Continuing on the international and cultural question…
A good way to stay up-to-date, and perhaps to receive “more information than you have time to process,” about global e-learning, is to subscribe to the “E-Learning” or the “Information and Communication Technologies” mailings from the Development Gateway e-Learning knowledgebase.
At DG, new references are added frequently, and you’ll be emailed when new posting appear in your chosen area of interest. What many people like about DG is that they post a “digest” or “review” of each source, so you can get a good idea whether you want to go read the original material.
The Development Gateway is an independent not-for-profit organization. It was conceived by World Bank President James Wolfensohn and initially developed in the World Bank. Operations began in July 2001.
For example, here’s a posting from last week on “A culture-based model for strategic implementation of virtual education delivery” – (I think you have to register with Development Gateway before you can see the contents of this URL, but here’s (below) the abstract and you can read the online article at the web site of the International Journal of Education and Development.)
ABSTRACT: This study was designed to examine the critical success factors for implementing Virtual Education Delivery (VED) in Thailand, and to identify ways to facilitate such adoption and lead to effective outcomes. The study incorporated an analysis of three specific factors related to Thai culture: high power distance “Bhun Khun”, uncertainty avoidance “Kreng Jai” and, collectivism “Kam Lang Jai”. This paper reviews the development of the research model, describes the conceptual underpinning of the cultural model and presents the findings of the study. A strategic framework for successful VED implementation is proposed and can be modified for any cultural environment. In addition an audit instrument was developed for evaluation and review of VED outcomes on an ongoing basis.
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