**********************************

This information update has been sponsored by Juta Publishers.

**********************************

Dear friends,

There are two postings containing various snippets of information that may

be of interest to TAD members. There is a strong focus on resources

available on the World Wide Web. In addition, there are two discussion

papers, one on the role of community rad

io in the 'information revolution' and another on the changing face of

higher education (in a follow-up e-mail. There is also a newsletter from

SADECCON.

I hope you find the information useful.

 Regards

 Neil Butcher

Internet web site of linkages with African schools:

http://members.xoom.com/kmgraduw/Gadeni.html

*******************************

COMMUNITY RADIO: GATEWAY TO THE INFORMATION REVOLUTION

By Bruce Girard

I was talking with a producer of a daily radio news program in Quito

recently. He was grumbling about the difficulty of getting relevant news

from other countries in Latin America. "Most of our international news comes

from European shortwave radio stati

ons", he said. "This morning we had a story about a fire in London. There

were probably three fires in Lima, but we have no way of finding out about

them. We can't afford the wire services. Even if we could their news is

mostly about what's happening in

the North, too."

His is not a new concern. Over the past twenty-five years there have been

various efforts to change the situation in which a handful of news agencies

from the United States and Europe set the international agenda for the

peoples of the South. Some of the

se projects, such as the POOL of news agencies of the Non Aligned Nations

and the Pan African News Agency (PANA)1, failed miserably, while others,

such as Inter Press Service (IPS), have experienced limited success.

Together, however, all these projects

have not been able to change the fact that the handful of news agencies

control 90 percent of international news flow. No matter how interesting and

original a radio station might be with its local news, when it comes to news

from the rest of Latin Ameri

ca and the world, it is a virtual captive of the information oligopolies of

the North.

But what about the information superhighway that we have heard so much

about? Isn't it supposed to carry the promise of instant access to

information on any subject from all over the world? Aren't we supposed to be

able to "surf" the Internet, travelling

electronically to pick up news and information about the subjects we want to

know about and from the sources that we choose?

Since the new information and communication technologies are supposed to

bring us to the era of the "information economy", where there will no longer

be information poor, where all of us will become information rich, it might

be worthwhile to remember a lesson learned from the economics of development.

The trickle down theory of information flow. The trickle down theory of

economic development proposed concentrating the wealth of the Third World in

the hands of a few, thus developing a local investing class with the capital

needed for them to build factories, hire employees, and run plantations. This formula was supposed to

start a chain reaction in which the country would develop, the wealth would

trickle down, and the poor would become rich. The optimistic projections

remained projections, however.

In the end the investors ended up richer with increased control over the

economy, and the poor found themselves relatively poorer and with fewer

resources to improve their quality of living.

A similar theory is now being proposed for the area of information.

According to this theory, by increasing the quantity of news and

information, we will overcome information poverty. Despite this hypothesis,

the contrast between the information rich and

the information poor is increasingly evident. Just as occurred with the

introduction of increased financial resources, there is widening gap between

those with access to information technology and the sectors that have

traditionally been most exploited

and uninformed.

To see how this happens, we need only to look at the basic tools needed to

access the Internet: a computer and a telephone. According to recent

statistics, 95 percent of all computers are in the developed nations and ten

developed nations, accounting for

only 20 percent of the world's population, have three quarters of the

world's telephone lines. It is obvious that the trickle of information

reaching the South will pale in comparison with the exponential growth

experienced by those who are already info

rmation rich.

A newspaper that isn't in the Internet, isn't in anything. Despite the

sobering nature of the situation, we cannot afford to ignore the new

information and communication technologies. We are still a long way from the

day when every school child in Latin

America will have the same access to information resources as does his/her

counterpart in Europe or North America, but at least we can make use of the

new technologies to address the problem encountered by the radio producer

mentioned at the beginning of

this article.

The Colombian newspaper, El Tiempo, recently ran an article under the

headline "A newspaper that isn't in the Internet, isn't in anything". The

author of the article marvelled about the fact that the contents of the

Spanish daily newspaper, ABC, have bee

n available via the Internet since September 20. Perhaps the information for

the article came from a European news agency, because it completely ignored

the situation in Latin America where newspapers and other news sources have

burst onto the Internet i

n large numbers. La Jornada from Mexico has been available since last

February. Lima's La Republica came online in September. Also from Peru is

the weekly Caretas and, for a more alternative focus, weekly news summaries

from DESCO. From Brazil and Colomb

ia daily summaries of the headline stories in the most important newspapers

are available. Quito's daily, Hoy, has been making its stories available via

the Internet for over a year. With a computer, a modem, and an Internet

account it is possible to get up to date information from almost any country in Latin

America quickly and inexpensively.

With all these information sources, there is enough material to fill a dozen

daily news programs. However, before going out to buy a modem and hooking up

to the Internet, one should be aware that there are a few problems

associated with using this inform

ation:

The volume of information and the lack of an apparent logic in its

organisation, makes trying to use it a time-consuming and intimidating

procedure.

Very little of the information is available in a format useful for radio

news programs. Most of it is prepared for print media, but radio has its own

editing style and requires articles to be shorter than do newspapers.

One cannot believe everything one reads online. The Internet is an anarchic

place with no control over who makes information available or what their

motives might be.

Pulsar: The information impulse

To ensure that community radio broadcasters make effective use of the

Internet, AMARC (World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters) and

CEDEP (Centro de Educacion Popular) have embarked on a joint project to

establish Pulsar, a news service for the

community radio stations of Latin America. The Pulsar news service gathers

information from a wide variety of sources on the Internet and adds reports

from a network of correspondents located in various countries of the region.

The primary method of dis

tribution is also via the Internet, using electronic mail. For those with

access to it and who prefer its graphical interface, we will also use the

World Wide Web. At the present time information is primarily text-based, but

some digital audio will be av

ailable for stations with the technology to use it. The Pulsar project

encompasses the following tasks:

Identifying appropriate sources of accurate and high quality news and

information on the Internet.

On a daily basis, searching out international news and editing it in a radio

style for distribution to radio stations via the Internet. The service

prioritizes news from Latin America and the Caribbean. Approximately one

third of Pulsar's news comes from

other regions.

Providing training and support to community radio broadcasters wishing to

receive the service.

Establishing a regional network of correspondents who feed news into a news

pool available to all community radio broadcasters.

Supporting radio broadcasters who wish to make full use of the Internet. To

this end the project will inform them of the availability and utility of

data on themes such as human rights, agriculture, economy, etc.

A people's gateway

We are still a long way from a world where all peoples are offered equitable

access to information and to technological resources. New technologies can

play an ambiguous role in the pursuit of this goal: they can make a notable

contribution to the democr

atization of information and communication or, if not mastered, can generate

a widening abyss between the information rich and the information poor.

Although an important goal, it is not enough to focus exclusively on the

quantitative development of Lati

n America's communication infrastructure (more computers, more satellites,

more bandwidth, more speed). We must also develop a strategy that will

enable the consolidation of the social communication networks already

present in the region.

By facilitating access to the Internet, Pulsar will provide a modernizing

impulse for the news programming of the information poor radio broadcasters

of the continent. Likewise, the audiences that these broadcasters serve will

begin to establish their ow

n presence in the information circuit. In this way AMARC and CEDEP are

contributing a grain of sand ?or more to the point, a grain of silicon? to

the democratization of communication in Latin America.

TO CONTENTS
********************

INTERNET EDUCATION RESOURCES

--------------------------------

http://www.execpc.com/~presswis/

Wisconsin education initiative. Focuses on parent intiatives in schools. In

particular their focus on raising educational standards. Good article

expressing caution about full inclusion and school reform efforts.

http://darkwing.uoregon.edu/~adiep

Effective School Practices site. Some articles on Follow Through, but not an

extensive reference list.

Articles on current math reforms

http://www.oqe.org/

Organization for Quality Education. Advocacy papers on systematic phonics

and Direct Instruction.

http://www.rahul.net/dehnbase/hold

Honest Open Logical Debate on math reform. Discusses concerns with new math

reforms.

http://ksar.cpd.usu.edu/pat/

KSAR parent site. Includes miniposters and teaching tips.

http://www.nichcy.org

National Information Center for Children and Youth with Disabilities.

Includes a good publications section and a news digest series (transition,

parent involvement and effective practice article in News Digest.) Good

article on involving students in IEP

development. Good article on special education practices.

http://www.cec.sped.org/ericec.htm

Eric Clearinghouse. Publications and search Engine for SPED articles

http://cc.usu.edu/~stewei/hot.htm

Conduit to federal documents and statistics as well as ERIC search wizard

and ERIC Digest. See Federal Research and Development Reports in the Table

of Contents.

http://www.cftl.org/

Based in California, the center for the Future of Teaching and Learning

provides information and research about professional development and

teaching practice. Particular focus on best practice for teaching reading

http://darkwing.uoregon.edu/~ncite

National Center to Improve the Tools of Educators. Good research reviews on

effective instruction. As of 8/97 added research systhesis on instruction

for students with severe disabilities.

Summaries of research reports in various content areas. This is organized by

content areas.

http://www.waisman.wisc.edu/kennedy/

Offers a simple interface for parents. a card catalogue provides simple

explanations of diability diagnoses. Provides communication with other

parents. Links to government agencies and education sites.

http://www.pacer.org

Answers to many FAQ of parents and information that might be of interest to

parents.

http://www.lsi.ukans.edu/beach/beachhp.htm

The Beach Center provides how-tos, opportunities for parents to connect with

other parents, laws and links to other sites.

http://www.downsyndrome.com

Family Empowerment Network - Links to other sites and educational resources.

Also access to several disability newsletters

http://wonder.mit.edu/ok/

Our kids - parent information about raising achild with disabilities

http://www.php.com

Parents helping parents - directory of parent resources

http://www.edc.org/FSC/NCIP

The National Center to Improve Practice in Special Education through

Technology, Media and Materials - has a guided tour (using Quicktime)

through 2 early childhood classrooms. Exemplifies effective teaching through

modifying strategies and materials to

meet individual needs

http://www.teacherlink.usu.edu

Lesson plans organized by content area and links to other sites with lesson

plans on a range of topics

Warmest Regards

Arun K. Tripathi

***********************

TAD Consortium members

Apologies for cross-posting; the newsletter goes to various groups.

______________________________________________________

S A D E C C O N N E W S NO. 8

Newsletter of the Southern African Development, Culture and

Communication Network

________________________________________________________

Volume 2 Number2 27 May 1998

*****************************************************************

Edited by Charles Malan and Arlene Grossberg

________________________________________________________

C O N T E N T S

UNESCO'S INTERGOVERNMENTAL CONFERENCE RECOGNISES

CRUCIAL ROLE OF CULTURE

FOLLOW-UP SOUTHERN AFRICAN RESEARCH AND

ACTIVITIES ENVISAGED FOR UNESCO ACTION PLAN

INTERNATIONAL COLLOQUIUM ON PLURALISM WILL DEAL

WITH UNIVERSAL PROBLEMS OF DIFFERENCE

CONFERENCE WILL FOCUS ON MEDIA FOR THE NEW MILLENIUM

SOUTH AFRICAN DATA ARCHIVE ORGANISES CONFERENCE

IN JULY

WHAT IS SADECCON?

********************************************************

UNESCO'S INTERGOVERNMENTAL CONFERENCE RECOGNISES

CRUCIAL ROLE OF CULTURE

One of the goals of the Southern African Development, Culture and

Communication Network (SADECCON) is to promote the symbiosis between

development, culture and communication. Recently, at long last, there

seems to have been a breakthrough in the struggle to get recognition

of the crucial role of culture - particularly with the release of the

report of UNESCO's World Commission on Culture and Development,

'Our Creative Diversity' (1995). The Commission emphasised

that development is part of culture, and not vice versa.

The report resulted in the Intergovernmental Conference on Cultural

Policies for Development, held at Stockholm in March-April 1998.

With the focus on "Cultural Policies for Development", an

international action plan to integrate culture and development was

adopted by the delegations of governments across the world. The

action plan is now available on the Web at

The conference recommended that states adopt the following five

policy objectives:

1: To make cultural policy one of the key components of development

strategy.

2: Promote creativity and participation in cultural life.

3: Reinforce policy and practice to safeguard and enhance the

cultural heritage, tangible and intangible, moveable and immovable,

and to promote cultural industrie

4: Promote cultural and linguistic diversity in and for the

information society.

5: Make more human and financial resources available for cultural

development.

The information revolution was addressed in the main objective of

promoting cultural diversity in and for the information society.

Particularly relevant to development and communication are the

following guidelines for this objective:

* "Provide communication networks which serve the cultural and

educational needs. of the public" and encourage the commitment of the

media to cultural development issues, such as "the promotion of

local, regional and national cultures and languages, exploration and

preservation of the national heritage and promotion of the diversity

of cultural traditions and indigenous and national cultural

identities".

* "Promote the development and use of new technologies and new

communication and information services, stress the importance of

access to information highways and services at affordable prices and

the equal use of languages."

At the conference it was made clear that the media and mass

communication were seen to be important partners in the promotion of

cultural policies for development. In their proposed agenda for

international co-operation and research for cultural policy which

played a guiding role at the UNESCO conference (available on the Web

site above, under "Papers"), Tony Bennett and Colin Mercer identify

the following priorities for culture and community development: (i)

communications development programmes, with the focus on the role

that the introduction of communications technologies can play in

connecting isolated and remote communities to mainstream processes

of economic and political development, and (ii) indigenous media

systems that can facilitate a sense of ongoing cultural involvement

and identity on the part of indigenous communities whose members are

sometimes spread across vast distances..

********************************************************

FOLLOW-UP SOUTHERN AFRICAN RESEARCH AND

ACTIVITIES ENVISAGED FOR UNESCO ACTION PLAN

Planning is underway to relate the UNESCO principles and action plan

to southern African research and information networking. The

intergovernmental conference recognised the following principles,

among others:

1. Sustainable development and the flourishing of culture are

interdependent.

2. One of the chief aims of human development is the social and

cultural fulfilment of the individual.

3. Access to and participation in cultural life being a fundamental

right of individuals in all communities ...

6. Cultural creativity is the source of human progress; and cultural

diversity, being a treasure of humankind, is an essential factor of

development

7. New trends, particularly globalization, link cultures ever more

closely and enrich the interaction between them, but they may also be

detrimental to our creative diversity and to cultural pluralism;

they make mutual respect all the more imperative.

8. Harmony between culture and development, respect for cultural

identities, tolerance for cultural differences in a framework of

plural democratic values, socio-economic equity and respect for

teritorial unity and national sovereignty are among the preconditions

for a lasting and just peace.

The following guidelines were formulated for the first objective (To

make cultural policy one of the key components of development

strategy):

1. Design and establish cultural policies or review existing ones in

such a way that they become one of the key components of endogenous

and sustainable development.

2. Promote to this end the integration of cultural policies into

development policies, in particular as regards their interaction with

social and economic policies.

3. Contribute to the elaboration by UNESCO of guidelines for the

development of an international research and training agenda with

regard to culture and development.

SADECCON's co-ordinator,. Charles Malan of the Human Sciences

Research Council, was invited to participate in the seminar on

"Cultural Research and Human Development" at the conference. He has

discussed the possibility of follow-up research and networking in

the southern African region with a number of stakeholders and found

them all enthusiastic. The UNESCO action plan should be related to

regional actions and research within the context of the African

Information Society Initiative (AISI).

********************************************************

INTERNATIONAL COLLOQUIUM ON PLURALISM WILL DEAL

WITH UNIVERSAL PROBLEMS OF DIFFERENCE

ADVANCED NOTICE

International Pluralism Colloquium 24 - 27 August 1998

University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg

LIVING DIFFERENCE

Towards a Society of Communities

PLURALISM: PHILOSOPHY - POLITICS - CULTURE - PRACTICE

The problems of difference and how to live with it are

forcing themselves on to the political agenda in the guise of

multi-culturalism and ethnicity just about everywhere. As

contemporary global information networks cut across linguistic and

regional boundaries, increasingly unstable frontiers are constantly

trespassed. Differing cultural traditions, values, life-styles and

belief systems intersect. The coexistence of different

interpretations of an uncertain and complex reality at the dawn of

the 21st century call for an engagement with plurality and diversity,

not as something negative that should be suppressed, but as something

to be valued and celebrated.

Despite the precariousness of the material conditions of the majority of her

people, South Africa embraces a pluralist democracy, seeking to establish a

democratic ethos which balances the desire for self-fashioning and

autonomy with the desire for community and human solidarity.

Significantly, South Africa's evolving democracy defines itself as a

polyethnic, multi-cultural, multi-lingual 'rainbow nation'. Although part of

a particularly context-dependant self-conceptualisation of a society

emerging from oppressive racial and ethnic division, the South African

situation shows remarkable similarities with situations elsewhere, due to

progressive globalisation.

This Colloquium in the form of a conference-workshop aims at

strengthening the democratic project. By linking current local concerns to

the international search for trans-culturally valid principles which allow

for living difference, or plurality of existence, discussion will focus on

philosophical, political and cultural issues for the purpose of building a

more inclusive society.

SPEAKERS

Nancy Fraser (New School of Social Research, NY) - Wlad Godzich

(English and Comparative Literature, Geneva) - Richard Rorty

(Philosophy and Comparative Literature, Stanford) - Joern Ruesen

(Cultural Studies, Essen) - Richard Sennett (Humanities, New York) -

Walther Zimmerli (Philosophy, Marburg)

Paul Cilliers (Philosophy, University of Stellenbosch) - Johan Degenaar

(Philosophy, Stellenbosch) - Leon de Kok (English, University of South

Africa/UNISA) - Bernard Lategan (Values and Policy Programme,

Stellenbosch) - Patrick McAllister (Anthropology and Sociology,

University of the Western Cape) - Charles Malan (Group: Democracy

and Governance, HSRC) - Mahmood Mamdani (African Studies, University

of Cape Town) - Joe Muller (Education, University of Cape Town) -

Philip Nel (Political Science, Stellenbosch) - Reingard Nethersole

(Comparative Literature, Witwatersrand) - John K. Noyes (German and

Theory of Literature, University of Cape Town) - Sarah Nuttall

(English Language and Literature, University of Stellenbosch) - Jane

Starfield (English, Vista University/Soweto) - Joe Teffo (Philosophy,

University of the North) - Edward Webster (Sociology of Work,

Witwatersrand)

International Pluralism Colloquium, University of the Witwatersrand 24-27

August, 1998.

DRAFT PROGRAMME:

MONDAY, 24 August

(Lunch for speakers) 12:30 - 14:30

14:30 - 15:00 Registration

15:00: Welcome by the Dean, Prof. Gerrit Olivier (Faculty of Arts)

15:15: " " (Speaker/s)

16:00 -17:30: (I) Thinking Difference Across the Disciplines

Introduction: Living Difference and the Pluralism Project - Walther

Zimmerli, (Philosophy, Marburg):

Second Order Pluralism

Second Order Pluralism: Contingency and

Proliferation - Reingard Nethersole (Comparative

Literature, Wits).

18:00: Reception

TUESDAY, 25 August

(II) The Philosophy of Pluralism

09:00 - 10:30: Pluralism, Pragmatism, and Postmodernism - Prof.

Richard Rorty (Comparative Literature, Stanford).

10:30 -11:00 Tea

11:00 - 12:30 (III): The Politics of Pluralism

Redistribution, Recognition and Pluralism - Nancy Fraser (Graduate

Faculty of Political and Social Science, New School for Social

Research, New York)

12:30 - 13:45 Lunch

13:45 - 15:15 WORKSHOP (I) WITH WALTHER ZIMMERLI AND

RICHARD RORTY:

Complexity and the Law.

Can Difference be Regulated - Paul Cilliers (Philosophy,

Stellenbosch)

A Community of Societies? A Report on the Interstate System 350 Years

after Westpfalia - Philip Nel (Political Science, Stellenbosch)

15:15 - 15:45

Tea 15:45 - 17:15

WORKSHOP (II) WITH NANCY FRASER

Managing or Celebrating Diversity? - The Case of Vaal Reefs

Exploration and Mining Company - Edward Webster

Modern Times in Soweto: The Citizen, the Bureaucrat, and the Culture

of Daily Empowerment - Bernard Lategan (Values and Policy Programme,

Stellenbosch)

Cultural Programme

WEDNESDAY, 26 August

(III): The Culture of Pluralism

09:00 - 10:30: The Spaces of Democracy - Richard Sennett (Theory and

Culture, New York University)

10:30 -11:00 Tea

11:00 - 12:30 Becoming Strangers - Wlad Godzich (Departement de

langue et litteratures anglaises, Geneva):

12:30 - 13:45 Lunch

13:45 - 16:00 WORKSHOP (III) WITH RICHARD SENNETT AND

WLAD GODZICH

Difference and the Idea of the Human in Post-Apartheid South Africa -

John K. Noyes (German and Theory of Literature, University of Cape

Town)

Humanism, the Individual and Pluralist Democracy in South

Africa - Sarah Nuttall (English, Stellenbosch)

16:00 Tea

16:00 - 17:00: Panel Discussion

19:00: Dinner

THURSDAY, 27 August

(IV) Multiculturalism

09:00 - 10:00: The Challenge of Ethnocentrism and the Response of

Intercultural

Communication - Joern Ruesen (Kulturwissenschaftliches Institut,

Essen)

10:00 - 11:00 Multiculturalism: How can the Human World Live

its Difference? - Johan Degenaar (Philosophy, Stellenbosch)

11:00 - 11:30: Tea

11:30 - 12:30: "Summing-up" with Nethersole and Zimmerli

12:30: Lunch

14:00: End of Colloquium

ENQUIRIES

Enquiries to:

Colloquium Organiser,

Prof. R. Nethersole,

Comparative Literature,

Private Bag 3

PO WITS

2050

Tel. (011) 716 4083 Fax: (011) 716 8030

e-mail: 128rn@muse.arts.wits.ac.za

REGISTRATION

Registration is for the whole Colloquium (Monday, 24, after lunch to

Thursday, 27 August after lunch). Registration costs before 31 July:

R 400-00; after 31 July: R 450-00.

Participants have to arrange accommodation and transport themselves.

Papers are included in the programme by invitation only.

********************************************************

CONFERENCE WILL FOCUS ON MEDIA FOR THE NEW MILLENIUM

Conference of the Educational Media Institute of SAARDHE

(South African Association for Research and Development

in Higher Education)

2-4 September 1998

Conference Centre of the University of Pretoria

Pretoria, South Africa

At this conference some of the highlights you can expect are:.

* national and international keynote speakers

* presentation of papers and posters

* discussion groups

* exhibitions

* pre-conference workshops

* media demonstrations

* plenary and parallel sessions

* welcome cocktail

* conference function

Visit our website at: http://hagar.up.ac.za/IOM98/index.html

Feel welcome to forward this message to other listservers

______________________________________________________

E-mail sent by:

Dr Tom H Brown

Project Manager: Telematic Education

University of Pretoria

South Africa 0002

+27 12 420-3884 (Tel)

+27 12 420-4008 (Fax)

+27 82 774-3015 (Cell)

tbrown@libarts.up.ac.za

********************************************************

SOUTH AFRICAN DATA ARCHIVE ORGANISES CONFERENCE

IN JULY

The South African Data Archive (SADA) was founded in 1993 by the

Centre for Science Development of the Human Sciences Research

Council (HSRC) in Pretoria. SADA is the only known data archive on the

African continent, and one of approximately 40 data archives in the

world. Data archiving is a method of conserving computer-readable

research data and ensuring that this research potential is fully

utilized.

Now in its fifth year of operation, SADA is hosting a 3-day

conference to be held at the HSRC from Wednesday 8 to Friday 10 July

1998. We are inviting papers, posters and demonstrations.

AIMS OF THE CONFERENCE

The main objective of the conference is to draw attention to the

significance of sharing research data by increasing the awareness of

the existence and activities of the South African Data Archive within

the broader research community.

CONFERENCE WEBSITE

http://www.hsrc.ac.za/sada/conferences/july98.html

***********************************************************

+++

A workshop on

DESIGNING EFFECTIVE TECHNOLOGY-BASED LEARNING MATERIALS

will be presented by B.A.S.E. conferences on 25 and 26 June 1998.

The workshop is aimed at those who are considering turning to technology

to provide solutions for their current training needs. It focuses on

the instructional design process of analysis, design, development,

implementation and evaluation.

Various recognised experts in the instructional design field will

participate and the workshop will be chaired by prof Johannes Cronje who

is well known innovative thinking in this field.

More information from jcronje@cbt.up.ac.za

+++

*******************************

Transformation of Higher Education in the Digital Age Proceedings from a

Learning Partnership Roundtable

May 11, 1998

We are pleased to present our first White Paper, "The Transformation of

Higher Education in the Digital Age." It is based on discussions among more

than 35 participants at the Learning Partnership Roundtable in July 1997 at

the Aspen Institute in Maryland.

In organizing the Roundtable, it was our belief that the challenges facing

institutions in the digital age are profound, fundamental, and interrelated.

They require that institutions rethink basic assumptions, be innovative, and

manage for change. Above all, these challenges are causing virtually all institutions to

fundamentally reshape their business models and to enter a period of

significant restructuring. Leadership from the most senior institutional

levels is required. To this end, as a way of fos

tering the necessary changes, Coopers & Lybrand assembled a roundtable of

college and university presidents and other leaders to begin discussions on

the transformation of higher education in the digital age.

A Message to Today's Higher Education Leaders

The academy needs to prepare for major upheaval as well as structural change

in the digital economy:

New learning technologies can transform the way knowledge is packaged,

delivered, accessed, acquired, and measured, altering higher education's

core production and delivery processes.

Students will demand flexible, targeted, accessible learning methods,

potentially altering higher education's traditional role.

A huge population of new learners - estimated at millions more students in

the next decade - will expand the total market for education and entice new

competitors.

Relying on technology rather than bricks and mortar, nontraditional

competitors will give colleges and universities a run for their money.

And so the discussion - and the debate - began. More than 35 people

participated in Coopers & Lybrand's invitation-only, two-day Learning

Partnership Roundtable on the transformation of higher education in the

digital age. Among those in attendance: trus

tees, presidents, chancellors, and provosts from prestigious public and

private colleges and universities; Coopers & Lybrand partners with in-depth

higher education industry experience; executives from leading higher

education associations; senior leader

s from technology firms; and industry influencers, such as federal policy

makers, strategists, analysts, and investors. At every turn, prophets of

change pushed us to the edge of imagination. At an extreme, participants

asserted that higher education is

ripe for "FedExing" much like the U.S. Postal Service. Under this scenario,

new entrants unencumbered by physical plant, tenure costs, and an industry

mind-set could rewrite the rules, capturing the most lucrative segments and

leaving no

n-branded institutions to serve the less profitable markets. Pragmatic

voices among us injected a heavy dose of reality. Occasional naysayers

expressed despair over the academy's ability to rise to the challenge. At

the peak of a highly-charged discussio

n about the future role of higher education, contrarian viewpoints were

asserted. There will always be a demand for face-to-face learning

environments. After all, the basic higher education model has not

fundamentally changed for over 700 years.

At the end of many hours of discussion and frank assessments of the

industry's present condition, participants in the first annual Coopers &

Lybrand Learning Partnership Roundtable on the Transformation of Higher

Education in the Digital Age reached the

conclusion that major change was inevitable. Those institutions that do not

envision the future and their unique role in it do so at their own peril.

This is not a "do nothing" situation. Every institution has the potential to

gain or lose and, for some,

dramatic action will be required just to stay in place.

Absent simple answers, what can be done to develop a strategy? As a first

step, strategic questions pepper this document. Start by asking them of key

constituents. You also may want to add more questions and undertake some

new, experimental initiatives.

Our advice: Forget traditional strategic planning processes, adopt best

practices from other industries, expect some failures, and above all, strive

to build core competencies for a new future.

Trends Forcing Change in Higher Education

Several industry-wide trends are challenging institutions of higher

education to evaluate their existing strategies. The broad trends include

changes in market demand, the competitive structure of the industry, and the

impact of technology.

The market for learning is increasing rapidly. According to demographic

projections, baby boomers, those 40 to 59 years old, will be the fastest

growing segment of the U.S. population between 1996 and 2005. More of them

than ever before are expected to s

eek additional education. The "echo boomers," those who are 10 to 19 years

of age, are another rapidly growing population segment in the U.S. Echo

boomers are already, or else soon will be, the next wave of students

enrolling in college. A new reality fo

r workers of all ages is that lifelong learning has become a necessity.

After lagging for several years, the growing U.S. population (along with the

foreign students who seek entry) and the need for lifelong learning are

dramatically increasing the size

of the potential learning market.

Buyers are more demanding. Today's students are technologically

sophisticated consumers who expect services that are as user-friendly,

accessible, and convenient as Automatic Teller Machines (ATMs). Until

recently, they have not significantly influenced

the traditional delivery of services. The burgeoning market of lifelong

learners may demand services and education that are:

Available at the time and place, and in the medium, of students' choosing

Logically bundled and hassle-free

One-stop or no-stop

Cost-effective

High-tech but personal

Integrated, seamless, and collaborative

Consistent and dependable

Technology is creating powerful substitutes for traditional products.

Technology leaders provided several examples of technology for the future at

the Roundtable. For example, instructional software could easily substitute

for campus-based instruction, o

r at least be a substantial part of the delivery system. In fact, research

indicates that the creation of a mere 25 courses would serve an estimated 80

percent of total undergraduate enrollment in core undergraduate courses.

What type of courses compromi

se the "core"? Courses like calculus 101, biology 101, world history 101,

and so on. The software would serve an estimated 50 percent of the total

student enrollment in community colleges as well as an estimated 35 percent

of the total student enrollment

in four-year institutions. Software that captures the many facets of the

learning process and can substitute for campus-based instruction is not yet

on the market. This is partially due to high costs. Developing high quality

instruction

al software might cost $3 million per course. The annual maintenance cost

might run to $500,000 - not including marketing and distribution. At a $3

million investment, a "core" course could be replaced with a high quality,

technology-based course. The te

chnology-based course could be supplemented with a 24-hour international

help desk, offering eight hours of help in the U.S., eight hours in Europe,

etc. At this scale, it would be conceivable to spend $3 million on a course,

and develop a truly effectiv

e learning tool - one that would transform education delivery methods.

Competition from nontraditional competitors is increasing. At the

Roundtable, the specter of Microsoft emerged as the bete noire. One

participant ironically suggested, "Imagine the Chairman of Microsoft

contacting the Governor of California and proposing

to serve more students and achieve higher performance standards at two

thirds the amount currently paid to the California State University

System."While the threat of Microsoft was taken seriously, more immediate

challenges are new entrants like the Uni

versity of Phoenix, Sylvan Learning Systems, and corporate universities. The

University of Phoenix, for instance, currently enrolls more than 40,000

students across geographical boundaries and is serving an important niche

market of adult learners (the a

verage undergraduate at Phoenix is 34 years old and has been working for 13

years). Also, corporate training programs are increasing at a record pace -

from a handful in the 1980s to 400 in 1994 to more than 1,000 in 1997. A

college degr

ee can even be obtained from Arthur D. Little's School of Management.

Barriers to entry are coming down, making market entry relatively easy.

Changing the federal student financial aid policy would alter the

competitive landscape dramatically. And in fact, provisions presented to the

Department of Education (ED) for the Hi

gher Education Amendments (HEA) proposal to Congress include lifting

restrictions on certain distance learning programs so that they may be

eligible for Title IV funds. (The HEA as amended is the governing

legislation for the major federal student financ

ial aid programs supporting higher education, including Stafford Loans,

Perkins Loans, Direct Loans, and others.) Such a move by the Department of

Education would shift the rules of the game, give new entrants sources of

funding, and increase buying powe

r for nontraditional students. Technology removes two other significant

barriers to entry. The first is the need for bricks and mortar. Distributed

learning provides educational opportunities in any place; traditional

campuses are not ne

cessary. The second is full-time faculty. Distributed learning involves only

a small number of professors, but has the potential to reach a huge market

of students.

On the Brink of Structural Change

The impact caused by the convergence of these trends - the exploding market

for learning, new learning technologies, and the lowering of barriers to

entry - in the higher education industry is potentially substantial. Taken

together, they are capable of

creating an inflection point, thereby dramatically altering the structure of

the higher education industry. In manufacturing, health care, advertising,

and the airline industries, for example, competitive forces shifted so

dramatically that they caused m

assive, industry-wide restructuring.

There are visible signs that competitive forces may soon cause massive,

structural change in the higher education industry. Those familiar with

Michael Porter's views in his book Competitive Strategy understand that

industry-wide restructuring is imminen

t when the five industry forces are in flux. A cursory analysis using

Porter's competitive forces framework suggests that this condition exists in

higher education. The very structure of higher education is poised for

change. As has occurred in other ind

ustries, it is likely that there will be mergers, consolidations, and

shake-outs.

An analysis of the transformation of the health care industry - and its

similarities to higher education - strengthens the argument that structural

change is on the horizon. Examining the role of physicians in the past and

present, for example, may porte

nd a changing role for faculty. Health care was a growth industry subsidized

by federal dollars, and characterized by physicians making the major

decisions in health care delivery. In the 1970s and 1980s, faint cries for

change were heard. At first, chan

ge occurred slowly and incrementally. By the 1990s, however, a major

revolution had occurred in health care. Today, the health care industry has

consolidated and drastically reduced its costs. Large purchasers, some

for-profit, drive the marketplace and

set performance standards. Physicians now answer to the HMOs. Faculty

members could answer to HMO-like entities. Corporations could buy education

on behalf of their employees and their families from knowledge companies

that operate very

much like HMOs. The HMOs would contract with content providers (in this case

faculty members) and distribute the education they provide.

he first wave of "winners" in the health care industry have been the

largest, lowest cost providers. It may be important for higher education to

note that experts suggest that the next phase of change in health care - and

the next wave of winners - are l

ikely to be low-cost providers that also provide the highest quality of

patient care. Information technology, used thus far to drive down costs,

will be used to enhance the quality of care and increase patient

satisfaction. Once cost efficiency is achiev

ed, the next competitive edge is likely to be quality. Can this scenario be

repeated in higher education? Although the cycle of adaptation in higher

education seems to roughly mirror that of the health care industry, it also

lags it by about ten years. B

ut large, low-cost educational providers are emerging. Institutions of all

sizes have begun cost reduction initiatives on the administrative front, and

some have followed on the academic side of the enterprise. Investments in

technology

are being made, both to drive down costs and to improve the quality of

service for students and others. Consolidation is already underway - notably

in academic medical centers. It remains to be seen whether the

transformation of higher education will con

tinue to mirror that of health care or whether it will take a new turn.

Roundtable Recommendations

Clearly, the competitive landscape in higher education is rapidly changing.

The industry may be on the brink of major structural change. This

environment requires rapid responses. At the opening session of the

Roundtable, a former college president noted

that thinking about the future of higher education is like trying to solve a

quadratic equation with many variables and too many unknowns. There are no

simple solutions. At the last session of the Roundtable, participants

outlined action steps their cam

puses - and the industry at large - need to consider. We present them along

with some of our own recommendations below.

Ask strategic questions to involve key constituents and begin thinking

through solutions that are appropriate for your institution. Start with

those listed below and add others. Along with carefully considered answers,

they can help shape the parameters

of a solution.

Undertake expeditionary initiatives to test hypotheses and develop core

competencies. Institutions and those who lead them must be nimble, with all

that this word implies - including being willing to ask questions that do

not have ready answers and to ex

periment without knowing exactly where the experiments will lead.

Institutions may strike out in several directions and take paths that cannot

be envisioned from the outset. In the process, competencies will be learned

that could not have been learned wi

thout embarking on such expeditions. One Roundtable participant described

six important competencies that must be developed:

Strong leadership

Know-how about managing rapid change

IT skills

"Knowledge-aged" products, services, and interactivity

New financial paradigms

Ability to manage strategic alliances

Form partnerships and alliances. They will be critical components of future

strategies. These alliances fall into two categories, institutional and

corporate.

Institutional alliances. Rather than being part of the Western Governors

University, the public and private universities in California have formed

their own virtual university. The California Virtual University will build

on existing distributed learning

activities, increase access, provide a full array of educational

certification, and rely on intra- and inter-campus infrastructure.

Corporate alliances. The California State University (CSU) system is

partnering with Warner Brothers, certain high schools in California and

Alabama, and national and regional telecommunications companies to train

digital animation artists for the entert

ainment industry. The CSU also is partnering with Simon & Schuster, the

publishing giant, to offer teacher training programs. Simon & Schuster has

provided front-end funds, and the CSU-based authors of textbooks on teacher

education will deliver five cou

rses basic to the curriculum not only on CSU campuses but also in key

locations throughout the state.

...About The Market and Strategy

How has our competition changed over the past five years? Who are our

current and potential competitors and how should we respond to them?

How might our relationship with our suppliers (K-12 schools and vendors, for

example) change in the digital age?

How might our relationship with our buyers (states, parents, employers, for

example) change in the digital age?

Are we seeking corporate partners - or other types of alliances - for any

new initiatives?

Have we assessed - and found favorable - our position in the marketplace and

the demand for our courses and programs?

Have we defined institutional priorities and are we allocating resources in

accordance with them?

Are there sufficient financial resources and personnel to implement our plans?

Are we undertaking expeditionary initiatives and developing core competencies?

Do we have a comprehensive distributed learning strategy?

...About Technology

Do we have the organization, services, and infrastructure needed to support

the development and design of technology-based course materials?

Is our network infrastructure reliable and does it have the interoperability we need?

Are our technology initiatives connected to our institutional strategies and mission?

Are we making sufficient progress in information technologies to keep our

institution competitively positioned to attract students, faculty, and staff?

Is technology sufficiently available in our classrooms, libraries, computer

labs, and departments?

...About Human Resources

Do our HR programs support our institutional strategy?

Are our employees working productively? Are they maximizing the anticipated

changes and improvements from our technology projects?

Do we know what skills and competencies are required in our changing

environment and have we ensured that our employees have those skills and

competencies?

Do we have a pay and reward philosophy? Do we have a performance management

approach that is linked with the university's goals?

Do we have an effective performance evaluation system for tenured faculty?

For staff?

Is our recruitment and retention strategy for staff effective?

Is our recruitment and retention strategy for faculty working?

Could our HR organization serve the institution more effectively?

Does the structure of our organization maximize service and organizational

effectiveness?

...About Student Services

Are we meeting and exceeding the expectations of our students related to

service quality, timeliness, responsiveness, and access?

Are we using mass customization strategies to our best advantage?

Do we have a student/learner-centered service organization with

cross-trained staff capable of handling students' issues and questions in

one stop?

Are our faculty advisors and staff using their personal interactions with

students to provide insight and advice instead of resolving

transaction-related issues?

Are resources allocated to the activities that are most highly valued by our

students and most contribute to their retention and overall satisfaction?

Have we defined a measure of value and are we measuring the value our

student services organization provides?

Do we have a single integrated student services data base?

...About Research Administration

Is our research administration process working well?

Has increased competition for research funding affected our research

programs?

Do faculty complain that they do not know where or how to find access to

funding opportunities, especially from non governmental sources?

Has research funding from industry increased and are we forming industry

partnerships?

Are we organized so that we can deal effectively with corporate sponsors?

Will we be ready for the demands of federal agencies to interact

electronically?

Adopt mass customization strategies.

Mass customization strategies, such as personalized marketing through

technology to a large customer base, are becoming increasingly applicable to

higher education. Mass customization techniques save money and increase

customer loyalty, according to the

authors of a best-selling book on the subject. Mass customization requires

up-front investment in technology to track the necessary data for each

customer and to identify the most worthwhile customers. But once the

investment is made, the ability to lock

in particular customers - including in higher education's case, students,

grantors, donors, and other constituents - provides competitive advantage.

For example, Levi Strauss & Co. is creating competitive advantage by

offering customized blue jeans. The customer is measured first and then

places an order for blue jeans. Working with thousands of pre-manufactured

components, Levi's assembles about 10,

000 very personal combinations. The customer pays a premium of almost $20

for these custom-fit jeans, although they actually cost less to produce than

other jeans because there are no inventory costs. And it is well worth the

extra cost to the customer b

ecause the jeans fit perfectly every time.

What if an institution employed mass customization techniques in its

academic program? Say it studied student learning styles, for example, and

found that they could be grouped into a few categories: those who learn most

efficiently in groups; those who

learn most efficiently by using hands-on techniques, etc. What if this

institution then tailored its academic programs to these different learning

styles? Could a program that was "guaranteed" to be effective command a

premium price?

In Summary

It was clear to those assembled at the Learning Partnership Roundtable that

there are great forces for change at work. What was less clear was the

timing of major structural changes. In five years will we, the influencers

and leaders of American higher e

ducation, recognize the industry we now serve? How about in ten years? Can

our colleges and universities afford to wait? Clearly, the digital age will

transform higher education - as it already is transforming other industries.

Above all, it is key for h

igher education to orient itself toward the future - whatever it may hold.

***********************************************************

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