VIRTUAL UNIVERSITY COURSES AVAILABLE ONLINE

Another milestone in the development of the Virtual University for Small States of the Commonwealth (VUSSC) has been achieved with the online posting of its newly developed course materials. The materials are available through COL's website, which provides free access to these university-level courses, along with many other courses.

 

The VUSSC course materials were developed at a series of pan-Commonwealth workshops facilitated by COL. Over the past two years, the Governments of Mauritius, Samoa, Singapore and Trinidad & Tobago have hosted VUSSC workshops to train educators in information and communication technology (ICT) skills. Participants at the workshops began to create course materials, continuing their collaboration after returning home.

 

More than 80 people have taken part in VUSSC workshops, and many have engaged in training others in the skills they have learned. For instance, workshop participants from Maldives hosted a workshop on eLearning and wiki skills for 20 educators at the Maldives College of Higher Education, and a three-year course on eLearning teaching and training for educators will begin in Maldives in July 2008. The ministries of education of Seychelles and the Bahamas have agreed to host the fifth and sixth VUSSC workshops in 2008.

 

At the most recent content development workshop in Samoa, 25 educators from 13 countries began to develop course materials in the area of Disaster Management. The course focuses in large part on mitigating climate change as an integral part of disaster management. After learning ICT skills, the workshop participants turned their focus to creating over 200 pages of learning materials on the topic.

 

The course materials developed at all four workshops are being converted into course modules using COL's Instructional Design Template. The courses are now freely available in multiple formats on COL's website. Institutions, educators, students, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), governments and lifelong learners can download the materials, customise and use them in their own programmes.

 

MS. NOMSA MNDZEBELE, LECTURER WITH THE UNIVERSITY OF SWAZILAND, LEADS A TRAINING SESSION FOR TOUR GUIDES USING VUSSC COURSE MATERIALS. THE UNIVERSITY INSTITUTE OF DISTANCE EDUCATION (IDE) HOSTED THE FIVE-DAY WORKSHOP IN JULY, THE COURSE MATERIALS WERE DEVELOPED AT A VUSSC WORKSHOP IN MAURITIUS IN AUGUST 2006. THE IDE IS TAKING PART IN AN INTERNATIONAL INITIATIVE CO-ORDINATED BY COL TO DEVELOP TRAINING MATERIALS IN CRITICAL AREAS AS IDENTIFIED BY THE COMMONWEALTH COUNTRIES, INCLUDING TOURISM AND HOSPITALITY.

 

  The course modules on COL's website include:

 

   * Entrepreneurship and Tourism,

   * Professional development of educators for practicing professionals,

   * Life skills for school teachers and counsellors, and

   * Disaster management for entry-level university students and professionals in the  appropriate agency.

 

VUSSC is helping 30 of the world's smallest states to build development capacity and strengthen economies through improved education. Facilitated by COL, VUSSC also receives financial support from The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation and the Commonwealth Fund for Technical Co-operation. Development agencies and others that are interested in providing funds to support course development and future content development workshops for educators from other small states of the Commonwealth are encouraged to contact COL.

 

VUSSC: DISCOVERING THE TRUE SPIRIT OF SAMOA 

MR. GABRIEL CARRILLO AT THE CONCLUSION OF THE VUSSC WORKSHOP WITH DR. EMMA KRUSE VAAI FROM THE NATIONAL  UNIVERSITY OF SAMOA'S INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY.

COL staff members are often the recipients of outstanding hospitality as we travel throughout the Commonwealth. We were especially grateful for the special welcome displayed by our hosts in Samoa at the VUSSC content development workshop in November 2007.

 

As the workshop was winding up, one of the participants, Mr. Gabriel Carrillo from Belize suddenly became very ill. Shortly after being admitted to hospital, numbness in his arm became paralysis in his arms and legs. As the doctors conducted tests, our hosts from the National University of Samoa stayed with him around the clock; one of them even slept on the floor beside his bed at night. Mr. Carrillo was diagnosed with a rare disorder of the nervous system. Everyone was relieved when, two days later, he regained function and was able to travel home to Belize.

 

"The people in Samoa didn't see what they are doing as extraordinary - it's what we do," said Ms. Jenny Williams, a New-Zealand-based COL consultant who helped facilitate the Samoa workshop. "We have a saying in the South Pacific: in times of trouble, your children are our children. That means we will take care of them as our own. Gabriel was a visitor who was a long way from home, so they saw themselves as his family until he was able to leave."

 

Mr. Carrillo arrived home in early December and is doing well. The care he was shown by our Samoan hosts certainly played a part in his quick recovery. Special thanks must also go to Ms. Williams who went above and beyond her role as workshop facilitator in co-ordinating Mr. Carrillo's care in Samoa. Thank you also to Ms. Helen Askounis of COL, who was in almost constant email contact with people in Samoa and made complex travel arrangements to ensure Mr. Carrillo's long trip home was safe and comfortable.

 

"I was very moved by the love and concern shown," said Mr. Carrillo upon his return to Belize. "Our Samoan counterparts came out in great support and made me feel comfortable at the hospital. I hope we continue to network and strengthen this partnership we've developed both on a personal level but also in support of all our small states."

 

 

LEWIS PERINBAM, O.C., LL.D., 1925-2007

"Lewis Perinbam was an inspiring friend."

- Sir John Daniel, President of COL

Dr. Lewis Perinbam, Chair of COL Board of Governors, died on 12 December 2007. Remembered as "Canada's gift to international development", Dr. Perinbam's many accomplishments include launching the Canadian University Services Overseas (CUSO) and influencing the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) during the agency's early days. 

 

Born in 1925 in Johor Baharu, (now) Malaysia, Dr. Perinbam was educated in Scotland and later emigrated to Canada, where he steadily acquired a national reputation for fostering Canada's role in international development through his involvement with different organisations, notably the World Bank and UNESCO.

 

He was the founding Executive Director of CUSO and Executive Director of World University Service of Canada.

 

As Vice-President of CIDA for 17 years, Dr. Perinbam inspired the creation of its non-governmental organisation and industrial co-operation programmes - the first of their kind in the world - and launched numerous initiatives to involve the private, non-governmental and institutional sectors in international development.

 

In 1997, Dr. Perinbam was made an officer of the Order of Canada for his "fresh insights into the relationship between developing countries and our own." He received honorary doctorates from six Canadian universities.

After retiring from CIDA, he moved to Vancouver and COL, serving first as a special adviser to COL's first two presidents, Dr. James Maraj and Dato' Professor Gajaraj Dhanarajan, before being elected Chair of the Board of Governors in April 2003.

 

"At an age when most people would be enjoying a well earned retirement Lewis came to his office at COL most days," said COL President Sir John Daniel. "He was an inspiring friend to members of the staff and during his time as Chair of the Board, COL's governance practices became a model for intergovernmental organisations. It was a privilege to serve under him."

 

Everyone at COL and members of the development community throughout the world will miss his wise and humane contribution to their work.

 

Dr. Perinbam is survived by his wife, Nancy Garrett, a sister and three brothers.

www.col.org/lperinbam

 

 

PCF5 RECEIVES OVER 500 PROPOSALS

Judging from participation to date, the Fifth Pan-Commonwealth Forum on Open Learning (PCF5) is shaping up to be a very significant event. PCF5 takes place in London in July 2008

 

When the dust settled after the deadline for proposals for contributions, about 550 submissions were counted. And, between its launch in early October and the end of January, the PCF5 website had been accessed by more than 4,500 visitors.

 

If you are planning to join the Forum in London, you're advised to register as soon as possible, as places are likely to be taken quickly. As July is the peak of the tourist season in London, you should book your flights and accommodation now.

 

The high level of interest in contributing to the Forum will create a busy programme. PCF5 Programme Chair, Dr. Roger Mills, says, "Instead of placing the emphasis on individual presentations, the PCF5 programme will allocate much time to focussed sessions that bring together scholars and practitioners with a shared interest. That way, we will ensure that everyone can contribute to addressing the main issues facing distance education and development work today."

 

All of PCF5's papers and other contributions will be published on the Internet, making them widely accessible to participants and others.

 

Proposals address each of the Forum's main themes All accepted proposal titles are now listed on the Forum website. Here's a small sample:

 

Governance, Conflict and Social Justice

·  Is distance learning effective in preventing conflict in developing countries?

·  Distance education as a strategy for eliminating gender disparity in Pakistan

Health

·  ICT and skills development in an HIV and AIDS context

·  Training medical technologists in the Caribbean

Livelihoods

·  Constraints faced in introducing technology to suit rural livelihoods

·  Open education and training in the travel and tourism industry

Children and Young People

·  Quality school education through open and distance learning

·  Mobile technologies for students with hearing disabilities

 

The PCF5 website also contains provisional programme details along with the Forum's first newsletter with  more information about the themes and theme leaders.

CAROL BELLAMY

BRENDA GOURLEY

BARNEY PITYANA

KAMALESH SHARMA

Guest speakers confirmed to date include:

• Ms. Carol Bellamy, President and CEO of World Learning; former Peace Corps Director and UNICEF Executive Director;
• Mr. Zamal Udinn Biswas,Grameen Bank, Bangladesh;
• Professor Lídia Brito, Universidade Eduardo Mondlane, Mozambique; former Minister of Education, Mozambique;
• Mr. Nicholas Burnett,Assist ant Director-General for Education, UNESCO;
• Dr. Astrid Dufborg, GeSCI (global e-schools and communities initiative);
• Professor Brenda Gourley, Vice-Chancellor, U.K. Open University, and Chair of the Association of Commonwealth Universities; and
• Reverend Professor Barney Pityana, Vice-Chancellor, UNISA - The University of South Africa.
• His Excellency Mr. Kamalesh Sharma, who will be installed as Commonwealth Secretary-General on 1 April (see "COL marks 20 years of progress at CHOGM 2007").

Professor Gourley will deliver COL's Asa Briggs Lecture, which honours COL's founding Chairman, Lord Asa Briggs. A feature of the Pan-Commonwealth Forums since the first Forum in 1999, the Lectures feature renowned speakers who discuss topics of relevance to education in the Commonwealth. A long-time champion of open learning, Professor Gourley is also Chair of the Association of Commonwealth Universities. 

Nicholas Burnett previously led UNESCO's team monitoring progress on the global Education for All objective. His opening keynote address will focus on the central place of education in achieving international development goals.

 

Collaboration

Organisers anticipate that one of the novel and exciting aspects of this Forum will be collaboration between contributors in advance and following the conference. With all abstracts and papers being posted on the Forum website and on the COL-supported WikiEducator, and ample opportunity for interaction at the Forum itself, organisers hope that participants will look for contributions similar to their own, contribute to the development of each other's papers and discuss possible ongoing collaboration with each other.

 

Nexus Strategic Partnerships

PCF5 organisers are pleased to announce that they are working with Nexus Strategic Partnerships, who are co-ordinating private sector involvement with the Forum, PCF5 publications and multi-media productions, and the Forum's Open Learning Technology Showcase.

 

Registration now open

Book your space now. Online registration for delegates is open and links to accommodation options are also provided. The full conference fee has been kept to a low £275 (early bird rate, available until 31 March) and the single day rate is £125. A limited number of subsidies are available for delegates from developing countries with major funding from COL, the University of London, the U.K. Open University and the U.K. Department for International Development. Other sponsors who have already made commitments include UNESCO, the Association of Commonwealth Universities and Athabasca University. Organisers will be pleased to hear from anyone who can help ensure that those who can benefit most from the Forum are not prevented from attending because of cost.

 

PCF5 is an international conference to explore the contribution of open and distance learning to international development goals, by opening up access to learning at every level. The Forum is for practitioners, researchers, planners and policy makers in the fields of open and distance learning and development. It provides opportunities to share experience and expertise, and to contribute to future policy and provision. Participants will represent the main Commonwealth, European and international institutions and agencies that are active in the field, including funding bodies and technology providers.

 

PCF5 is being hosted by COL in partnership with the University of London, as part of the University's celebration to mark the 150^th anniversary of the establishment of its External Degrees initiative. Conference Co-Chairs are Sir Graeme Davies, Vice-Chancellor of the University of London, and Sir John Daniel, President and CEO of COL. The forum is being organised by the University of London's Centre for Distance Education.

www.col.org/pcf5

www.WikiEducator.org/pcf5

www.londonexternal.ac.uk/150

www.cde.london.ac.uk

 

INCREASED FUNDING FOR COL

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown announced at CHOGM that the United Kingdom will increase its financial support of COL by 10 percent to £1.1 million for three years beginning in 2007-2008. Enhanced contributions have also been received from Botswana, India and Jamaica for this year; Nigeria has also announced its intention to increase its contribution level by 50 percent.

 

COL's $10 million budget for 2007-2008 is funded primarily by contributions from member countries, along with grants and contract services for the eLearning for International Organisations initiative. A record 38 countries contributed to COL last year, with a similar level expected this year. 

COL MARKS 20 YEARS OF PROGRESS AT CHOGM 2007

COL marked the 20^th anniversary of its creation at the biennial Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting (CHOGM) in Kampala, Uganda in November 2007. COL was created by Heads of Government at their meeting in Vancouver in October 1987.

 

COL's report to CHOGM, Towards a Commonwealth of Learning: Twenty Years of Progress, shows how COL has contributed to the achievement of the goals and aspirations expressed by Heads of Government at their biennial meetings held over the last 20 years. The report was presented to CHOGM's Foreign Ministers' Committee by His Excellency, the Hon. Burchell Whiteman, O.J., Acting Chair of COL's Board of Governors, COL's President Sir John Daniel and Vice-President, Professor Asha Kanwar.

 

A major strength of COL throughout its history is the flexibility and sensitivity which have characterised its work, Mr. Whiteman stated. "COL represents both the style and the substance of sustainable development initiatives and reflects the best of the Commonwealth in relation to dialogue, respect and understanding."

 

Sir John highlighted COL's work in three areas: Poverty and Food Security; Secondary Schooling; and Small States. The Ministers from Mauritius, Maldives and Lesotho paid compliments to COL for its work in the short discussion period following the presentation.

 

The Communiqué issued after the closing ceremony included one paragraph that dealt directly with COL:

83. Heads of Government expressed satisfaction with the achievements of COL in the 20 years since its creation by the 1987 Vancouver CHOGM. They commended COL's focus on the development agenda in its 2006-2009 Plan, Learning for Development, and progress in implementing the Virtual University for Small States of the Commonwealth, in which 29 countries are participating. Heads of Government requested COL to support member countries in enhancing access to quality higher education, encouraging member governments to enhance their contributions, as appropriate, to the budget of COL to enable it to carry out these programmes.

 

COMMONWEALTH SECRETARY-GENERAL ELECT KAMALESH SHARMA SPEAKING AT THE OFFICIAL CLOSING CEREMONY OF CHOGM 2007

 

His Excellency Mr. Kamalesh Sharma was unanimously elected to become the Commonwealth's next Secretary-General at CHOGM 2007. Ambassador Sharma is currently India's High Commissioner to the U.K. He will take office on 1 April 2008 upon the retirement of His Excellency the Hon. Don McKinnon, who has served two four-year terms.

 

Ugandan President, His Excellency Yoweri K. Museveni, is now Chair of the Commonwealth.

www.col.org/speeches07

 

 

Correction: The photo of VUSSC workshop participants on page 4 of the October 2007 issue of Connections was from a workshop at the National Institute of Education in Singapore. A photo of the Trinidad & Tobago workshop participants can be found in the online version of the newsletter at www.col.org/connections.