After much hard work by Dr. Deb LaPointe and her distance learning students, the joint e-Learning Certificate Agreement was announced March 24, 2009.
"Our class project has brought about institutional change and international collaboration," said Doug Gadomski, Organizational Learning and Instructional Technology (OLIT) master's student, after attending the signing ceremony for a Convenio and Joint e-Learning Certificate Agreement between the University of New Mexico and the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC) on Tuesday, March 24, 2009, during a live Web conference. The UOC is an open virtual university located in Barcelona, Spain.
The Convenio and Joint e-Learning Certificate Agreement were signed by UNM President Dr. David J. Schmidly and UOC Rectora Dra. Imma Tubella. Standing with President Schmidly during the signing were Mark Salisbury, PhD, program chair of the OLIT program, Susan Tiano, PhD, Director of the UNM Latin America and Iberian Institute and Doug Gadomski. Joining President Tubella in Barcelona were Mr. John Zvereff, Director, UOC International Development, and Dr. Albert Sangrà, Director, Education & ICT Program.
Doug Gadomski was one of three students who started the international collaboration with UOC during a class project for Theory and Principles of e-Learning (OLIT 535) during the Fall 2007 semester. The project was based on the simple question: "Can we share classes?" Doug was joined by Mark Pugsley, OLIT PhD candidate, and David Nicol, OLIT master's student. Over the next 1½ years, Doug, Mark, and David spoke with many UNM programs and units overseeing admission requirements for international students, including the UNM International Affairs, Office of Graduate Studies, Latin American and Iberian Institute, and Provost.
The class project called for an executive summary to be presented to the "client" and the rest of the class at the end of the semester in 2007. However, seeing the real merit in both the concept and the proposal, they also made presentations to the OLIT faculty at their December 2007 meeting. During the Fall 2007 semester and subsequent months as they continued work, they held several Skype meetings with Dr. Sangrà to clarify goals for both programs and reach a mutual understanding of the issues.
In the Spring 2008 semester, they initiated a pilot enrollment in a UOC course that led to the further refinement of goals and understandings on both sides. Doug, Mark and David also made presentations at both the OLIT Expo (Spring 2008) and the Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT) International Conference in Orlando, FL (November 2008) on the proposed collaboration. During this time period, working meetings continued every two weeks with the group, including instructor Deborah LaPointe, PhD, and other key players from UNM.
The Convenio sets out the wishes of both institutions to establish cooperation in the areas of academics, research, and outreach. This relationship will help both institutions increase their academic outreach and scientific and technological activities at each institution. OLIT and UOC may agree to develop joint research projects, organize joint conferences, and exchange teaching and research personnel, students, and publications. Some teaching and research exchange has already occurred. Lani Gunwardena, PhD, has taught online and given presentations for UOC. Elena Barbera, PhD, from UOC was a visiting scholar at UNM during the Summer of 2007 and initiated research projects with Lani Gunawardena and Ludmilla Ortega-Layne and with Deb LaPointe and Jenna VanBerschot. Deb LaPointe visited Barcelona to analyze the data during the Fall 2008. All are working on joint publications now.
Both OLIT and UOC offer a certificate in e-Learning. The Joint e-Learning Certificate Agreement allows UNM and UOC students to enroll in e-learning courses offered by both institutions and earn a Joint e-Learning Certificate without leaving home. It provides an opportunity for cultural and educational exchange to occur and has the potential to expand into joint degree programs that have the possibility of affecting any class or program that either institution offers online. Learn about UNM's and UOC's e-Learning certificates by visiting their websites about the program.
Dr. Sangrà will visit the UNM OLIT program during the Summer of 2009 to meet with OLIT faculty and students, complete final details of the Joint e-Learning Certificate, and encourage OLIT students to participate in the exchange.
More information will be posted here as it becomes available. Then it's YOUR turn to become involved with UOC!
Contact:
Phone: 505-277-5046
Contact: , Online Distance Learning Coordinator
Phone: 505-277-8128
Toll-free: 1-866-869-6040
Fax: 505-277-8590
Website: http://online.unm.edu
The "L" stands for "Learning"
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