadcasting Corporation illustrated that adaptation of theme and quality and extensive audience research could create an encouraging trend in educational broadcasting. Mr. Kiran Karnik, President of NASSCOM India delivered the keynote address (see Guest Column) at the inaugural function.

The conference was organized by The Commonwealth of Learning and the Commonwealth Educational Media Center for Asia in association with the Commonwealth Broadcasting Association.

Law of India Project Completed

Under its sub-programme on media and society, UNESCO assigned the job of creating a public domain legal database to CEMCA. The objective was to "design, develop, create, host, maintain and update an online legal database in public domain. The legal database should contain all legislations, legal commentaries, law reports and key judgments related to Human Rights, Constitutional Affairs and Mass Media". The task has been completed on time and now the site (http://www.lawofindia.org) is accessible to all. Some of the interesting features of the site include chat room and discussion board on important topic of interest. Also there is a facility to ask legal queries to experts. Besides the site has the complete text of the Indian constitution, and the AMIC publication - Mass Media, Law and Regulations in India. 

Workshop on non-print library management postponed 

CEMCA's workshop on non-print (audio-video) library management has been postponed to 6-8 March 2002. The workshop aims to help institutions and their employees excel in developing and maintaining databases of their audio and video materials.

Anyone who works with media libraries, in broadcasting or for a production house would find the workshop useful in learning about the storage, cataloguing and retrieval of their materials. The workshop not only gives participants general management skills, but enables them to familiarize themselves with the latest versions of management software.

Registration fees are 5000 Indian rupees for locals, and $200 (U.S.) for foreigners. The workshop will be held at CEMCA's boardroom, 52, Tughlakabad Institutional Area, New Delhi, near Batra Hospital.
For more information, contact Nimal Fernando at 91.11.609.6730.

Re-designed Website of CEMCA

Welcome to the new look site of the Commonwealth Educational Media Centre for Asia at http://www.cemca.org. A fast uploading site, it features a range of activities and services of CEMCA. The Educational Media Database developed and maintained at CEMCA has been uploaded to the site for easy accessibility. It has now an advance search option as well. Apart from this database, we have now the consultant database online. What is interesting here is that users can themselves upload their details and register as experts (to be reviewed later by CEMCA). All the issues of Educomm Asia are now available online and therefore missing your printed copy will not hinder you from getting to some information that you may want to refer. Prospective researchers can submit their proposals online after registering in the site too. Above all, the EdMedLink in the site provides link to a large number of institutions involved in media and education around the world. We hope you will have great experiences of happy surfing through the Knowledge-mine of CEMCA website. Do write to us about your suggestion.

A two-day International Colloquium on Emerging Scenario in Open and Distance Learning was held in Electronic Media Production Centre, IGNOU on the 19-20, November 2001. 

Prof. Ian Macdonald, Chairman, Commonwealth of Learning in his inaugural address expressed satisfaction on the Government of India's continuous and admirable support of COL. He stated that if there was a lack of effect of Open and Distance Education it was not because "education had failed us but we have failed the education in not being able to provide necessary leadership. 
The colloquium witnessed discussions thrown open after insightful presentations by speakers on relevant issues pertaining to the present scenario of Distance and Open Learning. The three main issues tackled by the speakers was on the subjects of effective interventions in quality improvement and communication technologies and the nature of collaboration and partnership- national and international initiatives. Representatives from the Karnataka Open University, Kota Open University, Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Open University, Yashwantrao Chavan Maharashtra Open University, B R Ambedkar Open University, National Open School and the Association of Indian Universities participated in the colloquium. 

Each of the speakers bought to the table their vast knowledge of subjects and discussed their problems and experiences. The colloquium was organised by the Indira Gandhi National Open University, Commonwealth of Learning, Commonwealth Education Media Centre for Asia and the Ministry of Human Resource Development, Govt of India.

More than 420 million people have Internet access, according to the First Quarter 2001 Global Internet Trends report which measured Internet use in 27 countries around the world.

XV Annual Conference of the Asian Association of the Open Universities 

A Conference on "Access and Equity": Challenges for Open and Distance Learning" is to be held in New Delhi, India. Rescheduled for February 21-23, 2001. 
For further details contact: Prof. Suresh Garg, Conference Secretary and Director, School of Sciences, Indira Gandhi National Open University, Maidan Garhi, New Delhi 110 068, India.
e-mail: scgarg@ignou.ac.in
Fax: 91-11-6865933, 6524229, 6857067

AAOU Pre-conference Seminar 

A seminar on "Outreach Library Services for Distance Learners" has been rescheduled for February 20, 2001, New Delhi. 
For further details contact: Dr. (Mrs) Neela Jagannathan, Librarian & Documentation Officer, Library & Documentation Division Indira Gandhi National Open University, Maidan Garhi, New Delhi 110 068 INDIA
Fax: 91-11-6524229, 6862312
E-mail: neela41@yahoo.com

IDEA 2002

The 9th annual conference of the Indian Distance Education Association takes place Feb. 2-4, 2002, at the University of Jammu, India. The theme for this year is "Convergence of Formal, Non-formal adn Distance Modes of Education: Trends and Perspectives".
For further information, contact: Dr. Santokh Ram, conference secretary, University of Jammu, New Campus, Jammu 180 006 INDIA
Fax: 91-(0)191-430828
E-mail: santokh@nde.vsnl.nie.in

Second Pan-Commonwealth 

Forum on Open 
Learning
Conference on "Open Learning: Transforming Education for Development" from 29 July 2002 - 2 August 2002, International Convention Centre, Durban, South Africa. 
For further details contact: 
Ms Jennie Louv, Conference Information Secretariat, PO Box 31822, Braamfontein, Johannesburg. 2017 South Africa. 
Fax: 27114032814 
e-mail: jennlyl@saide.org.za

CRIDALA 2002

The Hong Kong-based Centre for Research in Distance & Adult Learning (CRIDAL) is organizing CRIDALA 2002, a conference on four themes regarding teaching, learning and culture change on the Internet or web-based environment. Hosted by the Open University of Hong Kong, the conference is to be held June 5-7, 2002.
For more information, contact: (Ms.) Lettice AuYeung of the CRIDALA 2002 Organizing Committee, Centre for Research in Distance & Adult Learning, The Open University of Hong Kong, 30 Good Shepherd Street, Homantin, Kowloon, HONG KONG.
Fax: (852) 2715 9042
E-mail: cridala@ouhk.edu.hk
On-line registration: http://www.ouhk.edu.hk/cridal/cridala2002/

AACE

The Asia-Pacific Chapter of Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education is holding a conference on "Learning communities on the Internet - Pedagogy in implementation". To be held in the North Harbour Stadium of Auckland, New Zealand, the conference runs Dec. 3-6, 2002.
For more information, contact: Julie Lyons, conference secretary, Department of Information Systems, Massey University, Private Bag 11 222, Palmerston North, New Zealand.
Fax: 64 6 350 5725
E-mail: icce2002_admin@massey.ac.nz
http://icce2002.massey.ac.nz

International Federation for Information Processing: 

World Computer Congress 2002 Runs from 25th - 30th of August 2002, Montreal, Canada. Theme: information technology for our times: ideas, research and application in an inclusive world (Stream of theT^-3: TelE-Leaming). For further details contact: Rosa Maria Bottino, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche. Istituto per la Matematica Applicata. Via de Marini6.16149 Geneva, Italy. Fax. (+39) 010 6475660. E-mail: bottino@ima.ge.cnr.it Website: http://www.wcc2002.org/ en/index, html

EDUCAUSE 

Educause, an American non-profit association of open learning, is holding its
annual conference in Atlanta. Georgia, on Oct. 1-4,2002. This year's theme is ^Juggling opportunities in collaborative environments".

For more information, contact: 

EDUCAUSE, 
1150 18th Street. NW,
Suite 1010, Washington, 
DC 20036, USA
Fax:202-872-4318 
E-mail: info@educause.edu 
Web site: http://www.educause.edu/ conference/e2002

Educational Media Consultants

CEMCA is in the process of developing a database of Educational Media Consultants in the region to promote the exchange of professionals and utilise the expertise available within the region. For inclusion in the database send your resume to Director, CEMCA or register online at http://www.cemca.org. 

 Dear readers,

EduComm Asia is your newsletter of useful ideas, views and information.  From one issue to  the next, we aim strengthen the newsletter.  The best way to do so is by keeping content diverse.  You can help to do so by becoming a contributor.  Write to us about educational media news and other events that you would like to see in the newsletter.  All contributions shall be duly acknowledged and appreciated.

-Editors