<<September 13, 2000>>
Archived distributions can be retrieved by clicking on the top lines of our home page at <http://www.friends-partners.org/GLOSAS/>.

Dr. Ihor Bogdan Katerniak <ik@uar.net>

Dear Ihor:
==========

(1) Many thanks for your msg (ATTACHMENT I) which is a draft of your paper
for THE WANDERSTUDENT 2000 CONFERENCE in Leuven, Belgium on 20-21 OCTOBER 2000.

This is very good and smooth writing!! Congratulations, Vita, for your polishing Ihor's original!!

However, I found a few typos -- use spell checker always whenever you write a paper.

I made a few changes -- hope you will accept them.

You need to bring back bold, underline, etc.

(2) You may create a conclusion at the end of your paper -- you may include
following phrase in it (or anywhere you deem appropriate) if you wish;

In cooperation with the U.K. Open University, the University of
Tampere in Finland and the Global University System, we plan to
hold a workshop (dubbed as Global eU2001) on April 9 to 12, 2001
in Sheffield, England with the support of the British Council.
This workshop will be in conjunction with the eU2001 conference
which is of the new project of establishing a virtual university
e-University" in England. Our workshop will brainstorm on the
procedures of forging ahead the Global University System/European
Regional Activities with Global Broadband Internet and Global
Service Trust Fund."

Best, Tak
****************************************
ATTACHMENT I

Business Education in Ukraine based on Open Standards and Partnerships / Global University System

Takeshi Utsumi, Global University System (GUS)
Paul Lefrere, Open University, UK
Ihor Katernyak, Viktoriya Loboda, Ivan Vasyunyk, Lviv Institute of Management, Ukraine

The dawn of the twenty-first century comes with digital revolution and
economic globalization with new economy. We are moving towards a global
knowledge society where information, skills and competencies become the
driving force of social and economic development. It is this confluence of
social, economic, and technological forces that create both opportunities and
challenges for global society as a whole. The challenges associated with this
transformation can no longer be solved with traditional educational paradigms.
Old bag does no longer work for new wine.

Processes of economic globalization are developing rapidly and are closely
connected with science-consuming high-tech production, knowledge transfer,
advanced management and the development of modern telecommunication and
information technologies.

The scientific and technological potential in Ukraine, a great number of
well-educated and talented people, the capacity of our market and the unique
opportunities for the introduction of investment projects require intensive
use of telecommunication technologies.

This is important for the development of international partnerships both in
education and in business, as well as in cultural understanding and exchange.
The market of modern technology is developing now but there is a great need
for a sustained, countrywide Ukrainian system for distance learning and
consulting on the information base of INTERNET technologies.

The slow change of economic systems in Ukraine as well as in other NIS is
partially explained by a lack of professionals with market-oriented thinking.
But in most cases business education is not available for talented people in
Ukraine because it is too expensive and there are no existing credit
mechanisms. A new and different approach to business education will help to
train a critical amount of business people, which will guarantee the promotion
of the market reform in Ukraine.

Entirely distance-taught courses and/or programs are ideally suited to the
needs of professionals who wish to combine work and study and who are looking
for a program offering a direct link between the course and the practical
application. They can be used to supplement traditional on-campus studies and
as a support environment for our existing book-based open learning programs.

The Internet will be the main telecommunication media of tomorrow, as rapidly
creating new opportunities for establishing international distance learning
programs. It has been extended to most countries, albeit with slow-to-medium
speed in most developing countries, and even in large parts of the developed
world. In this age, effective learning requires upgraded multimedia
educational materials that can best be distributed using broadband Internet
applications. Although the opportunities for international distance learning
are great and with creativity flowering almost everywhere the Internet
reaches, the global digital divide is also becoming a new dividing line
between connectivity haves and connectivity have-nots. The use of global
distance learning must be efficient and cost-effective, enabling educational
institutions that will allow us to foster global citizenship and achieve
"education for all" at anytime and anywhere.

The Global University System (GUS) (TM) seeks to establish distance learning
pilot projects using broadband Internet technology that can be disseminated as
"best practices" examples for the further development and deployment of
effective international distance learning partnerships in order to enhance the
teaching/learning capabilities.

As far as GUS foresaw that substantial social benefits would be brought by our
effort in those countries, they invited Dr. Ihor Katernyak and his colleagues
to participate in the Global Lecture Hall (GLH)" videoconferencing on New
Technologies and Distance Education" from Manaus, Brazil (October 21, 1998) --
see more in the web at <http://www.friends-partners.org/GLOSAS>. It was an
extraordinary historical event with panelists located from Tokyo, Japan to
Lviv, Ukraine, spanning almost 18 time zones. Our team demonstrated the
cutting-edge audio/video streaming technology via Internet to those Amazonians
in the middle of jungle.

GUS subsequently invited Dr. Katernyak and his colleague to participate in the
International Workshop and Conference on Emerging Global Electronic Distance
Learning/99" (Tampere, Finland, August 9-13, 1999), where we made
presentations with CD-ROM on the development of distance learning in Ukraine
-- see more at <http://www.uta.fi/EGEDL>.

The excellent work was made by Dr. Ihor Katernyak during his visit to the Open
University with a travel grant from the International Research & Exchange
Board (IREX), with funds provided by the Carnegie Corporation of New York.
During this visit the draft of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the
operation of the European Regional Group of the Global University System was
developed -- see more at
<http://www.friends-partners.org/GLOSAS/Global_University/Global%20University%20System/Memo_of_Understanding/Cover_Sheet.html>.

Basing on these hard track records, Ukraine was chosen as the first targeted
country for the operation of the European Regional Group of the Global
University System (GUS) to establish global distance learning system with
global broadband Internet. The other partner members of this European Group
are the University of Tampere in Finland, Open University in the UK, member
universities of the Distance Education Network of the European Association for
International Education in Finland, etc. The other regional groups are in the
Asia/Pacific (with Pakistan and South Pacific), North, Central and South
America, and Africa.

May 2000 came with the beginning of activities of Ukrainian Distance Learning
System (UDL System) Project in Ukraine. It is the first LIM project on
Distance Learning in Business Education. Ukrainian Distance Learning System
(UDL System) consists of educational institutions, corporations, and
non-profit organizations partnering together to build value through the
innovative application of new information technology to education. It assists
universities, schools and businesses in using multimedia, telecommunications
networking technologies to promote their product and services in the INTERNET environment.

Our goals are:
* create Global University System-Ukraine(TM) as a NIS's branch of the
Global University System (TM GLOSAS/USA), the goal of which is to
improve the global learning and wellness environment for people in the
global knowledge society where the global responsibility is shared by
everybody. The Global University System (TM) will coordinate and
facilitate national and international regional systems, which will
support and complement the traditional educational institutions by using
conventional methods in tandem with advanced electronic media to further this goal;
* broaden the scope of educational services by implementing the web
technologies to make business education and research more efficient,
accessible, and interaction;
* develop academic programs for distance learning on the basis of the
Partnership for Providing University Education and Professional
Development Globally and Equitably;
* provide professional development in distance education;
* create common course portfolio, develop professional certificate
programs, and distribute them to students, entrepreneurs, managers and corporations;
* assist universities, schools and businesses in using multimedia,
telecommunications networking technologies to promote their product and
services in the INTERNET environment;
* create a web-based learning environment which combines many of the
advantages of face-to-face learning with the best of open and distance learning;
* provide a flexible, user-friendly environment for on-line course
delivery, teaching and learning support, resource development and collaborative working;
* install information networks with two-way broadband digital satellite
channels for TeleMedicine and Distance Learning; connect Ukraine and NIS
to the highly-developed countries of the world;
* establish partnership relations with educational institutions in other
countries for the two-way international exchange of knowledge,
professional experience, methodological and technical know-how;
* develop a network of centers for technical and informational support in all regions of Ukraine.

The partners of UDL System from all over Ukraine have developed business
courses, including Project Management, Operational Management, Advanced
Marketing, International Business, Firm Start-Up, Business Communication,
E-Commerce, Decision Making and Risk Analysis, Project Expert as a Financial
Modeling Tool. It effectively employs the new pedagogy and information
technologies in business and management education in Ukraine; and models the
new learning environment for other fields of the education system of Ukraine.
With the help of a special scholarship program we are providing equal access
to learning for such people who need it but have no possibility to study in a
traditional way (women taking care of children, rural population, military men,
disabled etc.). Thus, Distance Learning for professional and business
development is available on the Internet this year in Ukraine.

GU/UA consolidates all professionals at the highest standards of business
education. In such a way that the GU/UA is not only an educational service
provider, but also a public union addressed to identify how excellence in
higher education can be defined and achieved in the third millennium.

While developing course design and curriculum as well as the distribution
models, we came across a number of problems, which require conducting research
and acquire a broad understanding of the main areas covered by the research
literature in open and distance education, and the sources available.

We have set six major subjects for our research:
1. Supporting learners and exploring the potential of on-line communication
in DL. Methodology, psychological and pedagogical aspects of DL.
Interaction between learners, their tutors and other experts, and how it
can foster learning in on-line courses. Student assessment.
2. We are looking for an effective way of infrastructure design and
effective computer-based support for collaborative learning and problem
solving where people are located at different physical sites and
connected via various forms of technology. How should groups of students
be constructed for maximum learning gain? How can we measure beneficial effect?
3. Cross-Cultural Approach and Gender issue (women taking care of children,
rural population, military men, disabled etc.).
4. Effective employment of the new pedagogy and information technologies in
business and management education in Ukraine. Modeling the new learning
environment for other fields of the education system of Ukraine.
5. Regulation, legislation and intellectual property issues.
6. Quality and quality standards, managing for quality in DL and receiving
professional recognition or accreditation.

Studying at a distance with the use of modern systems of data elaboration
distinguishes itself from atomized programs for self-teaching thanks to one
fundamental aspect: it does not "depersonalize" the learning process. The
tutor or other trainees are present and can interact with the learning
procedure. Continuous tutorial assistance to trainees is vital. The
interactive aspect is the main issue.

Most workplaces and universities/business schools are equipped with DP
network equipment, which can be used as study points and/or means of
communication for interactive forms of distance teaching. Therefore any offers
relative to teaching can be sent directly to the person's work place. Distance
teaching can be carried out through direct inter-exchange with the tutor.

DP networks are also useful for opening professional training to a wide and
distributed range of sources of knowledge, giving the possibility for trainers
or teachers to have access to on-line data banks, sources of information,
external expertise, etc.

Education and training are widely seen as the most important factor in
achieving sustainable development, and certainly represents one of the major
development activities, which stand to benefit most from appropriate use of
telecommunication. The possibilities of telecommunication in the delivery of
education and in promoting the transfer of essential knowledge hold promise.

Both students and online tutors are able to use the following tools in courses
and programs for distance learning:

Communication tools - provide two main tools for members of the group to
communicate with each other asynchronously:
* The Mailbox for messages from one individual to another
* The Exchange / Forums for group discussions around topics set by the
tutor or coordinator. Tutors/coordinators can set up areas in the
Exchange for more open discussion where anyone can post messages for the
whole group, and discussion "threads" can be generated.

Tutors can choose the topics they wish the group to focus on, and can create
additional exchange areas as necessary at any time.

Individual homepages: allow students and tutors to make online communication
less impersonal.

Each person has their own Homepage to which they can add a photo, a written
message and an audio file to introduce themselves to the rest of the group,
and which can be updated at any time.

There is a real tutor assigned to each course to monitor and provide regular
feedback on all students' progress. One of the most important principles
behind this program is that it encourages the sense of community. It is very
essential to create the environment, which also would allow and encourage
learners to get to know and help each other as they learn together, no matter
how physically distant they might be.

Notice Board on which the tutor and system administrator may post messages of the day.

Who's Online is also a good feature. At any time learners can see the list
showing who are currently using the system: reassurance that they are not
studying in isolation.

Development opportunities that become possible are as follows:
* to educate more people and support lifelong learning;
* to promote market reform in Ukraine by training a critical amount of
entrepreneurs and by assisting the growing private sector;
* to make education and research more efficient, accessible, and more interactive;
* to increase effectiveness of development of the academic and research networks;
* to integrate the scientific and business communities (technology
transfer and small business development);
* to reduce the isolation of disadvantaged rural and urban communities
and integrate them into economic life;
* to overcome communication disadvantages;
* to diversify into information-intensive industries.

Distance learning issues are underdeveloped in Ukraine and other Central and
Eastern European countries are just starting drawing attention to them. We
have to catch up with other highly developed countries where open and distance
learning phenomenon has become extremely popular. Research as a part of UDL
System activities can expand Global University onto other countries in Eastern
European region in 2001.

Our organization places an emphasis on quality in all the programs and courses
of instruction. Our undertakings include the most up-to-date research and
methods, the most recent developments and are supported and enhanced by the
latest advances in communication technology. To respond to the immediate needs
of students in Ukraine, we are offering relevant educational experiences not
readily available in local institutions, perhaps not available through any
other means but an electronic university that is interactive in nature and
global in scope.

An education of high quality must give students the most powerful tools of
thought accessible to them; it must give them the fullest and clearest version
of the facts; and it must interpret the facts, as analyzed by the tools, in
accordance with the best-articulated system of values available.

UDL System is searching for ways to make it possible for persons of any means
in any region of Ukraine to have the opportunity to obtain the highest quality
education, as we define it. We dedicate ourselves to the promotion of lifelong
learning, so that economic equity and employment flexibility may be achieved.

Improved distance education requires much better ways of presenting
information and of enabling learners to interact with facilitators to enable
the learners to process that information into personal knowledge. We also
assure close cooperation among various levels of education, e.g., teacher
training, courseware development, etc.

General Distance Learning Course Success Factors
* Usage of "enabling technology", that serves the pedagogical needs, not vice versa.
* Usage of technology to advantage with some added value, that is for
improving the learning mode, and not simply substituting the classroom
with a computer and remote access to content.
* Building communication community within the boundaries of the course,
program or institution, (which is an example of using technology to advantage).
* Faculty development.
* A distance learning course is a kind of a "resource center" for the
student: the content has been developed by an expert, interface designed
through collaborative effort of the expert(s), instructional designer
and the mentor, mentor spends time communicating with students, students
rely on each other as well as on Web resources.
* Students see reason for every step they make in the course.
****************************************
List of Distribution

Dr. Ihor Bogdan Katerniak
Director
Lviv Institute of Management-LIM
Technology Promotion Center
57 V.Chornovil Ave.
Lviv 79601
UKRAINE
Tel: +380-322-52 2681
Fax: +380 322-52 2682
Fax: +380-322-52 4463
ik@uar.net
tpc@lim.lviv.ua
http://www.lim.lviv.ua/
http://www.uar.net/conference/
http://www.lim.lviv.ua/english/de/
http://www.lim.lviv.ua:8900/on-line/Applications/DLS-presan_in_OU.ppt
**********************************************************************
* Takeshi Utsumi, Ph.D., P.E., Chairman, GLOSAS/USA *
* (GLObal Systems Analysis and Simulation Association in the U.S.A.) *
* Laureate of Lord Perry Award for Excellence in Distance Education *
* Founder of CAADE *
* (Consortium for Affordable and Accessible Distance Education) *
* President Emeritus and V.P. for Technology and Coordination of *
* Global University System (GUS) *
* 43-23 Colden Street, Flushing, NY 11355-3998, U.S.A. *
* Tel: 718-939-0928; Fax: 718-939-0656 (day time only--prefer email) *
* Email: utsumi@columbia.edu; Tax Exempt ID: 11-2999676 *
* http://www.friends-partners.org/GLOSAS/ *
**********************************************************************

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