information technologies for education & training in e

Information Technologies for Education & Training in E-Government

Ranjit Bose Anderson School of Management, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131

[email protected]

Abstract

The application of information technologies (IT) to government services is termed electronic government

(e-government). The drive to implement e-government

is a global phenomenon. This research is concerned about the application of IT for online education and

training (also known as, e-learning) for government

employees and citizens. A summary review of the latest technological developments and practices in e-learning

have been provided to help the professionals,

managers, and policy makers of both profit and non-profit organizations to identify the areas of IT they can

invest to bring about efficiency and cost savings in

continuous education and training. The research also identifies several research projects within the area to

further advance the field.

1. Introduction

Today’s global citizen lives in a world where communications technology offers revolutionary opportunities for new interactions. Citizens worldwide are beginning to translate this opportunity into online citizenship. The application of IT to government services is termed e-government [1]. The drive to implement e-government is a global phenomenon hence governmental units at national, regional, and local levels all around the world are adopting novel ways to leverage IT to better serve their constituents.

Countries around the world have committed substantial resources to creating the environment and infrastructure for doing business electronically with their citizens, businesses, and other government entities. Over the past few years, the basic outline of an e-government vision has emerged, and governments globally have taken promising steps to deploy e-government services. However, much remains to be done both in implementing e-government services and in developing new technologies and concepts for e-government vision to be broadly realized.

E-learning is the online delivery of information for purposes of education or training. This emerging

learning model provides access to learning, where, how and when it is needed, in a learning environment that exists almost entirely on the Web [2, 17]. Its technical infrastructure is based on an integration of information technologies, computer hardware systems, and communication tools, to support educational professionals in remote teaching [14].

In this information age, skills and knowledge need to be continually updated and refreshed to keep up with today’s fast-paced business environment. E-learning of new content can help organizations and countries adapt to the demands of the Internet economy by training their workers and educating their citizens. Faced with tighter budgets, business organizations and government agencies have turned to online training to cut costs, which makes E-learning an increasingly essential component of many professional development programs. It is therefore critical for these organizations and agencies to know about the latest tools and technologies that are available to help build a knowledge-based workforce.

There are many different ways technologies can be utilized to further education and training in e-government. The key is to strike a balance between the costs and benefits associated with these technologies [10]. The type of multimedia courses to harness the full potential of the Internet and new media technologies, as well as the needs of the citizens/trainee are major factors to consider.

The purpose of this research is to identify the infrastructure, tools and technologies, needed to foster a comprehensive online learning environments in government organization for the purpose of compliance, workforce retention, performance support and performance improvement. The benefit of this research is that it provides a summary review of the latest technological developments and practices in distance learning in universities, with the aim of transferring these technologies and practices from academic settings to the typical environments of government offices and agencies. The research also identifies several research projects within the area to further advance the field.

Proceedings of the International Conference on Information Technology: Coding and Computing (ITCC’04) 0-7695-2108-8/04 $ 20.00 © 2004 IEEE

2. E-government background

E-government refers to the use of technology, particularly Web-based Internet applications, to enhance the access to and delivery of government information and services to citizens, business partners, employees, other agencies, and other entities [1, 4, 15]. The perceived benefits of e-government are that the government would be able to (1) be more accountable to citizens, (2) be more efficient and cost-effective, (3) provide greater public access to information, and (4) provide more convenient services. The chief barriers to e-government currently are the security and privacy of user information.

2.1 Categories of e-government

E-government focuses on the following four citizen-centered groups for the delivery of its services.

Individuals/Citizens: Government-to-Citizens (G2C), build easy to find, easy to use, one-stop points-of-service that make it easy for citizens to access high-quality government services. Use the Web for accessing services such as benefits, loans, recreational sites, educational material, social services, and filing taxes.

Businesses: Government-to-Business (G2B), reduce government’s burden on businesses by eliminating redundant collection of data and better leveraging e-business technologies for communication. Use the Web for accessing services in the areas of regulation, economic development, trade, permits/licenses, grants/loans, and asset management.

Intergovernmental: Government-to-Government (G2G), make it easier for states and localities to meet reporting requirements and participate as full partners with the federal government in citizen services by sharing and integrating federal, state & local data, while enabling better performance measurement, especially for grants. Other levels of government will see significant administrative savings and will be able to improve program delivery because more accurate data is available in a timely fashion.

Intra-governmental: Internal efficiency and effectiveness (IEE), adopt commercial best practices in government operation in areas such as supply chain management, financial management and knowledge management. Agencies will be able to improve effectiveness and efficiency, eliminating delays in processing and improving employee satisfaction and retention.

E-government also focuses on minimizing the burden on businesses, public and government when obtaining services on-line by providing a secure infrastructure for on-line transactions, eliminating the

need for separate processes for the verification of identity and electronic signatures.

2.2 Current applications of IT to e-government

The current applications of IT to government services can be divided into three broad categories: (1) access to information, (2) transaction services, and (3) citizen participation.

The most common e-government application is in providing citizens with access to information. Governments produce huge volumes of information and an increasing amount of it is now available through the Web and other electronic venues. For example, in the U.S. there are thousands of government Web sites such as Library of Congress, Internal Revenue Service, Social Security Administration, and National Park Service.

Citizens also use government Web sites to complete transactions. For example, in the U.S. for filing income taxes electronically, apply for passports, apply for various licenses, and businesses apply for patents and permits, and supply wage reports and other required information to government agencies.

The least developed but fast-growing application of IT to government is direct citizen participation in government decision-making [16, 22]. For example, in the U.S., citizens can participate electronically in voting and rule or legislation development.

This research contends that the application of IT to government services should be extended to a fourth category, that is, continuous education and training to its employees/citizens.

3. Infrastructure for education & training

E-learning is expanding worldwide. A recent study suggests that corporate training will grow from $2.2 billion to $18.5 billion by 2005. Due to shrinking budgets and decreased interest in travel since Sept. 11, 2001, meetings and training sessions, which depend on airplane flights, hotel reservations and time away from home, are being replaced by e-learning. For example, Cisco Systems uses e-learning to work with sales force. McDonald’s trainers logon to Hamburger University for additional training and updated information. Circuit City, with its 600 stores and approximately 50,000 employees, uses customized courses that they say are “short, fun, flexible, interactive and instantly applicable on the job.”

The infrastructure for online education and training in government requires creation of a learning center [11]. A learning center must serve as the focal point for all corporate/government training and learning activities [6]. Learning centers are referred to


as electronic education malls. The learning center site should be designed as a virtual campus that houses free and for-fee e-training courses and performance support tools. Its purpose should be to reduce the number of similar courses agencies offer and the associated redundant procurement and licensing costs. A lot of agencies struggle to meet legislative and agency-mandated training requirements. This site can become the storefront for those courses, enabling the agencies to take advantage of economies of scale and reduce redundant training efforts across the different levels of government. The training courses, for example, could be in legislative/agency-mandated topics such as ethics, computer security awareness, sexual harassment prevention, as well as high interest topics such as supervisory development, project management, and desktop computer skills.

The online system at the learning center would need to handle citizen/employee registration and tracking, and report training information such as the courses taken and completed by citizens/employees, and compile user feedback. This data can then be used to assist agencies in their efforts to effectively track, plan and manage training and professional development.

The learning center must be organized around the core competencies that characterize the knowledge, skills, and abilities all citizens/employees expected to achieve. It must offer CD-ROM courses; self-paced learning tools; streaming video; Internet learning conferences; coaching tips for managers and mentors; electronic audio and videotapes; e-books and e-articles; information about the corporate mission, values, and strategy; strategy guides suggesting specific development actions, on-the-job and in the community; and corporate and industry news. Citizens and employees should be able to access resources on a particular topic; they should be able to search a range of appropriate tools and action alternatives specific to their needs, including training sessions, recommended readings, a rental library, and a strategy guide.

4. Information technologies for education

& training

The currently used support systems or tools in e-learning programs can be divided into two broad categories: (1) Traditional tools: which include, but not limited to, videotape (S-VHS), cable/public television, satellite video conferencing, teleconferencing, whiteboard; and (2) Computer-assisted and network tools: which include, but not limited to, CD-ROM titles, Web browser, chat room, real player, quicktime, Windows media player, broadband video conferencing, WebCT, Blackboard, LearningSpace.

There are several technologies used for e-learning, some of the most commonly used ones are briefly summarized below. They include, among others, audio, video (instructional TV), computer, wireless, intelligent tutoring system, courseware, streaming video, virtual reality, and tele-immersion technologies.

Audio technology is the simplest of the technologies. Audio-graphics technology combines audio such as the telephone and data from computers. It is also known as document conferencing or whiteboard conferencing [9]. Participants can write or type messages that can be seen by the group while audio conferencing at the same time. Equipment can include a computer, a modem, a mouse, graphics tablet, a scanner, and a camera. The voice and data are transmitted over a telephone line. The cost of this equipment can range from $500 to $50,000 [9].

Video technologies are the most traditional of the technologies and include interactive television or ITV courses. These courses can be synchronous or asynchronous. ITV courses film the instructor and broadcast the class via satellite or microwave to another location. If the course is taped, the tapes can be checked out and viewed later by the participants.

Computer technologies are the newest technologies and encompass a wide range of technologies that include computer conferencing, e-mail, group conferencing systems, groupware, and the Internet. Internet conferencing can transmit audio and video using an Internet connection [3]. There are several packages for conferencing such as Netscape Communicator Conference, which has whiteboard and audio conferencing features. Microsoft NetMeeting has chat, audio and video conferencing, a whiteboard, and file transfers. The basic equipment needed to run these types of software is a computer with a sound card, a video capture card, and at least a 56K modem connection.

The use of wireless technology to connect to the Internet is gaining popularity rapidly due its flexibility. Cornell University started using wireless on its campus recently. To use the service one needs to have a wireless card installed in their laptop. The service is also compatible with integrated cards in laptops, such as the Airport card in Macintosh Powerbooks [13]. Carnegie Mellon University has been using wireless technology for over two years. More than 400 wireless access points are provided throughout its campus [8]. The growth of wireless computing has also initiated the Global Wireless Education Consortium (GWEC), a collaboration of wireless industry companies and academic institutions. GWEC is focused on expanding wireless technology in two- and four-year academic institutions [8].


Developments in artificial intelligence and expert systems enabled a software technology called intelligent tutoring systems (ITS). These systems have four basic components: expert knowledge, learner modeling, tutorial planning, and communication. An ITS has the ability to diagnose and adapt to a participant’s developing knowledge and skills, to provide precise feedback when mistakes are made or the participant becomes stymied, and to present new topics when the participant is ready to learn. A popular web-based intelligent tutoring system is ALEKS (Assessment and Learning in Knowledge Spaces) [7].

Another important technology for e-learning is known as courseware. These are commercially available integrated software systems to develop and manage Web-based course. These systems provide a wide range of functions from administration, courseware creation and management, communication, to assessment. Examples of courseware products include WebCT [19], Blackboard [21], and LearningSpace [20]. These software systems reside on a server and allow the instructor and participants to access them via a Web browser, such as Netscape or Internet Explorer. They also allow the instructor to make changes to the course readily – from any web-accessible location – and make these changes available to the participants immediately.

One can use these software systems to provide course materials that include text, images, video, and audio; produce learning aids such as searchable indexes, glossaries, and image databases; integrate Web resources into the courses; obtain data that allows the instructor to analyze the effectiveness of the course; create opportunities for participants to be knowledge builders; encourage participant interaction by using hyperlinks to websites, participant Web pages, and real-time chat sessions; communicate with participants via email, online discussions, and an interactive whiteboard; evaluate participants with quizzes and assignments; manage grades; and supply feedback to participants via online grade book, self tests, and progress tracking.

The streaming video technology is gaining popularity as computers and connections get faster. The basic equipments needed to create streaming videos are a basic computer, video capture card, sound card, video camera, microphone, and the video encoder software. The creators need to be aware of what kind of connection the participants would have, and the participants would need some kind of streaming video player such as Real Player. Streaming video is a better alternative to videotape because once the video is created, it can be put on a CD, which is cheaper to use and mail, instead of a videotape. Also, being in digital format makes it easier to manipulate and break into

parts that can be used for other things. Streaming video is especially convenient for short courses or training.

Virtual reality technology is gradually becoming a big player in learning and education [23]. There are some types of courses that can really benefit from virtual reality. For example, at the University of Colorado’s College of Business, students can walk around inside a microcomputer and examine its components. Other courses that can benefit from virtual reality technology are lab courses, in both engineering and medical fields. With virtual reality, students could conduct the lab experiments from their computer. It won’t be long before this technology is incorporated in courseware.

The integration of virtual reality with collaborative software technologies is called tele-immersion [18]. This technology allows users at different locations to collaborate as if they were in the same place. It helps solve some of the communication problems with traditional collaborative software where people can’t see the body language of the participants. Participants using tele-immersion see a virtual image of themselves and others on the computer screen. Users need a headset for viewing and an input device such as a data-glove or a wand. These allow the user to navigate through a virtual environment and to interact with virtual objects. Special software is also needed with the capability to import or create objects, attach sensors, and manipulate and rotate objects and the programming language must be able to work with visual modeling programs and make them fully interactive [5].

In summary, with the advances of information technologies over the past few decades, computer technologies such as deductive reasoning, neural networks, and statistical analysis mechanisms can be used to develop intelligent tutoring or individualized learning tools to aid e-learning. Information retrieval techniques can help the implementation of a precise search engine for seeking after-session references. Network technologies ensure real-time interaction in a synchronized e-learning session, and improve the quality of presentation services. Mobile and wireless communication systems will very soon effectively allow e-learning on Personal Digital Assistants (PDA) and even on cellular phones.

5. Future research

There are significant IT areas where government research investment will have an impact on the creation of advanced e-government capability in the areas of education and training in the long-term. The areas include information management, software technology, network infrastructure, human-computer interaction,


middleware, security, organizational and social issues, models and simulation, and large-scale systems.

New technologies for e-learning must be further investigated through well-designed research projects. For instance, real-time protocols, broadband and wireless communication technologies, multimedia streaming algorithms, intelligent tutoring, behavior analysis of participants, copyright protection and authentication mechanisms, visual computing, and new learning models, as well as other issues of e-learning still need researchers, engineers, and participants to work together, to make this modern education and training trend successful.

Mehrotra et al. [12] suggest that there are three types of interaction necessary for successful e-learning: (1) learner-content interaction, (2) learner-instructor interaction, and (3) learner-learner interaction. Research must be conducted in each of these three issues and their results should be used to further develop the courseware technology to ensure that all three forms of interaction are maximized in every course structure.

Research programs should also be undertaken to further understand and study the issues of e-learning from several perspectives such as sociological, policy, and technical. From the technical perspective, several areas of research need to be addressed. Some of these areas, but not limited to, are: improving the intelligence and versatility of the courseware technology, incorporating wireless technology for universal and mobile access to the e-learning Web site, using distributed Web services to address the issues of scalability, and providing the capability for multilingual support for education and training courses for the international audience.

6. Conclusion

It is being recognized that e-learning has become a significant force in education and training. Its ability to cater to a distributed workforce at different locations in different time zones and its flexibility make it attractive to corporate and government trainers. E-learning requires significant investments of time and money, both to develop courses and for revision of courses. The research findings should help the professionals, managers, and policy makers of both profit and non-profit organizations to identify the areas of IT they can invest to bring about efficiency and cost savings in continuous education and training.

References

[1] Abramson, M.A. and Means, G.E. (eds.). E-Government

2001, Rowman and Littlefield publisher, Lanham: MD, 2001.

[2] Anderson, D., Harvel, L., Hayes, M., Ishiguro, Y., Jackson, J. and Pimentel, M. “ Internet course delivery making it easier and more effective,” 2000 IEEE

International Conference on Multimedia and Expo, Vol. 1, 2000, pp. 84-87. [3] Anido, L., Llamas, M. and Fernandez, M.J. “Internet-based learning by doing,” IEEE Transactions on Education,Vol. 44, No. 2, 2001. [4] Bacon, K. et al. E-Government: The blue print, John Wiley & Sons, New York: NY, 2001. [5] Baylis, W. “The use of virtual reality in training and education,” Logistics Spectrum, Vol. 34, No. 4, 2000, pp. 25-28.[6] Boxer, K.M. and Johnson, B. “How to build an Online center,” Training and Development, August, 2002. [7] Canfield, W. “ALEKS: A web-based intelligent tutoring system,” Mathematics and Computer Education, Vol. 35, No. 2, 2001, pp. 152-158. [8] Charp, S. “Instructional networks – some emerging tools,” Technological Horizons in Educational Journal, Vol. 29, No. 6, 2002, pp. 10-12. [9] Chute, A., Thompson, M. and Hancock, B. The McGraw-

Hill Handbook of Distance Learning, McGraw-Hill Publishing Company, New York: NY, 1999. [10] Hayes, M. and Jamrozik, M. “Internet distance learning: The problems, the pitfalls, and the future,” Journal of VLSI

Signal Processing Systems for Signal, Image, and Video

Technology, Vol. 29, No. 1 & 2, 2001, pp. 63-69. [11] Langenbach, C. and Bodendorf, F. “The electronic mall: A service center for distance learning,” International Journal

of Electronic Commerce, Winter 1999-2000. [12] Mehrotra, C., Hollister, C. and McGahey. Distance

Learning: Principles for Effective Design, Delivery, and

Evaluation, Sage Publications, Thousand Oaks: CA, 2001. [13] Steele, B. “Unplugged: CIT rolls out ‘RedRover” wireless networking on campus,” Cornell Chronicle, 2001, August 23. [14] Schar, S.G. and Krueger, H. “Using new learning technologies with multimedia,” IEEE Multimedia, 7(3), 2000, pp. 40-51. [15] Scherlis, W.L. and Eisenberg, J. “IT research, innovation, and e-government,” Communications of the

ACM, Vol. 46, No. 1, Jan. 2003, pp. 67-68. [16] Shulman, S. et al. “Citizen agenda-setting: The electronic collection and synthesis of public commentary in the regulatory rulemaking process,” Proceedings of National

Conference of Digital Government Research, 2001, May. [17] Trajkovic, V., Davcev, D., Kimovski, G. and Petanceska, Z. “Web-based Virtual Classroom,” Proceedings

of the 34th International Conference on Technology of

Object-oriented Languages and Systems, 2000, pp. 137-146. [18] http://www.internet2.edu/html/tele-immersion.html[19] http://www.webct.com[20] http://www.lotus.com/products/learnspace.nsf[21] http://www.blackboard.com/products/ps/index.htm[22] U.S. General Accounting Office. “Federal Rulemaking: Agencies’ use of information technology to facilitate public participation,” GAO/GGD-00-135R, June 30, 2000. [23] Young, J. “Virtual reality on a desktop hailed as new tool in distance education,” The Chronicle of Higher

Education, Vol. 47, No. 6, 2000, A43-A44.


information technologies for education & training in e

Documents