I.
Introduction
In the beginning, there was the Word, and
the Word was with God, and
God was the Word.
Book of John (1:1)
The word is a basic unit of human communications for dialogue, which is the basis of diplomacy for global peace. The Greek origin of the "word" here is logos which is the origin of "logic," e.g., Yes or No, One (1) or Zero (0), which is the basis of digital computers and telecommunication, e.g., the Internet.
The dawn of the twenty-first century came with a digital revolution and economic globalization. We have been moving towards a global knowledge society where information skills and competence become the driving forces of social and economic development. Effective learning requires upgraded multimedia educational materials, preferably distributed and using broadband Internet applications. The use of these applications for global e-learning and e-healthcare/telemedicine must be efficient and cost-effective, enabling educational institutions to foster global citizenship and achieve "education and healthcare for all" at anytime, anywhere and at any pace. We believe that the Internet will be the main telecommunication media of tomorrow. Broadband Internet holds great promise for improving multimedia e-learning and e-healthcare capabilities in global scale, especially in rural and isolated areas that are not well served by commercial network providers.
The globalization of society and the rise of a knowledge-based economy have been combined in the past decade to impose drastically raised expectations upon higher education institutions. Governments and corporations look to universities for innovative uses of new information technologies in teaching and administration, while also expecting that universities will make their students sufficiently technology-literate to participate in a global economy. This vision of the new university emphasizes more than before the role of market forces in shaping the institution, the need to respond to users´ needs, and the need to deliver knowledge continuously through distance learning and lifelong learning. However, the vast majority of universities as well as the public and private organizations they work with are unprepared to reorganize themselves to address these new demands (Jacobs, J. S., 2002).
II.
Global Trends and Associated Problems
The Toda Institute for Global Peace and Policy Research at the University of Hawaii (Toda, 2000) has identified three megatrends that characterize our own era and perhaps the rest of the 21st century, including globalization, regionalization, and democratization. The evolution of the global system must be clearly studied in the context of these trends (Varis, 2002).
Although the three trends are deeply intertwined, there are significant lags and leads among them. While globalization is rapidly moving forward under the leadership of transnational corporations (TNCs) and intergovernmental organizations (IGOs) such as the United Nations, the World Bank, IMF, and WTO, regionalization and democratization have a significantly slower pace. Widening of wealth and income gaps within and among countries and regions of the world is calling for new modes of participation in global governance beyond the current nation-state system. Continuation of the growing gaps clearly undermines the social compact within and among nations and threatens global peace and stability.
Thanks to the most dramatically accelerating technological changes in recent decades, there is an urgent need to bring up youngsters with mutual understanding of intercultural issues and interdependencies of global affairs, by transcending traditional national boundaries and political ideologies, but firmly based on moral and ethical principles.
Therefore, a demand for a new renaissance education has emerged in Europe and the United States. It would combine science and technology with the arts, humanities and religion. In addition to this, new media and digital literacy are needed (Varis, 2000a). Media education should be aimed at children, parents and teachers and should be a lifelong process, which requires a coordinated approach also involving non-governmental organizations and media professionals (Parliamentary Assembly, 6 June 2000).
We are facing a third major educational invention in technology. The first was the phonetic alphabet, the second printing and now the third is telematics which means computers connected to networks. These changes were behind the ten recommendations of the European eLearning Summit in 2001. The idea is to remove barriers to access and connectivity, support professional development, accelerate eLearning innovation and content development, address the Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) skills shortage, promote digital literacy and lifelong learning, and explore sustainable public and private partnerships.
The only thing to add now in the beginning of the 21st century is that education today means a global challenge and dialogue between great civilizations, old and new. Furthermore, it is more and more an open, lifelong learning process for all. There may be a technologically integrated world but with too much of a digital divide and conflicts of values.
The problem can only be addressed with a qualitatively new kind of approach to continuing learning for all generations using new pedagogical, institutional and intellectual solutions in a new renaissance spirit. Also quantitatively we must be able to reach the large, young populations of the developing countries.
III.
Background
A. GLOSAS/USA
The GLObal Systems Analysis and Simulation Association in the U.S.A. (GLOSAS/USA) is a publicly supported, non-profit, educational service organization -- in fact a consortium of organizations -- dedicated to the use of evolving telecommunications and information technologies to further advance world peace through global communications. GLOSAS fosters science and technology-based economic development to improve the quality of life.
Over the past three decades, GLOSAS/USA has played a major pioneering role in extending U.S. data communication networks to other countries, particularly to Japan, and deregulating Japanese telecommunication policies for the use of e-mail through ARPANET, Telenet and Internet (thanks to help from the Late Commerce Secretary Malcolm Baldridge) -- which is now called “closing the digital divide.” This triggered the de-monopolization and privatization of Japanese telecommunications industries. This liberalization of the telecommunication industry has been emulated and has now created a more enabling environment for economic and social development in many other countries. Over 180 countries have Internet access and more than 550 million people use e-mail around the world nowadays. American and other countries' university courses now reach many under-served developing countries.
B. "Global Lecture Hall (GLH)" videoconferences
Utsumi realized that text-oriented e-mail was not enough for distance learning, especially in engineering and medical education, which requires graphs, images and full-color, full-motion video. Since 1986, GLOSAS then organized and conducted a series of innovative distance teaching trials with multipoint-to-multipoint multimedia interactive videoconferences using hybrid delivery technologies, which often spanned the globe and came to be called the "Global Lecture Hall (GLH)" tm. It originated at university campuses in the U.S., Italy, Brazil and Hungary, etc. It employed inexpensive media accessible to less developed countries. This type of event was characterized by the involvement of participants at many sites, using several media to facilitate interactions among them. Participants in several countries could hear, talk, and see each other while using methods affordable for developing countries (Utsumi, September 20, 1998). Some recent GLHs were as follows:
The 1998 GLH was conducted in Manaus, Amazon, Brazil to demonstrate;
- Parallel use of PowerPoint slides with audio conference with a professor at the University of Tokyo to describe his elaborate medical education system connecting about two dozen university hospitals around Japan with two-way digital satellites,
- Point-to-point videoconferences via inexpensive Internet between Manaus and Houston, and between Manaus and Ukraine,
- Broadcast of those demonstrations with BRAZILSAT throughout South America.
About 200 attendees (university faculties, K-12 school teachers, local government officers, etc.) witnessed their success, and firmly got the idea of the value of e-learning. We had very clear audio via Internet during this event, because EMBRATEL installed 3 broadband Internet satellite linkages with the US just prior to this event, indicating the vital necessity of broadband Internet.
The 1999 GLH was conducted during our workshop/conference at the University of Tampere in Finland (see below) with:
- Point-to-point NetMeeting videoconferencing via broadband Internet with Montana State University,
- Telemedicine demonstration with echocardiogram through ISDN line at 384 Kbps with Presbyterian Hospital of Columbia University in New York.
Both were very satisfactory from the standpoint of e-learning as well as medical diagnosis.
The 2000 GLH was held in Manaus with the following demonstrations:
- Telemedicine demo with the most advanced echocardiogram unit for diagnosis of a real patient by a heart specialist at the University of Michigan who gave valuable clinical suggestions to a local doctor,
- Inexpensive videoconferences between Manaus and Houston, New York, England, etc., via narrow-band Internet,
- Both of the above were broadcast via satellite throughout South America.
After this event, our Brazilian colleague could form a CampusNet coalition of the six Federal Universities in the Amazon region — see below. This event also encouraged the University of Amazonas to purchase a videoconferencing unit, and they have conducted several events with their counterparts around Brazil and even in Spain.
Thanks to such efforts, Utsumi had received the prestigious Lord Perry Award for Excellence in Distance Education in the fall of 1994 from Lord Perry, the founder of the U.K. Open University. The two-year senior recipient of the same award was Sir Arthur C. Clarke, the inventor of satellites.
C. Tampere Workshop
With the support of generous funds from the Ministry of Education Finland, the United States National Science Foundation (NSF), the Information for Development Program (infoDev) administered by the World Bank, and many others, GLOSAS and the University of Tampere conducted a highly successful International Workshop and Conference on "Emerging Global Electronic Distance Learning (EGEDL’99)" in August, 1999 at the University of Tampere, Finland <http://www.uta.fi/EGEDL>.
The event brought together about 60 decision-makers and leaders in e-learning and telemedicine from 14 underserved countries who discussed practical solutions for the implementation of affordable global e-learning across national boundaries. They brainstormed, and the workshop recommended the formation of the Global University System (GUS) tm with Global Broadband Internet (GBI).
The group also formulated specific pilot projects focused on major regions of the world to reduce the growing digital divide between information-rich and information-poor populations, in order to realize “education and healthcare for all,” anywhere, anytime and at any pace.
IV.
Global University System (GUS)
A. Philosophy
Western philosophy is characterized by analytical, scientific, objective, rational and critical thinking, as exemplified by “justice, equality and liberty” in American values, while the Eastern approach is characterized by synthesis, literature and art with subjective and emotional thinking, as exemplified by “truth, goodness and beauty” in Kitaro Nishida’s (1870-1945) philosophy. Neither can nor should dominate the other, but there should be close dialogues between them (Utsumi, June 24, 1998).
The Global University System (GUS) is adopting philosophies and principles that emphasize transcultural and moral values rather than ideologies. The priority is in academic freedom and quality in education.
B. Mission
The mission of GUS is not the mere enhancement of job skills with e-learning, but the creation of youngsters aiming for world peace and the eradication of poverty and isolation through the use of advanced ICT in remote/rural areas around the world.
C. Goal
The goal of GUS is to improve the global learning and wellness environment for people in the global knowledge society where all share a global responsibility. A central theme is the sharing and exchange of knowledge among the sectors of education-related research, industry and trade.
D. Objectives
The objectives of GUS are:
- To seek open, egalitarian and culturally transparent methods for achieving improved learning and healthcare worldwide, cooperating closely with people around the world;
- To harness the emerging technologies of broadband Internet connectivity among institutions of higher learning in developing countries in order to provide learners of all ages access to global e-learning and e-healthcare across national and cultural boundaries;
- To foster intellectual development of youngsters around the world in a creative competition for relevance and excellence through affordable and accessible broadband Internet;
- To support systems which complement the traditional institutions of learning and healthcare by using conventional methods together with advanced electronic media;
- To improve learning and health of the disadvantaged by increasing their access through the utilization of new technologies, basing its long-term orientations on societal aims and needs and reinforcing the role of service to the whole society.
E. GUS/UNESCO/UNITWIN Networking Chair Program
The Global University System (GUS) is a network of networks formed in particular by higher education institutions, but also by other organizations sharing the same objectives of developing a co-operation based on solidarity and partnership.
The GUS has group activities in the major regions of the globe to establish pilot projects. Each of them, with partnerships of higher learning and healthcare institutions, will foster the establishment of GUS in their respective regions, with the use of an advanced global broadband Internet virtual private network. They will then become members of the UNESCO/UNITWIN Networking Chair program (UNESCO, 2002). The GUS at the University of Tampere, Finland is the headquarters for the members.
F. Expected Benefits
When Global Broadband Internet (GBI) is available and interconnects member institutions of the GUS/UNESCO/UNITWIN Networking Chair Program, we can expect the following:
- Member universities will be able to build a network of facilitators for support of e-learners;
- Learners may take courses from member universities of different countries to get their degree from the GUS, thus freeing them from being confined to one philosophy of a university and one country;
- The broadband Internet will enable Web-based teaching with more interaction among/between learners and instructors compared with less interaction in replicating classroom teaching via satellite, -- thus stimulating global dialogues among them to attain world peace;
- Learners and faculties at the member universities can promote the exchange of ideas, information, knowledge, and joint research and development of Web-based teaching materials; promote community development and many other advances locally, regionally and even on a global scale;
- Researchers even in developing countries can perform joint collaborative Hi-Tech research and development on various subjects, e.g., Globally Collaborative Environmental Peace Gaming (see below), microbiology, meteorology, chemical molecular studies, DNA analysis, 3D human anatomy, design of space shuttles (a NASA project for training high school students around the world), etc., to name but a few.
In a sense, our GUS/UNESCO/UNITWIN Networking Chair program is to construct a global scale knowledge forum with advanced ICT, e.g., with the use of massive parallel processors of globally distributed and yet interconnected mini-supercomputers around the world through Global Broadband Internet (GBI) in a global neural computer network (see below) (Converse, R., September, 2002), (Sterling, 2001), (Access Grid, 2002), (Sun Microsystems, 2002).
G. Officers of GUS
The officers of the GUS are: P. Tapio Varis, Ph.D., Acting President, (University of Tampere, former rector of the United Nations University of Peace in Costa Rica); Marco Antonio Dias, T.C.D., Vice-President for Administration, (former director of Higher Education of UNESCO); Takeshi Utsumi, Ph.D., Vice-President for Technology and Coordination, (Chairman of GLOSAS/USA). The trustee members are: Dr. Pekka Tarjanne, (former Director-General of the ITU) and Dr. Federico Mayor, (President of the Foundation for Culture of Peace and former Director-General of the UNESCO). The special advisors are: David A. Johnson, Ph.D., (Professor Emeritus, University of Tennessee) and Fredric Michael Litto, Ph.D., (President of the Brazilian Association of Distance Education at the University of Sao Paulo).
V.
Global Broadband Internet (GBI)
A true revolution in e-learning and telemedicine requires high-speed access to the World Wide Web, and the flexibility to offer a variety of media. These might include two-way audio, full-motion video-conferencing up to MPEG4 quality, television-quality netcasting, and high-resolution image transfer for telemedicine. Such capabilities require medium to broad bandwidth. Developing countries need broadband Internet via international satellite and fiber-optic cable. The objective of increasing quality of audio/video delivery, high interactivity, and system throughput can be seen as a global objective of closing the digital divide to improve e-learning and e-healthcare services (Utsumi, Varis, Knight, Method, Pelton, 2001, p.4-8).
The GUS will foster the development of e-learning and telemedicine pilot projects using broadband Internet technology in order to enhance their teaching/learning capabilities. The GUS will also facilitate connectivity among current e-learning efforts around the world and will provide support and guidance to selected pilot projects serving as models for adoption around the world.
Figure 1
(Click here for larger diagram.)
Each regional satellite hub of the GUS will be connected with its counterparts in developed countries with the use of digital satellites across continents and oceans. However, if possible, it is desirable to use optical fiber terrestrial lines to avoid time delay latency for the round trip to/from a geostationary satellite. This is because latency, especially if more than one satellite ‘hop’ is required, inhibits effective audio conversation, which is an absolute necessity for videoconferencing.
Each regional satellite hub will then be connected to regional constituent member organizations (elementary and secondary schools, institutions of higher education, libraries, hospitals, local governmental agencies, etc.) in mid-range (50 to 200 miles apart from each other) using microwave broadband (1.5 to 45 Mbps) Internet networks.
Those organizations will then disseminate the broadband Internet service further to similar nearby (up to 25 miles) organizations using wireless spread spectrum broadband (3 to 10 Mbps) Internet networks, which do not require licenses in most countries. This is the so-called “fixed wireless” approach requiring “line-of-sight,” and hence this technology can be used only between buildings.
The users have to belong to the organizations using the buildings, hence prohibiting the use of the broadband Internet by individual outreach students at their homes. The buildings with a broadband Internet connection will then also become relay points for the “third generation mobile wireless” units at 96 Kbps or up to 300 Kbps, or better yet utilizing the “Wi-Fi” networks with 802.11b protocol at 10 Mbps at free of charge, both of which are now rapidly appearing in Japan, USA and Europe. This advanced mobile wireless unit with laptop computer will make possible e-learning for anyone, anywhere, and anytime with capabilities of Internet telephony, fax, voice mail, e-mail, Web access, videoconferencing, etc.
This is not only to help local community development, but also to assure close cooperation among higher, middle and lower levels of education, e.g., for teacher training, courseware development, etc. In a sense, the regional satellite hub is to be the major Internet Service Provider (ISP) of the global virtual private (exclusive) network (VPN) for not-for-profit organizations in the region, and the gateway to the outside world.
VI.
Amazon Project with CampusNet and Community Development Network
Our Amazon Project consists of deploying:
1. CampusNet which will connect six federal universities in the Amazon region by broadband satellite Internet, and
Figure 2
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