Susan Foster <susan.foster@lshtm.ac.uk>
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Errors-To: owner-afro-nets@usa.healthnet.org
Internet and distance learning courses
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Dear Tom, Karin, and Dieter,
I have just been passed a hard copy of the correspondence on the Afro-Nets
about the World Bank project (which mentions our school in passing). I
think the World Bank themselves are planning or have done an economic
evaluation -- the details were as follows (I summarize loosely!)
Title: Technology, education costs and distance education. Jacques van der
Gaag, Human development department. Ref. No. 680-70.
Quote: "...conventional means of education will not serve needs of large
populations or poor nations. Prospect of education by electronic distance
education becomes important. Technology is now reducing the cost of
storing, manipulating and transmitting information. What role does such
technology play in expanding education in developing countries?
This study will review distance education technologies and their use,
effectiveness and costs in developing countries to find out what
technologies under what conditions can provide cost effective alternatives
to conventional education. Focus on computer based electronic
communications that integrate text, audio and video media transmitted by
internet and electronic data systems. The study will first gather
quantitative, descriptive data on the provision and availability of
electronic distance education in post-school continuing education and then
carry out case studies in Brazil, Estonia, South Africa and an Asian
country."
[end quote]
Source: World Bank Policy and Research Bulletin, April June 1996, p. 10.
so that might clarify things a bit.
While I have you on the internet: For anyone interested, the London School
of Hygiene mentioned by Karin Dumbaugh of Harvard School of Public Health
*is* in fact planning two new postgraduate Diploma/MSc courses, in Health
Systems Management and Infectious Diseases, to start in March 1997. These
will be offered through the University of London External System which has
25,000 students currently registered on distance learning courses.... Any
inquiries about the public health courses please to:
s.foster@lshtm.ac.uk
or look at our web pages:
http://WWW.LSHTM.AC.UK
for the London School of Hygiene and
http://WWW.LON.AC.UK/EXTERNAL
for the whole University of London External Programme.
Note: The LSHTM MSc courses will NOT be an internet based for the present
time, although if students have email we will certainly use it to
communicate with them. We want to see how many students actually have
regular, reliable access to the Internet before relying on it for delivery
of course materials. We will use good old books and paper and audio
cassettes, with computer disks for specific subjects -- at least for now.
Watch this cyber-space!
Susan Foster
Distance Learning Coordinator
London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine
Keppel Street
London WC1E 7HT, UK
tel +44-171-927-2359
fax +44-171-637-5391
e-mail: s.foster@lshtm.ac.uk
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