France, RI to develop distance learning links
JAKARTA (JP): For many people, education might be associated with studying in a classroom with a teacher. Technology, however, is allowing us to study from wherever we are and whenever we want.
This new art of learning was discussed here recently in a four-day seminar titled Multimedia and Network: A New Art of Learning.
It was organized by the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the French Ministry of Education, Research and Technology, the Embassy of France in Indonesia and the Indonesian Ministry of Education and Culture. The seminar was a follow-up of last year's regional seminar on educational television.
Around 70 experts from private companies, state-run organizations of both countries, including Universitas Terbuka (Open University), Universitas Indonesia, Bandung Institute of Technology, the National Center for Distance Learning (CNED) of France and government offices took part in the seminar.
The seminar was dedicated to distance learning. As Grard Cros, Ambassador of France, pointed out in his opening speech, "the extent of the Indonesian territory and the significance of its population make distance learning a good way to democratize learning by reaching a ever-growing public and to continue training teachers."
The seminar's first day dealt with new technologies, including the Internet, multimedia products, visual-communications and satellites.
Anne Auban, a French computer science teacher and the director of the Media-Sciences Division at University of Paris VI, explained about the visual-communications applied in the university.
"Participants can communicate as if they are in the same place even though they are in two different geographical places," she said.
This system is for researchers to meet each other, for teachers to give courses and for students to participate in interactive lectures.
Gilles Braun, from the French Ministry of Education, Research and Technology introduced the participants to some multimedia tools such as CD-Roms and on-line commodities. He distinguished five kinds of products: simulated dialogs between the student and a virtual teacher, computer assisted simulations and experimentations, data base, educative games and software enabling a collective work.
Those new techniques could revolutionize the way teachers are used to teaching. The classical frame for schools will disappear, giving a greater place to the distance learning, he said.
Most of these materials have been increasingly used by the CNED since 1993. This French distance-learning institution intends to surf on the new technologies' wave by introducing some courses on-line and create Internet sites such as the electronic campus (www.campus-electronique.tm.fr). This web site informs and guides students or future students on their courses. Teachers as well as students also have access to their own forum.
In Indonesia, distance learning was pioneered by the Open University. It has 415,000 students, as many as the French institution. But the use of technology is clearly incomparable.
The seminar allowed the participants to get acquainted with the various distance-learning networks in Indonesia. The Indonesian Distance Learning Network (IDLN) seems to be the most consummate one. It involves eight ministries, including the Ministry of Religious Affairs and the Ministry of Agriculture, which implemented distance education to improving the quality of their human resources.
Other networks are also being setting up, such as the joint- venture project to connect the Bandung Institute of Technology, the French company Thomson, students and some other triangular structures in Asian countries.
During the seminar, speakers presented their needs and their problems, trying to find answers and solutions from other experts. In the end, a coordinating committee comprising four Indonesian and four French experts were elected.
For five years, they will help institutions on both sides to open sister-schools and enhance the collaboration of French experts in Indonesia on the educational channel, Cakrawidaya which was launched recently through the Cakrawarta satellite. The French will also help the Indonesians with distance-learning management.
The seminar also agreed on the experts' exchanges between France and Indonesia; teaching researchers' exchanges; adaptation of French products for Indonesian students and coproduction on multimedia items; and French proficiency courses for teachers on- line or on television.
But those undertakings, although not very ambitious, have to be well thought out. Indeed, Johnny Moningka of University of Indonesia showed a study on nine classes, four of which worked with the Internet. The improvement of their school results was noticeable but not that significant, thus showing the limits of using multimedia.
Anne Auban also wished researchers to be cautious about the use of new technologies. "The teacher is no longer the only one to own knowledge. But he must keep on helping the students because every computerized system which is not accompanied by human beings can't work well".