Volume 6, Number 2 January 15, 2002

Balancing Act: Online Learning Becomes the “Third Shift” for Women
By Mary Lou Santovec

uch of the literature on working online education as a way, often the only Interviews with students, administra-
M mothers emphasizes their “second
shift.” The term refers to the housework,
way, of adding coursework to their busy
lives. They choose this route for career
tors, former students, business execu-
tives, teachers, and online researchers
child-care duties, and other responsibili- enhancement or to keep a job as well as were conducted at various sites including
ties women tackle after finishing their for personal enrichment. However, schools, homes, and businesses. Students
first-shift job. from all types of schools — proprietary,
In addition to their obligations as public, private, and virtual — were rep-
both an employee and parent, many resented.
working mothers have now taken on a Many working mothers have Some 60% of nontraditional online
“third shift” — online education. learners surveyed were over 25 years old
Adding online courses to their already now taken on a “third shift” and female. They ranged in age from 20
full plate has implications for both high- to “over 80.”
er education and society, said Cheris
— online education. “The adult women in this study look
Kramarae, a professor in the Center for to higher education for many reasons
the Study of Women in Society at the including career development, personal
University of Oregon. As the 1999-2000 “there has been almost no research on development, job requirements, and for
scholar-in-residence at the American how they are incorporating this ‘third obtaining information on a subject,”
Association of University Women, shift’ into their lives, or how online Kramarae said. “Many of them have
Kramarae authored the study, “The courses can best serve their needs,” said complex identities and complex reasons.
Third Shift: Women Learning Online.” Kramarae. They bring these complexities to their
“The majority of online students are courses. Preferences for certain kinds of
women,” she said. “Yet, while they are
Complex Reasons, Identities learning styles are aligned with real-life
the key users of the new technology-dri- The AAUW study surveyed 481 possibilities.”
ven learning, they are underrepresented women and 53 men. Kramarae and her The majority of the virtual students
in college administrative positions and in research associates collected data over a surveyed had educational goals and aspi-
the design of software and the develop- 16-month period using in-depth inter- rations similar to those of traditional-age
ment of online courses. The many cur- viewing and an online questionnaire. The students attending traditional bricks-
rently proposed and actual ‘revolutionary’ interview guide and questionnaire includ- and-mortar campuses. “Online students
changes in higher education involving ed questions about access to resources are seeking the same intellectual engage-
new communication technologies make needed for online learning, learning ment and richness that students seek in
this a critical time to examine what’s styles, best and worst educational experi- the traditional context,” said Kramarae.
happening with gender online.” ences, and experiences, worries, and suc- “Most of them report themselves to be
Women are increasingly looking at cesses regarding online education. highly motivated and self-directed. They
often mention specific goals and persis-
in this issue tence even when they have great difficul-
ty finding time and/or the money for
their courses. It’s important that online
Distance Ed: Women’s “3rd Shift”? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1
learning not give short shrift to these
In the Field: Engineering an Online Master’s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 goals and priorities.”
Global Village: Worldwide Copyright Treaty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 Most of the study participants believe
that taking online courses is more diffi-
Tech Briefing: New Frontiers In Video? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 cult than those taken on campus. “Many
Resources: Meet You In Lisbon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 mentioned the necessity of high motiva-
In the Field: Afghani At a Distance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8 continued on page 2
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2
Balancing Act...from page 1
tion, time-management skills, and ‘matu-
rity’ for success in online courses,” she
said. “Some of the women mentioned the
ability to work late at night or very early
in the morning as added benefits.”
Despite the positive aspects of online
learning, the study also found a down-
side. Many of the participants reported
significant anxiety about fulfilling their
other roles while having to study, con-
duct research, and write papers.
“For all the benefits of distance learn-
ing for women, these students still have
to make tremendous sacrifices to balance
the demands of work, family, and
school,” said Kramarae. “Despite the
motivation and dedication online learn-
ers demonstrate, our study found that
many of them are still made to feel that
they are letting their families down when
they try to further their education.”
Other concerns included the cost of
tuition and equipment, the course load,
and the lack of accreditation of many
distance learning programs.
Policy Recommendations
In formulating college and university
policies toward online education,
Kramarae recommends the following:
• Treat distance learning students as
responsible and intelligent individ-
uals, not as passive educational
consumers.
• Recognize that older students
using distance education are a less
homogenous group than on-cam-
pus students.
• Involve women administrators, stu-
dents, and teachers as active partic-
ipants and advisers in the planning
process for online courses.
• Find suitable mechanisms for the
continual evaluation of online pro-
grams.
• Be explicit regarding the institu-
tion’s mission statements on dis-
tance learning plans.
January 15, 2002
• Establish places for online students
to talk face to face when possible.
• Find ways to make women stu-
dents feel welcome online.
• Combine efforts to make political
leaders and policy makers aware of
the problems, especially financial,
that adult women face in trying to
continue their education.
• Consider rent-to-own or interest-
free leasing options for required
equipment.
“I could add that many teachers
expressed concern about how decisions
about online programs are being made,”
Kramarae said. “A director of a distance
education network at a private university
suggested that while most community
colleges and private schools have a long
history of bottom-up interest and plan-
ning in distance involvement, ‘the
publics,’ with their history of extension
schools, have been accustomed to dis-
tance learning decisions being made by
top administrators.”
This lack of involvement on the part
of faculty will eventually slow down
online learning’s forward momentum on
many campuses. “Faculty members at
several universities talked about how
administrators were assuming that facul-
ty did not need to be centrally involved
with making decisions about distance
learning,” she said. “They think that in
part this was because the administrators
did not want to talk about online part-
nerships they were arranging with other
universities, businesses, and venture capi-
talists.”
Online learning offers many women a
chance to achieve an education while
balancing other responsibilities.
Institutional understanding of the chal-
lenges women face can significantly
improve their educational experience. ●
Distance Education Report
in the field
Engineering Online Excellence:
Wisconsin’s Engineering MS the Product of Careful Planning
by Ellen Cook
hen Tom Smith, of the University
W of Wisconsin-Madison
Engineering Professional Development
Program (EPD), envisioned a distance
education masters degree program in
1994, he knew that planning the
Internet-delivered program would mean
a huge investment of time and work for
the development team. He seems a little
surprised now that he can also describe
the process — and the resulting interac-
tions among students, faculty, staff, and
administrators — as “delightful.”
In 2002, the Masters of Engineering
in Professional Practice (MEPP) pro-
gram is fully operational. The first class
of 24 students graduated in May 2001.
The presence of every class member on
campus for that first graduation is testi-
mony to group enthusiasm and cohesive-
ness. Two more groups are working their
way through the two-year curriculum.
Applicants outnumber spaces available in
these second and third cohorts.
Incorporating Twenty Years of
Experience
The UW engineering department has
designed and delivered local and distance
education programs to working engi-
neers for 20 years. Over the years, pro-
fessional engineers and their employers
have told the Engineering Professional
Development faculty about their learning
needs. Engineering faculty know the
audience and they know how to plan.
Even so, the success of the new program
has been a surprise.
EPD is designed to provide working
engineers with the skills and knowledge
to master new approaches, solve on-the-
job problems, and advance their careers;
to make participants more effective in
their jobs and their companies.
MEPP is a two-year program for
people who continue to work in an engi-
neering field while they study. Each
cohort of about 30 students comes to the
Distance Education Report
UW-Madison campus for one week dur-
ing each of the two summers of their
program. They take the remainder of
classes (two per semester) via weekly
hour-long Internet presentations, using
asynchronous threaded discussions in
chat rooms.
They work on problems in small
groups, using materials provided by fac-
ulty as well as resources made available
by the Wendt Engineering Library on
campus. They are expected to study and
A unique aspect of the
program has been an almost
lavish attention to the learner,
inside and outside the
program.
work on problems 20 hours a week.
They make presentations online using
PowerPoint and other technology. The
courses, which every student takes,
include Network Skills for Remote
Learners; Engineering, Economics and
Management; Communicating
Technical Information; Quality
Engineering and Quality Management;
and International Engineering Strategies
and Operations.
Tuition for the cohort starting in June
2002 will total $33,150 plus a few other
expenses. Most students are able to
obtain the financial support of their
employer for all or part of the tuition.
Participants must be accepted by the
Engineering School and must have had
four years of post-bachelor’s degree
experience working in the field. All stu-
dents go through the same course
sequence together, studying under the
direction of senior faculty.
January 15, 2002
New Levels of Student Support
A unique aspect of the program has
been an almost lavish attention to the
learner, inside and outside the program.
Prospective students are contacted at an
early stage and informed about financial
and time requirements. They are encour-
aged to discuss the program with spouses,
bosses and others who will be affected by
it. The program staff wants every student
to be successful but also wants student to
know that success will come at a price.
Faculty members and staff are alert to
the pressures that life can place on learn-
ers and work hard to make sure that
there are support systems in place. They
stay aware of family events such as births
and illnesses. They reach out to students
who haven’t been “seen” on the Internet
at the expected times.
Karen Al-Ashkar, admissions com-
mittee chair and MEPP program coun-
selor, has herself been an adult graduate
student. She knows the complications,
including those of registering at a giant
research university with almost 40,000
students. She works to help students
concentrate on their studies, not on
organizational details. It is her job “to
make sure that the relationships with
various entities on campus continue so
there can be support for the students” —
so that, for MEPP students, the face of
the school will be helpful human faces,
not bureaucratic barriers. With the rest
of the program staff, Al-Ashkar works to
make the technology a helpful rather
than frustrating part of learning and
communication.
While large organizations can present
bureaucratic roadblocks to innovation, an
organization the size of UW-Madison
also has much to offer a developing tech-
nical program. Planners drew from a
variety of resources in designing MEPP:
• staff who know how to use
advanced (and changing) technology
continued on page 5
3
 global village
Worldwide copyright
rotection of intellectual property is
P critical to economic growth, econom-
ic development, and wealth creation. A
delegate to a October 11, 2001 confer-
ence stated, “Any country that wishes to
achieve economic stability and growth
needs a strong system of protecting and
promoting intellectual property, which
should induce trust and confidence of
investors and stimulate creation.”
Protection of intellectual property has
become increasingly complex with tech-
nology taking creations to worldwide
audiences via satellite broadcast, compact
discs, the web, the Internet, etc. The
World Intellectual Property
Organization (WIPO), based in Geneva,
leads the ongoing international discus-
sion about copyright protection in cyber-
space. WIPO administers the WIPO
Copyright Treaty (WCT) and the
WIPO Performances and Phonogram
Treaty (WPPT), which establish inter-
national norms for preventing unautho-
rized access and use of creative work on
the Internet or other digital networks.
On December 6, 2001, the country of
Gabon acceded to the WCT. Now 30
countries have ratified the treaty, paving
the way for it to take effect on March 6,
2002. WPPT addresses the rights of pro-
ducers and performers of sound record-
ings. Twenty-eight of 30 countries have
ratified this agreement and WIPO
expects it to be in force soon.
Clarifying Rights
Both treaties affirm that the copy-
rights which protect reproduction of
original works are protected in the
Internet and digital media. The treaties
clarify that the traditional right of repro-
duction continues to apply in the elec-
tronic and digital media and confirm the
rightholders’ right to control making
available their creations to members of
the public. The treaties, however, also
clarify that countries have some flexibility
in establishing exceptions to limitations
of rights in the digital environment.
Further, the treaties enter new territo-
4
ry by ensuring that rightholders can use
technology to protect their rights and
license their works online. The anti-cir-
cumvention provision addresses the
problem of hacking by requiring coun-
tries to provide adequate legal protection
and effective remedies against the cir-
cumvention of technological measures.
The treaties do not include enforcement
provisions, but encourage all signers to
institute appropriate measures. The
WCT and WPPT require signers to
“provide adequate legal protection and
effective remedies against the circumven-
tion of technological measures, such as
encryption.” (from an article by Rick
Perera, 12/7/01 for IDG News Service)
Both treaties also contain provisions
on rights of distribution and rental and
rights to be remunerated for certain
forms of broadcasting or communication
to the public.
Reaching for Consensus
Only the United States and Japan of
the major industrialized countries have
ratified the treaty. The European Union
is expected to ratify it, but the parlia-
ments of all 15 EU member states must
first separately pass an EU directive with
similar provisions. This process is expect-
ed to be completed in 2002.
The director general of WIPO, Dr.
Kamil Idris, said that the WCT and
WPPT are vital for the further develop-
ment of the Internet, electronic com-
merce, and thereby the culture and infor-
mation industries. He stressed that the
treaties must be adopted by countries
throughout the world to be effective.
“While we have reached the key number
of 30 countries required for entry into
force, I urge all other countries to follow
suit and to incorporate the provisions of
the WCT and WPPT into their national
legislation. This will create the condi-
tions necessary for the broad-based and
legitimate distribution of creative works
and recordings on the Internet.”
When the WCT was proposed in
1996, several U.S. law professors wrote a
January 15, 2002
letter to the U.S. Patent Office, object-
ing to its adoption saying in part: “these
far-reaching proposals were not yet ripe
for action, in many cases were simply
mistaken and would have a negative
effect on privacy, free speech, academic
research and commercial innovation on
the Net. … We believe that this rush to
achieve internationally that which was
rejected domestically is … unwise.”
<www.public-domain.org/copyright/law-
profs.html>
Ongoing discussions
WIPO established the
Intergovernmental Committee on
Intellectual Property and Genetic
Resources, Traditional Knowledge, and
Folklore (IGC) in October 2000. It is
open to all member states of WIPO and
the Paris Union for the Protection of
Industrial Property, with observer status
for United Nations members. In
December 2001, the IGC approved a
number of tasks and discussions:
• establishment of model intellectual
property clauses for contractual
agreements regulating access to and
benefit-sharing in genetic resources
• further work on intellectual proper-
ty aspects of the documentation of
public domain traditional knowl-
edge and its inclusion in the patent
examination process as part of
searchable prior art
• further discussions on whether the
traditional intellectual property sys-
tem is sufficient in addressing tra-
ditional knowledge and folklore
with a future meeting scheduled in
June 2002.
A copy of the WIPO copyright treaty
can be found at <www.loc.gov/copy-
right/wipo/treaty1.html>. The treaty was
drafted in 1996. ●
Distance Education Report
in the field
Engineering...from page 3
• programming aces with the ability
to adapt course software
• the ability to identify and hire
nationally known curriculum devel-
opment specialists
• prominent, experienced faculty
members
• staff in existing programs that have
developed distance education
courses
The Importance of Planning
Smith says that the program was
planned “the right way,” using strategic
planning principles. It started with a
meeting in October 1994. The timeline
developed as follows:
1995 Concept paper
1997 May: Business plan
September: Academic proposal
1998 May: Implementation plan
August: Preliminary user interface
design
September: First three course plans
November: Student and faculty
training material drafted
December: First three courses drafted
1999 January: Pilot courses start
March: First Students Admitted
June: Class begins
2001 May: Inaugural class graduates
MEPP’s courses were all piloted with
a small group of six or seven students
before they were offered through the
program. Pilot courses, which used the
Tech Professionals Mentor
Teachers in Free
Online Program
TECH CORPS, a national nonprofit
organization sponsored by Compaq
Computer, recruits information technol-
ogy professionals to volunteer for a free
online technology-mentoring program
for K-12 teachers.
Its “techs4schools” program gives
educators with varying degrees of tech-
Distance Education Report
same curriculum and technology delivery
systems as the regular courses, started in
January 1999. The first students were
admitted in March 1999 and classes
began in June 1999.
The extensive experience of the plan-
ners is one factor that has led to the suc-
cess of the program. Smith, when asked
about possible mistakes in planning
MEPP, said, “I’ve made hundreds of
mistakes in distance education programs.
“I’ve made hundreds of mis-
takes in distance education
programs. We tried not repeat
[them] with this program.”
We tried to go back to experience and
not repeat it with this program. We may
have misjudged some things about who
could do what, but we kept moving. A
deliberated and structured approach kept
us from making mistakes.” He mentions
that content (designed precisely for these
students) and format (consistent and
dependable delivery mechanisms) are
keys to the program.
When asked if he had advice for oth-
ers considering distance programs,
MEPP Director Wayne Pferdehirt,
responds, “Most public or private univer-
sities should be sure to look at e-learning
nology experience the opportunity to talk
with certified tech-ies, via the web.
Educators and IT volunteers are
arranged into teams of 10 to discuss the
applications of technology in their
schools.
Users are required to register before
taking part in discussions, but the service
is free. Once registered, educators can
ask anyone on their teams about a host
of issues, including networking, hard-
ware, video, broadband, the Internet,
January 15, 2002
for the unique opportunities it presents
and not as a big get rich quick opportu-
nity. Deliver a quality product and you
can make a program successful financial-
ly, but don’t be driven by the motor of
making a lot of money. Get the curricu-
lum, get the faculty, get the instructional
design right from the start and price it to
cover your costs, not with the grand plan
of getting rich over a program.”
Consolidating Gains, Planning Ahead
Pferdehirt also stresses the importance
of evaluation and continuous improve-
ment. There is a new program impact
survey indicating the extent to which
MEPP has helped with various proficien-
cies and advancement of careers. Program
administrators get input from co-workers
and supervisors of former students.
Program staff share the same concern for
the future. They want to keep all aspects
of the program, and the technology,
updated and as responsive to student
needs as possible.
MEPP started with loans from EPD
and the Engineering School; they are
already being paid back. Companies such
as Harley-Davidson, Motorola, Mercury
Marine, and GE Medical Systems send
employees as students because of the
quality education offered.
Pferdehirt compares the development
and implementation experience of
MEPP to launching an airplane. “It
should fly, but you’re never sure. Now,
we know it flies.” ●
and operating systems.
The goal of TECH CORPS is to put
technical support within reach of all
schools, regardless of an institution’s
resources. Because the forum is free and
entirely web-based, it can reach educa-
tors located in remote areas or those who
may have minimal or no tech-support
teams at their schools.
Trial runs are offered to newcomers.
<www.techcorps.org/techs4schools/index.html>
●
5
 tech briefing
Let’s Go to Video: Video Transmission in Distance Education
Jennifer Patterson Lorenzetti
hatever your distance education
W curriculum or design, there’s a
good chance you’ll eventually want to
incorporate video transmission technolo-
gies. Choosing the right technology to fit
your curricular needs, student base, and
budget can be the difference between
success and failure of your project.
Warren Osterndorf, director of dis-
tance education and multimedia at
Rensselaer at Hartford (CT), a branch
campus of Rensselaer Polytechnic
Institute, understands this well.
One video transmission technique
used by Rensselaer is ISDN-based video
conferencing, the same technology used
to conduct remote meetings and training
sessions for the business community.
Osterndorf finds that the quality of
transmission is good enough to allow
students in remote locations to “see,
hear, and interact with the professor,”
and, since the university owns the ISDN
lines, it is sure of the state of the tech-
nology. Because the university has made
the initial investment in setting up the
network of remote locations, “the
expense factor is not that great.”
However, there are two major draw-
backs to using traditional video confer-
encing. First, you must make an initial
investment in technology — the alterna-
tive, renting video conferencing facilities
from those who provide them for corpo-
rate users, can be costly. Second is class
format: by its nature, video conferencing
necessitates a site-based model in which
students congregate to see transmissions
as a group. While this may work quite
well for regularly scheduled, synchronous
class transmissions, there is a whole dis-
tance education population that is
increasingly demanding any time, any
place learning.
For this population, video delivered
over the Internet may allow for what
Osterndorf calls a “student-based model”
of distance education. This model allows
students to access course video at any
time using their own computer, a con-
6
nection to the Internet, and commonly
available video software like Windows
Media Player or Real Player.
Built-In Problems
However, this increase in flexibility
comes at the price of some loss of con-
trol by the university. Schools no longer
have control over the network or the
hardware used at each end of the interac-
“We try to reduce the amount
of full-motion video,” said
Osterndorf, noting that
Rensselaer uses graphics that
are less affected by a poten-
tially choppy transmission.
tion, which means that the quality of the
transmission will be affected by a variety
of factors. Students will be at liberty to
use their own desktop or laptop comput-
ers, the configuration of which may
affect their ability to access the course.
Also playing a large role is the student’s
Internet connection: DSL, cable modem,
fiber optic network, or dial-up connec-
tion will all have an impact on transmis-
sion speed and quality.
There are ways to compensate for the
variable quality associated with streaming
video. “We try to reduce the amount of
full-motion video,” said Osterndorf, not-
ing that Rensselaer uses graphics that are
less affected by a potentially choppy
transmission and audio that requires less
bandwidth to transmit. Rensselaer also
stipulates minimum hardware require-
ments for its students to help minimize
the frustrations of outdated computers.
Another way to improve the quality
January 15, 2002
of video for distance education is by
using a method called “video over IP.” In
this approach, each user installs a piece
of software on their computer that allows
for smooth, consistent video transmis-
sion over existing Internet connections,
approaching the high quality of video
conferencing.
Building In a Solution?
Debby McDonald is CEO of
Vugenix, a company that provides soft-
ware for video over IP. “I’ve seen people
use hardware solutions [for distance edu-
cation]; it’s good quality video, but very
expensive,” McDonald said. Instead, she
suggests that using a piece of software
such as that produced by Vugenix can
open up distance education to a wider
population. The Vugenix software is
approximately $50 for each person.
“[We’re] going to have to continue
learning for the rest of [our] lives,” said
McDonald. For this reason, she believes
that higher education will benefit from
finding cost-effective ways to provide
video conferencing-quality transmission
to students over their own computers,
broadening the potential student base.
Osterndorf also predicts an increase in
the use of technology to expand the pop-
ulation accessing college courses. He see
an increase in the use of wireless Internet
connections for true “any place” educa-
tion, and he believes that “online access
through [your] computer is going to
become more transparent.”
With over twenty years in the dis-
tance education field, Osterndorf under-
stands that distance education “is a tool
to meet the needs of our students.” A
solid understanding of the video trans-
mission options available can help make
distance education a better and more
powerful tool. ●
Distance Education Report
resources
Quality Enhancing Practices in
Distance Education: Student
Services (ITC Publications 2001)
Written by 10 college administrators,
this new publication of the Instructional
Telecommunications Council includes
the latest insights on:
• providing a comprehensive orienta-
tion
• new student assessment
• helping students develop successful
career planning skills; creating a
model online student service center
• a consortial approach to providing
disability services
• flexible starts
• online library services
• online tutoring
• providing student life, bookstore,
and health and wellness services
online.
Quality Enhancing Practices in Distance
Education is edited by Christine Dalziel,
ITC, and Michele Payne, Kirkwood
Community College.
Copies are $20.00, and may be
ordered from the ITC website.
<www.itcnetwork.org/publications.htm>
Third Annual World Education
Market, Lisbon, Portugal, May
21-24, 2002
The World Education Market
(WEM) is a large-scale professional
event and marketplace dedicated to the
international business of education and
training. Last year over 1,700 partici-
pants from 62 countries attended the
second World Education Market in
Vancouver. WEM showcases educational
resources for all levels and ages of learn-
ers.
WEM brings together administrators,
decision-makers and executives from the
public and private sectors to exchange
ideas and develop business partnerships.
Participation is international, with repre-
sentation from school systems, technical
institutes, universities, governments,
Distance Education Report
international agencies, the training and
adult continuing education industries,
the computer software and hardware
industries, television, print and multime-
dia publishers, satellite, telecommunica-
tions, and cable companies.
The conference program also offers a
variety of learning opportunities. On the
first day, May 21, the program will
include keynotes, panels and special ses-
sions.
<www.wemex.com/>
ED-MEDIA 2002: World
Conference on Educational
Multimedia, Hypermedia &
Telecommunications,
June 24-29, 2002, Denver,
Colorado
ED-MEDIA 2002 will be held June
24-29, 2002 in Denver, Colo., organized
by the Association for the Advancement
of Computing in Education (AACE).
The conference’s scope includes major
topics relating to the educational and
developmental applications of multime-
dia/hypermedia and telecommunications,
including:
• tools and content-oriented applica-
tions
• new roles of the instructor and
learner
• universal web accessibility
• design of distance learning systems
• www-based course-support systems
• authoring tools
• evaluation of impact
• www-based course sites
• www-based learning resources
• www-based tools
• policy and law
• site management considerations.
More information and registration
materials are available at
<www.aace.org/conf/edmedia/call.htm>
January 15, 2002
Field Trips to the Louvre,
Minus the Bus
With the launch of louvre.edu, one of
the world’s greatest art museums is open
to students around the world. The
Louvre museum, Pages Jaunes (the
French Yellow Pages), and the French
Ministry of Education have collaborated
on <www.louvre.edu>, a website that
allows students to take a virtual tour of
the museum from classroom computers.
Over 3,000 works of art and 350
exhibit halls have been brought online.
The site features a cyberdesk where stu-
dents can “store” artwork for easy refer-
ence. With louvre.edu, students can
simultaneously gain experience with art,
and with the Internet.
The website was created in response
to a mandate from French Prime
Minister Jospin to make the web accessi-
ble to French schools and administrative
offices.
The Invisible Web: Uncovering
Information Sources Search
Engines Can’t See
(CyberAge/Information Today)
According to authors Chris Sherman
and Gary Price, some of the best online
resources are virtually invisible to search
engines. This team of Internet search
consultant and reference librarian has
discovered dozens of categories that are
simply not indexed by most search
engines, either because the engine’s tech-
nology can’t access them or because
search companies decide for business rea-
sons not to include them. They list hun-
dreds of examples of valuable resources
that search engines will not turn up,
from databases of museum art to real-
time information such as weather reports
and stock prices. The Invisible Web is
available at most book stores, or may be
ordered online at
<www.invisible-web.net/> for $29.95.
ISBN 0-910965-51-X. ●
7
 in the field
Afghani at a Distance: Closing the Language Gap
he events of 9/11 have affected both
T instructional content and the way it
is delivered at some U.S. institutions of
higher education. This is particularly true
of programs that address America’s
“Achille’s Heel” — the language gap.
After the Sept. 11 attacks, the FBI put
out urgent appeals for citizens fluent in
Arabic and Farsi.
Less common languages, such as
those of Afghanistan and former Soviet
Republics, have even fewer speakers,
teachers and translators available in the
United States. This language deficit is
part of a larger national problem that is
rooted in the U.S. education system.
Distance education and technology
may provide some answers to filling the
language gap and alleviating teacher
shortages. Four U.S. institutions of high-
er education are moving to address the
situation, partly with the use of distance
education. Nova Southeastern University,
University of Pennsylvania, the Defense
Language Institute in Monterey, Calif.
and Florida International University are
considering programs. The initial focus is
on Pashto, the language of the Pashtun,
the dominant ethnic group in
Afghanistan, which is not presently stud-
ied in American colleges.
The Pashtuns are ethnically related to
the Kurds in Iraq, Turkey, Iran, and
Syria. Pashto belongs to the Indo-
European family of languages and is dis-
tantly related to English (the Pashto
word storee shows an historic echo with
the English word, “star”). Despite the
fact that Pashto is written in a variant of
Arabic script, and has many Arabic loan
words, particularly from the Koran
(Qu’ran), it is not related to that lan-
guage group. A now famous Arabic loan
word is taliban, meaning students.
Rapid Linguistic Response
Nova Southeastern University, located
in Davie, Florida is one of 24 schools
where soldiers enrolled in AUAO (Army
University Access Online or eArmyU)
are able to take courses. NSU is creating
8
its own distance-learning course in
Pashto, says Martha Smith-Singleton,
executive director for the university’s
NSU Communiversity. The course,
which mixes traditional teaching in the
classroom with online options, should be
ready in early 2002. Nova could provide
its Pashto courses to eArmyU, says
Smith-Singleton.
Because there are few teachers, NSU
Distance education and
technology may provide some
answers to filling the language
gap and alleviating teacher
shortages.
plans to offer a technologically blended
program to students interested in Pashto.
Nova is considering using a language
training system developed by Miami-
Dade Community College Professor
Steven Donahue, who has adapted exist-
ing language-education software into a
Pashto primer. Donahue teamed up with
a native Pashto speaker who works for
the Voice of America, the U.S. govern-
ment’s worldwide radio station. A dis-
tance education-centered vocabulary sys-
tem of 1,000 Pashto words was pro-
duced. The system allows a student to
learn basic words and phrases through a
smorgasbord of choices. Access options
include the Web, through Internet-
enabled phones or Palm Pilot-like
devices, on CDs, or even “Pashto-by-
Phone” via an Automatic Speech
Recognition system that evaluates a stu-
dent’s pronunciation and sends a report
to an online database. “It’s like a lan-
guage laboratory, but with the conve-
nience of a toll-free number,” says
Donahue.
January 15, 2002
Teacherless Courses
Schools are grappling with how to
teach languages in the face of a shortage
of qualified teachers. Nova may offer an
online Pashto class if it can’t find enough
local interest, said Alejandra Parra, an
academic director at NSU’s Language
Institute. Florida International and Nova
Southeastern are both considering using
Donahue’s program. Hoping to meet the
new need for Pashto classes, Donahue
says his “dictionary on steroids” is a
“quick and dirty field manual that stu-
dents can use to learn core vocabulary. It
can stand on its own or serve as a lan-
guage laboratory for a traditional class-
room course.”
But will the interest to build this kind
of foreign language course last? NSU’s
Parra doesn’t know whether there will be
interest in Pashto in a year, especially
because of the fast pace of the military
campaign in Afghanistan. Will students
still be interested in learning Pashto if
the U.S. goes somewhere else? “We’ll
get this organized, do the marketing and
see what happens,” Parra says.
Commenting on the critical need to
teach less commonly taught languages,
Ray Ferrero, Jr., President of NSU said,
“I think it is going to be very important.
I am glad that we are at the forefront of
trying to provide this type of education.”
Dr. Smith-Singleton, and the others
think that interest in Pashto will only
grow in the near future, even though the
American campaign in Afghanistan has
almost ended and the Taliban militia
dismantled. Peacekeeping and rebuilding
Afghanistan’s government and infra-
structure will take years, and knowledge
of Pashto will remain important. ●
Distance Education Report