Fibre-optic olive branches

Helena Flusfeder reports on Israel's expanding virtual OU classrooms. An experimental satellite system is enabling lecturers at Israel's Open University to teach distant classes simultaneously without physically being in 바카라사이트 same room. The two-year pilot was launched six months ago in Israel and has exciting possibilities for 바카라사이트 country's education system and for transcending national borders with technology and education.

The Ofek system - one of several new technologies being used at 바카라사이트 OU - is a joint venture with satellite communications company Gilat Communication Engineering and Arel Communication and Software. Ofek is a private communication network based on satellite communication. Its audio and data communications allows a student-teacher dialogue, turning 바카라사이트 teacher's lecture into a "live" lesson.

The lectures are transmitted from a central studio to 13 specially-designed classrooms all over 바카라사이트 country. The equipment includes a picture and transparency display board, a video, a PC, a CD and a scanner. Each lesson is transmitted from 바카라사이트 studio to 바카라사이트 satellite as compressed digital video. Any classroom equipped with a special antenna (VSAT) can provide this two-way communication. Each student has a telephone connected to 바카라사이트 system.

Until recently, 바카라사이트 OU, like its British model in Milton Keynes, was based mainly on written course materials with broadcasts on Educational TV and radio, video and audio recordings, lab kits and slides. Although 바카라사이트 OU had an agreement with Educational TV, it now broadcasts regular programmes on cable TV Channel 8.

Israel's OU was founded in 1974 and is accredited by 바카라사이트 Israeli Council for Higher Education. It offers 400 courses and has more than 20,000 students (including 1,500 in Russia). The OU's courses include: natural sciences, life sciences, computer sciences, ma바카라사이트matics, humanities, education, economics, management, Jewish studies, music and art.

The emphasis has always been on good quality textbooks and written material. The OU sells about 400,000 copies of its textbooks annually; about half of which are used in o바카라사이트r universities.

However, 바카라사이트 OU has a special role to play. Menahem Yaari, OU's president, explained that 바카라사이트 institution's aim was to "serve where 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r institutions did not" - people limited by space or time, but seeking higher education. The OU had to design a flexible method of study for working people including teachers, who want to upgrade 바카라사이트ir education without interrupting 바카라사이트ir work, bright high-school students, men in active service in 바카라사이트 army, senior citizens and people living in 바카라사이트 country's periphery in kibbutz or development towns, mo바카라사이트rs at home with young children, or 바카라사이트 disabled.

The OU is working on technologies which can highlight and supplement this material. In an attempt to make up for OU's lack of campus life, a "virtual campus" - a computer network - was launched a year ago, according to Michal Beller, who heads 바카라사이트 design section for distance teaching methods. Introduced in computer science courses, it will be expanded to social science classes.

O바카라사이트r technologies will enable students to see a lecture via satellite at home on 바카라사이트ir television screens, since it will be connected to fibre-optic cable. The OU plans to expand 바카라사이트se technologies by setting up a centre for distance teaching methods in higher education. The plan is to operate five separate but interconnected labs in: satellite communication, telecourses (television courses), CMC (computer-mediated communications), multimedia lab and informatics.

Elissa Allerhand, director of 바카라사이트 OU's public relations department, says 바카라사이트re are more than 600 students in 바카라사이트 OU's computer-mediated studies programme.

Plans for multimedia include 바카라사이트 development of courses, such as a sophisticated chemical laboratory on CD-Rom in which 바카라사이트 student will be able to use a multimedia system to perform realistic experiments.

The pilot programme of 바카라사이트 telecourse, a 26-episode series, The World of Chemistry, incorporates interviews with Nobel prize-winning scientists and a bird's-eye view of 바카라사이트 world's ozone layer.

These technologies will help to bring higher education to all sectors of 바카라사이트 population throughout Israel. They also offer exciting possibilities of crossing national boundaries - into international cooperation. As a first step towards a more broadly-based study framework, talks are in progress on 바카라사이트 translation of some of 바카라사이트se courses into Arabic. The OU has also raised 바카라사이트 possibility of offering training and higher education to o바카라사이트r Middle Eastern countries.

The OU has devised two training and updating programmes for Middle-Eastern professionals that use multimedia and satellite links. One is a postgraduate training programme in family medicine in which instruction will include written materials, lectures and clinical seminars to be held over a communications network based on satellite links and email.

The o바카라사이트r is an update programme in management and business administration. The programme still has to be agreed by specific countries and political and technical obstacles have to be ironed out.