Ref: 030701
The evolution of Information Technologies and its introduction in the scope of teaching and research, give arise a wide spectrum of new possibilities (most of them not yet explored), which not only promise an improvement in the productivity of learning process, but also a qualitative change in its nature. At the same time, the consideration of knowledge as a fundamental resource in the economy of information, and the substantive changes in society, enterprises, and labor, are fostering an increasing demand of formation and learning to suit the needs of new professional qualifications and its rapid changes, which makes more evident the obsolescence of existing qualifications and formation, and the lack of relationship between the productive system and curricula, and low proficiency of the traditional model of teaching (expensive and slow).
So, at this moment, the environmental conditions are becoming optimal to put on the foundations, with a certain warranty of success, a new model of creation and transference of knowledge. In fact, due an increasing demand of a more productive and cost-adequate formation, best suited to socioeconomic environment; requires a research activity which should not be divorced to lecturing and vice-versa. In this sense, the Information Technologies are providing great expectations in the field of formation regarding two new formative contexts and new forms of interaction.
Besides, those aspects of Information Technologies make possible the elaboration of several proposals that come from Education Theory (Jean Piaget, Seymour Papert, Vygotsky, …) based on teaching techniques which emphasize in bi-directionality, participation, collaboration and inter-disciplinarity, instead of traditional approach based upon passivity, individuality, uniformness and unidirectionality.
In this context, a new foundation for the creation and diffusion of knowledge is proposed, which should be well suited to the Economy of Information, considering the organization as a shared information network; and as a result of a integration and synthesis of different aspects and several considerations as:
The proposal of a prototype of an architectural model of formation and learning based on a shared network of formation and information, the convergence of Library services and Academic computation, the definition of scholar information services based on the design of the organisational information cartography, and the convergence of the different models of teaching (Ocon, 1.995), as shown in fig. 1.
Under these circumstances; which are going to be the new challenges for academic computation (lecturing and research), in this new times of revolution in scholarship and knowledge concepts?
During the eighties, there was, generally speaking, a massive introduction of distributed computing in higher education environments. During the nineties, after the initial explosion of the eighties, we can say that academic computing is reaching its teenage. Indeed, we are shifting from a fast and chaotic growing to a development of ways that involve an institutional dimension, new paradigms in teaching and research, and new models of information services management.
By this way, academic computing should provide the creative basement of an increasing academic population in a rich information environment (through the use of Internet).
So, one of the most important aspects which modern academic computing is facing right now, deals, more than technology itself, with the need of warrant the access to a living information environment, and from this the needs of developing new media for this goal and, at the same time, reduce the interval of time between the creation and diffusion of knowledge.
Another aspect which should be considered is to provide an adequate management of academic computing, considering the great differences relative to the eighties point of view: from mainframe to desktop computing (due to the increasing power and decreasing price of personal computers and workstations). This trend produced a shift from computation and programming languages, devoted to calculations, to personal productivity tools and applications; from reduced technological environments to a widespread community of users; etc.
In this circumstances, which new technologies and which new learning and reearching applications will be the key for innovation in academic computing?. Which new challenges will they bring to the supporting groups these new applications and technologies?.
We consider that academic computing will be characterized at least by this
three new classes of computation:
1.- An increasingly rich information environment, which will require the access
and processing of great amounts of data.
2.- Visualization and post-processing tools (that transform raw data into 3-D
presentations and animations), which are able to show the temporal evolution of
a given process.
3.- Composition and management of hyper-media and hyper-text documentation (web
publishing).
Starting with this considerations, the ULPGC is developing institutionally a
Plan for Innovation Technologies whose goals are, fundamentally:
1.- The deployment of an infrastructure of global information - ATM Corporate
Network - (http://www.ulpgc.es/ulpnet/index.html) which permits an all-with-all
connection.
2.- The development of an electronic edition and publishing environment, based
on WWW techniques, which simplifies and improves electronic teaching and
learning - INNOVA Project (http://www.ulpgc.es/cicei/innnova/index.html).
In the following paragraphs, we will describe these two plans in more detail.
On the basis of technological homogenicity and unity of the network and after a
deep analysis, we though convenient to adopt the ATM technology (Asynchronous
Transfer Mode) rather than SDH (Syncronous Digital Hieranchy) for the
integration under a single network of the transmision of any type of
information (voice, data, video, etc.). The next step forward was negociating
the metropolitan infrastructure to allow communication between the different
units of our university. In August, 1996, we signed an agreement with the
Spanish National Telephone Company for implanting the Corporative Network of
the ULPGC. its scheme is shown in figure 1 and its main features are the
following:
1. ATM switches are used (initially, 10 FORE units whose models are ASX-1000
and ASX 200), placed along the different departments of the university and
connected by means of multimode (in the university grounds) or monomode (in the
metropolitan areas) fiberoptics. These switches have a capacity of 155 Mbps,
with the capacity of migration to 640 Mbps
2. The data transport is carried out by direct connection between the main
servers and the ATM switches (ten of them, initially) and the costumer servers
or stations through a total of 45 Ethernet commuters with access to ATM (FORE
3810 equipment, which will be called from now on LanSwitches), providing nearly
2200 ethernet points. In any case, the commuters installed initially represent
the trunk (Backbone) of the network, considering the use of of ATM commuters to
facilitate direct access to work groups over ATM as long as this technology is
more economic and readily accessible.
3. The voice transfer is dealt with the acquisition of IBERCOM switch boards,
as well as by substituting MIC circuits (E1 at 2 Mbps, supplied by the
Telephone Company) in these switch boards by links of the same speed, supplied
by cards addapted to the ATM commuters
4. The video transfer will be carried out, in due course, throug
codificator-decodificator equipment (CODECs), connected to the ATM switches.
5. University delegations in the other islands (Tenerife, Fuerteventura and
Lanzarote) will have digital switch boards using added RDSI channels,
separatinf the data traffic by means of a router.
6. As added values to the network, we contemplate a 128 Kbps connection to
IBERNET (the TCP/IP network of the Telephonic Company), with access to the
Internet and to InfoVia, as well as the creation of 4 Videoconference rooms in
different departments of the university.
Obviously, this network must proggressively substitute in a non traumatic manner previous infrastructures of voice (IBERCOM network, supported by MIC links) and data (FDDI ring at the campus of Tafira, with links to the other buildings).
This network project requires the existence of adequate wiring in all buildings, in such a manner they can be distributed with the 10BaseT Ethernet standard connections to the LanSwitches. Since the location of the buildings is variable we will implement wiring in the 23 buildings that lacked this infrastructure. We expect this to be completed and operative in about 2 years time.
External connections have developed in a similar manner as internal connections, changing in a short period of time from a 9600 bps line (it used to link the ULPGC with the IRIS network, a 2 Mbps line which belongs to the Canarian I+D network (REDIC), connecting the 3 main research and development units of the Canarian Community: the University of La Laguna (ULL), Institute of Astrophysics (IAC) and the ULPGC, with access to this network through both universities, all other units by means of RDSI connections. The backup of the backbone links (the 2 Mbps IAC-ULL and IAC-ULPGC links) is also through RDSI. The IAC maintains the connection between the Canarian Network and the IRIS Network through an ATM link from the GIGACOM service of the Telephonic Company, at a speed of 4 Mbps and backup by primary access of RSDI (at 2 Mbps).
Figure 1
The agreement between the ULPGC and the Telephonic Company introduces a 128 Kbps connection to the IBERNET, with access to the Intenet via InfoVia.
Before going to a more detailed description of this project, we will try to
identify the potential of WWW as an educational tool. Iun this sense, the most
important characteristics can be summarized by the following:
- Hypermedia capabilities (Hypertext and Multimedia)
- Information distribution and sharing capabilities, open to Internet
- Free availability of servers, clients (browsers), and auxiliary
applications.
- Wide interactive capabilities (forms and cgi-scripts)
Relating to the process of learning, we can see four main actions of web
technology:
1.- Web as a Tutor:
An excellent environment to design hypermedia tutorials and lectures, for
local and remote use, in which the student is able to control the speed of
learning process
2.- Web as publishing supporting tool:
Making possible the publication and organization of student on-line multimedia
works and projects, with links to many references and network connections, in
opposition to the traditional role of the student as "publisher" associated to
conventional Information Technologies: books, papers, classroom presentations,
etc.
3.- Web as a Forum:
The web is an exceptional base for debate and virtual exploration and
discovery. It should be note that web is the result of the evolution of
Internet in a friendlier environment that enables the interactivity with a
complex set of Internet protocols: News, distributions lists, online
discussions, etc.
4.- Web as a Navigator:
The capabilities and simplicity of navigation, exploration and search is
another differential characteristic of the WWW. Increasingly, there are
appearing searching and indexing tools (Altavista, Yahoo, Lycos, …) which
facilitate the organization of resources, giving "online guides" which are
fundamental for the design and development of a "cartography of knowledge".
Under this point of view, INNOVA Project tries to foster the online teaching
and learning in an information-rich context, with application to:
1.- Common shared subjects of the Scientific and technical curricula
2.- An specific curricula (Industrial Engineering School)
3.- Standard software productivity tools (WWW software, AutoCAD, etc.) with
the counsel of differents services and resources of information (Language
Laboratory of ULPGC, Computer Laboratory of Sea Sciences School, publishing and
Library services of the Engineering Building, CEANI and CICEI).
The main reasons of this proposal were:
- The need to provide a novel learning environment, according to an
rich-information atmosphere, in opposition to the traditional approach
- The technological barriers of this new environment are disappearing as
Information Technologies evolves and bandwidth increases, which will give rise
to a quantum leap in the nature of learning itself.
- The obvious economical advantages of this approach
- The need for the future labor market of new skills for our students, not
provided by traditional curricula.
- The cooperative experience in formation and production, and the research
about new pedagogical and methodological criteria inside the aforementioned
paradigm shift.
The sought objectives and contents are:
- Promote and develop online learning and teaching based on WWW
- Get returns from the investments made in computing and networking facilities
in the ULPGC
- Cooperate in the sought cultural drift, towards learning and teaching skills
based on Information Technologies, which is necessary for studenty, faculty and
staff of our university.
- Establish the principles and tools for a publishing environment based on WWW,
with the following points:
- Formation of the participants
- WWW concepts
- HTML Language
- WWW Edition
- Design and development of a generic prototype of interface (institutionally
wise), based on WWW, with application to different subjects involved in the
project.
- Development of user interfaces, to facilitate the accessibility and use of
standard productivity tools, WWW software and AutoCAD
- Develop utilities and tools to facilitate on-line tutorials authoring
- Propose a methodology for learning projects, based on WWW (style guides,
rules and stages)
- Enumerate possible technologies related to electronic learning environment
- Integrate the publishing services into the corporate ATM networks
- Start the Scholarship Information Services in the field of Engineering, with
the aim of developing the knowledge cartography.
In relation with this proposal, we have taken as starting point, the prototype of instructional interface devised in "Introduction to Computer Sciences" subject:
http://www.ulpgc.es/etsii/departam/inform/inf_bas/si/index.html
with the following aspects: "General Data, concepts and definitions, objectives, evaluation, contents, recommended practices, tests schedule, bibliography, electronic supporting material, collection of exercises, e-mail distribution lists, etc.".
As a possible initial structure for the lessons of the course, the following scheme is proposed:
"Introduction, objectives of the module, index of contents, summary, conceptual map, proposed activities, advanced exercises, self-evaluation tests, solutions to the exercises, glossary with basic concepts, thematic index"
Among the different tools for the course, to be progressively included in the development environment, we could mention:
"Notice board, real time chat, on-line questionnaires, student self-evaluation, e-mail, images archive, page annotation, shared blackboard, student management, student presentation areas; etc".
We should point out that the particular level of development and complexity of the instructional WWW interface for each subject will depend not only on the development of the production environment, but also on the personal and individual commitment with the improvement of teaching quality.
Finally, with this INNOVA Project we have tried to adequate, inside the field of teaching, to a new context characterized by the intensive use of information. Through the use of "VIRTUAL CONGRESSES" we seek to accomplish the same goals in the field of research and knowledge transference. A first experience on this possibility was performed on the "Primer Congreso Virtual Hispano-Americano de Anatomía Patológica" (First Spanish-American Virtual Congress on Pathologic Anatomy), (May-June 1997, http://www.ulpgc.es/conganat).
Copyright EUNIS 1997 Y.E.