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Use of ICT in education in the South Pacific: findings of the Pacific eLearning Observatory
 Robert Whelan
. 
Distance Education
. Melbourne:May 2008
. Vol. 29, Iss. 1; pg. 53, 18 pgs
Abstract (Summary)
The Pacific eLearning Observatory at the University of the South Pacific (USP) conducted anonline survey of educational technologists (n = 60) to assess levels of access to information andcommunication technologies (ICT) in education and identify ways of lowering the barriers toICT in the Pacific region. Almost half of USP's 22,000 students are distance based, and access toICT defines their learning activities. The survey addressed perceptions of educational ICT,development strategies and initiatives, and 'guesstimates' of ICT accessibility. Results show ICTaccess between 1 and 11%, with tertiary-level access at 70%. Capacity building, curriculumdevelopment, infrastructure, policy, and government support are the most important developmentfactors. Findings are analysed through eight barriers to education, and proposals are made to helpUSP improve access to ICT in the region. [PUBLICATION ABSTRACT] 
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(8915 words)Copyright Open & Distance Learning Association of Australia May 2008
[Headnote]
The Pacific eLearning Observatory at the University of the South Pacific (USP) conducted anonline survey of educational technologists (n = 60) to assess levels of access to information andcommunication technologies (ICT) in education and identify ways of lowering the barriers toICT in the Pacific region. Almost half of USP's 22,000 students are distance based, and access toICT defines their learning activities. The survey addressed perceptions of educational ICT,development strategies and initiatives, and 'guesstimates' of ICT accessibility.Results show ICT access between 1 and 11%, with tertiary-level access at 70%. Capacity building, curriculum development, infrastructure, policy, and government support are the mostimportant development factors. Findings are analysed through eight barriers to education, and proposals are made to help USP improve access to ICT in the region.Keywords: development; education; ICT; indicators; PacificIntroductionInformation and communication technologies (
ICT
) are having a revolutionary effect on
school
 practices, distance education, as well as government and public sector policies, and commercialand economic growth worldwide. The South Pacific's island nations are no exception to thistrend, with substantial increases
in
the availability of 
ICT
and access to the Internet during thelast decade (UNESCO Bangkok, 2003), and
in
particular, an estimated growth of 80%
in
thenumber of distance learners
using ICT
at the University of the South Pacific (USP) between2000 and 2007.Access to ICT is an increasingly important factor in distance education in the South Pacific, andthe barriers to access are numerous. For the purposes of this article, we define ICT in educationas the use of computers, the Internet, and telecommunications networks in teaching and learning.
 
This definition includes audio and video conferencing, synchronous and asynchronous onlinecommunication and collaboration tools, email, voice over Internet (VOiP), and online coursemanagement systems, although mobile telephony is excluded because of its limited role informal education in the Pacific region now. As USP strives to improve the academic performanceof its 22,000 students and enhance the effectiveness of its 350 (mostly print-based) distanceeducation courses, a new online course management system is being used as a catalyst for improved quality of service during a time of rapid growth in the student population. As of 2007,USP's satellite-based private telecommunications and ICT infrastructure, USPNet, has tripled its bandwidth consumption in the last seven years, while the number of online ICT-based courses is projected to grow almost 200% per annum, from 78 in 2007, to over 600 by the end of 2010(regional manager of USP Information Technology Services, personal communication, November 2007). However, managing and coordinating the growth of ICT at USP requiresaccurate strategic information about the current rates of access to ICT in the Pacific region, aboutthe barriers to access, the regional programmes and initiatives to increase ICT access, and theattitudes, skills, and capacities that USP's current - and future - students possess. Thus, whileschools, educational institutions, and policy makers in the Pacific aim to take full advantage of ICT's potential in education and training, the availability of relevant data on which to basestrategic decisions becomes increasingly important.Literature reviewResearch on access to ICT varies according to the needs of the researchers and the 'end users' of the results. Some research addresses access to ICT in terms of electronic commerce, e-government, or other economic or political dimensions, while another approach specificallyaddresses ICT infrastructure with a more technology-centric view (Bridges Consulting, 2005). Inapproaches, the use of and access to ICT in schools may be addressed. However, studiesspecifically addressing the use of ICT in education in the South Pacific region are rare, and suchstudies are usually part of a wider, multi-sector analysis, sometimes framed in terms of 'e-readiness.'E-readiness can be loosely defined as the degree to which a nation or region uses ICT to improveits welfare. The relevant unit of analysis is the 'benchmark,' and a wide range of qualitative or quantitative benchmarks may be used in any given e-readiness study. Large institutions anddevelopment programmes such as the World Bank, Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC),the World Education Forum, the Commonwealth, and UNESCO refer to such benchmarks as away of assessing the effectiveness of their investments in bridging the digital divide. Å-readiness benchmarks may include quantitative statistics on such factors as physical access to ICT, therelative affordability of ICT, the availability of locally generated content, or more qualitativeinformation on factors such as the integration of ICT into people's lives, security and trust in ICT,or a government's role in developing ICT (InfoDev, 2005).There are four general methodologies used in e-readiness benchmarking (Bridges Consulting,2005): survey instruments such as Harvard University's Center for International Development's(CID) Readiness for the Networked World: A Guide for Developing Countries, case studies suchas the International Telecommunications Union's (ITU) Internet Country case Studies, third-party
 
analyses such as the Economist Intelligence Unit's E-readiness Rankings, and informalcustomised assessment models designed for specific purposes.Over 20 e-readiness assessment approaches are compared by Bridges Consulting (2005), some of which include benchmarking of ICT in education. Common benchmarks found in theseassessment tools include descriptors of basic infrastructure; connectivity; 'teledensity,' or accessto ICT; the use of ICT in schools and ICT education and skills; applications and services;development 'enablers' such as policy initiatives or regulatory frameworks; preparedness of institutions and stakeholders; barriers to access; social and cultural infrastructure; and the role of ICT in sectors such as health, transport, government, and commerce.However, although they provide invaluable information, e-readiness benchmarks are often toogeneral to focus specifically on the deeper issues addressed by educators involved in thedevelopment and use of ICT. In the more developed world, various observatory-type researchefforts have been established to assess access to ICT in education and training. In Europe for example, HELIOS (n.d.) is a European Commission-funded research project to establish a'sustainable observation platform' to monitor the progress of ICT in education in Europe. Theinitiative is policy driven and aims to forecast scenarios of educational ICT development.Similarly, the EUfunded European Schoolnet programme includes a policy advisory unit focusedon tracking indicators of ICT development such as school ICT access statistics, teacher traininglevels, and government policy initiatives in primary and secondary education (INSIGHT, 2000-2007).For various reasons, the South Pacific region has no such data collection services. However,UNESCO established an initiative to monitor benchmarks in the development of ICT ineducation in selected Asia-Pacific countries. This programme designed and tracked indicators of ICT's impact in education, established a database of assessment tools, and developed a manualfor pilot testing the use of indicators to assess the impact of ICT in education. Indeed,UNESCO's Bangkok office has collected over a dozen examples of ICT indicators for educationon its website (UNESCO Bangkok, 2007). These include the Pan-Canadian Education IndicatorsProgramme (PCEIP); Indicators in the Best Practice of Online Learning - Lisbon; the NationalSurvey of ICTs in South African Schools; the Information Society Technology Programmefunded by the European Community; the Japan ICT in School Survey; Indicators of ICTs inEducation for the Baltic and CIS Countries; Research on the Internet in Slovenia (RIS);Teaching, Learning and Computing in America; and the Profile on ICT Capabilities in thePhilippines: Project TAO CARES (Computer-Assisted Reform for Schools). In each case, theseinstruments or reports took selective, context-specific approaches tailored to particular socioeconomic, political, technological, and educational conditions in a given country or region.While benchmarks or indicators must be carefully selected to provide the desired informationabout development of ICT in education, the methodological requirements will also vary. For example, case studies, third-party analyses, and informal customised assessment models oftenrequire (high-priced) experts and consultants conducting desk-based and field research on theground. Moreover, because of the scale of these projects and the time commitment required, suchinitiatives are often one-offs or are reproduced only irregularly.
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