Topic
The affects of effective leadership
Abstract
Mike will be presenting on leadership and how effective leadership tools can
affect standards throughout company, including quality control and retention.
Biography
Mike Abrashoff, former Commander of the Guided Missile Destroyer USS Benfold,
has spent the last four years developing the management techniques he used during
his tenure in the Navy into a methodology for application to the business community.
He is currently a highly sought after keynote speaker and leadership development
consultant. His ideas are more fully explained in his book, It's your Ship
which has sold 160,000 copies to date and has been number 9 on the NY
Times Business Best Sellers List and number 7on the Wall Street Journal
List. He has been featured in the Harvard Business Review (March,
2002) and Fast Company (April, 1999).
Mike credits his tenure as Military Assistant to U.S. Secretary of Defense,
the Honorable Dr William J. Perry as critical to his realisation of the power
of effective leadership. During that period, he travelled to over 50 countries
in support of sensitive, national security objectives. But, more importantly,
he had the opportunity to assist in the implementation of the Federal Acquisition
Reform act of 1994 which revolutionised the military budgeting and procurement
processes which has resulted in budgetary savings of over 30% in many new weapons
programs.
Critical to the success of that initiative was the realisation that people really do make the difference. Mike's people management skills were honed during his tenure as the Personnel Assignment Officer for over 4,000 Officers for every warship in the U.S. Atlantic Fleet where he matched skills, recognised potential and incorporated vision for leadership positions in every aspect of Naval operations.
For the last 50 years, US corporations have benefited from the management expertise
of the US Military. That model stressed a top down, command and control management
style which was very successful. But in today's world of instant communication
and information flow that model has proven to be slow to react and ineffective.
Through progressive leaders like Mike, the Military services are now scrambling
to adjust to the new order which Mike believes will result in the antithesis
of top down management - bottom-up or "GrassRoots Leadership" as Mike
has coined it.
Topic
E-learning ecologies
Abstract
As business and governments demand evidence that their investment in e-Learning
has been worth it, researchers continue to struggle to provide convincing evidence
of improved learning outcomes. Research and evaluation studies continue to demonstrate
small effect sizes at best, and "no significant difference" and/or
conflicting results at worst. This paper puts forward a case for an improved
approach to the design and evaluation of e-Learning, an approach based on design-based
research and making use of an ecological framework that captures the complexities
of e-Learning approaches, rather than the current practice based on understanding
the effect of individual, isolated factors.
Biography
Shirley Alexander is Professor of Learning Technologies at the University of
Technology, Sydney where she is Director of the Institute for Interactive Media
and Learning. One of her major roles is university-wide responsibility for e-Learning
developments, and she has recently conducted a major evaluation of e-Learning
across the campus.
She has over 15 years experience in the use of information and communication technologies in education. Her research and development activities are underpinned by research in student learning and focus on the appropriate use of new media technologies in higher education.
She is a member of the Australian Universities Teaching Committee.
Topic
What accelerates and what delays eLearning adoption in Europe
Abstract
Quality concern, conflicting reference values and visions, cultural resistances
are sometimes more important than lack of inter operability and difficulty to
access ICT infrastructure in explaining why eLearning has reached a critical
phase of development: the presentation will synthesize and critically review
the results of major policy developments and observatory projects (L-CHANGE,
DELOS, SEEQUEL, POLE) in the European Union.
Biography
Claudio Dondi, born in Modena in 1958, is the President of SCIENTER – a
non-profit research organisation based in Bologna and active Europe-wide in
the field of innovation of education and training systems – since its establishment
in 1988. In this position his main activities are the co-ordination of large
national and European projects, as well as policy advice and evaluation at regional,
national and international level. His other positions include: Professor of
Human Resource Development at the College of Europe in Bruges (1998 - 2003),
Member of the Board of the MENON EEIG in Brussels, Member of the Editorial Boards
of the British Journal of Educational Technology and of the European Journal
of ODL, Vice-President of the European Institute for eLearning, Vice-President
of EDEN - European Distance Education Network
Topic
Learning, choice and personalisation: opportunities and issues for e-Learning
Abstract
Much development of public policy and corporate strategy over recent times has
laid increasing emphasis on the value and improved chances of providing greater
choice for consumers, citizens and now learners. Alongside this has gone a call
to 'personalise' public services, education programmes and processes and social
life generally.
Advocates of such developments urge the consistency of this approach with learning strategies that place the learner at the 'centre', allow learning to be increasingly self-organised and independent, recognise varieties of learning styles and facilitate the creation of highly individual learning portfolios.
E-learning and exciting developments in both hardware and software appear naturally to lend themselves to supporting such a shift in learning models and practices, opening up new vistas of both personal and organisational learning.
In this session, building upon my earlier presentations in respect of 'risk
society', I will explore the extent to which both advocacy of choice and personalisation
and claims for e-learning's promise in this domain are soundly based, unequivocally
beneficial and valid.
Biography
Professor R.H. (Bob) Fryer CBE is currently Chief Executive of NHSU and took
up post on the 1st February 2002. Before joining NHSU Bob was Assistant-Vice-Chancellor
at the University of Southampton and Director of New College, a post he occupied
from 1998. Between 1999 and 2000 he was on secondment to Ufi Ltd as an Executive
Director, and before that was Principal of the Northern College for Residential
Adult Education for 15 years.
Bob is a member of the national Learning and Skills Council and a Director of Investors in People UK Ltd. He was Chair of the National Advisory Group for Continuing Education and Lifelong Learning, a member of the ‘Moser' Committee on Adult Basic Skills and of the Policy Action Team on Skills for Neighbourhood Renewal.
Bob was awarded a CBE for services to Community Education in the 1999 New Years Honours.
Topic
Active Learning: profile of a partnership with University of Virginia, HP, Thomson
Learning and Microsoft
Abstract
University of Virginia's Grisham and Thomson Learning's Sabosik will present
the results of an industry-academic collaboration to develop the next generation
of classroom and instructional material that focuses on student learning through
the use of interactive models, simulations, and in-class collaboration and group
exercises. Tablet PCs, contributed by HP, Microsoft OneNote software and Thomson
Learning's integrated digital solutions come together in UVA's wireless classrooms
and wired campus. The Tablet PC, and Thomson content designed specifically for
use on the Tablet, is changing the way students learn, engaging them more in
visualisation and problem solving. The partnership hired independent researchers
to measure student learning outcomes and evaluate the success of the project.
Some early results will be presented along with this case study.
Biography
Charles M. Grisham is Professor of Chemistry and Chief Technology Officer in
the School of Arts and Sciences at the University of Virginia. Professor Grisham
is a graduate of the Illinois Institute of Technology (Chicago) and received
the Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of Minnesota. Following a postdoctoral
appointment at the Institute of Cancer Research in Philadelphia, he joined the
Chemistry faculty at the University of Virginia. His research on biological
membrane transport and applications of magnetic resonance spectroscopy to the
study of membrane enzyme structure has been supported by the National Institutes
of Health, the National Science Foundation, The Research Corporation, the American
Chemical Society, and the Muscular Dystrophy Association of America. Together
with Reginald Garrett, he is a co-author of several textbooks of biochemistry
published by BrooksCole/Thomson Learning. He is also the author and developer
of Interactive Biochemistry, a cd-rom and workbook published by BrooksCole/Thomson
Learning. His work in the development of novel instructional technologies has
been supported by four grants from the National Science Foundation, including
a major award for creation of electronic media to accompany the third edition
of Biochemistry by Garrett and Grisham. He is the recipient of an All-University
Teaching Award from the University of Virginia and a member of the American
Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.
Topic
NPS and the US Navy's Learning System of the Future
Abstract
The Naval Postgraduate School offers Master and Doctorate degrees in a variety
of technical and management fields relevant to the needs of the five US uniformed
services. The school has a long tradition of providing officers with intensive
research and education opportunities on-site at the Monterey, CA campus. As
the needs of the Fleet change, and technology allows new ways to reach and engage
learners, NPS continues to adapt its curriculum, faculty development programs,
and delivery systems to better reach out to the Fleet.
NPS was recently asked by the Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) to help define the Navy's "learning system of the future." What are the trends in technology, content, and delivery that will change the way the Navy educates its force during the next five to seven years? What educational topics will be most important? How will a typical sailor's educational experience in 2011 be different than it is today? And what does the Navy need to be doing now in order to realise this vision?
This interactive session will introduce some of the key trends that NPS has identified as relevant for the Navy, and will define elements of the Navy's learning system of the future. It will also give the audience an opportunity to propose, rate, and prioritize trends and developments that they feel are important to consider in forecasting the future of learning. We'll focus in particular on those areas that have relevance for universities and corporate training departments serving large, distributed populations.
Biography
Mr Hazard is currently the Director of the Office of Continuous Learning (OCL)
at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California. His responsibilities
include Strategic Planning for Distributed Learning (DL) initiatives, business
process review, DL partnering, faculty development initiatives for DL and establishing
support mechanisms for a variety of other Continuous Learning venues.
As a former Marine Corps Aviator with over 20 years of Military experience in training and education, Mr Hazard possesses a broad range of organisational and systems skills. He is an experienced accident investigator, who specialised in causation analysis and risk management while lecturing at the Naval Postgraduate School. His research and presentations have been in the areas of adapting DL strategies within DoD, Faculty Development, benchmarking the DL process within Industry and Academia and the value of DL Partnering. As Academic Support Faculty, he interacts with Faculty and Staff in establishing programmatic requirements for NPS' offering of unique, relevant content to communities of DoD learners who are unable to attend NPS, due to operational commitments.
Mr Hazard's focus is towards the effective use of technology to enhance learning through distributed methodologies. His organisational and leadership skills have enabled NPS faculty and other DoD customers to properly allocate and utilise those resources necessary for the quality assured transition process required to move traditional classroom curriculum to both a "blended" and Web based learning environment. He is a voting member of the Navy's Integrated Learning Environment (ILE) Oversight Board and Chairman of the DL subcommittee for the Military Education Coordinating Council (MECC).
A native Californian, Mr Hazard attended both California State University,
Fullerton, in 1974 where he received a BA in Business Management and the University
of Southern California in 1976 where he received an MS in Systems Management,
prior to joining the Marine Corps. His Civilian Awards include the Joint Chiefs
Meritorious Civilian Medal and the Navy Meritorious Civilian Medal.
Topic
Active Learning: profile of a partnership with University of Virginia, HP, Thomson
Learning and Microsoft
Abstract
University of Virginia's Grisham and Thomson Learning's Sabosik will present
the results of an industry-academic collaboration to develop the next generation
of classroom and instructional material that focuses on student learning through
the use of interactive models, simulations, and in-class collaboration and group
exercises. Tablet PCs, contributed by HP, Microsoft OneNote software and Thomson
Learning's integrated digital solutions come together in UVA's wireless classrooms
and wired campus. The Tablet PC, and Thomson content designed specifically for
use on the Tablet, is changing the way students learn, engaging them more in
visualisation and problem solving. The partnership hired independent researchers
to measure student learning outcomes and evaluate the success of the project.
Some early results will be presented along with this case study.
Biography
Michael Humke is the director of higher education at HP and is responsible
for all related products, services, solutions and sales for the North America
market. Michael is responsible for the Higher Education market and leads the
strategic planning efforts to identify and promote products, solutions and services
that best meet the needs of the higher education customers. He also holds a
seat on the HP Philanthropy Board, the Board of Directors for the Thurgood Marshall
Foundation and the WebCampus, Steven's board at the Stevens Institute of Technology.
He is active in programmes and projects within the Higher Education community.
When Michael joined HP in 1999, he brought more than 25 years of public sector and commercial sales and marketing experience to the position, having held executive positions with Lexmark International, Apple Computer and IBM.
Michael is originally from Iowa, is a graduate from Drake University in Des
Moines, Iowa and a former Marine and Vietnam veteran. He has a family of three
children and is actively involved in the community through Junior Achievement
and volunteers to teach business economics in at-risk schools.
Topic
Understanding the brakes and drivers for e-Learning
Abstract
The Department for Education and Skills (UK) published a consultation document
'Towards a Unified e-Learning Strategy' in July 2003, which identified a set
of priorities and proposals to address the challenges of our future education
systems. The ultimate goal is to develop a unified strategy to meet the needs
of the 21st century society and its citizens.
The consultation process was extensive, revealing the key drivers and brakes
affecting change in educational institutions and the workplace. The project
also highlighted the relevant issues with respect to the potential of our future
e-learning environments to support personalised learning in formal and informal
contexts, as well as a number of critical dependencies for achieving improved
learner choice and flexibility. And finally, the role of Government to contribute
towards a unified e-Learning Strategy which reflects the needs and expectations
of any increasingly diverse number of e-learning constituents, was considered.
Biography
Diana Laurillard is Head of the e-Learning Strategy Unit at the UK Government's
Department for Education and Skills, and is Visiting Professor at The Open University.
She is responsible for developing a coherent e-learning strategy for the Department
across all the education sectors, including training, home-based learning, workplace
learning, and partnerships with private suppliers.
Professor Laurillard previously held two terms of office as Pro-Vice-Chancellor
at the Open University. During that period she was responsible for developing
the appropriate use of learning technologies within the full range of learning
and teaching methods in the University's courses, and for the structural reform
at the heart of its course production operations. By the end of her second term,
over 160,000 students were connecting online to the OU for aspects of their
study, and over half the courses had integrated e-learning with more traditional
methods. Her academic work spans more than twenty-five years of research, development
and evaluation of interactive multimedia materials and internet services in
education and training, covering a wide range of discipline areas. Her book
Rethinking University Teaching (Routledge Falmer, 2nd edition 2002),
has been widely acclaimed, and is still used as a set book in courses on learning
technology all over the world. This work has been recognised through her honorary
degrees from the University of Abertay, and the Open University of the Netherlands.
She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and an Honorary Fellow of University
College London.
Topic
Next generation of network services: PlanetLab and Croquet
Abstract
The triumph of the Internet has been in freeing users from geographic constraints.
Today's popular Internet services (e-mail, the web, enterprise applications)
are run on localised servers but are accessible globally. Current client/server
architectures are vulnerable to local disruptions such as power failure, server
crashes, flash mobs, and transmission failures. The next evolutionary step for
the Internet is virtualised global services invulnerable to local failures and
available anytime and anywhere. PlanetLab is a platform for the development
and deployment of such global services, and is currently running on over 400
machines at more than 170 sites worldwide.
Another next-generation Internet application is Croquet, an open-source software
and network architecture for deep collaboration in a shared, distributed, virtual
3D environment. Croquet users can create 2D and 3D objects, run shared simulations,
and use video and voice to coordinate their work as they explore and modify
the environment in realtime. A distributed synchronisation architecture (TeaTime)
coordinates multi-user interactions in Croquet without the architectural bottleneck
of a central server. Croquet provides backward compatibility to legacy applications
and environments along with a rethought approach to both user interface and
network aware operating systems. Croquet runs on Windows, Linux, and Macintosh
and is currently available as a developers' release.
Biography
Dr Julian Lombardi is a former biology professor, author, and award-winning
software designer with an interest in developing software systems that support
the gathering, representation, processing, and dissemination of information
that is distributed across many individuals. He brings his background in developmental
and evolutionary biology, complex adaptive systems, complexity theory, and in
the study of emergent properties in biological systems to his work in information
technology. Dr Lombardi has long been fascinated by the transformative potential
of new interface technologies.
In the late 1980s, and while a professor at the University of North Carolina he began developing instructional software for biological and medical education. In 1995, he combined his interests in information technology and evolutionary/developmental biology and developed systems and methods for enabling representations of network-deliverable resources to self organise and optimise within the framework of social computing systems. Based on this work, he was awarded a patent on technologies and processes for visualising and organising location-based information and in 1999, he founded ViOS, Inc. He served as ViOS's CEO and then Chief Creative Officer/Chief Software Architect. Over an 18 month period, he oversaw the successful completion of the company's core technology and the company successfully launched a user-friendly knowledge management and social computing platform with an industry award-winning interface.
In 2000, Dr Lombardi was the subject of a feature article in Success Magazine,
was identified as one of the nation's "Thought Leaders" in information
technology by Access Magazine Online and the ViOS product won Best
of Show at the Upside Magazine's prestigious Launch! event. Julian
is an independent entrepreneur who provides executive management and consulting
services for emerging IT companies. He also presently manages a software R&D
group at the University of Wisconsin-Madison where he helps define and lead
university-wide initiatives that seek to transform teaching and learning through
the use of technology.
Topic
Next generation of network services: PlanetLab and Croquet
Abstract
The triumph of the Internet has been in freeing users from geographic constraints.
Today's popular Internet services (e-mail, the web, enterprise applications)
are run on localised servers but are accessible globally. Current client/server
architectures are vulnerable to local disruptions such as power failure, server
crashes, flash mobs, and transmission failures. The next evolutionary step for
the Internet is virtualised global services invulnerable to local failures and
available anytime and anywhere. PlanetLab is a platform for the development
and deployment of such global services, and is currently running on over 400
machines at more than 170 sites worldwide.
Another next-generation Internet application is Croquet, an open-source software and network architecture for deep collaboration in a shared, distributed, virtual 3D environment. Croquet users can create 2D and 3D objects, run shared simulations, and use video and voice to coordinate their work as they explore and modify the environment in realtime. A distributed synchronisation architecture (TeaTime) coordinates multi-user interactions in Croquet without the architectural bottleneck of a central server. Croquet provides backward compatibility to legacy applications and environments along with a rethought approach to both user interface and network aware operating systems. Croquet runs on Windows, Linux, and Macintosh and is currently available as a developers' release.
Biography
Mark McCahill got his start in computing in the early 1970s when the first teletype
terminals and timesharing systems accessible to students arrived at his junior
high school. After staying after school for several weeks to teach himself how
to program applications in BASIC, he was presented with the delightful opportunity
to be the programming instructor for a few days in math class, because the math
teacher was unsure how to program.
After receiving a BA in Chemistry at the University of Minnesota, Mark took a job doing analytical chemistry and analysing the results on the campus mainframe with the unfortunate result of some shockingly large computer time bills. Others on the project forcefully suggested moving the data analysis to a newly acquired Apple II. This experience ultimately lead to a programming position at the University computer centre specialising in early microcomputers.
In 1989, Mark lead a team at the University of Minnesota that developed one of the the first popular Internet e-mail clients (POPmail) for the Macintosh (and later the PC). In 1991, Mark led the original Internet Gopher development team and helped invent a simple way to navigate distributed information resources on the Internet. Internet Gopher's menu-based hypermedia paved the way for the popularisation of the Web and was the de-facto standard for Internet information systems in the early to mid 1990s.
In 1994-95 Mark's team developed GopherVR, a 3D user interface to Internet
Gopherspace. Mark's current interest is in applying the lessons learned from
the first generation Internet information systems to Croquet. Mark is an assistant
director at the Office of Information Technology/University of Minnesota and
leads a group of developers supporting online instructional software systems.
Topic
Next generation of network services: PlanetLab and Croquet
Abstract
The triumph of the Internet has been in freeing users from geographic constraints.
Today's popular Internet services (e-mail, the web, enterprise applications)
are run on localised servers but are accessible globally. Current client/server
architectures are vulnerable to local disruptions such as power failure, server
crashes, flash mobs, and transmission failures. The next evolutionary step for
the Internet is virtualised global services invulnerable to local failures and
available anytime and anywhere. PlanetLab is a platform for the development
and deployment of such global services, and is currently running on over 400
machines at more than 170 sites worldwide.
Another next-generation Internet application is Croquet, an open-source software
and network architecture for deep collaboration in a shared, distributed, virtual
3D environment. Croquet users can create 2D and 3D objects, run shared simulations,
and use video and voice to coordinate their work as they explore and modify
the environment in realtime. A distributed synchronisation architecture (TeaTime)
coordinates multi-user interactions in Croquet without the architectural bottleneck
of a central server. Croquet provides backward compatibility to legacy applications
and environments along with a rethought approach to both user interface and
network aware operating systems. Croquet runs on Windows, Linux, and Macintosh
and is currently available as a developers' release.
Biography
Rick McGeer earned his Ph. D. in Computer Science from UC-Berkeley
in 1989. From 1989-1991 he was a professor in the Computer Sciences department
at the University of British Columbia. In 1991 he returned to UC-Berkeley as
a Research Engineer in the EECS Department. In 1993, together with Alex Saldanha,
Luciano Lavagno, Alberto Sangiovanni-Vicentelli and Patrick Scaglia, he founded
the Cadence Berkeley Labs where he served as a Research Scientist until 1999.
In 1998, together with Alex Saldanha, he founded Softface, Inc., a successful
software startup currently based in Walnut Creek. In February, 2003, Rick joined
HP Labs as Scientific Liaison to the Center
for Information Technology in the Interest of Society (CITRIS) program at
the University of California. He also coordinates HP's involvement in the PlanetLab
consortium, a worldwide overlay network currently consisting of over 400 nodes
at 170 sites worldwide.
Rick is the author of over 50 refereed technical publications, "Integrating Functional and Temporal Domains in Logic Design" (Kluwer, 1991), holds six patents and has won best paper awards at the International Conference on VLSI, the Cadence Technical Conference and the Hawaii International Conference on the System Sciences. He has served on numerous conference technical committees, and has served as General Chair of the IEEE Workshop on VLSI, the ACM/IEEE Workshop on Logic Synthesis, and the founding General Chair of the Tau Workshop series. He currently serves on the steering commitee of the PlanetLab consortium.
Topic
The future of e-learning: is the future already here?
Abstract
The history of computing shows that “big ideas” – even if immediately
recognised as such – take a very long time to achieve massive impact.Two
examples of this are Vannevar Bush’s Memex (1947) and Doug Engelbart’s
AUGMENT project (1969) which eventually led to the mouse, the bit-mapped screen
and many other things that we know so well today. What can we do to reduce the
time it takes for “big ideas” to make their way into mass markets?
This presentation will focus on critical success factors and novel approaches
to mainstreaming product innovations. Dr Melander will use Microsoft, with one
of the “hottest” R&D labs in computing today, as an example of
this challenge. She will describe the possible future of e-learning and related
fields (such as personal knowledge management, lifelong learning, and organisational
learning) through innovative technologies that Microsoft is working on with
university collaborators. Dr Melander will outline how – and when –
this next wave of “big ideas” might achieve large-scale adoption.
Biography
Dr Nicole Melander is Senior Director of Worldwide Higher Education Strategy
at Microsoft Corporation. Dr Melander recently joined Microsoft to provide thought
leadership to drive Microsoft's strategy in this important area. She is responsible
for designing and developing global programs for post-secondary education and
engaging directly with education leaders and influential organisations.
Before joining Microsoft, Dr Melander spent 16 years at Oracle Corporation. During this time, she held a variety of positions in consulting, education, sales, and operations. Her most recent role was Vice President for Oracle's ThinkQuest program where she oversaw all aspects of the project including partner management, product development, operations, and support. Prior to her role with ThinkQuest, she directed the international roll-out of the Think.com collaborative environment and implemented the Oracle Academic Initiative for Higher Ed in the US, EMEA, and Asia-Pacific. As part of the Education Initiatives team, she also helped design, develop, and deploy the Workforce Development Program and the Oracle Internet Academy.
Previously in her career, Dr Melander worked at Shared Medical Systems (SMS) and at Systems and Computer Technology (SCT) where she held various technical positions in software development.
Dr Melander received a bachelor of science in computer science from West Chester University, a master of science in technical management from Johns Hopkins University, and a doctor of philosophy in information technology from George Mason University. Dr Melander has a patent pending in the area of Information Retrieval.
Topic
NPS and the US Navy's Learning System of the Future
Abstract
The Naval Postgraduate School offers Master and Doctorate degrees in a variety
of technical and management fields relevant to the needs of the five US uniformed
services. The school has a long tradition of providing officers with intensive
research and education opportunities on-site at the Monterey, CA campus. As
the needs of the Fleet change, and technology allows new ways to reach and engage
learners, NPS continues to adapt its curriculum, faculty development programs,
and delivery systems to better reach out to the Fleet.
NPS was recently asked by the Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) to help define the Navy's "learning system of the future." What are the trends in technology, content, and delivery that will change the way the Navy educates its force during the next five to seven years? What educational topics will be most important? How will a typical sailor's educational experience in 2011 be different than it is today? And what does the Navy need to be doing now in order to realise this vision?
This interactive session will introduce some of the key trends that NPS has identified as relevant for the Navy, and will define elements of the Navy's learning system of the future. It will also give the audience an opportunity to propose, rate, and prioritize trends and developments that they feel are important to consider in forecasting the future of learning. We'll focus in particular on those areas that have relevance for universities and corporate training departments serving large, distributed populations.
Biography
Doug Nelson has built his career on a passion for teaching and a flair
for integrating technology and learning. Since graduating from Yale University
he has taught at the kindergarten, university, and corporate executive levels.
He spent five years with Apple Computer managing educational market development
and then online services in Asia, and ran an educational software startup in
Japan. In 2000 he founded the eLearning company Kinection, which designs and
develops learning games and simulations for corporate, government, and non-profit
clients.
Topic
e-Agenda 2004 International Summit opening address
Biography
Professor Ian O'Connor has been Deputy-Vice-Chancellor (Teaching and
Learning) at Griffith University since July 2002. He will succeed Professor
Glyn Davis AC as Vice-Chancellor and President in January 2005.
Professor O'Connor completed the degrees of Bachelor of Social Work and Doctor of Philosophy from The University of Queensland. He joined the Department of Social Work and Social Policy at The University of Queensland in 1984 rising to become Professor and Head of the School in 1995. Professor O'Connor was elected Deputy President (2000) and later President (2001) of the Academic Board, a position he held until moving to Griffith.
As Deputy-Vice-Chancellor (Teaching and Learning), Professor O'Connor is responsible for all aspects of teaching and learning policy, academic planning, programming, academic staff development, strategic planning and quality, academic staff policy and industrial matters. He chairs the Academic Committee and is a member of the Teaching and Learning Excellence Committee, Internationalisation Committee and Senior Staff Selection Committee.
During his academic career Professor O'Connor has held visiting fellowships at the United Nations and Asia Far East Institute, Corpus Christi College, Cambridge University and Hong Kong Polytechnic University.
Professor O'Connor's research interests are in the area of juvenile justice and child welfare and the future directions of social work and the human services. His most recent books are Social Work and Welfare Practice (fourth edition with Jill Wilson and Deborah Setterlund, 2003) and Contemporary Perspectives on Social Work and the Human Services: Challenges and Change (co-edited with Jeni Warburton and Paul Smyth, 2000).
Professor O'Connor has served as a consultant to, or as a member of, various Government and non-Government bodies. Most recently he was Chair of the Ministerial Committee Monitoring the Implementation of Recommendations of the Forde Inquiry into the Abuse of Children in Institutions.
Professor O'Connor is currently a member of the Australian University Teaching Committee, a director of Open Learning Australia, and a foundation board member of the Carrick Institute for Learning and Teaching in Higher Education.
Topic
Setting the scene with: 'Overview of global trends In financing and cross-border
education' and 'Relevance and quality of cross-border on-line delivery'
Abstract
Overview Of Global Trends In Financing & Cross-Border Education
The presentation will address important issues and trends that are changing
the landscape of tertiary education, including cross-border trade in higher
education and training services across the globe. It will analyse some trends
and will highlight the future importance and implications these services will
have on developing countries over the next decade. Recent changes brought about
by internationalization and the globalization of higher education have given
rise to new commercial opportunities and increased competition from national
and foreign providers in both local and foreign markets. The presentation will
cover important converging forces of change that are impacting on global higher
education and it will highlight certain realities about education financing
trends and how they are changing the global resourcing mix for higher education,
knowledge development and lifelong learning. The presentation will also touch
on some emerging examples where e-learning has an important influence in improving
access and opportunity for students wanting to undertake higher education and
lifelong learning studies across the developing world.
Relevance & Quality Of Cross-Border On-Line Delivery
The second part of this presentation will raise some serious questions and challenges
for Forum participants and for existing cross-border providers of distance and
on-line programs. There are questions about the readiness of developing countries
to accommodate foreign delivery of cross-border programs, including the space
occupied by the formal tertiary sector. As higher education has moved to become
more of a global enterprise, one of the effects of globalization is the intensifying
competition and cross border activity that is challenging quality standards
and expectations in these markets. Although there exists a large demand gap,
there have nevertheless been negative reactions from some developing countries
about the lack of suitability and relevance of content / courseware developed
in the west, that is traditionally based around western theory but can often
be lacking in relevance to local context. The presentation will also touch on
areas of local policy, social and cultural sensitivity and the way local culture
and traditions can determine or impact on the way local markets and their traditional
sectors operate. The presentation will also refer to important principles in
cross-border education provision that are being developed by UNESCO and OECD
with their member governments. Although the new guidelines are not yet completed,
the presentation will attempt to touch on some important principles that are
under discussion and the positive implications they can have on recipient student
bodies, on cross-border provision and how it is managed.
Biography
Ron Perkinson is a New Zealander who has held positions at Chief Executive and
Director level in large multinational service industries in New Zealand, Australia
and South Africa, spanning more than 20 years.
Ron was seconded to the International Finance Corporation in Yr 2000 to the role of Senior Education Specialist, to assist with the establishment of the Global Health and Education Group focusing on private education projects in developing economies. Ron is an educationalist who brings an international education business perspective to the IFC in a role that provides technical advice and assistance for private sector education projects involving K-12 schools; technical and vocational training; universities and higher education; ICT / education technology companies; plus distance education and e-Learning projects in developing countries.
In 1989, prior to joining the IFC Ron, was appointed as Chief Executive of Multi Serve Education Trust in New Zealand. Multi Serve was the privatised outcome of government education services after the sweeping education reforms in New Zealand throughout the late 1980's. Ron was responsible for the pioneering the successful development of Multi Serve in New Zealand and its international services in seven countries, in areas of education administration, project management, academic/ professional development, online and distance education, and information and communications technology services.
Ron left the teaching profession during the 1970s to pursue a corporate career
as Managing Director of international service companies in New Zealand and Australia.
He has been a Chairman and Director of private sector companies and has served
on a variety of government working parties and committees in New Zealand to
oversee or advise on public sector reforms.
Topic
Towards a global networking learning environment
Abstract
Today, as course management systems and course web sites proliferate, enabling
countless advances in teaching and learning, the promise of e-learning and the
potential of information networks lies in achieving a broader vision: a Global
Networked Learning Environment. The frontier of e-learning spans critical technologies,
new learning applications and industry collaboration models. Breaking down existing
barriers and enabling the emergence of a connected vision for lifelong learning
is a
compelling academic imperative.
Biography
As Chairman of the Board of Directors, Matthew leads Blackboard's corporate
and product strategy from an educator's perspective. Today, with more than 2000
client institutions, more than 12 million users, and approximately 500 staff,
Blackboard is considered by most industry analysts to be the leading provider
of online education systems around the world. He started the company in 1997.
Mr Pittinsky is responsible for Blackboard's initial vision. He coined Blackboard's rallying cry to "transform the Internet into a powerful environment for teaching and learning." His background includes training as a social studies teacher and he comes from a family of educators.
In 1999, Washingtonian Magazine named Mr Pittinsky one of the "100 People to Watch." In 2000, Ernst & Young named Mr Pittinsky and co-founder Michael Chasen, President and CEO of Blackboard, "Entrepreneurs of the Year for Emerging Companies in Washington, D.C." in addition to being honored as "Young Innovators" by the Kilby Awards Foundation, a distinction shared with other Kilby laureates, such as Vint Cerf, Marc Andreesen and Linus Torvald. Most recently, Mr Pittinsky was awarded "Visionary of the Year (2001)" by the Northern Virginia Technology Council.
Mr Pittinsky has authored numerous articles and has been quoted in major media outlets, including The Chronicle of Higher Education, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times and Business Week, among others. He recently completed his first book project on e-Education as editor of The Wired Tower, which looks at the profound impact the Internet is having on higher education. Mr Pittinsky received his undergraduate degree from the School of Public Affairs at American University and, an Ed.M. degree from Harvard University Graduate School of Education, and is a Ph.D. candidate at Columbia University studying the sociology of education.
Mr Pittinsky serves on the Board of Directors of In2Books, a non-profit that
uses technology to improve literacy in early education and on the and Board
of Trustees for American University.
Topic
Digital libraries as Cognitive Tools
Abstract
Digital libraries are organised collections of information resources and associated
tools for creating, archiving, sharing, searching, and using information that
can be accessed electronically. Digital libraries can store any type of information
resource as long as the resource can be represented electronically. Examples
include hypertexts, archival images, computer simulations, digital video, and,
most uniquely, real-time scientific data such as temperature readings from remote
meteorological instruments connected to the Internet. Cognitive tools refer
to technologies that enhance the cognitive powers of human beings during thinking,
problem-solving, and learning. Digital libraries have the potential to be exceptionally
powerful cognitive tools in the 21st century, but challenges remain in their
actual integration into teaching and learning environments such as K-12 schools,
higher education institutions, and science museums, especially with respect
to alignment among higher order learning objectives, high quality content, effective
pedagogical dimensions, appropriate technological affordances, and valid assessments.
Using the example of the Digital Library for Earth System Education (http://www.dlese.org/),
Professor Reeves will illustrate the enormous promise of digital libraries and
describe how the challenges can be met through design research and other initiatives.
Biography
Thomas C. Reeves is a Professor in the Department of Educational Psychology
and Instructional Technology at The University of Georgia where he teaches design,
evaluation, and research courses. Since receiving his Ph.D. at Syracuse University,
he has developed and evaluated numerous interactive learning systems for both
education and training. In addition to more than 100 presentations and workshops
in the USA, he has been an invited speaker in other countries such as Australia,
Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, China, England, Finland, Malaysia, the Netherlands,
New Zealand, Peru, Portugal, Russia, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Sweden,
Switzerland, and Taiwan. He is a former Fulbright Lecturer and the co-founder
of the Learning and Performance Support Laboratory at UGA (http://lpsl.coe.uga.edu).
In 1995, he was selected as one of the "Top 100" people in multimedia
by Multimedia Producer magazine, and in 2003, he received the first
AACE Fellowship Award from the Association for the Advancement of Computing
in Education. Also in 2003, his book (co-authored with Professor John Hedberg)
titled Interactive
Learning Systems Evaluation was published. Professor Reeves is currently
a member of the Core Evaluation Services team for the Digital Library for Earth
System Education (http://www.dlese.org/)
and a member of the Visiting Committee for the National Science Digital Library
(http://www.nsdl.org/). Both
projects are funded by the National Science Foundation in the USA.
Biography
Andrew Rosen LL.M., Chief Corporate Officer, President International
for Blackboard manages all strategic alliances, business and corporate development
and international growth, strategy and operations. Mr Rosen brings 15 years
of international, legal and operational experience to his role at Blackboard.
Mr Rosen is a recognized expert in guiding multinational and emerging growth
companies in global expansion, operational structuring, cross-border mergers,
acquisitions and integrations, as well as international business development,
joint ventures and financing transactions.
Mr Rosen comes to Blackboard from the New York law firm of Cahill Gordon &
Reindel. While at Cahill Gordon, Mr Rosen advised fortune 100 companies, investment
banks, hedge and venture funds, and multinational corporations in developing
and financing strategic and operational growth, structuring joint ventures and
acquisitions, offshore licensing and technology development methodologies, designing
financial products and structuring numerous financing transactions that included
leveraged buy-outs and mergers.
Mr Rosen began his career with Coopers & Lybrand LLP, where he was a consultant
advising global technology companies in structuring joint ventures and other
business transactions. Mr Rosen speaks frequently on international legal and
business issues confronting technology companies.
Mr Rosen received his undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan and
his law degree from Southwestern University School of Law. Mr Rosen also holds
an LL.M in taxation from the New York University, School of Law.
Topic
Strong options. Weak participation. Tangible strategies for engagement and persistence
Abstract
Sadly, while the graphics are good, the larger picture is not very pretty. Despite
incredible opportunities for e-learning, e-knowledge, and e-communities, participation
is spotty. People drop out of e-courses in large numbers, especially in corporate
and government asynchronous environments. Online communities start strong, then
dwindle. What can we do to reverse halting engagement and failure to persist?
Let's look at the literature, examples, and contemporary practices for attracting,
riveting and holding participants in the e-Agenda
Biography
Dr Allison Rossett, Professor of Educational Technology at San Diego
State University, is in the Training magazine HRD Hall of Fame, is a member
of the ASTD International Board of Directors, and is an ISPI Member-for-Life.
She was selected for ASTD's 2002 award for Workplace Learning and Performance.
Rossett is the editor of The ASTD E-Learning Handbook: Best Practices, Strategies, and Case Studies for an Emerging Field, McGraw Hill, 2002: (http://books.mcgraw-hill.com/authors/rossett/) Rossett's 2001 book is Beyond the Podium: Delivering Training and Performance to a Digital World (Jossey Bass, 2001). Rossett published the award-winning First Things Fast: A Handbook for Performance Analysis, and a supportive web site, www.josseybass.com/rossett.html. Prior award-winning books are Training Needs Assessment, published by Educational Technology Publications and A Handbook of Job Aids, another Jossey-Bass publication.
In August, 2000 Rossett published "Confessions of a Web Dropout" as a Training magazine viewpoint. She has since published articles on persistence in online learning and blended approaches. Allison Rossett's client list includes Microsoft, IBM, HP, the Getty Conservation Institute, AT&T, Fidelity Investments, Deloitte Consulting, MetLife, BP, the Internal Revenue Service, Transportation Security Administration, Royal Bank of Scotland, and several e-learning start-ups.
Topic
Active Learning: profile of a partnership with University of Virginia, HP, Thomson
Learning and Microsoft
Abstract
University of Virginia's Grisham and Thomson Learning's Sabosik will present
the results of an industry-academic collaboration to develop the next generation
of classroom and instructional material that focuses on student learning through
the use of interactive models, simulations, and in-class collaboration and group
exercises. Tablet PCs, contributed by HP, Microsoft OneNote software and Thomson
Learning's integrated digital solutions come together in UVA's wireless classrooms
and wired campus. The Tablet PC, and Thomson content designed specifically for
use on the Tablet, is changing the way students learn, engaging them more in
visualisation and problem solving. The partnership hired independent researchers
to measure student learning outcomes and evaluate the success of the project.
Some early results will be presented along with this case study.
Biography
Patricia E. Sabosik is Vice President and General Manager of Thomson
Learning Labs, a new unit within the Academic and International Group of Thomson
Learning.
She heads the TL Labs' initiatives, working in consultation with professors and students, to develop and deploy working prototypes of the textbook of the future -- whether all digital or a hybrid package of print and digital components -- in a number of key customer segments. Through the prototypes, the Labs will propose new business and distribution models, ways to operationalise the prototypes and identify potential technologies and acquisitions necessary to scale the business.
Prior to Thomson Learning, Pat held senior management positions in large media and publishing firms. She was Vice President and Director of Global Marketing for Factiva, the Dow Jones and Reuters joint venture, where she managed a global team responsible for corporate and product marketing, pricing, new product requirements and channel development.
At Reed Elsevier, Pat was Executive Vice President responsible for strategic product development. She was the first General Manager of Elsevier's ScienceDirect and launched that web business. Prior to Elsevier, Pat held business development and product management positions at America Online where she directed AOL's digital imaging strategy. She has spoken widely on the value and economics of electronic publishing and pricing electronic products.
Panel topic
Industry-Education partnerships to overcome the digital divide
Panel abstract
The “digital divide,” originally conceptualised as the gap between
the technology “haves” and “have nots", is now seen to represent
a much broader chasm—the availability of affordable access to learning,
readiness to participate in e-learning, employer dispositions to provide access
to training, adaptive systems and methods enabling participation by physically
and learning disabled individuals, as well as the availability of technology
tools themselves. In this discussion, the panelists confront the broader range
of accessibility to learning, and they engage participants on the new meaning
of the digital divide, on how partnerships are resolving the divide, and on
setting an agenda to anticipate and minimise future gaps in learning opportunities.
Biography
Dr Richard T. Hezel is president and founder of Hezel Associates. He built his
company in 1987 on the needs of educational organisations to harness the promise
of telecommunications and technology for learning.
Dr Hezel gained recognition as a national expert for his writing and speaking on distance learning policy, management, and research. His company has published Educational Telecommunications and Distance Learning: The State-By-State Analysis, providing a national perspective on the latest developments in educational telecommunications in the United States. Dr Hezel frequently speaks at conventions and industry meetings throughout the United States, Canada, and Europe. Dr Hezel is a member of several boards and organisations, including the National University Telecommunications Network (NUTN) and the United States Distance Learning Association.
Prior to establishing his company, Dr Hezel was a professor of communications at Syracuse University and at the University of Houston. Hezel began his career in broadcasting as a producer and director of public television programs at WCNY-TV in Syracuse, NY, and later at the University of Akron and its station, WNEO-TV.
A native of Buffalo, NY, Dr Hezel earned a doctoral degree in mass communication from Indiana University, a master's degree in television and radio from Syracuse University, and a bachelor's degree in history from Fordham University.
