E-learning for Regional Development: Cases in Latvia

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E-learning for Regional Development Cases in
Latvia
Atis Kapenieks Riga Technical University,
Latvia

Baltic ITT 2006, Riga, Latvia, April 5-7, 2006
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Outline of the presentation

• e-learning - effective human resources
  development approach
• Case in Livani (Latvia) 1999-2004 programme
• E-course delivery approach
• Knowledge Repository in Internet
• EKD modelling for strategy development and
  capturing the new knowledge
• Evaluation of programme results
• Conclusions

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E-learning for Regional Development

• In this paper we are reporting on the results of
  4 year-long cooperative effort on the part of
  Riga Technical University Distance Education
  Study Centre and the Livani region

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E-learning for Regional Development

• The Livani region was among the most economically
  developed in Latvia from 1980 to 1990 but during
  the period of transfer to a free market economy
  and a knowledge society, 90 of the old industry
  collapsed, causing unemployment to rise up to 25.

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E-learning for Regional Development

• The leadership of the Livani region responded to
  this bleak situation with a positive vision
• There are new opportunities available by
  transferring to a knowledge society.

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E-learning for Regional Development

• The Livani leadership drew upon the new
  e-learning solutions that had emerged at the
  time and that had been captured and designed at
  Riga Technical University
• The Distance Education Study Centre at Riga
  Technical University had a team that had
  participated in many international e-learning
  development projects and had the expertise.

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The leading team in Livani together with its
partners at Riga Technical University conceived
of the following plan

• Believe in the new opportunities
• Promote their acceptance in the local society
• Advance the philosophy of development
• Advance the technology and methods of
  e-learning
• Create opportunities and skills to design project
  applications for funding
• Use funding opportunities from national
  development programmes.

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Year 1999

• A trial business-planning course for 15
  participants.
• It demonstrated the new technologies and achieved
  some tangible results
• 12 of the participants designed a business plan
  and passed the course
• Four participants implemented their business plan
  in a real-life business during the next two
  years.

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Year 2001

• An e-learning centre was created in Livani
• 150 participants trained in new courses
• IT for beginners
• Advanced IT
• Continued training in Business Planningfor Open
  Markets
• Installed a video-conferencing facility.

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Year 2002

• Training of 400 participants in new e-courses
  and previously developed ones
• Technical Communication
• E-business
• Innovation Management.
• We also developed a Knowledge Repository in
  Internet.

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Year 2003

• Training of 300 participants in e-courses.
• On a on-going bases updating the content of the
  Knowledge Repository.
• Most importantly, we are developing a long term
  strategy of community development in a knowledge
  society.

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E-course delivery approach

• The courses currently being offered include
• 3 to 4 face-to-face seminars (about 6-8 hours)
• 20 to 40 hours of estimated individual work
  on-line
• Final asessment work
• study aids include
• an interactive multimedia CD-ROM
• printed workbook.

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Innovation Management Course

• A challenging new e-game Marketplace was
  organised for the course Innovation Management.

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Knowledge Repository

• The design and development of a Knowledge
  Repository available on Internet was realized.
• It put into effect the knowledge we had captured
  from our participation in the European 5th
  Framework programme project Hyperknowledge.

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Our most visible successes were

• e-courses with interactive multimedia CD-ROMs

• The e-game in the Innovation Management e-course

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With growing potential are activities

• Further development and updating of the Knowledge
  Repository
• Strategy development applying Enterprise
  Knowledge Development meta modelling (partners
  Siemens Austria, Verbundplan Austria, KTH Sweden)

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Knowledge Repository
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Knowledge Repository
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Knowledge Repository
PP presentetion or
Translation
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EKD approach (Enterprise Knowledge Development)
By Janis Stirna, KTH
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(No Transcript)
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IST Call 4. 2.4.10 Technology-enhanced Learning.
The objectives
IST4BALT 2005, Riga, April 6-7

• To explore interactions between the learning of
  the individual and that of the organisation in
  order to improve how current or emerging ICT can
  mutually enhance the learning processes for the
  individual and for the organisation
• To contribute to new understandings of the
  learning processes by exploring links between
  human learning, cognition and technologies.

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Fragment of Goals model for raising quality of
continuing education
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Most essential support activities

• Development and maintenance of the e-study
  centre
• Installation, demonstration and availability of
  videoconference technology

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Results after the first small-scale project

• Fifteen participants enrolled in the course
  Business Planning for Open Markets
• Twelve participants completed the course
  producing a self-designed business plan
• Four of the business plans were actually
  implemented making the small businesses
• The participants told us that they had had to
  visit a bank only three times as compared to
  eight times as was necessary for
  non-participants
• Moreover, the non-participants often ended up
  paying a consultancy fee to design a business
  plan and their projects were viewed as a higher
  credit risks.

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The objective of the next evaluation study was

• To assess the quality of training courses
• To assess the quality of study materials
• To assess the work of the consultants
• To assess the training method (distance
  learning) in general
• To assess the overall results of training to
  assess the quality of training courses.

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The evaluation methods employed

• Semi-structured qualitative interviews with
  training course participants
• Observations of trainers, trainees andof the
  physical facilities provided for training.

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Course fees

• Each participant had to pay a tuition fee, about
  20 EUR
• The majority of the participants paid the fee
  themselves
• For some participants their employers paid the
  fee.

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Employees attitude towards training

• All the employed respondents indicated that their
  employers responded positively to the training
• Those respondents who were unemployed believed
  that the training (and certificate) might be
  helpful for getting a job or even starting their
  own business.

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Certification

• All the respondents hoped to receive a
  certificate after completing the courses.
• All the respondents have mentioned that the
  certificate might be useful when searching for
  new job.

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Trainers and consultants

• All the respondents were satisfied with the
  trainers and consultants
• They have mentioned that the trainers and
  consultants are real experts in their field, good
  teachers and responsive to their needs.
• None of the respondents were critical of trainers
  and consultants.

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General assessment of training courses

• Respondents were asked to evaluatethe course in
  general, marking grades 1 through 5 (where 1
  was the lowest score and 5 excellent)
• afterwards they were requested to assess
  different aspects of the training courses.

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Assessment in general and various aspects of
each course
IT for Beginners IT Advanced Technical Communication Business Planning for Open Markets
Quality in general 5 4.5 4.5 4.5
Work of consultants 5 5 5 5
Explanation 5 5 5 5
Possibility to meet consultant 5 5 5 4
Course materials/books 5 4.5 4.5 4
Internet 5 5 5 5
Supplies 5 5 5 5
Method of distance learning 4.5 4.5 4 4
Value 5 5 5 4.5
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Innovation Management Course
I received the unbelievable knowledge! I have to
rethink my business now!
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Interwiews with participants

• Participant of Innovatinon Management course
• It was my best experience during last two
  years!
• Often participants joined the seminars even
  without previous registration.

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Main conclusions on course delivery

• In general, all the respondents were
• Satisfied with the opportunity to have a good
  training
• Happy to have good training materials, so they
  are able to complete their work when they had
  problems with computers
• Willing to continue training on a more advanced
  level
• Would like to receive a certificate and would
  like a public ceremony to commemorate the
  occasion.

From the above, we can conclude that the training
was also an excellent means to remedy the social
and economic marginalization of the participants,
a significant factor in an economically depressed
town such as Livani.
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Evaluation of regional development programme 

• The key success factors of programme were (1)
• Small scale start-up project with tangible and
  visible results
• Use of advanced multimedia learning materials and
  internet study support technologies which were
  not available 10 to 20 years ago in traditional
  classes
• Availability of courses for development of basic
  computer skills for a number of participants who
  needed it (IT for beginners)
• Appropriate share of face-to-face seminars (6-8
  hours in a 25 to 40 hours long course)
• Permanent availability of tutors by telephone
  and e-mail.

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Evaluation of regional development programme 

• The key success factors of programme were (2)
• Permanent availability of computers with Internet
  accessin a local e-study centre where
  necessary
• Opportunity to move to a more advanced group,
  when necessary
• Rich, well designed, user friendly interactive
  multimedia CD-ROM study materials which the
  participants retainafter the course
• Final assessment work with real applicability in
  the business world or job-related activities of
  the participants
• Large scale funding in 2nd and 3rd phase of
  project increased the number of participants with
  a synergetic effect the projects included up to
  15 of economically active people of region.

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GDP in districts with e-Projects (Preilu rajons)
and neighbor districts after 4 years of
e-Learning projects
E-learning success in local community
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Conclusions

• The package of 4 projects presented here is the
  long-term approach to rapid development and
  successful transfer to a knowledge society
• These just-in-time knowledge-training courses
  present an opportunity to transfer to a knowledge
  society without damaging the infrastructure and
  traditional values.
• This is possible because of the number of
  similarities between pre-industrial and
  post-industrial ways of working.

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Further activities

• Participation in EU 6th Framework Network of
  Excellence in e-Learning Kaleidoscope
• Training programmes with 6-8 courses with
  adwanced multimedia study materials
• Courses in engineering
• Knowledge Repository for adwanced e-learning
  development
• Large scale dissimination of e-courses / CD-ROMs

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Network of Excellence in e-Learning
Kaleidoscope

• Kaleidoscope aims to ensure European leadership
  in the area of multidisciplinary research and
  technology development in e-Learning
  which is the engine of the Knowledge
  Economy1.
• 1 Ruttenbur, B., et al, eLearning The Engine
  of the Knowledge Economy, eLearning Industry
  Report, Morgan Keegan, 2000,

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Training programmes with 6-8 courses with
adwanced multimedia study materials (New skills
for 21st century)

• New skills should be trained by innovative
  approaches
• IT opportunities could possibly change the
  learning paradigm

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Courses in engineering

• Electrical Engineerings and Electronics under
  preparation in Leonardo programme project

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Knowledge Repository for adwanced e-learning
development

• Knowledge patterns with different media
• Easy to use
• Permanent updating
• Knowledge manager supports updating
• Knowledge sharing culture

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Large scale dissimaination of e-courses /CD-ROMs
1247 schools have received the innovative
learning materials in 2002
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www.Riga.lv
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(No Transcript)
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Demonstration of course materials

• ECDL 2nd Level
• SQL Fundamentals