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Pre-Conference
Seminar: Systems
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KEYNOTE
Global Education: Fad or Fraud?
Robin Mason, The Open University, UK
Is the advent of global education a threat or a promise, a monster or a mouse? The higher education market is changing rapidly and there is growing evidence to support the rumours of large scale closures of existing institutions, of very different working conditions for staff which remain, and of wholesale re-thinking of the organisational, pedagogical and technological delivery of higher education. Many of these changes are caused by or informed by the growth of some forms of global education. In this talk I will present the results of my recent research into this subject; I will look at the outcomes of existing global courses, and I will consider the issues which arise from the globalisation of higher education.
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Dr. Robin
Mason Senior Lecturer, Institute of Educational Technology Head, Centre for Information Technology in Education |
Areas of interest and expertise
Dr. Mason is a specialist in the use of interactive multimedia and
telecommunications technologies for education and training. She was one of the early
pioneers in the use of computer conferencing, completing her doctorate on the Open
University's first ever use of the medium for large scale distance teaching in 1988. She
has continued to carry out evaluations both for her own institution and for many other
training and educational organisations in the UK and abroad. Her expertise as an evaluator
is enhanced by her experience as a teacher and presenter using various telecommunications
technologies: computer conferencing, audiographics and videoconferencing. She specialises
in courses for distance educators and train-the-trainer staff development programmes. Her
experience of designing and running evaluation programmes has led her to write a number of
articles on the methodology of evaluating technology-based educational applications (see
reference section).
Dr. Mason has recently turned her attention to developments in the globalisation of education: the Internet, WorldWideWeb and other interactive multimedia systems. During the summer of 1995, Dr. Mason made an extensive study trip to North America, to investigate approaches and developments in leading edge teaching technologies and strategies. In addition, Dr. Mason is a regular key-note speaker at conferences and workshops around the world. Extracts from her current writing project, Globalising Education, are available for comment.
Her current position: Senior Lecturer within the Institute of Educational Technology and Head of the Centre for Information Technology in Education.
Recent reports
Models of Online Learning
OTD Report no. 10: Information Handling Skills and Resource Based Learning
OTD Report no. 11: Integrating Synchronous and Asynchronous Teaching Technologies
Relevant publications
Mason, R. (1994). Using Communications Media in Open and Flexible Learning. Kogan Page, London.
Mason, R. (1995). Evaluating Technology-Based Learning. In: Innovative Adult Learning with Innovative Technologies (B. Collis and G. Davies, eds.). Elsevier, Amsterdam.
Mason, R. (1991). Evaluation Methodologies for Computer Conferencing Applications. In: Collaborative Learning through Computer Conferencing (A. R. Kaye, ed.). Springer-Verlag, Berlin.
Mason, R. and Bacsich, P. (eds.)(1994). ISDN Applications in Education and Training. Institution of Electrical Engineers, London.
Mason, R. (1994). Evaluation Report on Courses over JANUS - Volume 1. DELTA Deliverable 50.1. European Union, Brussels.
Mason, R. and Kaye, A. R. (eds.)(1989). Mindweave: Communication, Computers and Distance Education. Pergamon, Oxford.