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TAD Consortium July 2000 Information Update 3

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CONTENTS

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NEWS/TRENDS

--- Digital Divide Evident in Australia
--- Income & Age Are Largest Gap in Digital Divide
--- E-Learning As Wall Street's Next Big Thing
--- Let Go Of Content And 'Follow Your Audience'
--- Computers in Ghana
--- IT can spur new economy in Asia

ONLINE RESOURCES

--- Centre for Educational Technology and Distance Education
--- Language-Learning.net
--- Dot-com Failures
--- The Importance of International Laws for Web Publishers
--- Europe-wide survey of One-Stop-Government projects published

ARTICLES

--- Nonprofits and Electronic Commerce by Katharina Kopp
--- South African Universities Grapple With the Growth of Distance Learning
--- Internet Learning: A Valuable Option For Blind Students

TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS

--- Use of Web Appliances to Soar
--- E-mail on Cellphones - South Africa

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NEWS/TRENDS

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Taken from Nua Internet Surveys: June 19th, 2000

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Australian Bureau of Statistics: Digital Divide Evident in Australia

According to the latest quarterly research from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), older people, women, the unemployed and those in low-income groups are considerably less likely to have Internet access in Australia. While Internet access is becoming more widespread – 6 million people surfed in 1999 - the digital divide persists.

Only 13 percent of over 55s had gone online in the 12 month period prior to the survey while 77 percent of 18-24 year olds had gone online. Just under a quarter of the unemployed and 37 percent of low-income individuals had gone online while over half (56 percent) of those who work and 66 percent of high earners had gone online.

The ABS calculate that 3.5 million households, or half of all households in Australia, had PCs and 1.9 million, or 28 percent had Internet access in February 2000. This represents an increases of 300,000 households with PCs and 600,000 with Internet access since February 1999.

More than 5 percent of Australian adults or 740,000 people bought goods or services online between February 1999 and February 2000, up from 480,000 the year earlier. Books, magazines and computer software remain the most popular categories.

Again, it was high-earning young men who were most likely to have purchased from ecommerce sites. Those with salaries of USD40,000 or more were four times more likely to have purchased online than those with lower incomes. 46 percent of male adults have Internet access while 41 percent of women have.

  http://www.abs.gov.au/Ausstats/ABS%40.nsf/dddcf05472f88677ca2568b5007b8615/f28f14aa10c60cfbca2568fd000503a1!OpenDocument

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Taken from Nua Internet Surveys: June 19th, 2000

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Jupiter Communications: Income & Age Are Largest Gap in Digital Divide

A report from Jupiter finds that the digital divide reflects differences in household income and age, rather than differences in ethnic origin. Despite this, 60 percent more white households are online than African-American households.

Jupiter forecasts that 4.6 million African-American households will be online by the end of 2000, compared with 3.8 million Hispanic-American households, and 2.2 million Asian American households. Each of these demographics will grow at double-digit rates annually for the next five years.

In 1999 Internet adoption rates in African-American households and Hispanic-American households exceeded critical mass and penetration rates were 30 percent and 33 percent respectively.

While there are significant gaps between ethnic groups, the largest adoption gap exists between households with low incomes and households with high incomes.

Almost one fifth, 19 percent, of the total US population are in households with incomes of less than USD15,000 per annum, but less than half of these will be online by 2005, according to the report, "Assessing the Digital Divide(s)".

15 million households with incomes of USD75,000 upward per annum will be online by the end of 2000 compared to 3 million households with incomes of USD15,000 and less. By 2005, there will be 20 million high-income households online compared to just 9 million low-income households.

Kids' penetration (2-12) will increase from 32 percent in 2000 to 62 percent by 2005 and senior penetration will increase from 16 percent currently to 48 percent by 2005. However adults, ages 50 and older, will account for 23 million users by the end of 2000, comprising a market larger than that of any of the youth segments: kids (14 million), teens (13 million), or college students (12 million).

http://www.jup.com/company/pressrelease.jsp?doc=pr000615

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Taken from Eduprise/Need-to-Know, 21 June 2000

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E-LEARNING AS WALL STREET'S NEXT BIG THING

The idea that Wall Street doesn't make much sense isn't exactly earth-shattering, but in the e-learning market, company valuations seem to be exceptionally skewed. While Wall Street has embraced e-learning as "the next big e-business thing for corporations," according to analyst Trace Urdan most of the investment dollars are finding their way to the companies that have spent big to attract investors, not those that have spent their money and time building a strong business. For example, SmartForce, a more traditionally based e-learning provider, competes with Web-born DigitalThink in the content arena. Despite having 10 times the revenue as DigitalThink, Smartforce has a market valuation less than three times as much. Urdan believes the e-learning market will eventually shake out, and the enduring winners will be those companies that combine a strong, worldwide brand identity and a full suite of scalable, interactive products. (Red Herring 12 June 2000)

http://www.herring.com:80/investor/2000/0612/inv-off-hambrecht-view061200.html

[Eduprise comments:  We recommend this and other studies of the e-learning marketplace done by Hambrecht analysts.  And we agree that the eventual winners -- other than consumers -- will be the companies that can provide a wide range of services.   But the fact that market valuations have little correlation with revenue is hardly unique to e-learning: Amazon has less revenue than Barnes and Noble, but 10 times the market value!]

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Taken from The Ifra Trend Report: No. 48 (21 June 2000)

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PUBLISHERS: LET GO OF CONTENT AND 'FOLLOW YOUR AUDIENCE'

The concept of the Internet as a host to thousands of destination sites for news, entertainment and services is as outdated as hot type, according to Dan O'Brien, a Forrester Research media analyst. The new wave is in the title of his recent report, "Content Hypersyndication," which consists of customized bundles of content, products and applications for defined audiences. Tradition-bound publishers and broadcasters, accustomed to controlling access and distribution of materials they produce, face a whole new matrix on the Internet. There simply are too many distribution channels. And O'Brien says take advantage of them: "Get your content in front of your audience; figure out where your audience is and what they're doing and then make sure your content is available for them to blend in their chosen context. Follow your audience." (Jules Tewlow, Ifra U.S. Correspondent 12 June 2000)

http://www.ifra.com/ifrav7.nsf/newswatch

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Taken from The MEDIA BEAT - 18 - May 26, 2000 (edited by the Communication Initiative – www.comminit.com

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Computers in Ghana – Ghana

Accra Mail - June 12, 2000 - by Nii Armah Addy

Ghana's IT industry has expanded dramatically over the past few years, with over 250 suppliers and solution providers currently in the market, the majority based in Accra. An estimated 10% of this number control approximately 90% of the market, while the majority of smaller companies have to compete among themselves for the marginal 10% of business volume.

http://www.africanews.org/science/stories/20000612/20000612_feat1.html

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IT can spur new economy in Asia

Reuters

Wednesday, June 21, 2000

Asia has the potential to make a great economic leap forward by harnessing information technology if governments overcome infrastructure bottlenecks and emphasise education and training, Japan said on Wednesday.

In its annual report on Asian economies, the Economic Planning Agency said the spread of IT could enable some economies to leap from being capital-intensive to knowledge-intensive, bypassing the industrialisation stage.

The EPA singled out the Philippines and India, both with international-class software industries, as fitting into this category.

"Growing IT diffusion in Asia may change the Asian economic structure to one as knowledge-intensive as in the United States, bringing a leap in productivity representing an 'Asian New Economy'," the English-language version of the report said.

It said the spread of IT in Asia is currently supported by growing exports to developed countries, but it might not be long before accelerating regional demand becomes a driving force.

At the same time the EPA warned that IT is being hampered by the slow spread of fixed telecom lines in ASEAN countries, China and India. Furthermore, some countries lag badly in the adaptation of their legal systems to encourage e-commerce, it said.

Another obstacle is that insufficient investment in education in Asia may seriously hinder the development of skilled IT staff.

"The higher the required knowledge level, the lower the availability of able human resources in Asia," according to the EPA, which said establishing specialised training institutions for high-level IT staff could prove to be a good investment.

To support the spread of IT, the agency also recommended that capital controls be relaxed to promote technology transfer from abroad and to attract overseas venture capital to fund start-ups.

In addition, the EPA advocated the deregulation and privatisation of "info-communication markets" as well as the outsourcing of government IT operations.

On Asia's economies in general, the EPA said financial systems remain vulnerable and complained that no significant progress has been made in structural reform except for some changes to financial regulation in Thailand, Indonesia and Korea.

"Although their economies have recovered faster than initially expected, further structural reform is indispensable to ensure stable economic growth. Now is the time to speed up such efforts while economic recovery continues," the EPA said.

http://www.siliconindia.com/shownewsdata.asp?newsno=3949&newscat=Techn

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ONLINE RESOURCES

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The Centre for Educational Technology and Distance Education at the South African Department of Education now has its own website:

Visit http://education.pwv.gov.za/teli2 to see more.

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Taken from The Scout Report, Copyright Internet Scout Project 1994-2000.http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/

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Language-Learning.net

http://www.language-learning.nethttp://www.language-learning.net

International WHERE+HOW, longtime publisher of _Guides to Language Centres_, has launched an online successor, providing free access to "the most comprehensive language schools directory online." The heart of the site is the Language Course Finder, a database of over 6,000 schools in 80 countries teaching 70 languages. Users begin browsing the database by selecting a language from a pull-down menu, then selecting a country where they wish to learn it. Users can then select from a number of variables, such as location (urban, rural, seaside), type of language courses, other activities, special services, and additional programs, to narrow their search. Alternatively, visitors can type in a city or institute where they wish to study. In both cases, the database returns contact information, including a URL when available, and a link to a more detailed listing. When reviewing the site using Netscape, we discovered to our annoyance that all attempts to backtrack to change our query produced a "Data Missing" error, forcing us to start again from the beginning, but this was not the case when using IE. In addition to the database, the main site offers a variety of language learning resources and may be viewed in an impressive number of languages. [MD]

----------------------------------------http://www.siliconindia.com/shownewsdata.asp?newsno=3949&newscat=Techn

Taken from The Scout Report, Copyright Internet Scout Project 1994-2000. http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/

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Dot-com Failures

http://www.dotcomfailures.com/

Ryan Nitz's cynical technology news Website provides a deathwatch for Internet companies. Featured Failures, Dot-com Failure's collection of current news and information, charts the demise of dot-coms, including bankruptcy, sinking sales, layoffs, and closures. Each news article is linked from a reputable source, and includes a forum where users may post relevant rumors and comments. Visitors to Dot-com Failures are encouraged to participate in the Failure Poll and to make predictions about the next dot-com failure. The Lackey Calculator "should be used if you work more then 40 hours per week or if you took a salary cut to work at a startup" and will determine whether employees are lackeys. A helpful directory of technology recruiters is also included for unfortunate dreamers working for failing Internet start-ups. [EM]

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The Importance of International Laws for Web Publishers

http://www.gigalaw.com/articles/morris-2000-06-p1.html

Because of the inherent global nature of the Internet, a web publisher in one country cannot be unconcerned about laws in other countries. For example, some countries impose language requirements on web sites, while others may seek to apply their own defamation laws. This article explores some of the international legal consequences of web publishing.

Here's an excerpt:

"The optimal solution [for protecting privacy online] is strong industry self-regulation. Unfortunately, not nearly enough companies are taking self-regulation seriously, and some significant saber-rattling by government is probably a very good thing right now. I remain skeptical, however, that clear, sensible technology architectural solutions can be designed by politicians in Washington -- and any policies that are not technically sound will not work. (As we used to say in the encryption business, with interactive public networks, architecture is policy!)

"The laws on speech in the United States are much more liberal than the laws in most other countries around the world, and what may be protected speech in the United States may not be protected speech elsewhere. Examples of just how different laws are even in countries traditionally thought to be free from censorship can be startling. While the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution protects most operators inside the United States, statutory schemes in other nations produce distinctly different results.

"The liberal attitudes of the courts in the United States are revealed in a number of recent cases.

"A webmaster or Internet service provider (ISP) needs to be knowledgeable of not only the ins and outs of the world of software but of the laws of place in and out of the United States where a web site or bulletin board may have an impact.

"For example, CompuServe and its manager in Bavaria, Germany, Felix Somm, probably did not mean to offend anyone in 1995. However, Somm was sentenced to two years in a Bavarian state court for spreading pornography over the Internet. The Bavarian state police, as Reuters reported in 1998, expanded its police force to six to patrol the Internet full-time looking for pornography, racist content and depictions of violence. This police force continues to this date. While the police sometimes are thwarted in their attempts to eradicate such materials, ISPs are taking up the slack and doing some censoring on their own. Somm was released after appeal, in late 1999, but the police are still pursuing other servers and web sites."

To read the full article, go to

http://www.gigalaw.com/articles/morris-2000-06-p1.html

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Received from Ian Goldman

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Europe-wide survey of One-Stop-Government projects published

At the turn of the millenium, more and more projects are being launched which aim to "reinvent" public administration from the view and needs of the "customer", e.g. the citizen or business, and pursue the goal of "integrated service delivery" and "One-Stop-Government". However, empirical research on this topic has been relatively scarce.

To fill this knowledge gap and to better understand the current state, major drivers behind successfull one-stop-government projects, and the most important barriers to further development, a joint European research group from the fields of public administration and computer science has prepared 11 national surveys from all over Europe, accumulating descriptions of close to 100 individual cases.

Among the major findings of the reports are that while in all countries there is a small, but growing number of one-stop-government initiatives, only a few countries such as the Netherlands, Italy or Finland have embraced an active one-stop-government strategy at the national level. Other countries such as Austria, Britain, Denmark and Ireland are pursuing the same goal implicitly. In all projects, IT is a necessary ingredient when trying to integrate different public services "with one face to the customer". This means that new management methods are needed in order to co-deliver traditional, physically based services and electronic services. Crucial barriers are lack of consistent funding and political leadership. Detailed findings are presented both in an overview to the surveys as well as country-specific information in the surveys of Austria, Belgium, Denmark, England and Wales, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands and Spain.

The report is available both in print and as an online-publication at http://www.fgtk.informatik.uni-bremen.de/cost/one-stop-government

The work originated as a joint effort from the members of the Working Group "ICT in Public Administration" of the European research programme COST Action A13 "Government and Democracy in the Information Age". See http://www.fgtk.informatik.uni-bremen.de/cost for details and contacts.

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ARTICLES

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Digital Beat Extra -- 6/20/2000

Nonprofits and Electronic Commerce by Katharina Kopp

Electronic commerce (e-commerce) has been around now for a while; great expectations of huge financial gains and economic growth are associated with it. Brick and mortar companies rush to set up their .com enterprises and new business ventures are announced every day.  Do we know, however, what e-commerce means for nonprofits? E-commerce and nonprofit work is not necessarily a contradiction in terms.  As electronic commerce becomes a larger part of the U.S. and world economy, it seems critical that nonprofit organizations become knowledgeable participants in it. E-commerce is likely to develop into an important vehicle that allows nonprofits to become more self-sustainable and more effective in advancing their objectives. Furthermore, in order to shape the market in their best interests, nonprofit organizations must become knowledgeable about and advocate for the key policy issues that will best serve them.   New policy frameworks are being implemented, and the nonprofit community can no longer afford to sit on the sidelines.

For various reasons, some nonprofit organizations are beginning to consider the risks and opportunities of e-commerce.  For those nonprofits who do, this typically means selling products like books, reports or other merchandise online, or it involves online fundraising.  In more general terms, however, e-commerce for nonprofits could refer to the creation of value from the knowledge and expertise that nonprofits generate, in exchange for money or other values, such as increased visibility. In addition to providing their general audience with information and services, nonprofits could also offer special services, such as reports or analyses, for member organizations only, in exchange for reasonable rates. Beyond being producers of value nonprofits are also consumers. They purchase products online and could, for example, benefit from discounts facilitated through co-ops.

Nonprofit organizations involved in e-commerce therefore have to grapple with a range of issues such as: what products and services can be marketed, how should they be appropriately marketed, what legislation and regulations apply, how to set up partnerships with for-profit organizations, and how to establish a for-profit spin-off.   They also have to address policy questions and articulate their interests, from privacy, to copyright, to consumer rights.  Finally, and perhaps most importantly, guidance is needed to explore ethical issues and the value standards that should apply to nonprofits in general and their organization in particular, including issues such as appropriate marketing and privacy protections and where to draw the line when profit-maximizing goals are in conflict with the larger mission of the nonprofit enterprise.

Why Is E-Commerce Different?

Commerce has been around forever and nonprofits have not previously gotten involved in it on a large scale. Why, then, is e-commerce any different, some might ask? The Internet puts high value on content, knowledge and expertise, and it values neutral brokers of information, something many nonprofits are particularly well-positioned to take advantage of. Also, transaction costs appear low and certain audiences are now easier to reach. E-commerce for nonprofits seems to be a particularly attractive proposition, because the general climate that nonprofits are operating in is changing. Gregory Dees, in his article "Enterprising Nonprofits" (Harvard Business Review, Jan.-Feb. '98), describes five major pressures and influences that are pushing nonprofits into entrepreneurial models or commercialization. These include:

A New Benton Project

This brief overview of some of the critical issues for nonprofits in electronic commerce marks the beginning of the Benton Foundation's involvement in this area.  Benton is interested in providing nonprofits with practical guidance in helping evaluate the opportunities and risks of e-commerce in a thoughtful way.   Moreover, Benton wants to help raise some of the critical policy issues on the agenda of the nonprofit community.  In future Digital Beats, we will cover various aspects of e-commerce.  Articles will particularly focus on privacy, copyright and fair use, consumer rights and Internet governance, as well as practical advice on e-commerce implementation and the various e-commerce business models that in some form or another could be applicable to the nonprofit sector.

Nonprofits should care about the practical aspects of e-commerce and the associated policy issues, not because everybody else is talking about it, but because e-commerce may provide an important vehicle with which to become economically more independent and self-sustainable.  Some of the more lucrative possibilities for nonprofit e-commerce ventures are already being taken up by for-profit enterprises.   Nonprofits should consider now whether to become more assertive and creative in taking advantage of those e-commerce opportunities and make e-commerce also work for philanthropic goals.

In order to develop a credible and effective voice in policy making, the nonprofit community must set the highest standards when implementing their own e-commerce practices.  Being creative with e-commerce practices can demonstrate to other nonprofits and corporate enterprises what models and standards to adopt.  In the policy making environment, setting the benchmark for e-commerce conduct high will put pressure on the private sector to do the same, as nonprofits demonstrate what can be done.

The expectations for the potential of e-commerce and its impact on our economy and our lives are high and perhaps exaggerated.  The extent of its impact remains to be seen.  However, it is likely that the changes, good and bad, will be considerable, particularly with the increasing conversion of electronic media into one platform.  The nonprofit community can no longer afford to sit on the sidelines and let the opportunities of e-commerce pass them by.  Nor can they remain passive in shaping the policy framework in this emerging market.  Too much is at stake and time is running out.  For nonprofits to become self-sustainable and for them to remain valuable contributors to our civic lives, they must change with the times and adopt new models of operation.  E-commerce is likely to provide some of those new models.   The Benton Foundation will try to provide some of the necessary exploration, knowledge, and guidance in conducting e-commerce and provide, in cooperation with other advocates and nonprofit leaders, the guidance in organizing an effective voice in e-commerce policy making.

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(c)Benton Foundation 2000. Redistribution of this email publication – both internally and externally -- is encouraged if it includes this message.

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Taken from US Chronicle on Higher Education

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From the issue dated June 23, 2000

South African Universities Grapple With the Growth of Distance Learning By LINDA VERGNANI

Officials at public universities in South Africa are chafing under a temporary moratorium on expansion of university distance-education programs in this country, imposed earlier this year while government officials develop a blueprint for a wide-ranging reorganization of higher education in South Africa.

The moratorium reflects concerns over a recent tectonic shift: Several Afrikaans-language universities, which historically admitted only white students, have begun to attract growing numbers of black students through new distance-education programs offered in English. Those programs are apparently drawing students away from South Africa's two principal distance-education institutions, where enrollment has plummeted.

In grappling with this situation, government officials and university administrators here find themselves facing issues that also bedevil their counterparts in othernations: How can they foster high-quality distance instruction -- and determine whether they have succeeded in that task? Can and should distance education be a tool for private colleges in advancing themselves in a national educational system dominated by public institutions? Is the deep involvement of private companies in offering and promoting distance instruction a good thing?

The moratorium on new distance-education programs may be lifted as soon as next month, when Education Minister Kader Asmal is expected to release the plan to reorganize higher education in South Africa. Government officials suggest that the proposal may include even greater regulation of distance education, to ensure that instruction is of high quality.

But university officials say that, given the rapid pace of change in distance education, the moratorium already may have damaged their institutions' prospects for developing distance-learning partnerships with private companies in South Africa and abroad, with the result that South African universities will lose students -- and the tuition and government subsidies that they represent.

The Council on Higher Education, an independent body that advises the government, estimates that enrollment at the University of South Africa and Technikon SA  -- which provide only distance instruction -- dropped by 41,000 students, or 21 percent, from 1995 to 1999. Meanwhile, residential institutions drew 31,000 new distance students -- an increase of 111 percent, according to the council.

This year, there has also been a sharp rise in distance enrollment at residential universities in South Africa: The six campuses with the largest distance-education programs have about 65,000 students in distance courses.

Most of those students are black teachers trying to upgrade their qualifications, in pursuit of promotions and raises. Many such teachers are poorly trained because they were forced to attend inferior, segregated schools and colleges, the only facilities open to black people during the apartheid era. Many are seeking to earn a further diploma in education, a credential that supplements a teaching diploma earned after three years of instruction. Earning the further diploma is equivalent to a fourth year of college instruction in education in South Africa.

One of those rural teachers seeking to earn a further diploma by distance instruction from the University of Pretoria is Constance Wakeni, who teaches biology and agriculture at Zweliwele High School, in Idutywa, a village in the eastern part of the country.

"I am interested to know how to manage the school," she says. "I want to become a deputy principal or a principal one day." Although the further diploma is taught in English, Ms. Wakeni is not fluent in the language.

Distance courses offered by the University of Pretoria may lead to a bachelor's degree in banking or to various master's and doctoral degrees. Students include several hundred from Britain, other European nations, Australia, and several African countries.

Hans Boon, professor and director of "telematic," or technology-enhanced, education at the University of Pretoria, said the institution uses different instructional technologies, including printed materials, the Internet, and television. Although the university has a partnership with Lyceum College -- a private institution -- which handles administrative tasks, Mr. Boon said the University of Pretoria delivers the academic side of the distance programs, including study guides, examinations, and degrees and diplomas.

Education is the most popular subject among the university's distance students. Of the 30,000 distance learners, about 25,000 are studying for a further diploma in education management, taught through correspondence classes, Mr. Boon said. Supplementing the correspondence classes, members of the university's education faculty also teach two-week-long classes at study centers around the country during a break in high-school and college instruction in June and July.

In addition to the education students, about 3,500 postgraduate distance learners at the University of Pretoria receive study material electronically, via e-mail, World Wide Web sites, and television.

Meanwhile, there are currently 27,000 full-time residential students at the University of Pretoria -- meaning that, although the institution once was purely residential, it now has fewer residential than distance students. While residential students are lectured in Afrikaans and English, distance students are taught only in English. Offering distance education in English broadens the potential audience for the course, to include black Africans and non-Afrikaans white South Africans.

A similar pattern has emerged at the University of Port Elizabeth. Conrad van der Westhuizen, director of distance education there, said that the institution has 13,863 students enrolled in distance programs that offer undergraduate diplomas, further diplomas, and master's degrees -- more than double the 6,000 students registered for conventional classes at the institution. The majority of distance students were "unqualified or underqualified teachers" who are upgrading their training, according to Mr. van der Westhuizen.

The university operates 23 study centers throughout the country and in Namibia, Zimbabwe, and Zambia. He said the University of Port Elizabeth employs 85 tutors on a contract basis to serve its undergraduate distance students. Full-time lecturers and faculty members travel all over the country to give lectures to postgraduate students. "Distance education is not a cheap thing. It's very expensive," he said.

Rand Afrikaans University has more than 7,000 students registered for distance courses and about 13,000 students in traditional instruction. Basil G. Rhodes, director of the university's Centre for Distance Education, said that 82 percent of the distance students are registered for a further diploma in education, and their average age is 36. About 6,000 of the distance-education students are black Africans.

The growth in distance education at residential universities appears to have been at the expense of the University of South Africa, which has delivered distance education in the form of correspondence courses since 1946, and Technikon SA, which was started in 1980 with an emphasis on vocational training. 

Conrad Dockel, deputy vice chancellor in charge of planning at the University of South Africa, said student numbers at that institution declined from 128,000 in 1996 to around 109,000 in the first semester of this year.

Competition from new distance-education programs at residential universities is "worrying," he said, but added that it was difficult to determine whether this was the main factor in the drop in student numbers. Other factors, such as the nation's economic situation and the declining number of students who passed exams qualifying them to enter college, also may have played a role, he said.

Nevertheless, the rapid expansion of distance-education programs at residential universities has stirred considerable concern among the country's educational leadership. Saleem Badat, chief executive officer of the Council on Higher Education, said the quality of the new distance-learning programs is among his priorities.

"If you suddenly enroll 30,000 students, how do you quality-assure your courses?" he said. "Good distance education is not necessarily cheap in terms of developing curricula and materials. It's not a matter of taking existing lecture material and turning it into a correspondence course."

If the quality of distance education was poor, Mr. Badat said, "then we are back to the problem of disadvantaged students getting shortchanged." 

He said residential universities should hire more employees for curriculum development as well as for tutorials with distance students. Correspondence material should be supplemented with multimedia materials and face-to-face sessions.

As a result of the rapid growthin distance education, private institutions that collaborate with public institutions to offer distance courses benefit financially from public subsidies paid by the government for each enrolled student, Mr. Badat said. More students may be trained than are needed, he also said.

"You have to ask yourself: 'Do we need 25,000 people in education management in the country? Is this really a priority?'" he said.

In the face of such concerns, Mr. Asmal, the education minister, wrote to the vice chancellors of all South African universities in February, ordering them not to expand their distance-education programs and not to enter any further partnerships with the private sector. 

"The minister is not saying that the [residential] institutions will be restricted forever," said Ahmed Essop, chief director for planning in the Department of Education. But more regulation is needed, he said.

In 1997, the South African Parliament passed a law that empowers Mr. Asmal to forge a single, integrated educational system from the fragmented one that developed under apartheid, the policy of government-sanctioned racial segregation that was repealed in the 1990's. In public speeches, Mr. Asmal has said that the government's plan probably will result in merging some institutions and changing the missions of others.

Mr. Essop suggested that certain universities might just be "taking existing lecture notes and putting them into electronic form." Mr. Essop said universities seemed to be targeting the "lucrative market of unqualified and underqualified teachers." 

Like Mr. Badat of the education council, Mr. Essop raised concerns about public universities' relationships with private companies to offer distance programs. He said   the department is investigating whether the private colleges that work with the public universities are only administering and advertising the courses, as officials claim, or whether they also provide teaching staff for academic work such as grading assignments. Mr. Essop said that if a private-sector partner is providing lecturers and doing the academic work, then the public institution should not be claiming the subsidy for those students.

Mr. Essop said the government is concerned that the proliferation of distance-education programs might "impact negatively" on the University of South Africa and Technikon South Africa.

However, Mr. Boon, of the University of Pretoria, dismissed the idea that distance courses there had led to a decline in enrollment elsewhere.  "At the time we started the further diploma in education management, it was not offered by any other university," Mr. Boon said. "We serve a particular niche market in terms of secondary-school teachers, and it has become a success story."

The moratorium on distance education "is affecting our programs quite extremely," Mr. Boon said. "We think it will affect the South African higher-education system very badly." He added that, because of the restriction on South African universities, private providers in the country are seeking overseas universities as partners and would soon start offering programs that South African universities cannot, due to the moratorium.

For example, Mr. Boon said, the minister's restrictions had prevented the University of Pretoria from introducing new distance programs. It had been asked by the South African Democratic Teachers' Union to develop a distance course on human-resource development in education. The union estimated that as many as 160,000 teachers might have taken the course. "Now we are not allowed to take that program out. We have been tied down."

Mr. Boon added: "Our fear is that the moment you restrict South African universities and prevent them from moving into this method of flexible teaching and learning, then the private sector and overseas universities will move into this niche market."

But Mr. Essop, of the education department, said that South Africa might take a lead from the proposed new British policy on distance education. Under that policy, the British government is seeking to persuade  institutions to collaborate to create a single online university that could compete with distance programs offered by elite institutions in the United States. Mr. Essop said that an uncoordinated approach to distance education in South Africa could doom the programs that already are in place here. "We are concerned that, unless distance-education resources are concentrated, we might not be able to compete in the global market, or even in the Southern African and African markets."  

At the same time, overseas competition does not justify "large-scale, poor-quality distance education being offered in some of our public institutions," Mr. Essop said. "I'm certainly not wanting to suggest there should be no competition," explained Mr. Essop.

"Our problem is that it's unregulated competition, and there are not adequate quality controls. Obviously, there's a demand for this, but the question is how best to meet the demand."

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Taken from E-Access Bulletin - June 2000

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INTERNET LEARNING: A VALUABLE OPTION FOR BLIND STUDENTS

A UK project was at the centre of attention last week at 'Virtual vision', an international conference on open and network learning for visually impaired people and visual impairment professionals held at the Arla Institute in Espoo, Finland.

Diane Stacey, Assistant Director of the Royal London Society for the Blind, told delegates about 'Dorton at a Distance', the society's Internet-based teaching programmes carried out through its specialist college, Dorton College in Kent.

The society had found that existing web-based learning environment software did not give visually impaired learners the accessibility that was required for its distance learning programmes, Stacey said. So in partnership with Eyecue Ltd, it developed its own software VITA (Visually Impaired Training Archive), designed to be seamlessly compatible with screen magnification and speech output systems.

The basic layout of the VITA interface is similar to a web browser. Navigation through a course is achieved via keyboard accessible 'buttons', menus, daughter windows or hypertext links. All functionality can be accessed via the keyboard rather than a mouse.

Dorton at a Distance is currently delivering two courses through this medium: the European Computer Driving Licence and a Foundation Certificate in Visual Impairment Studies. Students can enrol directly over the web at: http://www.dorton-coll.ac.uk/

When a student signs-up for a course, the system alerts a tutor to open a dialogue with the student to assess the speed at which they want to study and any special needs. This information allows the tutor to place the student in a relevant 'virtual class'.

The student can then elect to go at their own pace, initiating new VITA course downloads themselves, or follow a more structured delivery with the tutor specifying time periods between module delivery. The tutor is made aware of the progress of the student via the web server, and can move students from one virtual class to another if they are moving too fast or slow. "This virtual classroom approach helps to create a sense of community for the student, and reduces the isolation that online distance learning can create", the college says.

As well as email correspondence, the web server hosts a live chat system to further build an interactive student community. The system can also be used to deliver training to teaching and support staff.

Similar projects are underway in Sweden, France and at the Arla Institute itself, delegates heard. Furthermore, some 378 colleges and universities of Higher Education in the US already offer full degrees over the web, and the students taking these qualifications may never visit the 'real' campus. Neither are these courses restricted to obscure or small institutions: Harvard and Princeton are among those which offer them.

The conference debated the often-expressed concern that distance learning could lead to isolation compared with traditional learning, because the student does not have the opportunity to meet tutors or peers and interact informally or socially with other students studying similar subjects. However, for a student who is not physically located close to the institution, who may be in another country without the opportunity locally to study the subjects on offer, or who may have difficulty with mobility or cannot physically access a building, the opportunity to join a "virtual" network of students through video, telephone, e-mail or web facilities is likely to reduce rather than increase isolation.

This is not to say that a student will not miss out on social interaction through adopting a distance learning approach, delegates heard, and it may sometimes simply be viewed as a better option because it is cheaper and less problematic than enabling a student to attend sessions by providing transport, mobility assistance or funds for this purpose.

All agreed that distance learning should be viewed as a choice among many available options which should be made in the best interests of the student, rather than as the sole option available for people who are disabled or living in remote locations.

However, there was little agreement between the educators present on whether and when visual contact is needed when teaching or learning. The two ongoing projects in the use of video conferencing, web cameras and the visual medium and the feelings expressed by many delegates demonstrated how important this is thought to be by many in the teaching profession. The results of these projects, however, reveal the shortcomings of the current state of the technology: existing software and telecommunications options simply cannot yet deliver simultaneous image and sound at the desired quality.

The Arla Institute is a government-owned centre for vocational rehabilitation and training for visually impaired and deafblind people, with the aim of supporting maximum independence and enabling people to take control of their lives and to gain employment. Its web site is at: http://sux.arlainst.fi/english.htm

Article by Ruth Loebl, UK ICT Development Officer, RNIB Technology in Learning and Employment

Email: rloebl@rnib.org.uk

Web: http://www.rnib.org.uk/technology

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TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS

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Taken from Nua Internet Surveys: June 19th, 2000

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eTForecasts: Use of Web Appliances to Soar

Although Web appliances are currently only used by 2 percent of Internet users in the US and 6 percent of global users, their popularity is set to skyrocket over the next 5 years.

In a new report, eTForecasts predicts that by 2005, over 71 percent of all Internet users and 55 percent of US users will carry out some of their online activities using a web appliance. Increased availability of Internet-enabled mobile phones will drive this strong growth in the appliance market.

There are currently 21.5 million Internet appliances in use globally, 3.2 million of which are in the US and 3 million of which are in Western Europe. The projected figures for 2005 are 596 million globally: 115.4 million for the US and 126.4 million for Western Europe.

The death knell for the PC should not be sounded yet, however, according of the author of the report, Dr Egil Juliussen. He says the spread of alternative access devices "does not mean the end of PCs as Internet access devices, but an increasing share of Internet users will augment their online life with web appliances".

       http://www.etforecasts.com/pr/pr600.htm

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E-mail on Cellphones - South Africa

WOZA Boot - June 15, 2000

321 Technologies, a Johannesburg-based IT company has announced wapmail321.co.za, a website and a wapsite that supplies full e-mail to anyone in South Africa who has a WAP enabled cellphone.

http://www.boot.co.za/news/jun00/wapemail15.htmhttp:/education.pwv.gov.za/teli2 to see more.

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Telematics for African Development Consortium
P.O. Box 31822
Braamfontein
2017
Johannesburg
South Africa
Tel: +27 +11 403-2813
Fax: +27 +11 403-2814
neilshel@icon.co.za
www.saide.org.za

* To view an archive of previous updates visit: www.saide.org.za/tad/archive.htm

* For resources on distance education and technology use in Southern Africa visit: www.saide.org.za/worldbank/Default.htm

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