WORLD CONFERENCE ON HIGHER EDUCATION Higher Education in the Twenty-first Century: Vision and Action UNESCO, Paris, 5-9 October 1998.

Transcription

1 ED.99/HEP/WCHE/Vol.IV.6 REV. October 1998 Original: French United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization Organisation des Nations Unies pour l'éducation, la science et la culture WORLD CONFERENCE ON HIGHER EDUCATION Higher Education in the Twenty-first Century: Vision and Action UNESCO, Paris, 5-9 October 1998 Thematic Debate: From Traditional to Virtual: the New Information Technologies Leader: Agence francophone pour l enseignement supérieur et la recherche (AUPELF) Working Document drafted by Mr Didier Oilo, Co-ordinator of the Fonds francophone de l information in collaboration with:. Association of European Universities (CRE). European Association of Distance Teaching Universities (EADTU). International Association of Universities (IAU). International Council for Distance and Open Education (ICDE). UNESCO Institute for Information Technologies in Education (IITE). United Nations University (UNU) and the UNESCO SECRETARIAT

2 2 Contents Summary...3 Panel...4 Synthetic Report...6 Working Document...8 Speeches:* Prof. Lourdes Feria (Mexico)...21 M. Bernard Loing (France)...25 Prof. Dyane Adam (Canada)...29 Prof. Tamás Lajos (Hungary)...43 Prof. Michel Moreau (France)...45 Mrs Molly Corbett Broad (USA)...48 Prof. Henrik Toft Jensen (Denmark)...51 Discussion Note...53 *Authors are responsible for the choice and the presentation of the facts contained in signed article and for the opinions expressed therein, which are not necessarily those of UNESCO and do not commit the Organization. The designations employed and the presentation of the material in this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of UNESCO concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of this authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries.

3 3 Summary Most of the technical and methodological solutions necessary to the development of the New Information and Communication Technologies (NICT), such as the Internet, have their origin in the scientific community. Yet, paradoxically, the education sector is the field which has benefited least from what these new technologies have brought. And the present information environment is characterized by the mass advent of digital solutions which are drastically changing established realities. Universities must now devote thought to these uses and to their inescapable penetration of the world of education and research. Some consider that the concept of the industrialization of education is undergoing profound transformation. Are buildings, lecture rooms and auditoriums liable to be replaced by digital sites, virtual seats of learning? Will teachers be replaced by digital avatars, or will they be caught up in the whirlwind of change? Will they all have the ability to redefine their roles, or will they be subjected to the changes imposed by globalization? The NICT are revolutionizing open and distance education and should enable it to emerge from arcane debate and the scepticism of educationists, and become a global industry. The concepts of collaboration and asynchronous education should gradually become established, more because they reflect the necessities of the evolution of society than for purely educational reasons. This change contains a veritable educational revolution in embryo, in which the traditionally rigid space- time-hierarchy structures will be shattered. The concept of the virtual university helps to meet the challenges with which academics will be faced. It presupposes that the NICT will be used and that the various technological tools will be combined in proportion with a view to radically changing the equation of the cost of education. The educational methods accompanying the new technological paradigm allow of a participatory vision of education by promoting asynchronous learning, a new inter-actor relationship and lifelong education. The virtual university may be regarded as a meta-university which is intended to provide support for existing universities, and particularly those established in the countries of the South, in terms of distance education infrastructure placed at their disposal; in terms of advice and assistance in the creation of the necessary structures; in terms of shared educational material; in terms of technical means and human resources for facilitating the preparation of on-line educational material. The mass advent of the NICT in the years that lie ahead raises the question of how the teaching profession can prepare for these radical changes. The new teachers will have to master this new NICT environment and be mentally prepared for a radical change of role while adding to and updating their knowledge of their subject. Information is becoming globalized; it is becoming a market. And the need is growing for action to defend freedom of access to information in the form of a universal public service intended in particular for the research and education sector. The introduction of NICT in higher education does, however, present certain dangers. The economic imbalance between the countries of the North and those of the South disqualifies the latter. The scientific excellence of the industrialized countries will have to irrigate the poorest countries in a rationale of co-development. The risk of infopoverty is one of the factors curbing development, and it is therefore essential that universities should be the main source of the circulation of knowledge in the service of shared collective intelligence.

4 4 Panel Chair : Keynote Speaker: Rapporteur: Prof. Michel Guillou, Recteur, Agence universitaire de la francophonie (AUPELF), France Prof. Bachir Diagne, Université Cheikh Anta Diop de Dakar, Sénégal Prof. Tarcisio Della Senta, Director, Institute of Advanced Studies, the United Nations University, Japan Panelists: Prof. Lourdes Feria M. Bernard Loing Prof. Dyane Adam Prof. Tamas Lajos Universidad de Colima Vice-Président Principale Technical University Mexico International Council College Universitaire of Budapest For Open and Distance Glendon Hungary Education (ICDE) Université York France Canada M. Michel Moreau Prof. Tarek Shawki Prof. Maurice Tchuente Dr Gottfried Leibbrandt Directeur général University of Illinois at Recteur Chairman of CEPES Centre national Urbana Champaign Université de Dschang Advisory Board d enseignement à USA Cameroun The Netherlands distance(cned) France Mrs M. Corbett Broad Mr Piet Henderikx M. Henrik Toft Jensen President The European Recteur University of North Association of Université de Roskilde Carolina Distance Teaching Danemark USA Universities Holland Resource Persons: Prof. Dr Horst Möhle M. Didier Oilo Mr K. Nakabayashi Mr Kasumasa Noda UNESCO Institute for Agence universitaire NTT Information & NTT Advanced Technology Education (UIE) de la francophonie Communication Systems Corporation Germany (AUPELF) Laboratories Japan France Japan Prof. M.L. Martin Dr Magdallen N. Juma Prof. Jum Murai Mr Shirabe Ogino The Monterrey Institute Kenyatta University University of Keio University of Tokyo of Technology Kenya Japan Japan Mexico Mr N. Chong Mr T. Tschang Dr Sylvia Charp Dr John Foster UNU/Institute of UNU/Institute of University of Governing Board of ICTE Advanced Studies Advanced Studies Pennsylvania United Kingdom Japan Japan USA Prof. Vladimir Tikhomirov Rector Moscow State University of Economics, Statistics and Informatics Russia

5 5 Advisory/Steering Committee: Dr Gottfried Leibbrandt Chairman, CEPES Advisory Board The Netherlands

6 6 Synthetic Report The Thematic Debate VI group met to discuss the role of new information and communication technologies (NICT) in higher education. The program included an interactive video conference among experts from 4 countries (Japan, Brazil, the United States, and Morocco) An expert from Senegal also participated from the UNESCO conference room in Paris as well as UNESCO Paris. The video conference made use of ISDN telephone lines rather then satellite. In addition the debate was open for comments via Internet though an online electronic forum at the In addition, 12 presentations grouped in 5 panels were made as follows: I. The new role of the university in cultural, social and economic environment: The university as a public service II. III. IV. The new paradigms: fundamental changes Methodology of the pedagogical use of NICT, new applications and tools The university environment in the context of the globalization of education V. Co-development: technology in the service of the university of the south During the video conference, all speakers emphasized the vital role of NICT in profoundly changing the world including higher education (HE). These changes span the 3 pillars of higher education (lectures, laboratories, and libraries) as well as adding new dimensions to learning. Participants described examples on how the use of NICT is enabling HE institutions, particularly those dealing with distance education, to address the challenges of exponential growth for demand on higher education and its rising cost, and the evolving need for life-long learning. The universal digital library, aspiring to collect all text, audio, video materials, produced by mankind and make them universally available in a digitized form, is an ambitious initiative currently being pursued at Carnegie Mellon University in the U.S.A. The Space Collaboration System liking universities in Japan through satellite channels is another example of the use of NICT to enhance HE. In the foreseeable future, the integration of NICT in higher education will lead to three parallel profiles of higher education systems, each responding to different needs and contexts: i) limited integration to enhance higher education through the use of , the Internet, etc., within the present structure of traditional universities; ii) greater degree of integration involving elaborate institution-wide restructuring of academic traditions and modalities (e.g., the Global Campus); iii) higher integration leading the virtual universities responding to life-long education market needs. The individual presentations and ensuing discussions highlighted the following clusters of issues governing the effective incorporation of NICT in higher education: I. The use and impact of NICT in higher education (accessibility, affordability, interactivity, networking, self-paced and space-independence) II. Partnership among and beyond universities including enterprises, businesses, services (mobility of students and faculty, availability, role and collaboration of different partners) III. The content of, and management of knowledge systems: meeting the needs of the society (quality, validation, and accreditation) IV. Geo-political dimensions: gap between North and South in terms of accessibility to knowledge and the NICT (public and/or universal service; Unitwinning, collaboration, co-development)

7 7 V. Adjustment and adaptation of traditional universities to the new context (faculty incentives, faculty training and evaluations, resources, institutional support, teaching roles and responsibilities) VI. Contribution of the use of NICT in higher education to the development of better human beings and societies (cultural diversity, environment, culture of peace) VII. Epistemological concerns: structure of knowledge and science (new levels of knowledge and learning, conditions of knowledge creation, and accessibility). The debate highlighted the following key recommendations: Governments and International organizations are called upon to: I. Put more effort in to making available to universities and higher education institutions reliable, high-speed information highways and the services and applications they provide. II. Make resources available to universities to build NICT Infrastructures within universities and other HE institutions. Promote and support cooperation involving North and South universities with a view to building capacities in universities within developing countries to use and develop NICT applications. These will enhance the quality of education, meet growing demand for university and life-long education, and lower cost to manageable levels.

8 8 Working Document Introduction When United States Vice-President Al Gore announced the opening of a new field of action, the information superhighways, in 1993, could we have imagined that we would be approaching a technological revolution affecting every sector of society? Universities, particularly those in the most developed countries, have contributed tremendously in terms of research to the emergence of the new information technologies. Since the invention of the Internet Protocol (IP) by Vincent Cerf in 1974, it has taken only 15 years to create the basis of collective intelligence. However, universities have been concentrating their efforts mainly on researching and prototyping new tools and have not been attending to the socialization of those tools. Little attention has been devoted to studying their uses. It is the education and training field, one of the essential activities of modern society, which has benefited least from the contribution of the new information and communication technologies. And it is also this sector which, depending on the direction taken by the changes imposed by globalization and international competition, will either benefit or suffer from developments in terms of content, methods and resources. The role played by education software in distance education increased in the period from 1985 to 1995 as it gradually replaced learner-controlled approach instruction or programmed education, in which traditional or audiovisual teaching aids were used. By the year 2000, this development process will have been transformed and broadened, relocating learners and teachers, reconstructing the underpinnings of natural course progression (through the multimedia, for example), channelling reliable and enriched material through the data transmission networks, combining the necessary documentation with lectures, and enabling teachers, researchers and students to exchange information via electronic mail and forums and thus globalizing knowledge. The current information context is characterized by the mass advent of digital solutions, which are drastically changing established realities, and by a major risk of the hegemony of one single language to the detriment of multilingualism and of one single culture to the detriment of plurality, in particular through the very rapid development of the Internet, by the atomized development of the new technologies at different paces in different countries and regions and, finally, by the reduced visibility of non-digitized material for ever-growing communities. And, in parallel, needs are steadily expanding in terms of information and of methods and tools for producing, organizing, disseminating and consulting it. Most of the technical and methodological solutions necessary to this circulation of information, such as the Internet and related standards, have their origin in the scientific community, which must now devote thought to its uses and its inescapable penetration of the world of education and research. Past experience will have to be analysed in the light of the impact of the digital, particularly on the circulation and transmission of knowledge. Some consider that the concept of the industrialization of education is undergoing profound transformation. Are buildings, lecture rooms and auditoriums liable to be replaced by digital sites, virtual seats of learning? Will teachers be replaced by digital avatars, or will they be caught up in the whirlwind of change? Will they all have the ability to redefine their roles, or will they be subjected to the changes imposed by the global economy? The educational act must be viewed today like the medical act. The teacher becomes the mediator of knowledge.

9 9 Distance education Distance education already has a long history of research and achievements, from correspondence courses to systems supported by distance audiovisual aids (which are generally satellite-based). The NICT are revolutionizing this discipline and should enable it to emerge from arcane debate and the scepticism of educationists, and become a global industry. Whereas the question of the didactic quality of distance education is still the subject of much debate dividing traditionnalistes and spécialistes, the NICT are beginning to introduce all the factors of what amounts to an educational revolution, in which the teacher-learner and the learner-learner relationship will change radically. The concepts of collaboration and asynchronous education should gradually become established, more because they reflect the necessities of the evolution of society than for purely educational reasons. This change contains a veritable educational revolution in embryo, in which the traditionally rigid space-time-hierarchy structures will be shattered. The main argument in favour of this change is, of course, economic; but it must be borne in mind that distance education fees are still as high as those charged for traditional education, since the mass economies that will offset an initial outlay higher, in every respect, than that involved in traditional education, have not yet been achieved. This will change radically as the mass application of this technology becomes established - which could be the case after a transition period of several years. There are, of course, still many challenges to be faced: the use of various technologies in appropriate proportions and applications the question of the evaluation of learners and teachers the question of intellectual property where educational material is concerned and the major bottleneck: training (particularly for teachers) in the skilled use of these new tools. The large number of different terms and expressions used in the context of distance or virtual education warrants semantic examination so that they can be classified, misunderstandings can be avoided and the major past and future trends highlighted. Correspondence courses: characteristic of the first applications which merely used the postal services to overcome distances. Distance education: used mainly by education experts, existed before the rapid development of the NICT, and seems to be resisting technological change. The term might suffer from the fact that a number of education experts are lagging behind in the technological field, but it should retain its status as a term of reference. Distance teaching/distance learning/distance-teaching university: characteristic of the audiovisual (televised) stage of distance education and facing a serious threat from the novel contribution of the NICT. The open university: places emphasis on the collaborative and global aspects. The collaborative or co-operative university: places emphasis on the aspect of collaboration, both between teachers and learners and between education partners. Asynchronous education: places emphasis on one of the fundamental aspects of the new style in education which technology has made possible, i.e. studying at one s own pace with no constraints as regards time. The global university: places emphasis on the geopolitical vision. Computer-mediated education and distributive learning are used by technology specialists. The Internet university: technological and commercial. Often a meta-university which sells logistic apparatus (software and the Web) with which the purchaser can produce educational material intended for distance distribution.

10 10 The virtual university: characteristic of the advanced technology approach (Internet). Sees itself as an integrative concept of the new paradigm, in which physical space and the need for synchrony disappear. One could add a semantic restriction towards higher education, however, whereas in the new paradigm the education field tends to reduce the boundaries between the various types of studies (primary, higher and vocational). The virtual campus is a variation of the above, perhaps less open. The concept of the virtual university is the most widespread at the present time. It meets traditional universities need to provide new services and to find new modes of relating to learners. The concept of the virtual university The ingredients of success: use of the NICT and a combination of the various technological tools in proportion with a view to radically changing the equation of the cost of education; teaching which accompanies the new technological paradigm and makes possible: - asynchronous learning; - a new inter-actor relationship; - continuing education; a participatory vision of education; the virtual university is where three areas intersect: - the area of possibility; - the technology area; - the teaching area. In the area of possibility we can distinguish between an economic revolution democratizing education and the tendency for the compartmentalization of the various forms of education (primary, secondary, university, adult, vocational, and continuing) to disappear. In the technology area, the NICT are at the top of the hierarchy, but it must be realized that unless these technologies are applied with the appropriate teaching methods, they will add nothing to education but confusion and mistaken objectives. If, on the other hand, they are mastered, the change of paradigm which they will bring will allow of nothing short of a revolution in teaching, marked primarily by the abandonment of the vertical form of education (vertical transfer of knowledge) in favour of a ring structure, in which the teacher becomes the facilitator of a process which is focused on the learner and on his or her ability to discover knowledge at his or her own pace and in collaboration with other learners and facilitators. Secondly, as the result of an asynchronous mode of operation, this new form of teaching will ease the constraints of space and time. By losing its verticality, learning becomes a process of collaboration and partnership among various groups. The teaching area is undergoing far-reaching changes. Some recent inputs have been disqualified to a certain extent by technological change, and concepts are currently being revised from the point of view of means and objectives. The major challenge is to devise a new form of teaching which is based on and transcends technological devices without adopting the attitude of a technologist or mythifying technology. The challenge appears to be less contradictory whenever the sociological aspects accompanying the technological revolution are emphasized. After several years of slow and difficult progress, this discipline has entered a push technology phase, which could come to maturity in less than two years and could give way to a new global marketdriven phase, in which market shares will grow significantly in less than five years. We are in a situation similar to that of the Internet in 1992; we are going through a two- to three-year period of transition, which will be followed by a period of tremendous expansion.

11 11 The following are the three key factors in the push technology : 1. the necessary change in teaching methods, and in the student-teacher and studentstudent relationship in particular; 2. the key ingredients for the change in teaching methods: the pursuit of group interactiveness and proactiveness (collaboration); 3. determination of the judicious proportion of technological facilities. On the bases thus obtained, the market will then begin to direct options along several lines, which will not necessarily be coherent: emergence of global and distance academic proposals in the main languages (English, Spanish, French, followed by the oriental and Asian languages) competing on the global education market, and the gradual and appreciable reduction of costs as a result of mass development; emergence of a global run-of-the-mill education bazaar, in which purely mercenary aims and the question of intellectual property will become crucial unless the development of the Internet in the next five years begins to give clues to solutions. Virtual university projects General overview No project has as yet proved supreme in all aspects of the virtual university (technological level, range of technological means in due proportion, level of teaching, sociocultural vision, economic vision, geopolitical vision, strategic vision). Some projects have attained a very high level in some of these aspects, but generally show deficiencies in other essential parameters of NICT- based distance education. The most promising projects are those which are based on an infrastructure and a historical development and which have succeeded in keeping abreast of technological advances (the Open University in the United Kingdom, Canadian projects, etc.). A distinction must first be made between virtual university projects and projects which are intended to serve such projects. The latter, which we term meta-projects are to be found in several different areas: - the creation of (telecom and/or software) infrastructures, such as Internet 2, projects of major manufacturers or commercial projects; - the creation of transportable material; - the creation of co-operation structures. We note the GTU/GTTI (Global Telecommunication University/Global Telecommunication Training Institute) project of the International Telecommunication Union, whose Virtual Training Center offers shortterm courses. Furthermore, UNESCO is establishing a UNITWIN chair in open and distance education in Lomé in the Republic of Togo.

12 12 International meta-projects Internet 2 The National Science Foundation, which supported the Internet international telecommunications skeleton for many years, suspended its efforts in 1993 to give way to the commercial Internet. After three years of discussion of the importance of allowing the market to take over advanced development, Internet 2 marks the return of the university initiative and, ultimately, it is a question of organizing the transmission band in order to make distance education possible. The Europeans have projects which are similar - DANTE in particular - but which are perhaps less geared to building up the infrastructure for distance education. Worldspace This network of geostationary satellites for digital radio is under construction. As of 1999, it will cover all countries with emergent economies (in Africa, Asia and Central and Latin America), that is to say, a total of over 4 billion people; 10 per cent of the channels will be devoted to education and training, a fact which will make it the most powerful educational instrument in the service of developing countries. The persons responsible for higher education in the countries concerned will be invited to take part in the measures to define and establish appropriate programmes, to assist in the development of appropriate methodologies suited to this new digital technology, and to turn it to good account in all of their fields of competence, particularly that of teacher training. In Latin America A number of experiments are being carried out in Latin America. They can be divided into four main categories: a b c d several national or regional projects, which are primarily instructional in orientation but which are having great difficulty in keeping abreast of and applying technological advancement (UNA, CREAD, etc.); projects involving considerable investment in technology and a notable strategic capacity for regional establishment, offset by relative weakness regarding the research, sociocultural vision and regional integration complex (UV/ITESM, Chilean projects); several initiatives (in Argentina in particular) which have a notable socio-political vision but which lack the means of having any noteworthy regional impact (Lund, Fasta, Cediproae, etc.) and remain one-off initiatives; the Monterey virtual university project (Mexico), which, despite several shortcomings regarding sociocultural and geopolitical aspects, shows that advances in the field of initial outlay and technological control may prove essential in the regionalization/ internationalization of education markets. The World Bank project for Africa (AVU) This is a series of courses of instruction in scientific disciplines offered in the form of university bachelor s and master s degree courses and continuing education units, and is common to many countries. It is placed at the disposal of African countries against payment of a fee. The project uses the NICT, particularly satellite broadcasting from the United States via INTELSAT 515. The courses are divided into three sub-series - English language, Portuguese language and French language. The World Bank has initially appealed to France, Belgium and Switzerland in the case of the French-language section, and a pilot experiment is under way.

13 13 In Europe Two examples: The first is the Institute for Information Technology in Education, which was set up in Moscow by UNESCO and the Government of the Russian Federation in February 1997 at the conclusion of the International Congress on Education and Informatics. Its main objective is very ambitious - that of elaborating a model of global continuing education for all. The second is Swiss, and aims: to promote the conveyance of information to society. The FU.NT group proposes to create a Swiss virtual campus. According to this concept, institutes of higher education should, on the one hand, be encouraged to redesign some of their courses to make them accessible in electronic form and, on the other, they should be invited to allow their own students to obtain credits through the network by taking courses whose quality will have to be guaranteed by an accreditation process. By , it should be possible to achieve important objectives through joint action by institutes of higher education at Confederation and Canton level, such as action to improve the quality of the educational experience for students, to transform university teaching and to provide new opportunities of access to higher education (independent of the constraints of space and time), to reduce costs - at least per student, and to provide a better supply of further education. The Open University in the United Kingdom - the historic European leader in the field - should also be borne in mind in this context. In North America Penn State University: the American historical reference The virtual campus of Stanford University Simon Fraser University, British Columbia, one of the major Canadian projects A national university education network is being built up in Canada, which, it is planned, will operate via the Internet and interactive videoconferencing, thus linking the 12 Canadian establishments and gathering all of their programmes together with a view to providing young French speakers with as wide a range of studies in French as possible. The driving force behind this project is the University of Ottawa; this showcase of official bilingualism is situated in the province of Ontario, the home of half of the French speakers outside Quebec, and offers a very rich palette of programmes. Furthermore, the University has been running a distance education network extending throughout the province for the past five years. The UFHQ of Eastern Canada, which are fairly well equipped, have also already offered and received distance courses. The A UPELF-UREF French-language project By the very nature of the concept, the French-language virtual university cannot be seen as another virtual university project but rather as a meta-project, a sort of French-language virtual meta-university, which, depending on the means available and the strategic options defined, could provide a backup for existing French-language universities in terms of: distance education infrastructure placed at their disposal; advice and assistance in the creation of the necessary structures; shared educational material; technical means and human resources for facilitating the preparation of on-line educational material.

14 14 The principal challenges of the French-language project, in addition to optimal management of the means/objectives equation, are: regional diversity; co-development; scientific excellence; intellectual property; portability of teaching material. Changes in education There are detectable signs of an imminent paradigm shift for education, which is evolving through three successive models: Table of the three models of education Model Focus Role of the student Technology Traditional Teacher Passive Blackboard/TV/radio Information Student Active PC Knowledge Group Adaptive PC + network The conditions are now ripe for a model based on knowledge. Technologies (mainly the NET) are playing a key role in this paradigm shift. The key factors in the paradigm shift are as follows: Table of the key factors in the paradigm shift Factor Time Space Cost Development The time factor will no longer be a constraint. Asynchronous education frees the student from the demands of time. The distance factor will no longer be a constraint. The student can take part in education without needing to be present in person at the university. The pedagogical investment for modern distance education is certainly greater than that of the traditional model, whether in terms of initial outlay or the investment connected with delivering the education. There are two factors, however, which will reduce the overall cost in factors of scale: 1. the reduction of needs in terms of area and premises; 2. the appreciable increase in the size of the virtual class. Relationships The traditionally vertical teacher-student relationship will evolve towards a more horizontal model, in which the teacher becomes a facilitator, expert or colleague and the learner becomes naturally active. In this evolution of roles the group will gain

15 15 importance as a place for consultation, dialogue and collaboration. Through this mechanism the education is received by the individual in interaction with a group, of which the teachers constitute only one element. Roles are thus completely redefined, and the dynamism of the new roles requires a new student. Information/ knowledge Market Competition Collaboration Assessment Type The transfer of knowledge is no longer the primary object of education. The student must learn to acquire information as the need arises, to evaluate it, and to transform it into knowledge through the relational process. By easing the constraints of space and time, education will open up to the global market, where language will become one of the main constraints on expansion. The internationalization of the education market and the emergence of new entities placed deliberately in the commercial area will intensify competition between educational establishments. In parallel, collaboration and strategic alliances on the part of universities will become imperative as the appropriate response to change. The traditional concepts of student assessment based on (examination) results will have to be adapted to new methods in which the assessment of the process will gain more importance so that the measuring of assimilated knowledge can be circumvented and factors more sensitive to the equation of the new professional can be integrated: ability to carry out research, to adapt, to communicate, to collaborate, etc. The distinctions drawn between the various types of education (primary, secondary technical, university, vocational) will become less important, and the emphasis will be placed on continuing education. As this trend develops, the distinction between attendance-oriented and distance education will become blurred, and the foregoing concepts will also apply to local forms of education. The advent of the NICT in the years that lie ahead raises the question of how the teaching profession can prepare for these radical changes. Structurally, distance education is much more demanding as regards teaching ability. The new teachers will have to master this new NICT environment and be mentally prepared for a radical change of role while adding to and updating their knowledge of their special subjects. Appropriate training in the NICT, providing an integral vision of the discipline with emphasis on the information culture, is a key factor in the successful preparation of teachers. It will provide a means of accompanying the psychological aspect and of reassuring teachers as regards keeping abreast of developments (either because they can use the tool to do so or simply because greater awareness of the plethora and obsolescence of knowledge will make them less apprehensive). The new teachers will emerge from the isolation of the classroom and receive considerable logistical support, and it is up to them to be able to co-ordinate and use it: they must have production specialists at their disposal for both audiovisual means and the Web, so that they can achieve highquality results as regards form and can concentrate on content, i.e. on the educational material.

16 16 The realization by university authorities of the need to provide teachers with a set of support functions is a key factor in successful educational production. As regards the optimal course of procedure of the virtual class and the emergence of the group learning process - the group constituting the creative centre in the new set-up - the management of the virtual community linking teachers and students is the crucial factor. Our examination of the experiments which have been conducted has revealed that this aspect is considerably underestimated and that the process is seriously disrupted as a result. Yet it is one of the least onerous factors in the economic equation. The utmost attention must be devoted to the methods, procedures and software underlying group communication. Over and above any other logistical element, this factor is the key to the successful dynamic of the virtual class, whereas it is one of the lesser investments. The production of interactive multimedia as personal learning tools complementing networkbased tools seems to be reserved for industry for the time being, and distance universities are slow to apply themselves to this field. Yet there is basically no economic reason for this. Web-based educational sites are to be observed which have excellent graphic models but response speeds which are too low to serve as an educational tool - a fact which argues in favour of producing interactive CD-ROMs and implementing intranets rapidly. Moreover, the emergence of digital radio (DAB) h as made it possible to found new hopes on the mass dissemination of knowledge at low cost and in acceptable conditions. This technology is particularly suited to developing countries. UNESCO recommends that design templates be created for educational software. Thus, the suppliers of course material will be able to offer programmes in the language of their choice, regardless of the region of the world. Each producer will be supplied with a compendium of examples of good practice in using NICT-related software. This action should enable the countries of the South to develop goodquality open and distance education rapidly. Information, virtual reference libraries, digital libraries Information is becoming globalized; it is becoming an inescapable market framed by strict laws. The need is growing for measures to defend freedom of access to information in the form of a universal public service intended for the research and education sector in particular. Considerable efforts to put informal literature, reports and theses on line are becoming a matter of priority. The same applies to free software designed according to the ideas of the producer groups; the LINUX operating system and the CDS-ISIS documentary software can be quoted as examples. Multilingualism is an important point in the defence of cultural pluralism as opposed to the monolingualism of information. Automatic translation tools must be implemented rapidly. The purpose of virtual reference libraries and electronic libraries is to provide all scientists, researchers, teachers, and students with a virtual information site through which they can access all the products necessary to their education, training and research work. The concept is based on the provision of a series of services which are not conditioned by distance or time. Various types of product can be provided:

17 17 Databases and directories Directories of teachers and researchers and directories of establishments and training courses are supplemented by specialized databases, indexes of theses and grey literature, and all of the databases available in the French-speaking world. These databases cover all fields of science, the economy, technology and the press. Knowledge bases Numerous knowledge bases have been structured and are available, but they are scattered throughout the world. They must be identified and located so that they can be made available to the scientific world. Selective data diffusion (SDD) Students who have prepared dissertations can benefit from the SDD programme, through which, once the user s need has been analysed, every user can be provided with a profile for the diffusion of updated or retrospective data pertaining to his or her research. Full texts of books and journals A number of scientific books and journals have been or are in the process of being digitized. They must be made available to universities free of charge. Research notes, lecture notes and technical data sheets There are many documents of this nature in the informal literature. They are necessary for updating knowledge and development, yet they are often unexploited. Once validated, the compilation of these documents should provide a means of circulating research work more usefully. Theses and dissertations The aim is to make known and disseminate the tremendous amount of knowledge contained in these documents, which are rarely published. Researchers will thus be able to find partially- produced theses in databanks and then obtain the documents in full or in part. A global digitization site must be launched without delay. It will be possible for the collection of written documents to be tele-edited. Tele-editing is a means of disseminating a document on request without incurring printing and delivery costs. Software and interfaces There is a plethora of software, freeware or shareware, often created by universities and available on the networks according to the acquisition rules specific to this type of tool. An inventory will have to be drawn up to begin with and the scientific products will have to be analysed. Educational software This software has several functions: a learning-aid function, a simulation function and an evaluation function.

18 18 Training the actors The human factor is one of the major factors curbing NICT penetration of higher education. Before any technological action can be taken, training programmes need to be defined at various levels for various target groups. Plans must be made for training technicians and engineers to back up technology within institutes of education and research, for training teachers, and for training decision-makers. The latter is a sine qua non if the NICT are to enter the scientific world. It is essential to convince the political and institutional authorities that these technologies are justified as a factor of development and modernity. One approach to development is to train instructors in the NICT by using the NICT. Three objectives can be envisaged through the training of specialists: demonstrating NICT potential and promoting the appropriation of these technologies in the regions; achieving the critical mass of technical specialists in a given sector for a given region; increasing teacher potential by contributing a methodology and education tools which can be reused by trainees who are later called upon to become trainers themselves. From theory to practice The principle of the workshop is to train technicians by practice in a field of NICT implementation. Defining value-added action By providing training, the regional workshops help: to facilitate the activity of cultural, and even economic, groups in the regions and to strengthen the relational and technical fabric in those regions. By integrating trainees from other regions, they help: to accelerate the development of regions which have no technicians; to prepare future training courses in those regions; to prepare or strengthen co-operative action at the global level in the information society. The third target group is that of teachers, who will have to integrate the NICT into their future professional practice. Unless these technologies, which are one of the factors for redefining the teacher s role, are apprehended before they are introduced in any way, they will be doomed to failure. The countries of the North have long established national policies for training teachers in the NICT, but this is not always the case in the countries of the South, which are liable to lag farther and farther behind - a factor which will exacerbate the imbalance between North and South. Sustainable action Training workshops must meet the expectations of the academic world in order to help it to master the NICT. To do so they must go beyond the strictly technical context as part of a more comprehensive plan for sustainable development. In these training courses just as much importance must be attached to content as to form and the role and mission of the trainers must be explained so as to create a real climate of technical and cultural co-operation. The courses must be based on lectures and case studies and take the form of training/action.

19 19 The dangers Various factors must be taken into account when the NICT are being introduced into higher education - an undertaking which is not without risks. The economic imbalance between the countries of the North and those of the South disqualifies the latter. There are several factors which determine this imbalance: universities do not all have flat-rate connection; it is paradoxical that the poorest countries should be those where the cost of telecommunications is highest; computers are still expensive and heavily taxed in those countries, although the states are beginning to pursue incentive policies; universities are undergoing a reorganization whose contours are still vague and not yet fully understood; there is a risk of cultural uniformization unless diversity - linguistic diversity in particular - is assured; there is a gap between the academic world and the industrial world; there is a risk of de-skilling in the case of teachers who cannot or do not want to adapt to the new circumstances; de facto technological imperialism entails the risk of cultural imperialism if only one part of the world produces material and the other consumes it. Conclusion Universities are today in a position to take up the challenge of the new information and communication technologies. To do so they must launch a process of collaborative work in which the least developed countries have an important place. The scientific excellence of the industrialized countries will have to irrigate the poorest countries according to a co-development rationale. The risk of infopoverty is one of the factors curbing development, and it is therefore essential that universities should be the predominant sources of the circulation of knowledge in the service of shared collective intelligence. They must be prepared for the validation of acquired skills and knowledge and the awarding of diplomas, for which the procedures will have to develop further, with a view to achieving transnational knowledge. In their new position, universities will henceforth have to function in two modes, traditional and modern, in which the traditional dimension and the contribution of the new technologies are complementary. Key ideas for action strategies The problems When one acknowledges that the mass advent of the new information and communication technologies in all activities in our societies is an inescapable fact, it becomes vital for the education and training field to benefit rapidly and as a priority from what these NICT have brought. These technologies will revolutionize teaching on an economic, cultural and social basis. Furthermore, since training is becoming a market in the context of globalization, the following aspects must be taken into account when broaching the problem:

20 20 the fact that the NICT must be used and the various technological tools combined in proportion with a view to a radical change in the equation of the cost of education; the educational methods which will accompany the new technological paradigm and which will lead to: - asynchronous learning; - a new inter-actor relationship; - lifelong education; - a participatory vision of the educational act. The preconditions for success The following aspects will have to be incorporated into the new forms of transmission of knowledge in the near future: regional diversity; co-development; scientific excellence; intellectual property; portability of teaching material; the quality approach. As a mediator of knowledge, the new teachers must thus be placed in an effective logistic environment so that they can concentrate on the expertise of learning the scientific content of their discipline. This idea must be taken fully on board by those in charge in the academic world if the production of education is to be successful. The management of the virtual community must be based on strong logistics regarding methods, procedures and software, which will facilitate the transmission of knowledge as well as the inter-actor relationship. Action Decision-makers must be sensitized without delay and the actors must be trained in the use of these new technologies and in their uses for transmitting knowledge. The template software tools must also be defined jointly and must be free and easy for the scientific academic community to appropriate; thought must furthermore be devoted to defining research projects in connection with this new field of problems. Finally, influence must be brought to bear on institutions to ensure that the new role of the teacher is taken into account and recognized by the various administrative departments.

21 21 El nuevo rol de la universidad en los espacios culturales, sociales y económicos la responsabilidad pública de la universidad Presentado por: Prof. Lourdes Feria Univerrsidad de Colima México 1. Escenarios Los especialistas coinciden en que a medida que se acerca el siglo XXI, la sociedad va reconociendo el valor de la información como recurso. Incluso hay quienes le conceden la categoría de insumo básico para las actividades del desarrollo de los países, como lo fue alguna vez la propiedad de la tierra, la mano de obra calificada o bien los energéticos. En este sentido, se afirma que la información cada vez más se constituye en "un elemento fundamental para el desarrollo [...], dado que el contar con información oportuna se traduce en productos y servicios de alta calidad, mayor competitividad, adecuada toma de decisiones y consecuentemente en el desarrollo, sea a nivel nacional o incluso internacional" 1. Sumado a ello, otro fenómeno, el de la globalización, ha hecho acto de presencia en la economía, finanzas, ciencia, tecnología, comunicaciones, educación, cultura, política, etc. Sin embargo, este proceso no está generando un incremento uniforme de progreso y desarrollo en todas las regiones del mundo. Más bien se está dando una globalización fragmentada o segmentada, que concentra las ventajas del desarrollo en un sector relativamente reducido de la población mundial y crea profundas brechas de desigualdad, en términos de calidad de vida y acceso a los bienes económicos y culturales 2 ante lo cual se requieren nuevos enfoques en los que participen las instituciones de Educación Superior. Adicionalmente, en las décadas recientes el mundo ha sido testigo de la progresiva expansión tecnológica que ha desarrollado una gran versatilidad de medios y soportes para la transferencia de información. Esta evolución permite hoy en día la transmisión de información digital con grandes ventajas: la accessibilidad, disponibilidad, inmediatez, versatilidad de consulta, actualidad, facilidad para la investigación, dinamismo, fluidez, interdisciplinariedad, colaboración, multimedia, posibilidad de hacer enlaces, e interactividad, al tiempo que los usuarios muestran mayor competencia y experiencia con las computadoras. J.G. Neal 3 sintetiza las espectativas de las aplicaciones telemáticas en las universidades: un mayor acceso a la información (tanto local como mundial) de manera integrada, a través de estaciones de trabajo personal que a su vez permiten una mayor productividad, alta eficiencia al poder compartir recursos, acceso de alta velocidad a la información académica e institucional, lo que trae consigo una necesidad creciente de desarrollar cada vez más las capacidades de consultar información. 1 ALMADA, M. "Introducción y comentarios sobre la administración integrada de información y algunas estrategias en torno a la aplicación en México". p.57. En Simposio de Sistemas de Información (1990 : MEXICO) Memoria. [México] : Instituto Mexicano del Petróleo, TÜNNERMAN, Carlos. Conferencia introductoria [de la] Conferencia regional sobre políticas y estrategias para la transformación de la educacion superior en América Latina y El Caribe. (La Habana, 1996). Caracas: CRESALC/UNESCO, NEAL, James G. Op cit.

22 22 2. Elementos basicos Las NIT (New Information Technologies) son solamente un instrumento, cuyo impacto en la educación está condicionado a la intervención de cuatro elementos principales: Infraestructura Profesores Nuevos esquemas de edición multimedia Servicios de información/biblioteca electrónica Infraestructura Las universidades requieren inversiones importantes en soportes telemáticos, con características como: capacidad, conectividad, interoperabilidad y funcionamiento eficiente para la transmisión de multimedia e instrucción por computadora en el campus y en otras aulas, en apoyo a la investigación y la ciencia, pero también para el trabajo administrativo, la creación y distribución de información digital, así como para el análisis y manejo de información. Profesores La AUPELF señala como uno de los retos actuales la utilización de las diferentes tecnologías en las proporciones y usos apropiados. En este punto los profesores tienen la gran responsabilidad de transformar sus programas de enseñanza tradicional a esquemas adecuados para la universidad informatizada, enmarcados en todo un plan de aprendizaje que considere la reducción del tiempo de permanencia en el salón y aumento considerable de la acción personal o grupal de trabajos complementarios. Nuevos esquemas de edición multimedia La educación experimentará a través de los medios modernos de edición una interesante transformación. Los sistemas multimedia y los mecanismos de interactividad están produciendo una gran cantidad de materiales didácticos que multiplican la capacidad de aprendizaje y que pueden consultarse a través del CD-ROM o de Internet. Sin duda estos materiales sustituirán los tradicionales libros de texto. Estamos viviendo una revolución que "se propone impactarnos tan profundamente como sucedió cuando se evolucionó de los documentos manuscritos a los tipos móviles"4. En esta labor pedagogos, diseñadores, informáticos y una multiplicidad de profesionales trabajarán en la generación de productos en apoyo a la enseñanza en todos los niveles. Siendo una de las funciones sustantivas de la universidad la difusión cultural, su responsabilidad en este sentido va más allá de la creación de productos electrónicos; su participación en la generación de contenidos de calidad contenidos es particularmente importante, dado el surgimiento de formas inadmisibles de expresión en la red. Por otra parte, los contenidos han de considerar también la importancia del multilinguismo y de los valores locales como una manera de proteger la diversidad cultural y científica, que es la gran riqueza de todas las naciones. Servicios de información/biblioteca electrónica Los servicios de información serán manejados bajo el concepto de biblioteca electrónica, donde el usuario tiene la facilidad de accesar toda clase de información desde su computadora: CD-ROM's, bases de datos distribuidas, acceso al Internet, revistas electrónicas, servicios de copiado, impresión, digitalización y transmisión de documentos, etc., y que cuente con los medios suficientes para proporcionar: Información expedita a los usuarios vía red de computación. Permitir la actualización de la información. 4 MYERS, J.E. "Surfing the sea of stories: riding the information revolution". En Internet librarian, junio de p. 30A.

23 23 Interconexión a servicios de información externos vía internet Interoperabilidad con otras redes de la propia universidad. 3. Cultura de la información La necesidad de fortalecer la práctica educativa sobre la base de una cultura de la información consiste en privilegiar el proceso de informarse sobre el conocimiento de los instrumentos de información propiciando con ello una actitud más crítica. Esta cultura de la información tiene dos aspiraciones: formar en los estudiantes las habilidades necesarias para aprender cómo aprender y para motivar su actualización continua no solamente en las aulas, sino posteriormente, en pleno ejercicio profesional; es por eso que pretende ayudar al individuo en la detección de la necesidad, localización, evaluación y uso efectivo de la información. "Las habilidades de uso de información son similares a las de la lectura y escritura" 5, es decir, se requiere de programas estructurados conforme a objetivos bien definidos y que puedan ser evaluados y llevados a la práctica. La verdadera posibilidad de abrir un mayor acceso a la educación sin poner en riesgo su calidad se iniciará con este proceso de la universidad virtual, entrando de manera consecuente a una nueva era cultural, donde podamos pasar de la información al conocimiento, es decir, información que a través de la reflexión, a través del pensamiento, pase a formar parte de aquello que nosotros tenemos como elementos de nuestra propia contribución intelectual 6. El resultado será la mayor competitividad y ello requiere métodos que estimulen la innovación, la creatividad y el espíritu de indagación en los educandos, de suerte que aprendan a aprender y también a emprender 7 4. Reflexiones finales En el documento base preparado por la AUPELF para este debate, se concluye que una de las reponsabilidades fundamentales de la universidad es propiciar la circulación del saber al servicio de una inteligencia colectiva 8 una nueva cultura de la comunicación y del flujo de la información, que esté conectada, siempre interactuando donde total es siempre más que la suma de cada uno de los individuos que la constituyen" 9 La asimilación de la cultura informática va en ascenso; lo que obliga a crear aplicaciones conforme a las necesidades de cada lugar, haciéndola accesible y poniéndola a disposición de los distintos ámbitos del quehacer humano. Sin perder de vista que el desarrollo tecnológico se ha venido presentando de manera desigual entre los diversos países y que no obstante que podemos calcular en 60 millones los usuarios en estos momentos del Internet, y [...] que pueden ampliarse mucho, no olvidemos que tenemos alrededor de 6000 mil pueblos en el mundo que carecen de electricidad 10 5 KUHLTHAU, Carol C. "Bringing up an information literate generation : dynamic roles for school and public libraries". En Information literacy : learning how to learn : proceedings of the twenty-eight annual symposium of the graduate alumni and faculty of the Rutgers School of Communication, Information and Library Studies, 6 April 1990 / de by. Jana Varlejs. Jefferson, NC : McFarland, p.9 6 MAYOR ZARAGOZA, Federico. Discurso recibido a traves de videoconferencia en la sesion inaugural del Congreso de Informatica y Telecomunicaciones: Plataforma para la 7 TUNNERMAN, C. Op. Cit. 8 AUPELF. L enseignement supérieur au XXIe siècle : vision et actions. Débat thématique: du traditionnel au virtuel: les nouvelles technologies de l information. Document introductif aux débats. [París], "Vivimos ya el tránsito de la Edad de la Razón a la Edad dela Inteligencia". Entrevista realizada a Derrick de Kerckhove. En La Jornada. Secc. Cultura. 6 de noviembre, p MAYOR ZARAGOZA, F. Op. Cit.

24 24 Las NIT, sin duda acercan a las personas. Las computadoras, las redes, la multimedia son elementos muy valiosos, pero pierden su sentido a menos de que sirvan para hacer de éste un mundo mejor para todos, más fraternal, respetuoso y solidario. La cultura de los valores y del amor al conocimiento tiene hoy su gran oportunidad gracias a las NIT, a estos instrumentos que puestos al servicio de las universidades podrán potenciar el noble fin que éstas persiguen. El gran éxito de esta mancuerna (tecnología y educación) será impulsar los talentos más nobles de los seres humanos, puesto que educar no significa enseñarle al otro lo que no sabe, sino sacar del otro lo mejor de sí y llevarlo a la plenitud de su espíritu. De ahí que la educación esté llamada a constituirse en la inversión prioritaria de nuestros países 11 El mundo requiere seres más educados, con mayor sensibilidad, que amen y respeten otras culturas como aman y respetan la propia; seres que les duela el dolor humano, que sean solidarios con el resto de la humanidad y que pongan sus manos, sus neuronas y sus corazones al servicio de causas nobles y creativas. Así y sólo así podremos utilizar estos nuevos instrumentos para la urgente tarea de democratizar el acceso global que nos llevará a cambios fundamentales en nuestras respuestas culturales, políticas y sociales. 11. TÜNNERMAN, C. Op. Cit.

25 25 Quelques considérations sur l'université comme service public Intervention de: M. Bernard Loing Vice Président de l'icde France Dans le cadre de ce débat thématique, on nous demande de réfléchir à la notion de "service public" appliquée à l'université. A priori, l'association semble insolite. L'université est-elle, doit-elle devenir un service public? Si oui, comment le devient-elle, et pour qui? Quels changements l'affectent alors? Quel est, dans cette évolution, le rôle des technologies éducatives? Et ne faut-il pas aller d'emblée, dans le domaine de l'enseignement supérieur, de la notion de "service public", à celle plus large et plus récente, de "service universel"? Qu'est-ce qu'un service public? Précisons d'abord les termes. Le concept de "service public" - quel que soit le service dont on parle -est central et fondateur dans nos vieilles démocraties européennes, et tout particulièrement sensible dans la démocratie française. C'est un concept de référence et un enjeu politique, et le terme figure toujours en bonne place dans les programmes électoraux, notamment lorsqu'il paraît menacé par les privatisations et la montée en puissance de ce qu'il est convenu d'appeler "les lois du marché". La caractéristique principale d'un service public, c'est que, considéré comme essentiel par l'ensemble d'une communauté - généralement une communauté nationale - celle-ci donne les moyens pour qu'il soit accessible à tous, sinon gratuitement, du moins dans les conditions de la plus large égalité. Le fonctionnement du service public est généralement garanti par l'etat, les collectivités élues, et par la loi. En France, la Sécurité Sociale, la Poste, le Téléphone étaient et restent, en dépit des évolutions actuelles vers diverses formes de privatisation, de bons exemples de services publics. Pour la poste et le téléphone, les évolutions vers des statuts d'établissements autonomes ont entraîné de larges discussions tant en France qu'au niveau européen. Celles-ci ont abouti à la définition plus large d'un "service universel", que l'on pourrait qualifier de version transfrontière du "service public". J'ajouterai que, soutenu par la collectivité, le service public a naturellement des devoirs envers celle-ci. Un service public éducatif En quoi l'éducation se situe-t-elle dans ce cadre de référence? Et qu'en est-il de l'enseignement supérieur? La mise en place de l'école publique, "laïque, gratuite et obligatoire", il y a quelques 120 ans en France (et à peu près au même moment en Angleterre, mais dans une version non "laïque") y a bien évidemment fondé l'éducation comme premier grand service public. Son fonctionnement était, pour la durée d'enseignement obligatoire de chaque citoyen, garanti par l'etat, et plus récemment, de manière assez large, par les collectivités territoriales - répartition classique, avec des pourcentages divers, selon les pays. En France, celles-ci sont aujourd'hui chargées du fonctionnement des écoles, collèges et lycées, notamment pour l'équipement informatique. Les salaires des enseignants, en revanche -y compris dans l'enseignement supérieur - restent à la charge de l'etat. Depuis de nombreuses années, et notamment depuis la Conférence de Jomtien, l'unesco s'attache, avec l'"education pour Tous", à étendre ce service public éducatif à l'ensemble de la planète. C'est là évidemment un enjeu majeur. D'une certaine façon, dans sa conception traditionnelle vieille de 800 ans en Europe avec Bologne et la Sorbonne, l'enseignement supérieur est longtemps resté étranger à cette notion de "service public". "Université" ne signifiait pas "Universalité", du moins dans le domaine de la transmission du savoir.

26 26 Dispensé dans des lieux clos, sortes de forteresses, ou de cloîtres de la connaissance - comme l'architecture des "collèges" britanniques le rappelle encore - il n'était accessible qu'à ceux qui avaient les moyens de s'y rendre et d'y pénétrer. Même laïcisées et relativement plus ouvertes au cours des deux derniers siècles, les universités sont restées des lieux d'accès social limité. Hormis quelques boursiers méritants, la plupart des étudiants devaient disposer de moyens personnels suffisants, même dans des pays aux droits d'inscription peu élevés comme la France. De surcroît, les universités étaient peu associées à la mise en place du service public d'éducation, dans la mesure où la formation des maîtres de l'école élémentaire, de loin les plus nombreux, leur échappait. La mutation universitaire Cependant ce modèle traditionnel s'est trouvé bousculé, au cours des 30 dernières années, à la fois par l'explosion démographique, les puissants bouleversements culturels et sociaux de l'année 68, et par la "révolution technologique". Après 68, les universités se sont ouvertes, le nombre d'étudiants a explosé, les modes d'enseignement ont changé - passage du cours magistral aux travaux dirigés, modularisation des enseignements, contrôle continu des connaissances - les étudiants ont pris des responsabilités gestionnaires, et l'enseignement supérieur s'est banalisé en s'inscrivant dans le prolongement naturel de l'enseignement obligatoire, et en tendant à devenir lui aussi une sorte de "service public". Par ailleurs les technologies de la communication, après avoir déjà modifié l'économie générale des sociétés "développées" dans presque tous les secteurs, ont fini par pénétrer le domaine éducatif et sont venues y compléter la mutation d'une société caractérisée par: - une demande de formation permanente due à l'obsolescence rapide des savoirs; - la nécessité d'apprendre "tout au long de la vie"; - la mobilité et l'incertitude en matière d'emplois; - l'arrivée de nouveaux métiers et de nouveaux profils professionnels; - l'adaptation de la formation aux contraintes de la vie moderne (temps et lieu); - son adaptation aux situations individuelles et l'apprentissage de l'autoformation. On pourrait ajouter que le terme même d'"université" s'est trouvé banalisé par un usage élargi, et que l'on peut parfois trouver impropre. Cessant d'être appliqué seulement à ces lieux prestigieux où sont censés enseigner les meilleurs, qui tirent directement le savoir qu'ils enseignent de leurs propres recherches - en y associant les étudiants les plus avancés - on qualifie maintenant d'"université" des établissements de formation supérieure d'adultes créés au sein d'entreprises: université Alcatel, France Télécom, IBM, Microsoft, Siemens, Renault etc. On y produit des formations de qualité qui pourraient, dans certains secteurs spécifiques, venir concurrencer celles des universités. Les universités à distance, modèles de service public Ouverture de l'enseignement supérieur au plus grand nombre, et intégration des technologies ont donc fait évoluer l'université vers une sorte de modèle de service public, voire de service universel. Ce modèle a en particulier été développé par les très grands établissements universitaires entièrement consacrés à l'enseignement à distance, du type Open University britannique, Universidade Aberta au Portugal, FernUniversität en Allemagne. Contrairement aux universités traditionnelles, ces établissements se sont inscrits d'emblée dans une configuration de "service public" du fait de leur double vocation: - vocation nationale puisqu'ils étaient créés au profit des ressortissants d'une nation entière, et largement financés par l'etat;

27 27 - vocation sociale puisque destinés à gommer les inégalités en ouvrant les cursus universitaires à des étudiants empêchés, handicapés, moins favorisés. Etant les seuls acteurs universitaires de niveau national, ces établissements ont parfois joué dans leur pays un rôle considérable dans le développement de l'enseignement supérieur tout entier (Turquie, Thaïlande, Inde, Chine). Après avoir été longtemps réticentes, sinon hostiles au développement de ces "Universités Ouvertes", les universités traditionnelles se lancent depuis peu dans une émulation avec elles, en ouvrant des départements d'enseignement à distance, et en développant, avec une offre électronique et de grands sites Web, des systèmes d'enseignement virtuel. Parallèlement, on assiste même maintenant à la création de véritables "universités virtuelles", liées naturellement à l'extraordinaire croissance du réseau Internet et des moyens de communication mondiaux. Les risques du "virtuel" La boucle paraît donc bouclée, et on serait passé, en moins d'un demi-siècle, d'une université du passé - forteresse du savoir, d'accès limité et élitiste, à la durée d'études immuables, au cursus figé, aux possibilités de réorientation faibles - à une université de l'avenir, totalement "hors les murs", accessible à domicile, ouverte au monde entier, à choix d'études multiples et totalement modularisées, adaptée à chaque cas individuel. Avec la mondialisation des technologies, l'université virtuelle serait le véhicule parfait pour glisser sans difficulté de la "Société de l'information" vers la "Société du Savoir". En termes de "service universel", n'offrirait-elle pas le modèle parfait? On peut se poser la question en effet, et se dire que ce qui est bon pour la circulation libre et instantanée des flux financiers mondiaux ($1500 milliards par jour) devrait l'être aussi pour les flux de savoir. En stricte économie libérale, pourquoi le cyberespace qui est bon pour les Bourses ne le serait-il pas pour les universités et leurs étudiants en favorisant la libre circulation des flux mondiaux de la connaissance? L'ennui bien sûr, c'est que le cyberespace cesse parfois d'être bon pour les bourses, et qu'en favorisant les dérèglements de la spéculation mondiale, il provoque ruines, misère, appauvrissement des plus pauvres et enrichissement des plus riches. En continuant à faire fonctionner l'analogie, même si on en voit rapidement les limites, ne faut-il pas, dans le domaine éducatif, et notamment universitaire, se méfier de cette circulation mondiale des savoirs, libre et dérégulée, non qu'elle fasse l'objet de mouvements spéculatifs, mais à cause de la disparition des frontières et de l'abaissement du rôle régulateur des autorités nationales: rôle de régulateur culturel, rôle de protecteur des minorités linguistiques, rôle de défense des communautés. La responsabilité des universités En ouvrant ce débat, je ne veux pas dire qu'il est illégitime que les universités développent leur offre électronique. Elle constitue évidemment un progrès considérable que nous n'avons pas le loisir de détailler ici. Mais il y a des enjeux d'identité du fait culturel comme du fait éducatif, de sa dépendance à un lieu et à un temps, de sa relation à une mémoire, comme à un imaginaire spécifiques, que l'on ne peut éluder. L'enseignement ne peut se faire "à partir de nulle part", et les risques d'une position totalement virtuelle doivent être appréciés. De ce point de vue, les universités ont une responsabilité. Tout en développant de façon légitime leur offre électronique et en s'ouvrant au monde, il leur appartient de maintenir l'ancrage dans une collectivité, une culture, un pays ou une région. Dans le contexte général de mondialisation et de "virtualisation", il leur appartient de s'organiser, et d'organiser ensemble leur ouverture et leur modernisation dans une stratégie concertée de développement régional et d'appropriation des technologies éducatives. A cet égard, il me semble qu'elles ont une sorte d'obligation proportionnelle: je veux dire par là que, plus elles s'appuieront sur Internet et ses formidables ressources, plus elles auront obligation de dispenser une éducation à l'internet.

28 Il leur faut aussi s'organiser et créer entre elles les partenariats nécessaires pour garder la maîtrise des contenus éducatifs et de leur qualité, pour en gérer l'exploitation, pour maîtriser les équipements -sans tomber dans le "vaudou" technologique - et aussi pour gérer avec force et responsabilité leurs relations avec les fournisseurs d'accès aux réseaux et systèmes de communication. L'évolution vers un service public moderne de l enseignement supérieur sera à ce prix. 28

29 29 L université en mutation Intervention de : Prof. Dyane Adam, Ph.D Principale College universitaire Glendon Université York Canada La présente communication repose sur les expériences des universités de la francophonie canadienne vivant en milieu minoritaire en matière d enseignement par le biais des nouvelles technologies d information. Ce consortium d universités sont à construire un réseau national d enseignement universitaire français qui s appuie sur une infrastructure technologique complexe et de pointe. Outre des sites multimédia répartis sur presque l ensemble du territoire canadien, cette université réseau a innové par ses nouveaux mécanismes de gouvernance et de planification scolaire concertée, par le développement de contenus multimédia, par la formation conjointe des enseignants à l usage des NTI et par des réseaux de recherche en ligne. De l université traditionnelle qui livre ses propres enseignements dans un lieu et un temps fixe avec un corps professoral et une clientèle étudiante qui lui sont propres, nous sommes passés à une université virtuelle en réseau où il y a mobilité des étudiants, du corps professoral et des enseignements. Les changements sont multiples et complexes dans un tel système et entraînent forcément un bouleversement des paradigmes habituels de fonctionnement, notamment aux niveaux de la culture institutionnelle et des relations inter-institutionnelles et des relations professeur-étudiant. L auteur termine son exposé sur ces changements en profondeur que subissent les universités impliquées dans un tel réseau. L'université en mutation: du traditionnel au virtuel Le texte suivant accompagne la présentation diaporama faite à l UNESCO dans le cadre de la conférence mondiale sur l enseignement supérieur tenue à Paris du 5 au 9 octobre Les copies des diapositives sont présentées en annexe de ce texte. Diapositive #1 Parmi nos universités et nos collèges, la question d université virtuelle suscite actuellement de nombreux débats parfois intellectuels, mais plus souvent qu autrement, ce sont les passions qui parlent. Les nouvelles technologies de l information et de communication (NTIC) bousculent si radicalement et si rapidement nos savoir-faire et nos savoir-être habituels par rapport à la recherche, l enseignement et la gouvernance de ces fonctions qu il n y a pas de quoi s étonner que leur venue éveille tant de passions et de controverses. Une certitude demeure, leur présence s avère incontournable. À nous de décider comment ces nouveaux outils peuvent être mis au service de l entreprise universitaire! Certaines universités ont déjà effectué le virage technologique. Non parce qu elles étaient nécessairement plus visionnaires que les autres mais en raison de circonstances particulières qui les ont amenés à considérer les NTIC, dès leur apparition, comme des outils indispensables pour mieux servir leurs clientèles étudiantes. Mon intervention d aujourd hui repose sur 10 années d expérience avec les universités de la francophonie canadienne vivant en milieu minoritaire. Diapositive #2 Plus précisément l expérience du Regroupement des universités de la francophonie canadienne hors-québec (RUFHQ). Un consortium de 12 universités réparties dans 6 provinces canadiennes où les communautés francophones sont en situation minoritaire.

30 30 Diapositive #3 Ces universités sont à construire un réseau national d enseignement universitaire français qui repose sur une infrastructure technologique complexe et de pointe - 38 sites d enseignement multimédia sont déjà installés et 21 sont en voie d être installés Diapositive # 4 Mon exposé s appuie également sur l expérience du Réseau franco-ontarien d enseignement à distance (RFOED) qui comprend 43 sites d enseignement multimédia répartis dans 16 villes ontariennes et gérés par 6 universités et 3 collèges francophones. Je vais en premier lieu vous présenter les différents volets de cette université réseau, créée de toutes pièces à partir d universités déjà existantes. Je terminerai par les défis particuliers ou les changements de paradigmes que représente ce virage virtuel pour les universités impliquées. Diapositives #5 et #6 L Université virtuelle en réseau : six volets * Infrastructure technologique: sites d enseignement multimédia qui impliquent la visioconférence, l Internet, des postes informatiques et d audioconférence. Entente sur la compatibilité des équipements, contrats d achat, d entretien des équipements, partage du soutien technique, demande conjointe d octrois gouvernementaux. * Mécanismes de gouvernance et de concertation: Tables de planification inter institutionnelles à différents paliers (ex. Table des recteurs et des chefs d établissements, table de planification universitaire, table technologique, comités d édition par discipline, etc.), protocoles d entente quant à la mobilité étudiante et professorale, protocole sur le transfert des crédits, etc. * Enseignement et programmation: planification et offre concertées de cours et de programmes (ex. échange unique de cours, programme livré entièrement à distance dans une autre université (ex. B.Ed de l Université d Ottawa au Collège universitaire Glendon), programme entièrement conjoint et diplômes décernés par plusieurs universités (ex. maîtrise en orthophonie entre l Université Laurentienne et l Université d Ottawa) * Contenus multimédia et outils pédagogiques : développement conjoint de contenus de cours sous forme numérique ou imprimée, (ex. cours Internet en psychologie, cd-rom sur les francophonies minoritaires, sites web Biodidac site web bibliopol) * Formation pédagogique: formation conjointe des enseignants à l usage des NTIC, guides d accompagnement pour l apprenant, groupes de discussion sur les applications pédagogiques des NTIC * Recherche: réseaux de chercheurs en ligne Diapositive # 7 L université en mutation Dans la mise en œuvre de ces réseaux institutionnels, nous avons constaté que nous participions à une transformation graduelle de la configuration universitaire. De l université traditionnelle qui livre ses propres enseignements dans un lieu et temps fixe avec un corps professoral et une clientèle étudiante qui lui est sien, nous sommes passés à une université virtuelle en réseau où il y a mobilité des étudiants, du corps professoral et des enseignements. Les changements sont multiples et complexes dans un tel système et entraînent forcément un bouleversement des paradigmes habituels de fonctionnement. Je vais m attarder maintenant sur deux catégories de changements en profondeur que subissent les universités impliquées en réseau. Diapositive #8 - Les nouveaux paradigmes Culture institutionnelle et relations inter-institutionnelles

31 31 Relations professeur-étudiant Diapositive #9 - Culture organisationnelle et relation inter-institutionnelles Autonomie vs interdépendance : L autonomie universitaire est une valeur sacro-sainte dans les universités. Dans l université réseau, on ne peut plus fonctionner de façon isolée et autonome du moins en ce qui touche le réseau. On a vu les universités du RFOED devoir en partie harmoniser leurs critères d embauche du corps professoral, les normes d admission des étudiants dans des programmes, l harmonisation des horaires de cours et des semestres, leurs système d équivalence de cours voire reformuler certains plans scolaires individuels des différentes universités partenaires. Concurrence vs concertation / collaboration: Il existe toujours une certaine concurrence, mais il demeure que le succès de l entreprise réseau dépend davantage du respect mutuel et de la maximisation des forces de chacun, plutôt que de la rivalité entre universités. Si un chaînon est faible, c est tout le réseau qui s affaiblit. Hermétisme vs transparence : On voit surgir une plus grande transparence dans les opérations. L université impliquée en réseau doit être prête à partager beaucoup d informations qui étaient autrefois réservées exclusivement aux membres internes de l organisation systèmes de contrôle interne, financement, évaluation des professeurs et des enseignements, etc. Territorialité vs ouverture : Le territoire d une université est drôlement élargi par son implication dans un réseau. Ce n est plus les étudiants qui viennent nécessairement vers l université, désormais c est l université qui les rejoint où ils sont. Ceci comporte également des stratégies différentes de promotion et de marketing de l université. Diapositive # 10 - Relations professeur - étudiant Contexte d apprentissage diversifié et élargi : Que l enseignement soit en temps réel ou différé, la clientèle étudiante est plus diversifiée, venant de partout. Or un tel contexte commande des contenus qui tiennent compte de cette diversité, particulièrement en ce qui touche l enseignement des humanités et des sciences sociales. Ce fait enrichit nos enseignements et l apprentissage des étudiants mais en même temps, l effort de la part du professeur est accru. Par ailleurs, l internet et les NTIC donnent plus facilement accès à des contenus plus variés. Redéfinition des conduites et rôles respectifs : L enseignement avec les NTIC exige plus de rigueur et de planification de la part du professeur. L approche pédagogique privilégiée est davantage centrée sur l étudiant et sur son processus d apprentissage. Également plus exigeant pour l étudiant car il doit être plus actif. Interactivité et souplesse accrues: Dépendant comment les NTIC sont utilisées, elles peuvent offrir des contacts individualisés, parfois plus intensifiés que ceux vécus lors de conférence traditionnelle. Les groupes de discussion électronique entre les étudiants simulent les discussions en classe. Le professeur peut également évaluer la contribution de chacun. Les informations sur le cours et les épreuves sont mises à jour régulièrement sur le web. Il y a possibilité de connectivité avec d autres communautés de professeurs et d étudiants s interrogeant sur le même sujet.

32 32 Aisance et compétences dans les applications pédagogiques des NTIC: La forme compte autant que le contenu. Il ne suffit plus d ëtre un expert dans son domaine pour un professeur. Il doit apprendre comment utiliser ces nouveaux outils pour non seulement organiser et transmettre son savoir mais aussi pour faciliter l apprentissage des étudiants. Bref, il doit devenir un pédagogue!! Transparence et imputabilité: Le professeur n est plus seul avec ses étudiants dans la salle de classe. Tout ce qu il fait est désormais sur la place publique et soumis au regard critique de ses pairs et des futurs étudiants. On se confronte à une transparence et une imputabilité accrues qui dérangent souvent les professeurs. Diapositive # 11 - Conclusion Cet exposé est loin d être exhaustif. J espère toutefois que j ai réussi à vous présenter en capsule les nombreuses transformations qui affectent présentement le monde de l enseignement supérieur en raison des NTIC. Si je me fie à nos expériences canadiennes ce virage est excitant et stimulant bien que rempli de défis et de frustrations. Je suis persuadée que l entreprise universitaire en sortira plus forte et meilleure Adresse Web pour obtenir cette présentation et aussi plus d informations sur le RUFHQ et le RFOED.

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