ALL ADEC MEETING ADEC, UCR, IICA-CATIE, Zamorano

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ALL ADEC MEETINGADEC, UCR, IICA-CATIE, Zamorano

• Preliminary Draft Proposal
• DEVELOPING AND STRENGTHENING VIRTUAL LEARNING AND
  KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT ENVIRONMENTS FOR AGRICULTURE
• Seattle, April 27, 2007

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Cooperators in the concept of this proposal

• José Ramírez IICA
• Federico Sancho IICA
• Jim French, IICA
• Renán Agüero Coordinator e-Learning Project,
  School of Agronomy, UCR
• Antonio Flores Director, e-Learning Center,
  Zamorano University, Honduras
• Janet Poley, President and CEO, ADEC
• Glenn Galloway, Director of Education, Dean of
  the Graduate School, CATIE

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Overview

• Importance of virtual learning in LAC
• Reasons for the partnership
• Members of the partnership
• Importance initiatives to date
• Objectives (General and Specific)
• Outputs
• Overall vision

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The importance of virtual learning in Latin
America and the Caribbean

• Continuing large divide between existing
  information and that utilized by producers (and
  professionals)
• Prohibitive costs of traditional training and
  higher education programs
• Historic opportunity technologies are improving
  and costs are coming down emerging digital
  culture
• Growing need among professionals for life-long
  learning

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Examples of progress in IT in many countries

• Growing presence of the internet, at times even
  in marginalized communities
• Development of information systems INFOAGRO
• Expanding use of geographical information systems
  in many countries

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Reasons for the partnership

• Members are convinced that networking together,
  we will better respond to the vast information
  needs in LAC, including our own
• Each member has experiences and strengths to
  contribute to this partnership
• All members are committed to agriculture and
  sustainable rural development years devoted to
  these tasks
• All aspire to reaching a larger group of
  beneficiaries

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Members of the partnership

• ADEC needs no introduction
• Zamorano Leading agricultural university in the
  Region, devoting much effort to Distance
  Education creation of e-Learning Center
• UCR Leading university in Costa Rica and the
  Region, strong program in agriculture, commitment
  to e-Learning

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Members of the partnership

• IICA Inter-American Institute for Cooperation
  in Agriculture, hemispheric international
  organization devoted to agriculture and rural
  sustainable development, policy issues
• CATIE Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher
  Education Center, first Graduate School in
  tropical agriculture in LAC, dynamic research
  program, regional presence

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Important initiatives to date

• Zamorano and UCR active in development of
  distance education programs, courses, strong
  efforts to create internal capacities
• IICA-CATIE Agricultural Information and
  Documentation System of the Americas (SIDALC
  www.sidalc.net) developed through the Orton
  Library
• IICA, Gov. Mexico y Texas AM Distance Training
  Center (CECADI), founded 1998

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Other attributes and strengths

• IICA offices in 34 member countries IT linked
• CATIE national technical offices 8 NTOs
• Graduates of UCR,
• Zamorano and CATIE
• well-placed throughout
• the region
• Importance of opportunities for life-long
  learning (source of mentors-instructors)

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Common objectives of cooperation agencies and
higher education institutions
- Strengthen cooperation among countries
technical assistance, sharing of knowledge,
information and experiences to contribute to
agriculture and rural life
- Improve rural connectivity and access to
information through the creation of information
network systems
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Objectives of the Program

• General Objective of the Program
• Establish a regional model for the creation,
  management and use of knowledge
• at the service of agricultural education and
  training institutions and organizations in the
  Americas
• that seek to enhance innovation, competitiveness
  and sustainable development of rural communities.

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Specific Objectives

1. Implement a program for the development and
   exchange of distance learning experiences among
   agricultural education and training centers of
   the hemisphere
2. Provide education and training centers with a
   virtual learning environment for developing
   competencies in agriculture and for rural
   prosperity, integrating existing networks

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Specific Objectives

• 3. Improve competencies, methodologies, and
  tools for the creation, management and use of
  information and knowledge by the staff and users
  of virtual learning and documentation centers
• We aspire to generate benefits not only for the
  rural sector, but also for our respective
  institutions (and others)

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Outputs Development and exchange of experiences
in distance learning

• Training services enriched taking into account
  new competencies required for competitiveness in
  agriculture and rural sustainable development
• - New courses developed and implemented on
  priority topics for agricultural competitiveness
  and rural sustainable development

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Outputs Virtual Learning Environment for
Agriculture

• Enhanced opportunities for access to learning
  media and information regardless of time
  available and distance constraints
• Important for active
• professionals in the Region

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Outputs Enhanced opportunities for access to
learning media

• Staff and users of document and virtual learning
  centers improve their competencies
• management of information and knowledge required
  for distance education in diverse fields
  (content)
• utilization of methodologies and tools for
  distance education (delivery)
• Staff will receive training in thematic courses,
  virtual media and management of digital documents
  and libraries
• Initially, financial support will be required

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Overall vision

• Increased cooperation in putting crucial
  information in the hands of users combining
  digital and traditional technologies
• Building on progress and successes to date
• Professional staff and graduates increasingly
  engaged in this process
• Increased participation in the partnership over
  time by other institutions ie. AMEAS which
  already brings together over 50 institutions
  (Otilio Vásquez)

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Overall vision

• Flow of information and learning opportunities
  among partners
• Sharing of information generated by RD
  initiatives implemented throughout the Region
• Assessment and use of know-how, experiences and
  learning resources available within ADEC

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Gracias