E-Learning at Zamorano: Developing a Digital Platform for a Latin American Global Learning Center

1. E-Learning at Zamorano:Developing a Digital Platform for a Latin American Global Learning Center Don Poucher, University of Florida Dave King, Oregon State University

2. Zamorano University is leading the development of a new Latin American agriculture in part through enhanced e-learning systems that support the development of rural communities and champion the entrepreneurial spirit. • Zamorano is a four-year university offering undergraduate degrees in agricultural science and production, agribusiness, agro- industry, natural resource management, and rural development. • Zamorano programs respond to the main challenges facing Latin America: the sustainable management of natural resources, environmental conservation, global competitiveness, and rural transformation to reduce poverty. • Zamorano’s hallmark is its learn-by-doing program. • Zamorano is located some 30 kilometers (19 miles) southeast of the Honduran Capitol of Tegucigalpa. • For more than 65 years, Zamorano University has served more than five thousand students from over 20 countries throughout the Americas. • More than 850 resident students live and study on a 7,000 hectare (more than 17,000 acres) campus and forest reserves. • One third of Zamorano’s students are female.

3. New Latin American Agriculture • Develops rural communities. • Champions the entrepreneurial spirit. • Embraces enhanced learning systems. • Stimulates and sustains agricultural enterprises and natural resources. • Achieve competitive position for strategic enterprises. • Cadre of well-trained human capital.

4. E-Learning at Zamorano • Enhanced Learning Systems • Synchronous • Asynchronous • Blended

5. For Zamorano to lead the development of a new Latin American Agriculture through enhanced learning systems… • Maintain essential Zamorano Pillars. • Expand human capacity. • Address important policy and leadership issues. • Expand IT capacity. • Prioritizing key opportunities and target audiences.

6. Expand Human Capacity • Faculty leadership • Steering Committee; HLDT • Faculty training • Faculty development and release time • Production team deployment • Four elements • Internet analysis/assessment

7. Address important policy and leadership issues • Leadership among key faculty • Faculty empowerment • Consistent messages of encouragement • Resource allocation (or reallocation) • Full faculty access to technology and systems • Faculty and administration must share common expectations

8. Address important policy and leadership issues • Program coordination across functional lines; supporting applications, coor-dination and interconnectedness for • Academic programs • Outreach and research • External relations and development

9. Address important policy and leadership issues • Accreditation issues. • Connectedness with institutions throughout the world; resource sharing.. • Technical infrastructure assistance. • Marketing and development. • Quality assessment and assurance. • Measurement and evaluation.

10. Quality Assurance labs Certificate/training courses Degree programs “My Zamorano” portal Rural development Entrepreneurship Agricultural productivity Natural resource management Human capital development Prioritize Key Opportunities and Target Audiences

11. Pillars of on line learning • Learning Effectiveness • Student Satisfaction • Faculty Satisfaction • Cost Effectiveness • Access

12. Degree Programs Continuing Education Outreach Research Faculty and Staff Training Students Training Student Services Business Services Development & Alumni Sponsored Research Communications Technology Human Resources Admin. Support Profit Centers Technical Assistance Application Scenarios Based On Needs, Expectations, Motivations

13. The e-Learning Culture of Responsiveness • The Access Paradigm in the information marketplace changes the rules.

14. The e-Learning Culture of Responsiveness Access vs. Distribution • People come to you in the digital environment… • Concept of anywhere, anytime, any place…

15. Workshops • Support from ADEC members: • Modular development specialist and agronomist from Penn State; • Instructional designers from Texas A & M and New Mexico State University; • Technology Specialist from New Mexico State; • Hardware experts from the worldwide Tachyon Corporation based in San Diego, Ca.; • President of ADEC… The American Distance Education Consortium.

16. Guiding Principles • Reviewed guiding principles…identify issues that impact all programs. • Faculty recast guiding principles for Zamorano. • Developed scenarios using issues from Zamorano.

17. Needs Assessment • Simple developmental needs review. • Hands-on use of Proposal Enhancement Tools. • http://extension.oregonstate.edu/eesc/pet • Move user through more effective needs assessment…more successful learning programs as a result. • Implemented need assessment for Zamorano scenarios.

18. Planning • Identify university-wide goals based on what it will take to be successful in e-learning. • One-year out needs as well as the ten-year out expectations and goals. • Scalable process as programs inevitably expand. • Deliverable step-by-step timeline including next steps, dependencies, benchmarks and a long-term attainable goals.

19. Content Adaptation and Development • Team building to help newly formed teams work as closely as possible. • Review program development options and provided hands-on testing by faculty and development team. • Identify program content agreed upon by teams working Zamorano-wide. • Tested content with users identified in the needs assessment .

20. Evaluation • Multiple evaluation processes provide decision data. • Hands-on exercises developing evaluation for programs at Zamorano. • Aggregated data using similar locally developed information expanding effectiveness of the evaluation.

21. E-Learning At Zamorano • Evaluation: Measurement Levels & Methods • Level 1: Reaction • Level 2: Learning • Level 3: Application • Level 4: Return on Investment

22. E-Learning Issues and Recommendations Specific Things to Remember…. • Use developed modules as gauges of directions and outcomes. • Faculty release time sends a strong signal. • Utilize outside review panel for peer-review critique of modules.

23. E-Learning Issues and Recommendations Specific Things to Remember…. • Demonstrate use of computers for module access. • Incorporate e-mail access into instructional design. • Phase-in technical support as function of faculty release time.

24. E-Learning Issues and Recommendations Specific Things to Remember…. • Develop academic plan for program and department involvement. • Use module development information as basis for multiple proposals.

25. E-Learning Issues and Recommendations Specific Things to Remember…. • Encourage direct developer-designer interaction with lead faculty. • Demonstrate technology tools to faculty and staff.

26. Global Learning Center • Distance Learning Program at Zamorano University • Grants totaling approximately $1MM • Advisory Committee created July 2007 • Grand opening January 2008

27. GlobalLearning at Zamorano Don Poucher University of Florida info@ifas.ufl.edu Dave King Oregon State University dave.king@oregonstate.edu