A vision of desirable eLearning and eInclusion development trends in Latvia

1. A vision of desirable eLearning and eInclusion development trends in Latvia Dr. Andrejs Ermuiža, lead researcher University of LatviaInstitute of Electronics and Computer Science, Riga, Latvia, ermuiza@edi.lv

2. Content of presentation • My interests in the urgent problem and offered approach • Vision desideratum about ICT application in Latvia • Status quo in the areas of social inclusion and education • What we should have? • Access to internet in all regions of Latvia • Origination of motivations and opportunities for eInclusion • Preparation of eContent for different branches • Strategy directed to eLearning profile and individualization • Overcoming of language barriers Dr. A. Ermuiža, eBaltics, 2005

3. My interests and proposed approach to relate eLearning with eInclusion I am apply myself to solving problems of risk averting in safety-critical systems. I think that in these both areas (1 – inclusion, 2- risk averting) are some common features: we must maintain monitoring of individual objects (persons): • process of solving problems of social inclusion (using eLearning) as improvement in some features is similar with • Process of averting critical states in safety-critical systems. But the missions in these processes are different: • Wellbeing progress due to improving inclusion in 1-st case • protection the objects and their environment in 2-nd case Dr. A. Ermuiža, eBaltics, 2005

4. Common features for both processes • Earmarking preferable groups of objects for monitoring • Planning distribution of resources between groups in accordance with their preferences • Individualized monitoring of each object in the group Dr. A. Ermuiža, eBaltics, 2005

5. The Vision desideratum about ICT applications • Access to knowledge bases for in all regions of Latvija • An appropriate knowledge portal of eContent for eLearning about operational (ready to use) knowledge in different areas (like ‘’How Stuff Works’’ in USA) for qualitative decision making • Facility of personalised learning for anybody and flexibilty in terms of: • Place • Time • Pace and style • Disposable profiled knowledge base for different learner needs • Organized tutorship for eLearning monitoring with benefits • Accesability of mobile equipment for individual languge and skills learning Dr. A. Ermuiža, eBaltics, 2005

6. Example of www.howstuffsworks.com using for operational purpose • Assume that you must go to one of Asian states • You know that there may be risk to catch SARS • Where you can get information (new knowledge) how to prevent this risk? • One of possible ways - you visit www.howstuffsworks.com and get helpful instructions how to protect yourself from SARS Conclusion: The set of new knowledge makes eContent Dr. A. Ermuiža, eBaltics, 2005

7. What ought to be eLearning in my point of view? • eLearning combines learning with technologies to facilitate the learning process • Tutors and learners communicate using e-mail or discussion forums and specalized means for registration and records keeping • There must be personalized monitoring for each learner which may be automatized by using software agents • Of prime importance is the content of the eLearning materials – its availability in the mother tongue of learner • eLearning uses operational knowledges in multiple formats in a variety of media from simle pdf files to animations and video Dr. A. Ermuiža, eBaltics, 2005

8. A model of eLearning with agents as fulcrum of process personalisation Dr. A. Ermuiža, eBaltics, 2005

9. Possible categories of learners • Pupils • Students • Lifelong learners • Foreign language learners • Unemployed • Prospective businessmans and entrepreneurs Dr. A. Ermuiža, eBaltics, 2005

10. Profiles and stages of learning • Each category of learners demands to apply own profile and sets of learning scenarios which is prescribed by tutors and agents interaction • The process of eLearning consists of several stages with increasing complexity • Succesion of stages depends from abilities of learner which make possible to select and promote more talented learners Dr. A. Ermuiža, eBaltics, 2005

11. Why ought to be essential software agents using? • The eLearning process must be standardized and automatized in order to increase its efficiency • The facilities of tutors for monitoring is less than in case of standardized software agents using • The induvialised approach for monitoring is hard to be implemented without standardization and without software agents using Dr. A. Ermuiža, eBaltics, 2005

12. Topicality of eInclusion in Latvia Shortcomings that raise exclusion in Latvia for some categories of residents (inhabitants): • Hight unemploiment rate especially in the rural regions – the teleworking could be improve this situation • Lingual barriers between certain groups of inhabitants • Insufficient information how to start business processes and bureaucracy barriers to obtain it • Lack of motivation eLearning due to inacccesability and misunderstanding Dr. A. Ermuiža, eBaltics, 2005

13. How eLearning may be useful for eInclusion? • Social inclusion demands personalised approach and monitoring as like as eLearning • For social inclusion it may be useful to earmark preferable groups for their monitoring and for resource distribution planning • The eInclusion is especially important for young people and those with poor motivation Dr. A. Ermuiža, eBaltics, 2005

14. Pros and cons of Latvian system of education (-)Difficult access to obtaining knowledge: • small motivation for studies (low salary in perspective) • High tution fee • Unpopular livelong education (+) • there exists portal of explanatory dictionary (www.termini.lv a.o.) • A great number of students in the universities • Opportunities to study in different countries • Motivation to reach knowledge based society Dr. A. Ermuiža, eBaltics, 2005

15. Advantages and disadvantages of existing technological progress for eLearning (+) • Most of active inhabitants have cellular phones • Via cellular phones one may have access to internet • Technological progress of cellular phones is in boom (-) • Low percentage of home internet users in Latvia • Lack of eLearning services for internet users • no eLearning services to master a language or any skills using cellular phones • Potentialities of cellular phones finger-board is limited Dr. A. Ermuiža, eBaltics, 2005

16. Pros and cons of conventional ICT application • (+) • Possibility to obtain operative knowledge • Possibility to operative cooperation in wide areas • (-) • Necessity to have on-line access to internet • Necessity to know all the tricks of internet using • Necessity to know english • Lack of links between knowledge and context • No ways and means for individualized eLearning Dr. A. Ermuiža, eBaltics, 2005

17. What kind ought to be eContent for eLearning? • It must be available in the mother tongue of learners and within limits multilingual to master alanguage • It must contain graphical information besides textual one • The involment of scientists (think-tanks) for knowledge expertise is highly desireable • There may be goods advertising incomes from business companies Dr. A. Ermuiža, eBaltics, 2005

18. Conclusions • The eLearning is very important for inclusion and must be combined with eInclusion in order to reach knowledge society • For efficient and all-inclusive eLearning implementing there is needful multiprofiled latvian eContent building which has to based on operational knowledge using • As potential method for knowledge access there may be considered services of cellular phones Dr. A. Ermuiža, eBaltics, 2005

19. References • www.termini.lv • www.howstuffworks.com • www.content-willage.org/europe catching up in e-Learning • http://www.cordis.lu/ist/workprogramme/wp0506_en/2_5_11.htm • ftp://ftp.cordis.lu/pub/ist/docs/productivity-paradigm.pdf Dr. A. Ermuiža, eBaltics, 2005