Using Web Templates to Build Country-wide Advising Networks

1. Using Web Templates to Build Country-wide Advising Networks by Viktar E. KHOTSIM, PAL-03 Fellow, Belarus

2. Content: • Education in the USA: worrying trends. • The amcenter website in Belarus – prototype for USG SP web template. • PAL-03 Training. • The core unit for a global virtual structure – web template! • Web template for Uzbekistan. • Web template for Kazakhstan. • Other types of web templates. • Conclusions.

3. Education in the USA:worrying trends • Increased efforts by the European Union in recruiting foreign students. • Reduced funding of EAC activities. • Education in the USA becomes more expensive. • Visa restrictions introduced after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. • Russia: the entire region declined by 4.6%.

4. OUR POSITION: We need to respond now by seeking new methods that can help us meet the mission of DOS-affiliated EACs more effectively.

5. IDEA! We should create a singular Internet resource in accordance with the latest innovations in the field of web technology and applied to educational advising activities.

6. Web tech innovations that applied to educational advising activities. • Team based operation. • Dynamic content. • ASRS: e-manager. • Virtual consulting service. • Local e-communities option. • Option of interactivity.

7. The amcenter web site in Belarus: prototype for USG SP web template • March 1998. Grodno EIC web page was developed and located at GRSMU web server: www.grsmu.unibel.by/eic • June 1999. New version of the Grodno EIC web page was developed and located at: www.oic.unibel.by/eic • Fall 1999. USBT training. Grodno EIC web page was moved to another web server www.accels.unibel.by • The years of 2000-2001. Fast development of the www.accels.unibel.by web project: team based operation, VirtualEducational Fair, Virtual Alumni Club, thematic pyramidof mailing lists, Administrative Center,Interactive Informational Tools. • VEACpresentations at the 7th OSEAS Europe Conference in Cyprus, Nicosia (July, 2001), NAFSA International Conferences 2001, 2002. • September 17, 2002 – start of the new web project – www.amcenter.by Launch of the amcenter web page – version # 1.

8. …is a web-server of a special structure with innovations in operation, accumulation, analysis and dissemination of the educational information. Virtual Office of the American Center in Belarus…

9. Virtual office of the American Center in Belarus • Virtual tour (Russian section) 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8. • Virtual tour (English section) 1,2,3,4,5. • Our web statistics 1,2,3. • Administrative Center (AC) 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8.

10. Resume of the implemented innovations • Accessibility and personal domain name. • English version is oriented for US partners and is different in its content. • Mobile news” option (WAP & SMS service) • Local news: team based operation. • General and local mailing lists. • Virtual consulting service by all staff members. • ASRS:e-manager • Virtual editing office

11. Web tech innovations that apply to the Amcenter website. • Team-based operation. • Dynamic content. • ASRS: e-manager. • Virtual consulting service. • Local e-communities option. • Option of interactivity.

12. Option of interactivity • Each adviser is responsible for a designated part of the web server. • Easy to check the incoming information. • Non-harmful for real activity. • Strong motivational factor that pulls us together and consolidates our efforts through virtual interaction.

13. Constant development of the amcenter web project in Belarus • Staff meetings • Lectures and programs presentations • Handouts • E-registration forms • Publications in the newspapers • Advertising via Internet (search engines: 1,2)

14. Conclusions: • Optimal site functioning is achieved via a team effort. • Virtual consulting increases effectiveness of adviser activity. • E-management enhances office administration and outreach activities. • New methods of disseminating information (WAP, SMS) widen the audience. • This model can be used as the foundation for a Eurasian web template.

15. Conclusions: • Creation of an effective web site that is specially designed for educational advising is a costly operation in terms of money and time. • Effective adaptation of the web tech to the EducationUSA mission can be reached only through the practical implementations of different web projects in educational advising. • Only an EducationUSA specialists working effectively in tandem with a professional technician in the field of web construction and design can develop the web project successfully.

16. Conclusions: • It is best to pool our resources (information) and locate this joint knowledge in one location. One complete web server which contains all information, has the confidence of the user. This, we feel, is a better situation than having many sites lacking in important data. • One primary resource which holds quality information has the ability to form a critical mass upon which ideas can thrive. We feel that this can cause a snowball effect in the transmission of ideas in educational advising.

17. Questions for the audience • How much time will you spend if decided to create the web site for your center with the same options? • How much money will it cost? • How much will our competitors accomplish while we are spending our time and money in “re-inventing the wheel”?

18. WEB TEMPLATE!!! By employing web template as the core unit for a global virtual structure (EducationUSA EAC network) we can export and implement an effective web product in any part of the world by copying the program to local servers instead of spending time and money organizing multiple web trainings and multiple web constructions.

19. Examples of programmed templates • Power Point presentation: set of templates. • C-1 program for accountants. • Outlook express or the bat. • Kodak software for digital photos. • Computer Games.

20. The core unit for a global virtual structure – web template! • The web templates that we will develop under our plan of action will be based on the most current, successful web projects devoted to international education and exchange and employ the latest innovations in web technology. • Instead of teaching advisers how to develop web sites we will teach them how to operate and up date the web template – ready product that contains all best innovations!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

21. PAL TRAINING-2003 Project title: Conception of the universal web site model for DOS-affiliated EAC`s in Eurasia. Project type:Specific individualized research (Grodno EIC, Republic of Belarus) and short-term training course (TJ PA, Washington D.C.).

22. WEB TEMPLATE FOR UZBEKISTAN • Location: VCO-NET web server • Method of training: on site • TYPE: USG SP • URL: www.uz.vco-edusa.net • Coverage: 5 EACs • Prototype: amcenter web site in Belarus • TOP EAC Member: YES

23. WEB TEMPLATE FOR UZBEKISTAN • Pre-workshop distance training ( 4 lessons) • On site training ( 2 days) • Post-workshop distance assistance (3 lessons)

24. UZ WEB TEMPLATE: VIRTUAL TOUR • Main page ( 1, 2, 3, 4, 5) • English section ( 1, 2, 3) • Administrative Center ( 1, 2, 3)

25. KZ WEB TEMPLATE • Location: VCO-NET web server • Method of training: distance learning • TYPE: USG SP • URL: www.kz.vco-edusa.net • Coverage: 3 EACs • Prototype: UZ web template • TOP EAC Member: Yes

26. Distance Learning • Manual for USG SP web template • Nine lessons for distance training • One working mailing list: template@vco-edusa.net

27. KZ WEB TEMPLATE: VIRTUAL TOUR • Main page ( 1, 2, 3, 4, 5) • English section ( 1, 2, 3) • Administrative Center ( 1, 2, 3)

28. Levels of training of advisers in web tech: • Level A. It should be done for those advisers who would like to start their own web site from the beginning. Web template is recommended. • Level B. This group covers those advisers who have already created their own web pages and successfully use them. For this group a set of recommendations should be developed with description of latest innovations and requirements. • Level C. Should be provided for selected advisers that work on development of web strategy. This team should be compiled internationally from different world regions by collecting the best representatives working in this direction.

29. Virtual Consulting Office-EducationUSA. To provide information to people in regions of Eurasiawhere there are no advising centers or and to offer another type of service to students in cities where centers are already located.

30. Virtual consulting service on education in the USA in different languages based on the VCO web template. Team logo: Global E-consulting team

31. THE EURASIAN REAC WEB SITE Main intermediary between the US academic audience and EducationUSA advisers

32. TYPES OF WEB TEMPLATES • USG SP • VCO • REAC

33. Web templates for special purposes • The REAC web template will play the role of intermediary between the US academic audience and EducationUSA advisers. • The VCO web template will be dedicated to team-based operation of a virtual consulting service on education in the USA in different languages. • USG-SP web template will be functionally adapted to effective advertising of US government-sponsored programs.

34. It will be achieved by implementing the rule of “network advertising” – multiple templates connected to one dynamic web-network for all world regions and carried out under a universal banner-navigator Universal banner-navigator OPTIMAL NAVIGATION

35. Final Conclusions • By employing different web templates as the core unit for a global virtual structure (EducationUSA EAC network) we can export and implement an effective web product in any part of the world by copying the program to local servers instead of spending time and money organizing multiple web trainings and multiple web constructions. • The OSEAS web network should have a web development group that keeps track of new innovations in the field of web technology with the express goal of adapting these innovations to the field of educational advising. • Following new trends in this field should be an integral part of the mandate of any US organization involved in International Education and Exchange.