The Effect of Cultural Differences and Educational Technology on Distance Education in the South Pacific

2011 ◽  
pp. 779-786
Author(s):  
Jonathan Frank ◽  
Janet Toland
Keyword(s):  
Distance Education ◽  
Online Learning ◽  
Cultural Differences ◽  
Information And Communication Technologies ◽  
Local Level ◽  
South Pacific ◽  
The South ◽  
Global Knowledge ◽  
Cultural Variations ◽  
Knowledge Based

Innovations in information and communication technologies (ICTs) and the development of global-knowledge- based economies are presenting higher-education institutions throughout the developing world with both opportunities and challenges. New opportunities for remotely located institutions are opening up, but the challenge is to ensure that these innovations can be utilized in a culturally appropriate manner at the local level. Despite a relatively low population base, the scattered geography of the South Pacific region has resulted in wide cultural variations between the different island groups. This makes the South Pacific an ideal region in which to explore the impact of cultural differences on online learning. This research investigates the opportunities offered by online learning; the focus is on the use of e-mail as a mechanism for encouraging Web-based interaction among students in two distance-education institutions with a culturally and geographically diverse student body.

Culture, Interaction, and Online Learning

2011 ◽  
pp. 485-491
Author(s):  
Janet Toland ◽  
Jonathan Frank ◽  
Karen D. Schenk
Keyword(s):  
Distance Education ◽  
Online Learning ◽  
South Pacific ◽  
The South ◽  
Global Knowledge ◽  
Student Body ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Knowledge Based ◽  
Diverse Student Body ◽  
The Impact

Technological innovation and the development of global knowledge-based economies are presenting higher education institutions throughout the developing world with both opportunities and challenges. The development of distance education has particular relevance for remote and widely distributed locations. The scattered geography of the South Pacific has produced immense variations in culture amongst a relatively low population base. This makes the South Pacific an ideal region in which to explore the impact of cultural differences on online learning. Online learning offers the developing countries of the South Pacific the chance to open up access to even the most distantly located students. This research evaluates the effectiveness of e-mail as a mechanism for encouraging Web-based interaction among students in two distance education institutions with a culturally and geographically diverse student body.

The Role of ICTs and the Management of Multinational Intellectual Capital

2011 ◽  
pp. 2457-2472 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mirghani S. Mohamed ◽  
Mona A. Mohamed
Keyword(s):  
Competitive Advantage ◽  
Information And Communication Technologies ◽  
Intellectual Capital ◽  
Communication Technologies ◽  
Supply Network ◽  
Global Knowledge ◽  
Knowledge Based ◽  
Information And Communication ◽  
Governance Strategy

This chapter provides a systematic multidisciplinary framework that defines the role of technology in leveraging IC across borders and between headquarters and subsidiaries. In reaching this conclusion, this chapter investigates the strategic importance of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in the management of Intellectual Capital (IC) within a Multinational Company (MNC) ecosystem. The chapter addresses the transubstantiation of MNC into boundaryless Global Knowledge-Based Organization (GKB-MNC) which ultimately propagates into Learning MNC (LMNC). The latter is a suggested MNC category that sustains competitive advantage through systemic adoption of “Knowledge Iterative Supply Network (KISN)” model proposed by the authors. The chapter suggests a new multinational ICT/IC governance strategy that handles the emerging complexities associated with modern intangible resource synthesis.

The Effect of Culture on Email Use

2011 ◽  
pp. 213-234
Author(s):  
Jonathan Frank ◽  
Janet Toland ◽  
Karen Schenk
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Differences ◽  
South Pacific ◽  
Cultural Background ◽  
The South ◽  
Cultural Backgrounds ◽  
Business Information Systems ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Research Questions ◽  
The University ◽  
Academic Content

This chapter examines how students from different cultural backgrounds use email to communicate with other students and teachers. The South Pacific region, isolated, vast, and culturally diverse, was selected as an appropriate research environment in which to study the effect of cultural differences and educational technology on distance learning. The context of this research was two competing distance education institutions in Fiji, the University of the South Pacific and Central Queensland University. Three research questions were addressed: Does cultural background affect the extent to which students use email to communicate with educators and other students for academic and social reasons? Does cultural background affect the academic content of email messages? Does cultural background influence students’ preference to ask questions or provide answers using email instead of face-to-face communication? To address these issues, two studies were conducted in parallel. Subjects were drawn from business information systems and computer information technology classes at the University of the South Pacific (USP) and Central Queensland University (CQU).  Four hundred students at USP were surveyed about their email usage. In the CQU study, postings to course discussion lists by 867 students were analyzed. The results of these studies suggest that there are significant differences in the use of email by students from different cultural backgrounds.

Leveraging Distance Education Through the Internet

2011 ◽  
pp. 233-261 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zeynep Onay
Keyword(s):  
Distance Education ◽  
Online Courses ◽  
Classroom Interaction ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Global Knowledge ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Knowledge Based ◽  
Knowledge Based Economy ◽  
E Learning ◽  
Key Issues

In a global knowledge-based economy, with an ever-growing demand for learning, the Internet is seen as a vehicle for promoting effectiveness in teaching and reaching wider audiences. The number of online courses and programs offered by traditional higher education institutions, as well as new players in the education industry, has been increasing at an exponential rate. Yet the implementation of distance education through the Internet involves much more than a change of medium from face-to-face classroom interaction to an environment free of time and place constraints. Institutions are faced with the challenge of redefining their strategies to incorporate the e-learning paradigm. This chapter provides an overview of the different models that have emerged, and addresses the key issues that need to be resolved for integrating Internet-based learning in traditional universities. The breadth of strategic, administrative, academic and technological concerns encountered through the evolution of an Internet-based education system, from its inception to implementation, are discussed and illustrated by the e-learning initiative of Middle East Technical University in Turkey.

Women in Distance Education at the University of the South Pacific

2017 ◽  
pp. 152-167
Author(s):  
Marjorie Crocombe ◽  
Joan Teaiwa ◽  
Arlene Griffen ◽  
Ruby Va’a ◽  
Eileen Tuimaleali’ifano ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Distance Education ◽  
South Pacific ◽  
The South ◽  
The University

Operationalization from Dehumanizing Ideologies

2010 ◽  
pp. 166-185
Author(s):  
Karim A. Remtulla
Keyword(s):  
Human Capital ◽  
Information And Communication Technologies ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Business Processes ◽  
Human Capital Theory ◽  
Value Chains ◽  
Global Knowledge ◽  
Capital Theory ◽  
Knowledge Based ◽  
E Learning

This chapter raises a socio-cultural critique of the ‘dehumanizing ideologies’ workplace e-learning scenario. Dehumanizing ideologies operationalize the workforce in the workplace through strategic priorities, value chains, and business processes. The workplace e-learning scenario of dehumanizing ideologies precipitates around the instantiation of three concepts: information and communication technologies (ICTs), knowledge, and commodification. An exploratory case study looks at Human Capital Theory. The basic assumptions on economics, knowledge, and people which permeate and sustain this socio-economic view are questioned. These pursuits result in a dichotomous worker (when people are considered as capital and, as such, separable from their knowledges). Unquestioned, socio-cultural assumptions and consequences now facing and evaluating the workforce also become known as are the pedagogical outcomes of a workplace e-learning that is interpreted by human capital theory and its concomitant ideologies. Socio-cultural insensitivity from workplace e-learning, in this scenario, comes from the basic, unquestioned assumption that workers are essentially socially flawed and culturally inferior; accountable for overcoming their sociocultural flaws and inferiorities; and, need to be operationalized by workplace e-learning, through strategic priorities, value chains, and business processes, to meet the expectations of the infallible and commodified workplace. The recurring confluence of commerce, technology, and government, all now become visible as they ideologically mould global, knowledgebased economic policies which in turn influence local knowledge management practices and apparatuses. Organizations that wish to participate in global, knowledge-based economies readily comply. Workplace e-learning now becomes another ideological instrument for the ideological pursuits of commodified knowledges from an operationalized and dehumanized subject within 21st century organizations.

scholarly journals An ICT-Based Distance Education Model: an Evaluation of ICT-Based Modes at the University of the South Pacific

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Pramila Devi
Keyword(s):  
Distance Education ◽  
Data Collection ◽  
Learning Environment ◽  
South Pacific ◽  
Distance Learners ◽  
The South ◽  
Effective Learning ◽  
Main Technique ◽  
Education Model ◽  
The University

<p>This study developed a model for evaluating the ability of ICT-based modes of communication to foster an effective learning environment, by creating telepresence, flexibility, interaction and collaboration, for distance learners at the University of the South Pacific (USP). The model is formulated on the basis of the educational relationship triad developed by Hall and Kidman (2002). Concepts and attributes from foundations of distance education; new models of distance education; and learning theories, which build on the educational relationships are identified and integrated into the ICT-based distance education model developed in the thesis. The study employed a multi-perspective evaluation design with survey questionnaires as the main technique of data collection. Interviews and online conferencing data was used in triangulation to support the main technique of data collection. Nine ICT-based modes of communication used for distance education at USP were assessed in this study. These are video broadcast, audio conferencing, video conferencing, the Web, email, and WebCT-based homepages, text chat, mail and discussion boards. There are two key findings of this study. The first set of findings reveals that the ICT-based distance education model developed in the thesis provided a useful framework for the evaluation of ICT-based modes of communication at USP. The second set of findings shows that distance learners at USP found the use of ICT-based modes of communication fostered an effective learning environment for them, by enhancing telepresence, flexibility, interaction and collaboration. The extent to which the four key attributes were enhanced in each course was influenced by the use of varying modes of communication, the pedagogical design of the course, access to Internet facilities, and the age,  occupation and cultural background of distance learners.</p>

scholarly journals Urban infrastructure development in a global knowledge-based economy

2020 ◽  
Vol 74 ◽  
pp. 03013
Author(s):  
Evelina Sycheva ◽  
Artur Budagov ◽  
Andrey Novikov
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Information And Communication Technologies ◽  
Information Technologies ◽  
Urban Infrastructure ◽  
Infrastructure Development ◽  
Digital Information ◽  
Global Knowledge ◽  
Technological Revolution ◽  
Knowledge Based ◽  
Knowledge Based Economy

The challenge of globalization process is the emergence of “new economy” in which the knowledge-based economy is of great importance. The factor of the knowledge-based economy is growing under the influence of scientific and technological revolution and involvement in globalization. The article analyzes the relationship of changingtechnological paradigms of social-economic development with sustainable development of urban infrastructure. The challengesof the Sixth (according to the classification of S. Yu. Glaziev)paradigm of the technological revolution with widespread introduction of digitalizationare specified. Up-to-date aspects of management of urban infrastructure development with use of “Smart City” advanced intellectual information technologies are considered. The study provides a reinterpretation of modern methods of management of urban infrastructure development in connection with the emergence of digital information and communication technologies. Knowledge management, including human capital assets management, representing the creative potential of people, plays an important role for “smart management”. It is proved that intellectual resources have greater value and competitive advantages than material resources. It is justified that with the development of globalization and digitalization of society, sustainable development of urban infrastructure is based on the use of knowledge-based capital.

scholarly journals Talanoa and Habermas’s Theory of Communicative Action: Journalistic Practices in the Tropical Pacific

2016 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Marie M’Balla-Ndi ◽  
Maxine Newlands
Keyword(s):  
Communicative Action ◽  
Indigenous Rights ◽  
South Pacific ◽  
The South ◽  
Theory Of Communicative Action ◽  
Knowledge Based ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
Decision Making Processes ◽  
Communication Practices ◽  
The Tropics

Western journalism educators can learn from Pacific island communication<br />practices to improve ways of sharing knowledge across the tropics. Often Western journalists reporting on events in the tropics do so through a lens of parachute journalism. This paper analyses current Western journalism and communication practices in the Pacific and draws on concepts relevant to general communication such as <em>talanoa</em> and Habermas’s ‘Theory of Communicative Action’ (1989). Three key points are argued in this paper: firstly, that traditional communication practices in the South Pacific and Pacific region more generally, are alive, well, and highly relevant to Western journalistic practice; secondly, that parachute journalism has a high potential to damage communication practices in the South Pacific; and finally, that Western journalism education should embrace concepts such as <em>talanoa</em> in order to be better informed in policy and knowledge-based decision making processes in the South Pacific.<br />As discussed through examples of the communication of issues of social justice and indigenous rights, innovative communicative approaches which take into consideration oceanic knowledge, along with applicable Western theoretical paradigms, have significance and merit for future media and communication professionals and educators.

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