12 October 2004

Tertiary e-Learning Research Fund projects underway

The first four projects funded by the Ministry of Education’s new Tertiary e-Learning Research Fund are now underway, Associate Education Minister (Tertiary Education) Steve Maharey announced today.

Speaking at the e-Fest 2004 conference hosted by the Open Polytechnic in Wellington, Steve Maharey said the projects focussed on learners, teaching, staff development and organisational issues.

“Researchers have been asked to identify and analyse major trends affecting e-learning and the broader factors that might impact on future tertiary e-learning in New Zealand. The Ministry of Education expects the projects will help to meet the tertiary sector’s need for robust, up-to-date research on e-learning in New Zealand.

“The four projects complement the research being supported by the Tertiary Education Commission’s e-Learning Collaborative Development Fund. The collaboration being demonstrated in some of these projects suggests a positive move towards active partnership and cooperation between tertiary institutions.”

The four research projects, with total funding of $300,000, will be completed by 30 April 2005. The Ministry of Education will soon be calling for proposals for the second round of funding.

The projects selected by the panel of tertiary sector e-learning experts are:

An Investigation into Factors that Influence New Zealand Polytechnic/Institute of Technology Tutors’ Uptake of e-Learning, with Particular Reference to Early and Later Adopters and Resisters - Waikato Institute of Technology Determination of New Zealand Tertiary Institution e-Learning Capability: An Application of an e-Learning Maturity Model - Victoria University of Wellington and e-Learnz Inc Approaches and Implications of e-Learning Adoption on Academic Staff Efficacy and Working Practice: A Comparative Study - Universal College of Learning and Otago Polytechnic Measuring the Worth of e-Learner Support Systems: Developing a Possible Benchmarking Method for Evaluation Effectiveness - Aotearoa Tertiary Students’ Association

ENDS

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Gordon Campbell: On the Sony cyber attack

Given the layers of meta-irony involved, the saga of the Sony cyber attack seemed at the outset more like a snarky European art film than a popcorn entry at the multiplex.

Yet now with (a) President Barack Obama weighing in on the side of artistic freedom and calling for the US to make a ‘proportionate response’quickly followed by (b) North Korea’s entire Internet service going down, and with both these events being followed by (c) Sony deciding to backtrack and release The Interview film that had made it a target for the dastardly North Koreans in the first place, then ay caramba…the whole world will now be watching how this affair pans out. More>>