NRENs in National Development Strategies Robert Horvitz Manager, Central/Eastern Europe GLOBAL INTERNET POLICY INITIATIVE (GIPI) NATO/CEENet Network Administration.

NRENs in National NRENs in National Development Development

StrategiesStrategiesRobert Horvitz

Manager, Central/Eastern EuropeGLOBAL INTERNET POLICY INITIATIVE (GIPI)

NATO/CEENet Network Administration Workshop

22-25 September 2002ZAGREB, CROATIA

Main PointsMain Points

NRENs’ environment is changing, rapidly and drastically.

Most NRENs are not prepared, and not are responding.

You must overcome a very narrow vision of your role.

Think about what learning will probably be like in 5-10 years.

Start working to help make it happen.

eSEE Ministerial eSEE Ministerial ConferenceConference

Ljubljana, 3-4 June 2002Ljubljana, 3-4 June 2002

AlbaniaBosnia-Hercegovina(Bulgaria)CroatiaMacedonia

Moldova(Romania)Serbia & Montenegro(Slovenia)

eEurope++eEurope++

Rapid introduction of new legal & policy framework to promote Information Society

• Particularly in telecommunications

Improve the region’s capability for using ICTs to achieve better governance, economic development, social cohesion, and cultural diversity

eEurope++eEurope++ CommitmentsCommitments


Closely cooperate to integrate the region into the global knowledge-based economy

Adopt “national Information Society strategies,” policies & action plans (based on eEurope++), with clear goals, responsibilities & implementation timelines


Governments “will aim to prepare an ambitious [regional] eSEE AGENDA”

Agreement on agenda by the end of October 2002

““Croatia in the 21st Croatia in the 21st Century: ICT strategy”Century: ICT strategy”

In English:http://www.croatia21.hr/home.asp?ru=167

In Croatian:http://www.croatia21.hr/home.asp?gl=200112060000001

Croatia21 - ICTCroatia21 - ICT

Emphasis on:

Business/economic uses and benefits

Integrating NRENs into public life

...breaking down boundaries between universities and “learning situations” in general.


Recommendation 9: “Among its prioritized development direc-tions in the economy, the Republic of Croatia should put on the first place the information and communication tech-nology, with the accent on software and direction toward network applications...”


“Education, research and development are the foundations of the forthcoming information society... The education system must wake the interest of students for independent studying and enable them for constant lifelong learning...”


“free Internet connection and use for all schools” (initially, dial-up and ISDN)

“...programs for equipping the schools should be directed towards shared use of infrastructures with local communities...”

“public access points in schools...”

ICT classes for adults offered in all local schools


Connect CARNet “with the most advanced European infrastructures of the same kind”

Research new ICT infrastructures “based on radically new principles of distributed computing and communications, in order to make them omnipresent, movable and scalable...”


Education reform at the university level to increase the number of graduates qualified to work professionally in ICT management and R&D to 1000/year through 2005.

Institutions of higher learning should help train all teachers in ICTs.


All universities should propose new courses for delivery via ICTs, as well as new courses about ICTs

“It is recommended that the universities that educate experts for the area of information and communication tech-nology include ethics in their curricula...”


lift import duties on ICTs for personal and educational use

tax benefits for all ICT firms providing “quality programs for permanent education of their employees”


“Research, development and introduction of technical protection against illegal and offensive Internet content [and] education on dangers of Internet use...”

“make all information and communication traffic with origin and destination in Croatia, as well as transit traffic, subject to Croatian legislation...”

Therefore...Therefore...

It is wrong to think of NREN development as simply a technical matter...

...or as determined solely by existing practices at existing institutions.

NREN management will increasingly involve content packaging, training...

...and lobbying.

Canada’s philosophyCanada’s philosophy

“Community broadband networks, provincial networking initiatives and national research backbone networks, are all part of the same continuum of providing a national innovation infrastructure. In the future, research, education and innovation will not be solely a product of universities and research centers...”

NREN FuturesNREN Futures

Quantitative changechannel speed

number of nodesgeographic coverage & reach

Qualitative change

role & purpose of networkingRelations among users

organization and style of learning

Scenario 1Scenario 1

Universities gradually expand course offerings to older, non-resident, part-time students and alumni

• “Distance Education” and “Life-long Learning”

Face-to-face, speech- and book-oriented education is gradually replaced by pre-recorded streaming multimedia, online discussions (IRC, BBS) and email


BENEFITS: educate more people, reach isolated and rural populations

RISKS: increased competition between institutions for same learners

– may force teachers to become “edutainers” rather than scholars

– Competition commercialization

– Potential “popularity” and “salability” become main criteria for course development

Alliance for Lifelong Alliance for Lifelong LearningLearning

http://www.alllearn.org/ A partnership among...

• Stanford University• Yale University• Oxford University

“Knowledge is forever. Get some today.”


50+ courses, each 5-10 weeks long– Study 5-7 hours/week: reading, writing, chat,

streaming multimedia, subject-threaded BBS

$249 per course plus “materials” fee – Pay by credit card, no degree credit

Traditional “liberal arts” content, but limited to subjects intended to be attractive/popular:– “Understanding Beethoven”– “The American Civil War”– “Why Smart People do Stupid Things”


“...It’s like the campus of your dreams: courses you want to study developed by world-class educators and designed to accommodate your busy lifestyle...”

“You don’t go to class. The class comes to you... Wherever. Whenever.”

ConsequencesConsequences Students simultaneously enrolled in

courses offered by different institutions– need a “trans-institutional online identity”– and a new kind of admissions policy– “a degree from which university”?

“Disintermediation” of education– student-assembled programs of study– different institutions provide separate elements:

lodging, classroom/lab experience, online courses, testing, accreditation, alumni tracking & solicitations


The “study group” emerges as the primary unit of education

– Face-to-face, discussion centered

Group members choose courses and media from multiple sources, learn together as a team

University persists as a “home base” for excursions into the “sea of knowledge”


BENEFITS: – “User-controlled” learning is more effective - and

better retained - than “teacher-controlled” learning– Enables flexible optimization of F2F, remote and

on-demand channels– Promotes social/productivity skills useful later in

work

RISKS: – Individual knowledge will probably be incomplete– Lack of discipline?– Teaching profession further downgraded

CONSEQUENCESCONSEQUENCES Students chose a university for its facilities

rather than its faculties

“Learning guides” (mentors and resource lists) become crucial

Admissions a more complex task– selection of groups rather than individuals?

Competition between study-groups an important source of discipline & comparison

– need to rethink rewards/penalties, use of grades

TENSION BETWEEN...TENSION BETWEEN...

NREN as “portal”?vs.

NREN as “infrastructure”

THANKS FOR LISTENINGTHANKS FOR LISTENING

Robert [email protected]

NRENs in National Development Strategies Robert Horvitz Manager, Central/Eastern Europe GLOBAL INTERNET POLICY INITIATIVE (GIPI) NATO/CEENet Network Administration.

Documents

croatia slide

email slide

croatia21 ict research

nren futures slide

croatia21 ict emphasis

croatia21 ict recommendation

ict management

ict firms