Making e-Learning Work in the Asia Pacific: Lessons Learned

Paper presented at the The Information Technology in Regional Areas (ITiRA) Conference 2001, Rockhampton, Queensland, Australia, 5-7 September 2001. Conference hosted by Faculty of Informatics and Communication, Central Queensland University, http://itira.cqu.edu.au/

Buenafe R. Abdon and Robert T. Raab

Introduction

The agricultural sector dominates the economies of most of the countries in the Asia Pacific. It contributes a significant amount to regional GNP and provides the bulk of the employment opportunities. But Asian agriculture has been slow to adopt the modern agricultural technologies that have characterized agricultural development in the developed world. This is making it increasingly difficult for Asian farmers to compete in the new global marketplace and respond to changing circumstances including the ever-shrinking availability of water, land and labour. These same factors are making it ever more difficult to raise production levels to meet growing demands for food and fibre while protecting the natural agricultural resource base necessary to ensure future productivity

It is no exaggeration to argue that agricultural professionals are potentially some of the most influential individuals contributing to growth and development in the Asia Pacific region. They link technology sources to technology users. They assess and articulate farmers' technology needs, and are involved in technology development, technology transfer and technology evaluation. The professional development of these individuals is therefore a matter of great concern for Asia Pacific countries and international development and other organizations with an interest in the region.

It is now being demonstrated that new information, communication and educational technologies - e-learning - can be used in efforts to upgrade the skills of practicing agricultural professionals but there are numerous obstacles to be overcome. A key factor in the success of e-learning in Asia is designing culturally appropriate e-courses. Additionally, it is maintained that institutions working in isolation cannot efficiently and effectively design and deliver national and regional e-learning efforts. New partnerships and innovative partnership arrangements must be cultivated and supported. Intermediary organizations like the APRTC can play a vital role.

Role of Agricultural Professionals in Agricultural Development

Everyone recognises the critical societal and economic role of agriculture in the Asia Pacific. There is also no argument that Asian agriculture is under increasing pressure. Labour is becoming scarcer and more expensive. The area of prime agricultural land is shrinking as factories, houses and roads encroach into traditional agricultural lands. The availability of water is no longer guaranteed, particularly with strong and growing demands from the industrial sector and urban consumer.

The adoption of modern agricultural technologies can help farmers compete under these new circumstances but their promotion will require a substantial effort. The individuals on the front lines will be the region's agricultural professionals. These include professionals in various sectors - government, non-government, private, academic and development. As Lindley (1998) notes, "While there are many complex factors that influence sustainable development and food security, it is clear that education in agriculture plays an important role in preparing farmers, researchers, educators, extension staff, members of agri-businesses and others to make productive contributions."

But just as Asian farmers have been slow in adopting more modern approaches, so have the region's agricultural professionals. There is growing concern that today's agricultural professionals do not have the knowledge and skills to be effective in the current situation (Raab, 2000).

Importance and Problems of Education for Agricultural Professionals

Training and education is seen as probably the most important mechanisms for preparing agricultural professions and, perhaps even more important, keeping them up to date with new ideas, skills and knowledge. But numerous studies indicate that agricultural education in most developing countries is beset by problems (Rogers, 1996; Rodriguez, 1999; Pretty, 1995). Lindley (1998) describes the situation clearly,

"Poor quality training of agricultural professionals, technicians and producers has been identified as part of the global food security problem. Unfortunately, the training of human resources (the development of human capital) in agriculture is often not a high priority in the overall development plan of countries. As a result, curricula and teaching programmers are not necessarily relevant to the production needs and employment demands of the agricultural sector. Education in agriculture has not kept us with the increasingly sophisticated labour demands of the private sector."

Moreover, in today's world of rapid and radical change, the fast pace of knowledge development and increased availability of information has fundamental implications for agricultural education. In the past, knowledge a professional acquired through formal training could last a lifetime. Now, getting a degree has to be just the beginning of a professional's learning career. As Roling (1997) notes,

"People who had academic qualifications were something very special, elites, and above all, experts, who could solve problems for the rest of us. Alas those good old days are definitely gone. Professionals can no longer operate on the basis of acquired status. The knowledge they have gained soon becomes obsolete. The life cycle of expertise is no longer than that of a new generation of computer. The diversity of problems is such that uniform solutions cannot be imposed. What's more, the people for and with whom these professionals work are increasingly aware of the value of their own knowledge and increasingly educated to boot. Furthermore, they are increasingly sceptical about expert advice."

Some of the major recommendations advanced to address this problem include the establishment of better partnerships between and among key stakeholders and the application of new information, communication and educational technologies - e-learning.

Multisectoral Partnerships Role in Implementing e-Learning

Several factors are driving the need for partnerships between educational institutions as well as with the private sector. The rapid pace of knowledge generation and the short shelf life of this knowledge make it imperative that educators share new information with colleagues in other institutions as well as to expand the pool of teachers from which students can choose.

Partnerships allow traditional suppliers and intermediaries to contribute from their respective comparative advantages. In one emerging model, traditional universities provide the intellectual capital, content and content support, evaluate student performance, and award appropriate degree credit or certification. Intermediaries contribute in such areas as hardware and software provision, instructional design for the Web, Website and communication fora maintenance, record-keeping, teacher training and technical support for courseware development and marketing. Partnership with regional networking initiatives such Asia Pacific Advanced Network (APAN) and Asian Internet Interconnection Initiatives (AI3) can provide access to the technological infrastructure necessary to deliver content and allow for the fast and easy two-way communication that is central to e-learning.

The author's experience with an international Internet-based videoconferencing effort during 1998 and 1999 provides a good example of the importance of partnerships. This work was initiated by the Training Center of the International Rice Research Institute in the Philippines to allow the participation of its scientists in training activities in the Asia Pacific region and also allow scientists based elsewhere in the region to contribute to courses organized at the Institute in the Philippines (Abdon, 1999) (Raab, 1999). Some of the partners participating in this effort included: the Thailand Department of Agriculture, the National University of Singapore, the National Electronics and Computer Technology Center (NECTEC) of Thailand, the Asia Pacific Advanced Network (APAN), the National Centre for Science Information Systems (NACSIS) in Japan, and the Philippine Network Foundation. Without the contributions of any single member the effort could not have succeeded. None of the organizations acting independently could have made it work. Establishing and maintaining such partnerships is a major task but the results are worth the investments.

e-Learning

"Thirty years from now the big university campuses will be relics...It's as large a change as when we got the printed book...Already we are beginning to deliver more lectures and classes off-campus via satellite or two-way video at a fraction of the cost" Peter Drucker

The excitement generated by e-Learning is almost universal among education professionals. e-learning is the most recent evolution of distance learning - a learning situation where instructors and learners are separated by distance, time or both. e-Learning is - Internet-enabled learning -, or - The use of network technologies to create, foster, deliver, and facilitate learning, anytime and anywhere.

Capper (2001) lists the benefits to learning online that are unique to the medium:

• Any time. A participant can access the learning program at any time that is convenient -not just during the specific 1-3-hour period that is set for a conventional course. The episodes can be quick snatches at odd times or long late-night sessions. Cross-time-zone communication, difficult to arrange in real time, is as easy as talking to someone across town when using the Internet.
• Any place. The participants do not have to meet. That means they can be anywhere. International sharing is feasible. Individuals can log on at work, home, the library, in a community learning centre or from their hotel when travelling.
• Asynchronous interaction. Unlike face-to-face or telephone conversations, electronic mail does not require participants to respond immediately. As a result, interactions can be more succinct and to-the-point, discussion can stay more on-track, and people can get a chance to craft their responses. This can lead to more thoughtful and creative conversations.
• Group collaboration. Electronic messaging creates new opportunities for groups to work together, creating shared electronic conversations that can be thoughtful and more permanent than voice conversations. Sometimes aided by on-line moderators, these net seminars can be powerful for learning and problem-solving.

The e-Learning Educational Model and the Asian Learner

Most of the literature dealing with e-learning is based on the experience of developed country educators and students. As a body it suggests that many "Western" students are quite comfortable with the online learning environment and enjoy the fact that, in online learning, much of the control passes from the teacher to the student. But with this power also comes additional responsibilities. Online students must be largely responsible for their own learning: setting realistic goals, monitoring progress, reflecting on understanding, and seeking guidance from peers as well as instructors.

But how well do students from other cultural backgrounds do in such an environment? Asian students, for example, are much more familiar and comfortable with a didactic type learning style, one way of communication from teacher to student. This is due to the cultural belief that the teacher is the most learned and hence must be respected and revered for his knowledge and abilities. It is the teachers' role to impart knowledge. This is a value that is inculcated in individuals from their early schooling days and perpetuated throughout their life. (Singh, 2000)

This is very much at odds with the role of the online teacher/trainer where,

"Trainers no longer hold the privileged position of 'all knowing' content expert. The training professional thus becomes a facilitator of knowledge instead of a content expert who brings 'the info' into the training room with them. Trainers no longer 'own' the knowledge. Instead they synthesize and provide resources to clients who also have access to the knowledge."

Very little research has been done on how a learner's cultural background influences their ability to adapt to and take advantage of e-learning opportunities and the associated responsibilities. However, the author's experience over the past several years of offering online courses to Asian students suggests that these cultural differences are important considerations in designing and delivering online courses and several factors must be kept in mind when designing courses for an Asian audience: Some of these include:

• Need for Structure
• Step by steps instructions
• Constant encouragement
• Make it Personal and Fun
• Perceived roles of teachers and students
• Face
• Need for Structure

Many of the online efforts with which the author has been involved were designed to be used in a nonlinear fashion. Course participants were encouraged to browse, skip between lessons in the order they felt most comfortable with and to explore interesting side topics freely. However, at least in the early stages of a course, Asian participants were not comfortable with this amount of freedom. They were emphatic in their requests that they be told explicitly what they were expected to do and why. A considerable amount of hand-holding at the beginning of the course seems to work wonders.

Step by steps instructions

Many of the exercises in the courses required participants to learn by doing. Introductory information and assignments were given and participants were expected to complete tasks by trial and error and develop skills and knowledge as they went through this process. Again, most Asians were uneasy with this approach. Especially for more complicated tasks, (e.g. downloading and installing a computer program) they wanted more explicit instructions.

Constant encouragement

Our Asian participants indicated that they were most comfortable as 'lurkers' in online discussions and that they felt they gained a lot from a passive presence. This may be feasible in large online communities with a mixture of contributors and lurkers but not in a situation of small predominantly Asian groups. Getting them to be more active was a major task and involved keeping a close watch on who was doing what and then using a variety of ways to get them motivated. Having explicit requirements for posting as part of the exercises was a necessity.

Make it personal and fun

Asians seem to prefer going through a process of getting to know the instructor as a first step in their acceptance of online learning. Creating this situation takes a major initial effort to 'connect' with online Asian students. A considerable amount of effort was required to send numerous personal email messages to each student and get two-way conversations going. Once a relationship had been established students were much more willing to participate in group discussions. Trying to make the whole experience more fun seemed to also help and to reduce apprehension levels. Jokes and off the subject postings seemed to help break the ice. As one author suggests, Asians apparently adopt a much more serious attitude toward the Internet. Pricing may have played a part in conveying the perception that it is expensive and therefore more suited for "serious purposes". (Ang, 1996)

Perceived roles of teachers and students

We put a lot of effort into breaking down the perceived stereotypes Asians seem to hold with regard to teachers and students. The facilitator should demonstrate a depth of knowledge in the subject matter but convey information in such a manner that it is not seen as superior. When that happens Asian students tend to fall back into a more passive learning style.

Face

In many cases our Asian students were reluctant to come forth with their own opinions or ways of doing things. But, they cannot afford to just "sit" in the corner and expect to be counted as participating since in online environment, everybody is expected to speak up and contribute to the discussions. A facilitator must be very careful not to put students in a position that might cause embarrassment (participating in a synchronous English chat session for example). It is also imperative to convey that, in many instances, there is no such thing as a wrong answer. The objective of the discussion is to look at things from various perspectives and come to a consensus as a group. In fact, we believe that the asynchronous nature of online learning may help to reduce the risks of embarrassment that constrain Asian learners in face to face classrooms. In the online environment they have enough time to compose responses to on-going discussions.

An Emerging Player in Promoting the Use of Online Learning for Agricultural Professionals - the APRTC

The author is now applying what she has learned in the distance learning program of the newly established (since January 2001) Asia Pacific Regional Technology Centre (APRTC). The APRTC is dedicated to promoting sustainable agriculture in the Asia Pacific through a multisectoral partnership approach and an emphasis on e-learning for the professional development of agricultural professionals. A major focus of the APRTC during 2001 is the development and implementation of a series of practical skills-based e-Learning courses focused on extending knowledge on sustainable agriculture and good agricultural practice to agricultural professionals. Courses currently completed or under construction include:

• Digital Literacy for Agricultural Professionals
• English for Agriculture
• Safe and Effective Use of Agrochemicals
• Introduction to Integrated Pest Management (IPM)
• IPM for Cotton
• IPM for Irrigated Rice
• IPM for Vegetables

The Digital Literacy and the English for Agriculture courses, while seemingly outside the Centre's mandate, are considered essential for overall success and prerequisites for more technically oriented subject matter courses dealing with sustainable agriculture. As these courses will be delivered via the Internet, participants must be comfortable using the tools and the terminology of the 'Net' and have a through understanding of what is involved in learning to learn online. Similarly, these courses and the vast majority of online reference materials and resources are in English. Since these courses are aimed at agricultural professionals for whom English may not be a first language, a good grasp of agricultural English will be essential in order to maximize the benefits of the technical courses. Also, professionals' ability to effectively contribute to, and benefit from agricultural publications, presentations and daily interactions with colleagues depends upon their English language ability. (Golinowski, 1999)

APRTC is investing a considerable amount of effort in forging partnerships with a wide range of stakeholder organisations and believes that numerous stakeholders working together can accomplish much more than individual organizations working alone. Formal agreements have already been established with the International NGO WorldView International Foundation and with a private sector trade organization the Asia Pacific Crop Protection association. The APRTC recently made an arrangement with Thailand's Mahidol University to deliver an "English for Agriculture" course and is pursuing other academic links with regional agricultural universities. We also participate and contribute to APAN's networking activities. This is particularly important as, "Apart from the observable differences in culture, there are uneven patterns of economic and national development in Asia. The differences are exaggerated when it comes to advanced infrastructure such as telecommunication lines for the Internet. (Ang, 1996). APAN : http://apan.net and other similar efforts (AI3-http://ai3.net) can provide valuable support in overcoming these infrastructural problems.

Summary and Conclusions

If Asian agriculture is to compete in the new global marketplace without endangering the natural resource base on which it depends, it needs to look to the adoption of modern sustainable farming technologies. Something must be done to bridge the gap between the available modern technological options and the technologies that Asian farmers currently employ - the farm technology gap. Agricultural professional are crucial in helping to bring about this change. The basic and continuing education of these individuals is essential if they are to succeed.

The Internet and its associated information and communication technologies have given us the tools to bridge the farm technology gap and educate agricultural professionals. e-Learning is beginning to show tremendous potential as a learning tool. While there are many barriers to successful implementation of e-Learning in Asia there are also numerous ways of countering these barriers. Bringing together the diverse stakeholders that have the vision and skills to use these new tools will play a very important role. Another key factor for the success of online learning for the Asia Pacific region is the importance of developing e-Learning programs with Asians, and their cultural learning styles, in mind. Experience shows that e-Learning can work in Asia. It is challenging but also fun.

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