An Interview with Curt Bonk from Indiana University, Mimi Miyoung Lee from the University of Houston, and Tom Reynolds from National University on E-Learning in Asia.

1.27.10 - Michael F. Shaughnessy - Well, Dr. Gary Marks, Director and Founder of the Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE), asked us to create a special preconference symposium on e-learning in Asia at the November 2008 E-Learn Conference in Las Vegas.

An Interview with Curt Bonk from Indiana University, Mimi Miyoung Lee from the University of Houston, and Tom Reynolds from National University on E-Learning in Asia.

Michael F. Shaughnessy

Eastern New Mexico University

Portales, New Mexico

1)    I understand that there is a special issue of the International Journal of E-Learning on e-learning in Asia which recently came out. How did this come about?

Well, Dr. Gary Marks, Director and Founder of the Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE), asked us to create a special preconference symposium on e-learning in Asia at the November 2008 E-Learn Conference in Las Vegas. We did. There were a dozen presenters from Asia at the symposium with talks on e-learning related to 10 different Asian countries including China, Korea, Japan, Taiwan, the Philippines, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, India, and Turkey. The people were so fantastic and the presentations were so exciting that we asked Dr. Marks if we could put them together into a special issue on e-learning in Asia.

We collected chapters from 8 of those countries (all but Korea and China). The citation for that special issue of International Journal on E-Learning is noted below. Those reading it will understand much of what is currently happening in Asia in terms of e-learning. Of course, with many countries not included, it will be an incomplete picture.

Bonk, C. J., Lee, M. M., & Reynolds, T. H. (Eds.) (2009). International Journal on E-Learning. 8(4). Special issue: A Special Passage through Asia E-Learning. http://www.editlib.org/j/IJEL/v/8/n/4

This is also a print-on-demand book. We titled it, “A Special Passage through Asia E-Learning” since the chapters are in order of from East Asia to West Asia. There is a map of Asia embedded at the beginning of the book, in fact. The citation for that is below as well.

Bonk, C. J., Lee, M. M., & Reynolds, T. H. (Eds.) (2009). A Special Passage through Asia E-Learning. Chesapeake, VA: Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education. (see http://www.editlib.org/ebooks/ or http://www.editlib.org/p/32264 and http://aace.org)

2) I heard that this special issue and preconference session at the E-learn conference last November got discussion started on a new conference in Malaysia next spring called Global Learn. Can you explain what Global Learn is? Why is this a significant development?

Yes, you are right. During the E-Learn conference last November, the contributors to the special symposium also sat in on discussions to expand AACE conferences to Asia. The result was the creation of Global Learn: Global Conference on Learning and Technology. This conference will bring together leading educators around the planet to discuss trends in education such as open education, ubiquitous computing, technologies for socially responsive learning, global learning communities, mobile learning, cross-border partnerships, and personalized learning environments. The premiere venue for the conference will be Penang, Malaysia at the Shangri-La's Rasa Sayang Resort on the ocean. It will run from May 17-20, 2010.

Global Learn will be an annual event each April or May in a different country in Asia and the Pacific Rim. Per the mission statement, “Global Learn serves as a means to connect and engage creative educators, researchers, consultants, training managers, policy makers, curriculum developers, entrepreneurs, and others in the topics and fields in which they are passionate. Many individuals are transforming learning environments in local as well as more global ways. Global Learn offers an opportunity to meet and discuss their ideas, findings, and next steps.”

More about Global Learn can be found at the conference homepage: http://www.aace.org/conf/glearn/. The first call for papers is nearly done but there will be a second call in a month or so.

3) From your perspectives, what is the current status of e-learning in Asia?

On the move, and yet tentative at the same time. There is much happening but many unknowns. Seems that most countries are searching to keep up with the demand yet maintain, even establish, quality. Hence, as noted in the special issue, there has been a lot of work regarding how to put in place the best online programs—which tools to use and how to best develop and operate virtually. There is growing acceptance for e-learning. Some of this is the result of government policies, some is due to learner migration into virtual environments, and some is due to natural disasters such as SARS, earthquakes, and tsunamis that have awakened people to the possibility to learn even when they cannot physically travel to class. China, for instance, had significant regulations curtailing e-learning and blended learning until SARS struck. In addition, it is also important to note how different sectors within a county have different ways to approach and afford e-learning.

4) Why is it important to look at e-learning in Asia?

It is important to understand that e-learning is a global and inter-dependent movement and that looking at Asia or any other region provides useful information to other regions as they encounter similar issues.  For example, Asia represents more than 40 percent of Internet users today. Keep in mind that a mere 15 percent of those in Asia have Internet access today. When access to the Internet in Asia doubles or triples, the majority of Internet use will stem from Asia. When that happens, English may no longer be the most used language of the Internet.  Or, consider that there are currently over 3.5 billion mobile devices in operation.  When e-learning further migrates into the mobile market the impact in Asia alone will bring about significant changes in the learning landscape.  Already in major cities like Tokyo, Seoul, Taipei, and Beijing, there is pervasive access to the Web. Everyone comes to class equipped to learn with mobile phones at the ready. Seoul was recently touted as a ubiquitous city. Time Magazine called it the “World’s Most Wired Megacity” (see http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1916302-3,00.html). If we look at adaptations of e-learning in such Asian cities with pervasive Internet access, we can better understand and plan for e-learning in North America or other regions. In many ways, Asia is leading the way.

5) What were some of the countries that participated in the special issue/book? What are some of the salient papers in this compilation?

As we indicated, the countries explored in this issue included Malaysia, Japan, the Philippines, India, Taiwan, Thailand, Singapore, and Turkey. Each contributing author was wonderful to work with. They were among the top e-learning people in each country. In the issue, Yayoi Anzai from Japan discusses how digital technologies such as podcasting and wikis can foster more student-centered learning. Dr. Daniel Tan from Nanyang Technological University in Singapore addresses more participative and technology immersive learning that he and his colleagues refer to as the Web 2.0. And Siew-mee Barton details the social networks, cultural norms, and learning communities affecting e-learning adaptation and use in Turkey.

6) What seem to be the outstanding trends in some of the Southeast Asian countries mentioned?

There is growing acceptance of fully online and blended learning across countries in Asia. How it plays out varies in each one. There is no one model or approach. There is also a huge need that it is fulfilling. Fully 7 of the largest 11 universities in the world are in Asia, each with over 100,000 students. Fortunately, from what we can see, there is a lot of unique leadership for information and communications technology in Asia. Open universities such as the Open University of Malaysia (OUM) and Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGOU) are exploding with new students, couses, and programs. The OUM has gone from a mere 800 students in 2001 when it opened to more than 80,000 students today.

So the articles in the special issue, not surprisingly, address topics such as infrastructure, government policies, the University 2.0, new program creation, and experimentations with emerging technologies. Some talk about frameworks for new programs and associated program supports. Of course, all are wrestling with issues related to course management systems and learner responsibility for their own learning as well as Internet speed and access issues.

7) What are some of the challenges that these countries face? What is happening in India, for instance?

As indicated, they face slow Internet speed issues, which pose challenges to even limited functionality of e-learning platforms and content management. In addition, much of the funding or promotion of e-learning efforts focuses first on the technology, instead of the educational applications and benefits that technologies can enable. And, as a whole, teaching in Asian cultures tends to use more top down curriculum designs and teacher-centered instruction approaches, while the benefits of e-learning and many of the instructional advances in the forefront of e-learning highlight leaner empowerment, self-direction, collaborative construction of knowledge, and they support the use and re-use of learning materials—ergo a vision of learner-centered learning far afield from current practices. For example, prepackaged lecture content is emphasized over innovative ways to use Web 2.0 technologies like podcasts, wikis, and blogs, and drill of basic skills are typically emphasized over questioning, problem solving, and learning to deal with the unknown. Not surprisingly, many differences are even more evident between what is happening in urban and rural parts of countries like China, Thailand, Malaysia, Korea, and India.

E-learning in India is still in its infancy. At this time, there is a need for standards for instructional design as well as metadata, user studies, private-public partnerships, greater bandwidth, and strategies for e-content integration. Government policies and meticulous attention to quality and effectiveness will be key.

8) What countries did you not include that you might include in a second volume or what might you do differently?

Well, we did not include dozens of countries. We would have loved to hear about e-learning in places like Vietnam, Cambodia, Mongolia, Bhutan, Indonesia, Pakistan, Russia, Iran, Oman, and Saudi Arabia. We did have a leading e-learning representative from Indonesia who planned to participate in the symposium, but he had to back out at the last minute. We also did not get a chance to include chapters in the book from our colleagues in Korea and China due to perceived space limitations and timing. Korea and China would definitely be included in a second volume. In addition to such chapters, a second passage through Asia might take a more northerly route than the first one. At the same time, traveling back to the same countries as featured in this 2009 special issue a few years from now might provide totally different stories and findings.

9)  What can educators in the North America and other western countries learn from Asia in terms of technology in education? Why might they want to read the special issue book or attend Global Learn?

Countries like Korea, Japan, Taiwan, and Singapore are early adopters of technology for learning. They have government initiatives directly targeting e-learning or technology implementation in schools and universities. Unlike the United States, they have plans. National plans. And with that targeted use of technology and leadership as well as evaluation of those projects, they can take greater steps into mobile technology, digital books, and e-learning. Still, ours is a rather thin book. It is just one look at e-learning in Asia.

Others might read the new book from Routledge Press authored by Insung Jung and Colin Latchem titled “Distance and Blended Learning in Asia.” Great book! Dr. Jung, from International Christian University in Japan, is currently working on a new book project now: “Quality, Quality Assurance and Accreditation in Open and Distance Education: Models, Policies and Research.” Our special journal issue was actually inspired by her work. She is clearly one of the stars of this field. In fact, Insung Jung is co-program chair for the upcoming Global Learn conference and her colleague, Colin Latchem, is one of the invited speakers. This is going to be a fabulous conference! There are speakers from the Millennium Project, the Pocket School Project in Latin America, India, and Africa, the Hole in the Wall Project in India, Commonwealth of Learning, and so on. How cool is that?

So, to answer your question, people can read books and special journal issues, attend conferences, talk to the experts, etc. There are many ways to get updated on what is happening in terms of e-learning in Asia.

10) What question have I neglected to ask?