(An Academic, Business and Government Partnership)
Many thanks to the overseeing committee whose ideas and views are captured in this document. Dana Cochrane from On-Line Business System, Michael De Fehr from JDM Solutions, Dave Erbach from the University of Winnipeg, Nigel Lilly from IT&T, Greg. Loader from ManCET, Ken Penner from Productivity Point International and Jenny Styrchak from WorkForce 2000. A very special thanks to Brendan
Nagle whose unstinting work and flair for the written word has made this
document possible.)
Education & Training Structures Are Changing * Our Hidden Advantage - Education and Training - 1997 * Towards an Academic and Business Partnership * Why Here? * Why Education and Business * Local Responses, International Implications * Selling to the World * An Executive Director of Education and Training * Western Governors University (Attachment #1) * A Working Day for the Exec. Director (Attach.#2) *
An Education, and Training Consortium Education & Training Structures Are Changing Few would dispute the claim that advances in information technologies are changing the way we communicate. To see the nature of that change, consider for a moment the pervasiveness of electronic mail as a medium of choice for the exchange of information. Traditional locational barriers to communication are exerting less and less control over the communication process. The result of this shift to the digital future is a freeing of choice among communicators. The effect is a blurring of traditional boundaries in favour of a focus on the exchange of ideas and the sharing of common goals. No where is the liberating effect of technological advancements more prevalent than in the Education sector. The traditional classroom experience is evolving into a broader concept. Students, teachers, experts, researchers, industry representatives, suppliers, and customers are becoming part of the learning process as they focus on the exchange of ideas toward building knowledge and increasing competitive advantage. Distant learners are interacting with content freely without the constraint of time and location. A world of interconnectivity is being created - a boundless flow of interlinked learning and exchange networks dedicated to the advancement of human understanding. As the above chart indicates, the trend toward interconnectivity is increasing exponentially. Digital, networked communication is rapidly becoming the communication method of choice for all industrial sectors. At the same time two so-called laws are changing the cost-effectiveness of this interconnectivity. Moore's Law states that roughly every 18 months there is a doubling of computing power relative to cost (with no end in sight.). and the Law of the Telecosm states that broadband capacity will triple every year for the next 25. The apparent paradox of greater interconnectivity with less consequent costs points to our shared future - an increase in interconnectivity and an increase in the speed with which that interconnectivity happens. No where more than in education are the positive and negative effects of this social/technological paradox being felt. The educational process is being reengineered to speed the move to technology solutions and to modify the presentation of content to encompass the new digital reality. The educational infrastructure is building the institutional support necessary to use the new models of education and training. The prospect is one of interconnectivity, shared goals and improved bottom lines. The problem is one of time. The answer is a consortium which brings together, supports, and champions the efforts of education and business to work collaboratively toward shared goals and competitive advantage. Clearly, our shared future is a digital one. Just as clear is the understanding that few can predict with any accuracy the form of that digital future. Some suggest the Internet and World Wide Web are the future, others go beyond to wireless communication systems fueled by a world of satellite owners. Even though this lack of clarity suggests risk, the reality is that our digital future means new markets, new methods, and new memberships. How then should we craft a local response to the opportunities presented by that digital future? An Education and Training Consortium can build our response to the challenges and opportunities of the digital age. A consortium will help develop common goals for the innovators and adopters as they continue to capitalize on the future, champion the unimpeded exchange of knowledge regarding that future, and take the products of that interconnectedness and sell them to the world. An Education and Training Consortium will focus and accelerate Manitoba’s evolution toward the digital future. Our Hidden Advantage - Education and Training - 1997 Digital technology is ubiquitous in the education sector. The pioneers of the information age have prepared colleges and universities for the digital future. Collective knowledge has been and is being digitized and made available to a spectrum of learners broader than ever before. Resources are being positioned to provide students and faculty with the technological tools of the digital age. Education is using the tools of the information age to remain relevant and to prepare their students for the challenges that lie ahead. We begin from a position of strength. Consider the following:
Every time the infrastructure rumbles or changes, so does everything else in the economy and the society. For example, as we switched from agrarian to industrial infrastructure, we saw a slow, gradual shift in education from church to state, with government emerging as the major educating institution, and continuing so even today. Since we have now shifted from an industrial economy to an information economy, so too must our education system shift to one that furthers the collective wisdom of a post industrial age and seeks to capitalize on the opportunities represented by this change. While the altruism of the former goal is correctly represented by current institutional structures, it is clear that the latter goal requires an institutional arrangement which focuses on convergence. - a hybrid made possible by the technology of interconnectedness. That new hybrid derives from the pairing of education and business; in articulating joint goals, in sharing in the successes and failures of a post-industrial world, and in competing aggressively with those who wish to capitalize as do we. This coming together of business and industry is happening now. Educators have a business vision and savvy congruent with the best of the Fortune 500 companies. Business people expertly plan, create, and deliver educational products that include the highest of pedagogical standards. College and university presidents and vice-presidents are being drawn from business for their acumen, and academics are being lured to the business world to rationalize the educational programs and systems of some of Canada's largest companies. Both education and industry are working toward educational products that meet needs for employers and employees alike. Each has as a common goal. Both see the need to provide relevant educational opportunities throughout a learner’s life cycle. Both understand that learning is no longer encapsulated in the traditional stereotype of the kindergarten to Grade 12 to postsecondary progression; learning is a lifelong, anytime, anyplace pursuit. This shift in educational demand suggests a consequent enlarging of the educational market to encompass employee learning, consumer learning, post workplace learning, and workplace transition learning. Taken together, these non traditional learners represent the future of education as well as a huge potential market-a prospect that captures the imagination of business people everywhere. What this means for both education and business is that the time is
right for convergence. The two are increasingly thinking and acting alike,
a huge potential increase in the market appears imminent, each has significant
value to bring to the goal of accelerating the types and levels of interconnectivity,
and each has complementary interests - competitive advantage in the digital
world. The time is right for institutional response; a hybrid that brings
together the strengths of the education sector and focuses those strengths
outward.
While colleges and universities are responding to the demands of the
information age, there appears on the horizon significant demands that
will outstrip education’s ability to respond inkind. The variety of educational
opportunities is increasing as distance barriers are removed by technology.
Previously captive markets are able to look farther and to more educational
options than ever before. In the same way we are considering competitive
advantage in a global marketplace, so are educational sectors from other
locations considering our local market as their potential. Our provincial
politicians have been reacting by cutting budgets, moving to micromanage
and questioning the value of tenure. Students, parents, and employers are
looking for cost-effective solutions to their education needs An academic/business
partnership can fulfill those need for our local population as well as
build products that can compete globally.
Other exemplary sites include San Francisco State University's "Introduction to Multimedia" course, which features excellent design, interactive multimedia, graphics, streaming audio, and chat features In short, the evidence shows that digital learning is possible, is being done, and is being pursued by many organizations. We must participate fully in that environment. Worldwide markets and political forces are conspiring to generate a new design for educational institutions. Traditional institutional arrangements are facing enormous threats not only to their traditional business but in some cases to their very existence. At the same time, they are presented with enormous opportunities for significantly changing their role while improving education to prepare people for productive careers and meaningful lives. We have a well developed educational infrastructure that is prepared to accept the challenges presented by the digital age. Our educators and business leaders are poised to move ahead. Success will come with the creation of institutions charged with the task of supporting our intellectual capital, combine it with our business capital and focusing that capital on survival. President Munitz of the California State University (CSU) suggests that the potential for intellectual capital to produce initiatives needs to be blended with the economic realities and needs of the new economy: Drucker adds his suggestions regarding the future for the traditional institutional model: "Do you realize that the cost of higher education has risen as fast as the cost of health care? And for the middle-class family, college education for their children is as much of a necessity as is medical care-without it the kids have no future. "Such totally uncontrollable expenditures, without any visible improvement in either the content or the quality of education, means that the system is rapidly becoming untenable. Higher education is in deep crisis." Noam and Drucker’s observations aside, it is clear that a college education will continue to be an essential credential for a good job. However, students will look to achieve that credential within the context of employment. To service the new customers of education, value for money becomes the watchwords. The successful educational organization of the 21st century will resonate with these changes and will attract students and their employers in greater numbers than ever. The question is, how can we ensure that our University and College response is timely and can be exploited in larger markets? An, in what ways can a business partnership support that response? If Manitoba is to succeed in (a) developing a globally competitive position in the future training market while (b) developing a digital education and training capability out of which we can compete for the long distance education/training market then our business and academic players must converge. There are two strong arguments as to why this should come to be. First, business needs the pedagogical strengths provided by the education sector. The process of innovation requires idea discovery at its core but needs much more to be successful. Consider the following four steps in a successful innovation process:
As more and more curricula development takes place within a business setting the skill sets involved in the innovation process will become an important ingredient in the making of a quality educational product. The pedagogical skills that University and College professors have gained over many years of practice will become essential in any product or service aimed at the educational market. Many faculty are highly competent practitioners. They investigate questions, compile results, integrate their findings, bring clarity to a subject, and offer the new narratives needed for others to understand the subject. Their results are popular articles, books, simulators, tools and software. Their research directly supports the mission of teaching students to be competent. By participating in the research process, writing scholarly papers, building software and attending conferences, the faculty member maintains their valuable intellectual asset and improves their credibility as a person knowledgeable about the leading edges of their field’s technology. A "business design" for universities suggests that in order to adapt to shrinking funding, basic research will be performed primarily by faculty with proven records of accomplishment. The classroom application of basic research will rise in stature because it will be directly tied to the teaching of competencies, which will be central to the new educational institutions. Academics will participate in more of the "productizing" of new ideas improving the quality of product content as a result. This contribution to an education/private sector partnership will be critical in developing course curricula and courseware. These types of skills will prove to be very important to any partnership that expects to succeed in a highly competitive educational world. Second, academia needs business to help with building processes for steps three and four if they are to meet the growing challenge from educational institutions that are not geographically based. Innovative programs and services that do not follow the traditional academic model need to be productized and pushed to market. The first programs will be the demonstrators that change attitudes and understandings of the naysayers. A business-like approach will be the result of this collaboration - a collaboration that has potential across a wide range of activities from CBT, development of certificate-based courses, placement of technology on campuses and virtual universities. The two major players in this seem poised with complementary goals.
Educational administrators see it as a service to their students and a
potential for larger markets; and, private sector customers and content
developers see the potential for improved customized training and increased
business.
A great willingness exists on the part of the education sector to provide new learning opportunities. They see it as going after a market that typically does not come through their doors: students who live far away, or are disabled, or are employed full-time, etc. Moreover, with the coming of age of the baby boomers' offspring, college enrollments are about to explode and many universities lack the physical space to house more classes. We're seeing school enrollments grow as we have not seen since the mid-1960s and early '70s. K-12 school enrollment in the United States is currently at 51.7 million (exceeding the peak baby boom generation of 50 million) and is projected to rise to 54.6 million by 2006. Much of the distance learning debate is played out in the economic arena: Provincial legislatures, governors, university trustees are focusing on how they can get the biggest educational bang for the buck. They also need to think about that other university down the road or indeed around the world offering distance learning/Web courses/degrees and how these programs might lure their own students away. Courses without buildings, heat, utilities, etc. can make a lot of economic sense, both to prospective students and to the schools that offer them. This kind of thinking is driving university agendas and the bottom line can come down to "Embrace distance learning,". Lets consider briefly how an Education and Training Consortium would add value to the educational infrastructure. Customer focus will predominate whether those customers are students in the traditional sense, life long learners, or entire industries. Whoever the customer is, the new partnership will strive to provide meaningful learning products over their entire life cycle. As well, a customer focus will mean increased levels of service. Everyone will be a potential customer. Local Responses, International Implications One of the ways in which a Consortium will address the challenges and focus on opportunities is to help business and education develop their shared interests. Exploration as to the viability of new educational products to be developed locally and used on a local basis and sold internationally could begin in the following areas:
A Consortium will also help rationalize the use of resources in Manitoba to focus on goals from a global perspective. To compete in the new environment, we must consider the enriched educational environment envisioned by many educational leaders and frequently captured in the phrase "virtual university." The main features of this environment are the integrated networked delivery of multimedia learning materials, and asynchronous and synchronous conversations within learning communities of students and their mentors. The advanced network services that would enable such an environment would also serve advanced learning communities of academic, government and corporate researchers. The development capability for New Media Learning Materials, Web-based courses, and hardware design and content for Distributed Learning Networks all exists now. Projects of this nature demand broad skill sets not found in the education sector alone and require resources focused on complementary goals. A unifying institutional response could be used to coordinate projects larger than any single institution. The New-Media Consortium discussed earlier is an example of how synergies could be built to complete larger projects. Manitoba, like the rest of the Canada, is at a challenging place in the world of education. We are at the confluence of three major forces: a market-driven push to attract more students at lower costs, a robust Web instructional delivery system, and a large cadre of capable individuals adroit at using the power of New Media for economic advantage.
There is a growing and potentially a huge market for digital courseware outputs. The requirement springs from the need to support the continuous improvement and innovation of education, training and skills development approaches in business, government, and academic and community settings both within and outside the province There is a gap in the provincial and global courseware environments, which could provide an opportunity for Manitoba. We could become a leader in the development and support of continuous improvement and innovation support resources (i.e. courseware GroupWare, multimedia materials, modeling, data warehousing). Manitoba has the broad range of skills and capabilities from academic, public sector and private sector organizations needed to capture a respectable size of the courseware market. If we pull together as a community, we can access a wide range of skills and capabilities. Further, if we adopt a flexible, organizational approach we will be able to evolve continuously as market conditions change. Some of the many electronic training markets include:
The Manitoba educational system faces several realities:
The Next Step: Necessary Partnership Arrangements To develop the potential markets discussed above, we will need to attract organizations from the academic, private sector and public sector environments. Fully developing this market niche will require the participation of many organizations including the following key community participants:
TOP Given the foregoing stream of arguments it is recommended that ManCET move promptly to establish the position of: Executive Director of Education and Training. For necessary networking reasons, the position should have strong ties to ManCET, the New Media and Health Telematics consortia and MATA. The initial responsibilities of the individual would include:
There are many important advantages associated with this recommendation:
Few disagree with the fact that our world is changing. Few disagree with the idea that those changes require innovative responses to ensure future success. Higher education is feeling the demands of the new digital age and responding in the face of diminishing resources. However, there is looming a larger challenge brought about by the speed of change that outstrips the Education sector’s ability to respond alone. A partnership is needed. New institutional arrangements are required. Students will have so many options for learning that traditional formats will not be the preferred method of learning in the marketplace of the next century. An exponential increase in potential and consequent decrease in costs means the clock is ticking for all of us, and it may be wired to a bomb unless we act fast to take advantage of the opportunities, and avoid the threats, of a fully digital, networked, interactive, multimedia world. The task at hand is to develop a 21st Century strategy to define and secure advanced networking services for the constituencies of higher education and other profit and non-profit communities with similar needs. Our strategy should be to examine the current Network/Internet/Web experience in order to build today's market into a broad, commercially viable market for advanced network services. A partnership between business, government and academia can make this possible. No single entity can go it alone. All have common goals. The future lies in gearing up for the continuous learner. This new market will demand high quality education experiences that meet their needs. They will be bombarded with educational choice, and will select the best opportunity regardless of location. The potential exists to service this market and in so doing change the way education is delivered in Manitoba and the traditional boundaries between like-minded Manitobans. The Executive Director Education and Training, working collaboratively with hundreds of other Manitoba players can examine these issues and begin the development of a Manitoba-based strategy. Western Governors University (Attachment #1) Educom Review: Where did the idea of Western Governors University come from? Governor Romer of Colorado: I and Mike Leavitt, the Governor of Utah, came together upon this idea at about the same time, about a year ago. We both understood that this country has a great demand for new skills and knowledge in the workforce because that is the nature of the economy we are going to face in the next century, and because we need to close the wage gap. What this means is that there are many more people to be educated today, and we need to find a way to make learning more affordable and more accessible and still keep it high-quality. We then looked at what was coming onboard with new technology in the form of distance learning, CD-ROM, interactive software, and so on. And it is just obvious that there will be many new ways that we can create a learning experience for a person. E.R.: Such as . . . ? Romer: Such as this: Suppose you are a worker at a Motorola plant out in Arizona. You have a certain level of math skills, but you want a higher level of math skills. But you can't afford to leave and go to a campus; you can't leave your job; you can't leave your family. So how can we help you? By creating a place where you can walk into a computer setting and say to that computer, "This is the skill I have now in math; this is the skill I need. Computer, tell me where can I get that educational experience." You also say to the computer, "This is the time I have available, and this is the technology I'd like to use to help me learn." The computer then would scan what's available from 13 western states, and would deliver in a really quality way the educational experience you need. That's the first pillar of our plan, a kind of brokering of courseware from various sources, without creating a new faculty. E.R.: And the second pillar? Romer: The second pillar is competency verification. If you have taken a course, you've got to know whether you've really mastered the material. You need independent verification of your competency, once you're done, so that you know you got it. In addition, you need to be able to show your certificate to your employer, as proof of your accomplishment, and have that certificate available if you want to move on to another job or qualify for another college program. Independent verification of competency is a really important pillar of our new approach to the creation of a program based on individual learning experiences. And that was the concept that brought us to create what we at first called Virtual University and now are calling Western Governors University. We are trying to make education more accessible at a more effective cost, but the great uniqueness of the idea is that we are going to develop a verification of competency - a new approach, a new network, a new system, so that we can judge the quality of education beyond high school. Instead of focusing on just the quality of the input (how many faculty and all that), our focus will be on judging the output, and that means judging whether you have it or you don't have it. It's analogous to professional training and testing programs. If you're training to be a pilot, you first get classroom training and then flying instruction, but finally, when you finish all your training, you go over to the federal government and you say, "Give me a test, and if I pass the test, let me have my license." That is independent verification of competency that is universal in its recognition and its importance. Romer: Well, a new idea always encounters some resistance. But I don't think we will face much opposition if we make it clear that this represents an additional market. It's not meant to replace existing institutions. Of course, the existing higher education institutions know that change is going to happen to them too, but that's not what this effort is all about; we are not after their base. We are saying that there is a whole new market out there that is going to have to be served. And we're saying that if we can tap it efficiently, then they can learn from what we are doing and can incorporate elements of our approach in the way they do business. Many of those institutions don't offer classes after three o'clock in the afternoon; what do they tell a guy who works from 7 to 3:30 and has to get an education? Afternoon and evening may be the only time he has for it. I think the market mechanisms will drive quality and good price, if we allow the market mechanisms to move correctly. E.R.: Are you planning to focus on professional and technical education, as opposed to traditional liberal arts and science education? Romer: No, not really. I think the initial demand for this university may be for professional and technical education, because if a person is out on a job and can't break away, he or she is going to be very focused on the need to obtain some set of specific skills. But a lot of employers now are telling their workers: "If you can't communicate, you can't sell for me, and if you don't understand the culture of the West you can't sell in the West, so go out and take some Western history." Jobs are different now, and require a lot of different kinds of skills. E.R.: Let's go back to the idea of testing. How will that work? Romer: Let me give you an illustration of just one of the ways it might be done. We've got to do everything we can with what we've got already out there. Now, Sylvan Learning Centers are all throughout the western United States - probably the whole United States. We may contract with a center like that, which is already out there and say, here, we'll develop the learning material and you develop and administer the test. I don't know if there are competency examinations in freshman and sophomore English. I don't know if they are already out there. Maybe, maybe not. And if not, there's a lot of work to be done. I'll admit that what we're attempting is challenging. But it's supported by the right rationale. E.R.: Would the course offerings be limited to materials that could be developed within the western states? Romer: Well, at the moment, it's the Western Governors who are the ones doing this. That could change. We don't know whether we will include others or not, and we don't have any aversion to that possibility. It's just a question of what can be successfully managed. Let me give you another piece of this. Novell Corporation in Utah, which is in the computer networking business, has an educational program called the Novell Engineering Certificate. If you get one of those certificates, man, you can get a job anywhere, because everybody knows that really signifies quality. If you earn one of those certificates you've really got to know your stuff. Now Novell ought to be a part of our university. We ought to say, hey, Novell, you don't have to be a college or university to offer that. Offer that course through us. Keep the quality in it. You do it like you are now, and we'll do the testing with you. And the certificate doesn't have to be a Novell certificate. It can be a Western Governors University certificate. There are other companies doing similar programs. Why don't we open up that supply to the market out there? E.R.: How have established faculty reacted to your ideas? Romer: There has been a certain amount of skepticism, but I'm finding that good, creative faculty look with excitement at the possibilities. Look, we're coming into a new era. The traditional "talking head" in front of a class of 30-plus kids in college tries to accomplish three somewhat distinct educational transactions - (1) delivering information; (2) delivering skills; (3) providing coaching in the ability to reason. We need to look at that cluster of transactions and break it up. We don't need a talking head any longer to deliver information, so we reverse it, and make the whole process student-oriented rather than faculty- and institution-oriented. It's the student who needs to be sorting out what it is he or she needs to know, what course offers it, and how to get it. What that means is that technology will lead to a reexamination of how you spend faculty time.
A Working Day for the Exec. Director (Attach.#2) A Day in the Life Of Ed ,Executive Director/Chief Visionary "Education and Training Consortium (ETC) 1. He return messages the U of M research centre contact regarding the distance education project. Yes, the project team can use the new router interface being developed at the U of M site to speed network traffic to the remote sites. The team member from MERLIN will be happy because this tool can be used to speed other projects that they are working on now. Ed adds that the project team is searching ETC’s educational resource database for additional content experts to help in producing training materials on the project. The video producer, script writer, and code writer are not getting text content quickly enough. As well, the new MPEG compression system being used by the video production team cuts the expected rendering time of digital video in half. Does the contact have any suggestions for a possible match? Since an important client milestone is fast approaching, the project manager is trying to speed certain parts of the process. Next, Ed responds to the Mayor’s office: ETC would be happy to help the City develop a comprehensive IT training plan for its staff. Ed already has several partners in mind - Productivity Point, Red River Community College, and the U of W. As well, Ed can hardly wait to see who of the other ETC members might be interested once this opportunity is posted on ETC’s electronic bulletin board. Both partners and interested subscribers to ETC’s Intranet service will be responding. Ed proposes that once the project team is developed, work is conducted entirely through the use of "conferenceware" products. Ed knows that some customization of user interfaces will be required for the project team especially with remote users working together in real time on shared documents, whiteboards and file transfers as well as the virtual forums and chat rooms that will be required. He’s sure that local multimedia development companies will be able to contribute. Ed suggests the E meeting be held sometime in the next week. He immediately posts the opportunity and mails the three ETC partners regarding a face to face meeting sometime that week. Ed’s next message is from ETC’s marketing guru catching Ed up on the recent trip to Vietnam. It seems the Vietnam Air Force is in desperate need of Maintenance training for some of their older aircraft. They want custom designed computer-based training (CBT) exclusively. Ed presumes RRCC, Standard Aero, and DND might be interested. He is also thinking joint development of content, central location for client application, satellite downloads to remote client, 3D remote network support and troubleshooting and dedicated training network for the client. He’s sure the U of M centre has tested this kind of system and also sees plenty of possibilities for collaboration among local technology companies. He also knows that CIDA may play a part in this as well. He returns to the marketing manager and CC’s other players. He also adds for the marketing manager only that they need to meet regarding the marketing of a new comprehensive training product designed to bring civic staff to a consistent standard in their IT knowledge He sends a separate message to local federal government representatives asking informally whether CIDA or Industry Canada might be interested in the Vietnam project. If the answer is no, Ed will have to find private funding. 9:30 Ed has a budget meeting with project members and client regarding the call centre training. Ed arrives slightly late because of the volume of weekend mail that needed responses Around the table are clients (AT&T, Faneuil), the centre’s project manager and training specialist, and two project consultants on loan from local training institutes currently doing training for the call centre industry. The project manager is briefing the group on progress to date on the integrated electronic performance support system being purchased by the clients and provided by the interdisciplinary team brought together by ETC. The project manager indicates that the coders provided to the project by Rescom have been doing double time to complete the GUI-based database management system that will be the backbone of the new EPSS. All is going well with the production of the video lecture series that will form part of the multimedia database. Consulting local video production companies for help in achieving broadcast quality video to desktop computers was a great idea. The project manager got the idea from the ETCFORUM discussion group. The client is excited because now their operators will have access to a full library of video footage indicating proper work methods and other best practices. The training specialist is excited about this development because this capability adds value to the EPSS system that will be applicable beyond this contract. And, the graphics -based query language means the database will be efficiently accessible to operators. Ed is satisfied. He jots down the following notes: "Client satisfied, product innovative, everyone paid - profit for ETC, shareholders/partners happy, set meeting with project manager and marketing regarding reuse of GUI programming for other projects." 11:00 Ed arrives at ISM. They are interested in learning more about the features of ETC and how they could be involved. Ed’s planned the usual message. ISM can become a shareholder, full partner/player, limited partner/assister, or just subscribe to ETC’s dedicated intranet. ISM can link to ETC’s backbone or use ETC’s regular web site for information exchange. Once linked, ISM will gain access to ETC’s electronic bulletin board, its list of local training and other innovations, access to other ETC members, and any other services offered at significantly reduced rates to ETC members. As well, being plugged into the Centre’s on line services means an ongoing listing of future ETC business and direct access to upcoming projects. 12:30 Ed takes the opportunity to update Jim Downey over lunch. The electronic linking of downtown partners like Winnipeg 2000, Productivity Point, ManCET, RRCC’s Market Driven Training Centre, the University of Winnipeg, Workforce 2000, his department and other members is progressing. He also lists the new partners, shareholders and some of the new subscribers. Ed then briefs the minister on some of the Centre’s activities. He mentions the joint distance education project, the call centre stuff, and other local projects in the aerospace, transportation, and agribusiness industries. He also talks briefly about potential national and international opportunities. The minister mentions that a lunch and learn session with the DM and ADM’s would be useful. 1:30 Ed is back at the office on the telephone to David Porter at the Open Learning Agency office in Vancouver. He is interested in developing closer ties with ETC regarding distance education in Manitoba and looking for synergies. 2:00 Ed participates in a net-based conference collaboration between ETC, MTS, Stentor, and Sasktel regarding training line switchers in Saudi Arabia. Stentor has been contracted to help the Saudi government improve its telecommunications infrastructure. They believe training will be an integral part of the process. They’ve begun with line switchers but realize that centralized training which is distributed remotely will be more cost effective in the long run. ETC will be pulling together a project team to create the networking and satellite system required. 2:30 Ed meets with the ETC Board of Directors to update them on recent accomplishments and other business. The board is wants to be assured that ETC is fulfilling its mandate to provide leading edge training solutions to businesses throughout the province. As well, ETC must be taking training capability and products to a national and international market. 4:00 Ed stops for coffee and bumps into a rep from BNI (Broadband Networks Inc.). He sees an opportunity to plug ETC as well as to find out more about BNI. Ed is in discussion with the cable companies and thinks there may be an opportunity to leverage both groups’s capability nationally and internationally. He thinks specifically about the Malaysia Super Corridor initiative material he has just downloaded from the net. 5:00 Ed leaves for the monthly Cybersuds meeting (New Media West consortium). 7:30 Ed meets with the Free Press regarding the two page spread that the Free Press is underwriting to showcase and promote local Media developers, trainers, and other partners in ETC. Ed points out the Free Press that this is an opportunity to position themselves as the local source for new media advertising and information. Ed also suggests a link to NetReader. 8:30 Ed checks his tomorrow. He’s got an early meeting with MTS Advanced regarding the development of the training package for training gang member graffiti artists in digital animation. His main focus for tomorrow however will be moving the health care training inititative along to the next step. Using the capability of their high speed network to deliver a variety of training products will be cost effective and will promote JIT (just in time training). Ed also knows that this could be a model useful in other industries where JIT is required such as manufacturing and transportation.
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The
increasing adoption of low cost digital communications will change the
role of academia in both the learning process and the economic infrastructure
within which academic institutions are players.