From zita at ISI.EDU Tue Jan 3 16:21:33 2006 From: zita at ISI.EDU (Zita Wenzel) Date: Tue, 03 Jan 2006 14:21:33 -1000 Subject: [APRU-DLI] APRUNet Newsletter (v.4, n.12) Message-ID: <43BB150D.40805@isi.edu> ====================================================== APRUNET NEWSLETTER DECEMBER 2005 (V.4, n.12) Current web issue and archived copies: To subscribe to the APRUNet Newsletter, see: TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. APRU ?Distance Learning and the Internet Conference? 2. Inaugural APRU Enterprise Business Plan Competition 3. APRU Brain and Mind Research Symposium 4. APRU Doctoral Students Conference 5. 7TH APRU Fellows Program 6. APRU Enterprise Business Plan Competition - Extra Chapter Challenge 7. APRU Research Symposium 2006 - "Earthquake Hazards Around the Pacific Rim - Global Watch and Environmental Impact 8. Megaconference Jr. 9. Online Education Booming 10. BellSouth Foundation Donates Money for Online Education 11. Comments and Suggestions 1. APRU ?DISTANCE LEARNING AND THE INTERNET CONFERENCE? The 6th APRU Distance Learning and the Internet (DLI) Conference was held at Far Eastern National University (FENU), Vladivostok, Russia, from 4-7 October 2005. There were 108 participants, 88 of them physical and 20 remote (videoconferences and web presentations). A total of 43 universities from 11 countries were represented including 11 APRU member universities. The sixth in its series, the conference aims to bring together leading, international distance learning experts from academia, business and public sectors. The theme for this year was "Linking People through Information Technology Education". The sub-themes for the Conference were: 1. Content development in distance and blended learning 2. Infrastructure, technology trends and challenges 3. Cultural exchanges through distance learning 4. Student issues in distance learning and the Internet Issues addressed at the Conference included e-learning content and quality assurance, credit transfers, online degree recognition, aspects of infrastructure such as video-conferencing, technology-enabled learning, technology trends and challenges. Special interest topics for this year's conference included student experiences and presentations in distance learning, including the in-person graduation of a group of students who had received their bachelor?s degrees by distance learning between FENU and University of Maryland. The keynote address by Dr. Diana Oblinger, Educause, was delivered by videoconference. Presentations from this year?s conference, and information on next year?s conference, are available on the APRUNet web site at http://www.apru.org/activities/aprunet/. ?The Seventh Annual "Distance Learning and the Internet" Conference will be hosted by University of Tokyo from 8-10 November 2006. 2. INAUGURAL APRU ENTERPRISE BUSINESS PLAN COMPETITION Inaugural APRU Enterprise Business Plan Competition ? Extra Chapter Challenge (ECC) is now open. This competition will be conducted concurrently but as an additional component of the 7th APRU Doctoral Students Conference (DSC) to be hosted by the National University of Singapore (NUS) from 17-21 July 2006. The ECC, with prize money worth approximately US$20,000, is open to doctoral students in any discipline from all APRU member universities. Students are required to write an extra chapter in their dissertations on how they will commercialize their research output with the aim of creating extensive economic and social value beyond their dissertation. The process of developing a sustainable business plan will help them capitalize on their intellectual capabilities, and cultivate a spirit of innovation and entrepreneurship. Further benefits include a rare opportunity to present their work to an international panel of judges comprising distinguished and prominent members of the venture capital community, industry leaders and other experts. Further information on the program and other conference information will be progressively made available at the conference website at . If you have any queries, please direct them to the ECC Organizing Committee at . The APRU Secretariat can also be contacted at >. 3. APRU BRAIN AND MIND RESEARCH SYMPOSIUM The APRU Brain and Mind Research Symposium is to be held from August 14 to 16 next year at University of Sydney for APRU brain researchers. The Symposium is for senior representatives of APRU brain researchers to meet in Sydney for the three-day symposium. The Symposium's purpose is to illuminate the scope of brain research in APRU and to put specific plans in place for optimizing brain research in the Asia Pacific region. Interested parties may want to contact Professor Max Bennett who is the Scientific Director of the Brain & Mind Research Institute, University of Sydney and coordinating efforts to hold the Symposium. Professor Bennett can be reached at . 4. APRU DOCTORAL STUDENTS CONFERENCE The 7th APRU Doctoral Students Conference (DSC) will be hosted by the National University of Singapore (NUS) from 17-21 July 2006. The conference theme is "Inventing the Future: Trends, Perspectives and Enterprise from the Pacific Rim". Building on last year?s theme that centers on a sustainable future, the DSC 2006 aspires to explore the ways in which academic research can contribute towards inventing a future that benefits the community and the world. Designed as an interdisciplinary gathering of doctoral students where the flow of ideas and information converge, the conference provides an important avenue for doctoral students to present their research in an international academic setting to fellow students from other APRU universities. It will be an opportune time for students to obtain critique on their research, establish valuable networks and future academic collaborations. The DSC participants will be provided with 6 nights of free lodging at the NUS residence. No registration fees will be charged as well. We hope that this will strongly promote participation from doctoral students. APRU member universities are encouraged to select and fund the travel of at least one or more doctoral students to this conference. For successful DSC applicants, they are also encouraged to maximize their subsidized accommodation by taking part in the APRU Enterprise Business Plan Competition ? Extra Chapter Challenge (ECC) where the top three participants will share prize money of approximately US$20,000. More information on registration, lodging and other conference information will progressively be made available at the conference website at . The NUS conference organizers, Mr. Raphael Funwa Iluyomade and Ms. Chan Mei Yen, may be contacted at > for any queries regarding the conference. 5. 7TH APRU FELLOWS PROGRAM The APRU Fellows Program (AFP) is into its 7th series and next year, it will be hosted by the Australian National University (ANU) from 16-25 August 2006. The 2006 Fellows Program is championed by the Asia Pacific School of Economics and Government at ANU and will focus on the theme ?Regional Security and Governance?. This year's program aims to bring together faculty members from the political sciences, humanities and social sciences, international relations, law, economics, sciences and environmental studies who are interested to study the myriad of complexities relating to regional security and governance. ? Great Power Politics and Regional Security Implications ? Terrorism and Islam ? Democratization in the Asia Pacific ? The Political Economy of Globalization ? Regional Architecture ? Environmental Security ? Pandemics and Health Security Please contact Ms Maree Tait of ANU via email > or fax: + 61 2 61250767 by 31 March 2006. Registration awards may be available for APRU member universities from developing economies. If you wish to apply for the registration awards for your fellow, please contact the APRU Secretariat at >. 6. APRU ENTERPRISE BUSINESS PLAN COMPETITION - EXTRA CHAPTER CHALLENGE 31 Jan 2006: Submission of 2-4 page proposals/letter of recommendation 16 Feb 2006: Announcement on selected winner/s for participation at ECC 23 Jun 2006: Submission of 25-30 page final proposals 17 Jul 2006: Competition begins 21 Jul 2006: Top 3 ECC winners to be announced 7. APRU RESEARCH SYMPOSIUM 2006 "Earthquake Hazards Around the Pacific Rim - Global Watch and Environmental Impact Osaka University and University of California, Berkeley will co-host the Association of Pacific Rim Universities (APRU) / Association of East Asian Research Universities AEARU) Research Symposium 2006 on "Earthquake Hazards Around the Pacific Rim - Global Watch and Environmental Impact" from 21-22 April 2006. Second in the series, this symposium is sponsored by Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS), Earthquake Engineering Research Institute (EERI), Earthquake Engineering Research Center, University of California, Berkeley, and San Francisco-Osaka Sister City Association. Different from other more technical and specialized symposiums on earthquakes, this research symposium will focus more on the reduction of environmental impact by earthquakes. Various methods such as international warning network and risk management will be intensively discussed at the symposium. Interested participants can contact Professor Yoshikatsu Murooka at >. Registration is now open till 15 March 2006. The schedule for the APRU/AEARU Research Symposium 2006 is as follows: (1) Call for Abstracts (Deadline: 5 January 2006) Contributing authors should submit their one-page abstracts to Osaka University San Francisco Office at >. Contributing authors will be notified of paper acceptance by 25 January 2006. (2) Submission of Papers (Deadline: 28 February 2006) Papers for the research symposium should be submitted to Osaka University San Francisco Office at >. Interested participants can also find out more about the APRU/AEARU Research Symposium 2006 at Osaka University San Francisco Office's website at ; it would be constantly updated with information. All APRU universities are encouraged to participate in this conference. We would appreciate it if you could forward information on this conference to faculty, staff and students in your university who may be interested to attend. For further queries, interested parties can send an e-mail to Osaka University San Francisco Office at: >. 8. MEGACONFERENCE JR - Deadline for presenter proposals/activities ? 23 January 2006 WHAT IS MEGACONFERENCE JR.? Megaconference Jr., now in its third year, is a project designed to give students in elementary and secondary schools around the world the opportunity to communicate, collaborate and contribute to each other's learning in real time, using advanced multi-point video conferencing technology. Presenters will design and conduct videoconference-based presentations and activities focused on both academic and cultural issues. Participants will be able to address questions to presenters and to collaborate with geographically diverse peers in collaborative learning activities, thus building international cultural awareness. WHEN IS IT GOING TO BE? The event will be on 18 May 2006, and it will run from 7:00 am until 7:00 pm EDT (UTC-4). The 12-hour duration will make it possible for schools from many time zones to participate during their regular school hours. We strongly encourage schools to open up participation to parents, administrators, and the community and to stay connected for as long as possible so that they can actively participate with sites from around the world in different time-zones. Museums and libraries are especially encouraged to invite children and library patrons to participate during non-school hours. HOW CAN I CONTRIBUTE? You can propose a 10-15 min. interactive presentation or showcase an interesting collaboration project that you have been doing in your school. You can also suggest activities that could be organized at "downtimes" between the blocks of presentations. Or you can join us as participants, with no special presentation given from your side. (Questions at the end of presentations are more than welcome from everyone). WHO CAN BE A PRESENTER? Students and teachers can be presenters. Presentations with multiple sites are strongly encouraged. HOW DO I SUBMIT A PROPOSAL? The proposal submission process has been streamlined again this year to ensure a successful conference for all. Anyone who wishes to submit a proposal must first register as a presenter for Megaconference Jr. 2006. Once registered, sites will be contacted about testing their network connections. Upon successfully testing, those who wish to submit a proposal will be able to do so. This will ensure that all sites proposing presentations have passed a preliminary connectivity test and will allow presenters more time to focus on their dress rehearsals. HOW WILL PROPOSALS BE EVALUATED? Proposals will be evaluated on the following criteria: 1. Title: The title is catchy and unique and related to the objective of the presentation. 2. Presentation is Related to Theme: Student presentations should focus on academic or cultural issues and incorporate global awareness and collaboration. 3. Collaboration/Interactivity: The ideal presentation should include collaboration with students in another geographic location. If your project includes another site please identify that in the "Overview" section of the proposal submission form. 4. Creativity/Uniqueness: The presentation is delivered in a creative way and presents a different or unique topic. 5. Multimedia: Without distracting from the proposal objectives, the students use a variety of media resources and appropriate distance learning activities. WHAT TECHNOLOGY DO I NEED TO PARTICIPATE? Most sites will need Internet2 or comparable high-speed connection and access to H.323 video-conferencing equipment. Presentations must be made using H.323 technology, preferably at 768 Kbps, and they will be made from the presenter's location. Presentations with multiple remote presenters are encouraged (see evaluation criteria above). WOULD I BE ABLE TO REHEARSE? Yes, all presenters will be required to hold at least one dress rehearsal prior to the event to rehearse and refine their presentations. HOW TO REGISTER AND SUBMIT A PROPOSAL: Presenter registration and subsequent proposal submission (upon successful testing) should be completed online at: http://megaconferencejr.org/?id=registration DEADLINES: Submit your presenter proposal(s) by 23 January 2006. (If you are unable to submit by this date due to special circumstances such as extended holiday break, please let us know and we will do everything possible to accommodate you.) General registration opens 10 February 2006. General registration closes 28 April 2006. 9. ONLINE EDUCATION BOOMING Analysts speaking at a conference on the business of higher education this week argued that the market for online learning, though often downplayed relative to other topics, is thriving and represents the future of for-profit education. Online music, for example, receives a lot of hype in the media, according to one analyst, but the market for online education is seven times larger than that for online music. Douglas L. Becker, CEO of Laureate Education Inc., which operates a network of international universities, said that in many parts of the world the demand for higher education far outstrips the supply. Moreover, while for-profit colleges enroll less than 5 percent of all college students, more than a third of all students taking an online course are enrolled at a for-profit institution. The conditions are ripe for online education to lead to significant growth in for-profit colleges in the coming years, according to analysts. Chronicle of Higher Education, 13 December 2005 10. BELLSOUTH FOUNDATION DONATES MONEY FOR ONLINE EDUCATION The BellSouth Foundation announced it will spend $20 million over five years to improve online education and technology access in nine states in the southern United States. The BellSouth Foundation is the charitable arm of BellSouth, which serves the southern region. The foundation is specifically charged with improving education and, according to Mary Boehm, president of the foundation, decided a year ago to focus its efforts exclusively on virtual learning. The new initiative will fund virtual learning programs and will work to bring technology and Internet access to children in poor areas of the region. A pilot site for the initiative in Atlanta is working on job-shadowing technology and an online algebra course for middle and high school students. Organizers hope to create eight similar sites, one in each of the other states of the program. Boehm said, "We wanted to be sure all kids, not just the privileged, could be part of the virtual learning movement." Associated Press, 29 November 2005 11. COMMENTS AND SUGGESTIONS This is the networking activities newsletter of the Association of Pacific Rim Universities (APRU). It is designed as a tool to assist in the development of advanced Internet capabilities among APRU universities and APEC economies. The key goal is to develop teaching and research applications that utilize advanced Internet technologies, e.g., distance learning, virtual conferences, telemedicine, etc. by sharing, networking, partnerships, and collaborations. This newsletter may be used to give or receive information on a project or to look for partners or collaborators. Comments or suggestions are encouraged and welcomed. For online current and past copies of the APRUNet Newsletter, see . Please send your news to . If you do not wish to be subscribed, or wish to add your name to the mailing list, please see http://mailman.isi.edu/mailman/listinfo/apru-dli. Zita Wenzel APRUNet Coordinator Please email Copyright (c) 2006 Association of Pacific Rim Universities. ======================================================